REPLAY (EP.16) Thomas Russo – Buy and Hold...and Then What
Mar 4, 2019
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Thomas Russo, Managing Member of Gardner Russo & Gardner, shares his investment strategy, focusing on long-term thinking and the capacity to reinvest. He discusses successful investments in consumer brands, the value of low turnover, and the impact of reputational damage on investment decisions. Also, the importance of listening in the research process and favorite books and career reflections are discussed. The podcast ends with reflections on the present and advice for the future.
Long-term investing requires the capacity to suffer short-term pain for long-term gain.
Reinvesting cash flow into growth opportunities is crucial for compounding wealth over time.
Building lasting relationships and trust is essential in both investments and personal life.
Deep dives
Tom Russo's Investment Strategy: Investing in Global Consumer Businesses
Tom Russo is the managing member of Gardener, Russo, and Gardener, where he manages $11 billion in a long-only global value strategy. His investment approach involves buying the stock of global consumer businesses with great brands and holding them for a long time. Russo looks for businesses with the capacity to reinvest cash flow and the capacity to endure short-term pain for long-term gains. He focuses on businesses with enduring competitive advantages, such as strong brands and loyal customers. Russo's investment philosophy centers around compounding wealth over decades and finding businesses that provide lasting measures of value.
The Importance of Patience in Investing
Russo emphasizes the need for patience in investing, noting that lasting added value takes time to materialize. He advises against getting caught up in short-term market fluctuations and focusing instead on long-term investment goals. Russo compares the force of compounding wealth to the force of compound interest, highlighting the power of consistent and patient investing over time. He shares his own experience of holding stocks for long periods, often decades, to allow businesses to grow and generate wealth.
The Significance of Reinvesting in Businesses
Reinvesting in businesses is a key component of Russo's investment strategy. He looks for companies with the capacity to reinvest cash flow into growth opportunities, such as expanding into new markets or developing new products. By reinvesting in these initiatives, businesses can increase their intrinsic value over time. Russo focuses on long-term business growth and aims to identify companies that have demonstrated a track record of effectively reinvesting in their core operations to drive value creation.
The Importance of Building Lasting Relationships
Russo highlights the significance of building lasting relationships in both investments and personal life. He emphasizes the value of trust and integrity in business relationships, citing examples of family-controlled businesses that have successfully maintained their brands and reputations over long periods. Russo's investment philosophy is influenced by his interactions with company management and the insights they provide. He believes in aligning interests and creating strong partnerships to support long-term value creation.
Navigating Challenges and Adapting to Market Conditions
Russo discusses the importance of navigating challenges and adapting to changing market conditions. He shares his perspective on overcoming setbacks and staying focused on long-term investment goals. Russo mentions a case study involving Wells Fargo and the reputational damage it faced due to improper conduct. Despite the challenges, he remained invested in the company, assessing the scope of direct damage and considering the competitive landscape. Russo highlights the need for businesses to respond quickly to challenges and maintain their commitment to long-term value creation.
Tom Russo is the Managing Member of Gardner Russo & Gardner, where he manages $11 billion in a long only, global value strategy. Tom buys the stock of global consumer businesses with great brands and holds them for a really long time. He looks for businesses with a capacity to reinvest free cash flow and a capacity to suffer through short-term pain in order to achieve long-term gain. Tom started his investment career at the Sequoia Fund in New York, where he worked from 1984 to 1988. His first partnership, Semper Vic Partners, has compounded at 14.6% per year for 33 years, besting the S&P 500 by 3.6% per annum.
Tom is a graduate of Dartmouth College (B.A., 1977), and Stanford Business and Law Schools (JD/MBA, 1984). He has served on Dean's Advisory Council for Stanford Law School, Dartmouth College's President's Leadership Council, and the Advisory Board for the Heilbrunn Center for Graham & Dodd Investing at Columbia Business School, as well as on the boards of the Winston Churchill Foundation of the U.S., Facing History and Ourselves, and Storm King Art Center.
Our conversation covers how Tom created an investment strategy by personalizing early lessons from Warren Buffett, the capacity to re-invest, the capacity to suffer, and what it takes to own a stock for decades. Tom’s time horizon and fortitude as an investor parallels those of institutions with permanent capital. Listeners will get a fresh perspective on what it means to be a long-term investor