My Worst Investment Ever Podcast Chris Vermeulen – Find What You’re Passionate About
BIO: Chris Vermeulen shares a different way of investing that doesn’t use diversification or the buy-and-hold method. In his new book, “Asset Revesting - How To Exclusively Hold Assets Rising In Value, Profit During Bear Markets, And Continue Building Wealth In Retirement,” he explains why this approach is the way forward.
STORY: Chris and his father imported infrared saunas from China only to discover they were not certified in Canada after arrival. Chris had invested over $250,000 that went down the drain.
LEARNING: Find what you’re passionate about. Invest in what you’re familiar with. Start small, test things out, and then go big.
“You might not make as much doing something you’re passionate about, but if you’re a creative person, you’ll find a way to make it work and eventually become highly successful.”
Chris Vermeulen
Guest profile
Chris Vermeulen shares a different way of investing that doesn’t use diversification or the buy-and-hold method. In his new book, “Asset Revesting - How To Exclusively Hold Assets Rising In Value, Profit During Bear Markets, And Continue Building Wealth In Retirement,” he explains why this approach is the way forward. He believes that investing should be about capital preservation first and growth second. By doing this, there will always be capital to invest and consistent account growth.
With over 25 years of investment experience and data working with 20,000 self-directed investors, Chris is confident that this will become the new industry standard investment model.
Worst investment ever
Chris made enough money in the last year of college trading. Since his parents paid for his college education, he was debt-free and could start investing immediately after college. His dad happened to be helping a friend who was selling generators. The guy was importing them into the country.
He suggested to his dad to buy these same generators from China. They flew to China and went to the Canton World Fair, where there were over 40,000 products and manufacturers of everything you can imagine. They’d visit the warehouses daily, and every time they saw a product they liked, they’d take the pamphlet and keep it. At the night’s end, they’d sort the brochures into yes, no, and maybes. They did this for four days.
Eventually, they came across infrared saunas; at the time, no one was selling them in Canada. They put in a big order. Chris borrowed $250,000, ready to take over the world.
When the products arrived in Canada months later, they set one up and realized they had more or less been scammed. The products weren’t certified by the Canadian Electrical Code. The Canadian Electrical Safety Authority came, checked them out, and refused to approve them. They had to put the products in the dump and pay to get rid of them, making a complete loss. It took them over a year and a half to get the next batch of products that were actually certified.
Lessons learned
- Find what you’re passionate about.
- Invest in what you’re familiar with.
Andrew’s takeaways
- Start small, test things out, and then go big.
Actionable advice
Do something you’re passionate about because, eventually, you’ll run into tough times. You only have to be really good at one thing, and you can be as wealthy as you could ever imagine—if you can help enough people with whatever product or something you’re good at.
Chris’s recommendations
Chris recommends reading Stan Weinstein’s Secrets For Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets. The book teaches the four stages that the stock market goes through, how to identify the stages, and the strategy to use for each. If you understand these stages, you can apply that to whatever you’re investing in.
No.1 goal for the next 12 months
Chris’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to preserve capital.
Parting words
“Protect your capital. Don’t get caught up thinking stocks are the only asset available, and buy a bunch of them. There are many more things out there to invest in.”
Chris Vermeulen
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Connect with Chris Vermeulen
Andrew’s books
- How to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock Market
- My Worst Investment Ever
- 9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- Transform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 Points
Andrew’s online programs
- Valuation Master Class
- The Become a Better Investor Community
- How to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock Market
- Finance Made Ridiculously Simple
- FVMR Investing: Quantamental Investing Across the World
- Become a Great Presenter and Increase Your Influence
- Transform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 Points
- Achieve Your Goals