Austin Root, Chief Investment Officer at Stansberry Asset Management, shares insights from his recent conference experience and discusses how SAM aids individual investors in optimizing their portfolios. He highlights the importance of paying down credit-card debt and investing in productive assets over cash. Austin also explains why he favors equities over gold, finds bitcoin a strong long-term asset, and names two compelling stock picks: a financial company set for double-digit growth and a construction-materials firm boasting an impressive shareholder yield.
Austin Root emphasizes the importance of managing high-cost debts before investing to ensure financial stability and future growth.
Stansberry Asset Management employs a holistic approach to financial planning, tailoring strategies to individual clients' comprehensive financial situations and goals.
Root advocates for investing in productive assets like American Express and CRH, highlighting their strong growth prospects and resilience in challenging economic environments.
Deep dives
Highlights from the Recent Conference
The conversation reflects on a recent conference in Las Vegas, highlighting the diverse range of presentations that provided both immediate and long-term insights for investors. Noteworthy was an interview with Michael Lewis, featuring Billy Beane, which emphasized the importance of analytics in creating an efficient investment portfolio, akin to building a successful baseball team. Additionally, other impactful sessions included discussions on artificial intelligence by Zach Kass and engaging performances that enhanced the overall experience. These talks were not just about financial theories but provided actionable insights that attendees found valuable.
Role and Philosophy at Stansberry Asset Management
Austin Root, the Chief Investment Officer at Stansberry Asset Management, outlines his firm’s mission to optimize investment strategies for individual investors, combining research and personalized financial planning. He emphasizes their commitment to understanding clients' comprehensive financial situations, including all assets and goals, not just those managed by the firm. This holistic management approach helps clients achieve financial success by aligning investment strategies with personal objectives while also addressing risk tolerance and time horizons. Root notes that the firm’s investment team directly invests in the same strategies they recommend to clients, ensuring shared interests.
The Importance of Managing Debt Before Investing
The discussion stresses the crucial step of getting one's financial house in order before pursuing investments, particularly focusing on managing high-cost debts. High consumer credit card debt levels are noted, with a recommendation to prioritize eliminating such debts before venturing into speculative investments like cryptocurrency. This advice underscores the importance of financial stability as the foundation for successful investing practices. By addressing these financial fundamentals first, investors can better position themselves for future growth.
Investment Strategy and Market Analysis
Austin discusses his firm's investment strategy in light of macroeconomic factors, including the recent interest rate hikes that significantly impacted fixed-income investments. The team opted for a cautious approach to bonds during 2022, opting instead for a mix of high-quality assets and short-term U.S. treasuries to mitigate risks associated with rising interest rates. He highlights a strategic and tactical investment philosophy where core holdings feature durable companies with growth potential, complemented by tactical investments in distressed assets that may be mispriced. This balanced approach helps navigate market volatility and capitalize on opportunities.
Recommendation of American Express and CRH
Austin Root recommends American Express as a strong investment due to its robust growth prospects and resilience in inflationary environments. The firm appreciates that American Express operates with a revenue model that effectively benefits from increasing transaction values, thus providing a safeguard against inflation's impact. In addition, he presents CRH, a leading construction materials provider, known for its shareholder yield through share buybacks. This dual recommendation illustrates a focus on companies with a strong market position, sound capital allocation strategies, and potential for long-term returns amidst economic fluctuations.
On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey are joined by Austin Root. Austin is an old friend and the chief investment officer at Stansberry Asset Management ("SAM"). SAM is a separate company from Stansberry Research and MarketWise, but it was born with the same DNA. The difference is, SAM helps individual investors optimize their portfolios.
Austin kicks off the show by discussing his favorite moments from last week's Stansberry Conference & Alliance Meeting. After, he shares what his role is at SAM and how the company helps individual investors with financial planning. Austin explains that SAM's team of specialists will look at an investor's full balance sheet – not just the part SAM is managing – and then make a personalized plan from there using projections. He emphasizes that paying down expensive credit-card debt is the most important first step, and he breaks down how macro factors influence SAM's strategies. (0:46)
Next, Austin talks about why investors should be in productive assets rather than cash, why he sees gold as inferior to shares of world-class businesses, and how bitcoin can be a good long-term store of value. He also names two stocks he finds particularly attractive right now. The first is a financial company that is trading at a discount, is poised for double-digit revenue growth, and serves as an inflation hedge. The second is a construction-materials company with a fantastic shareholder yield of nearly 10%. (24:59)
Finally, Austin explains why investors should keep politics out of their portfolios for the long term. He says inflation is the one factor he always pays attention to and everything else is noise. Austin does note, though, that he has loaded up on defense stocks for the short term since geopolitical tensions are rising around the globe. But overall, he says both candidates want to spend like mad and will be bad for the economy in the long run. (45:29)
Disclosure: Stansberry Asset Management ("SAM") is a Registered Investment Adviser with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. File number: 801-107061. Such registration does not imply any level of skill or training. Under no circumstances should this report or any information herein be construed as investment advice, or as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or other financial instruments.
Stansberry & Associates Investment Research, LLC ("Stansberry Research") is not a current client or investor of SAM. SAM provides cash compensation to Stansberry Research for Stansberry Research's advisory client solicitation services for the benefit of SAM. Material conflicts of interest may exist due to Stansberry Research's economic interest in soliciting clients for SAM. Certain Stansberry Research personnel may also have limited rights and interests relating to one or more parent entities of SAM.
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