InvestED: The Rule #1 Investing Podcast

A stock split is when a company decides to exchange more shares at a lower price for stockholders' existing shares. They happen from time to time, so it's important for us as investors to understand what that means.Stock splits make stocks more accessible to individual shareholders, make selling put options cheaper, and typically tends to increase share prices in the short run. So does a stock split impact your investment if you already own the stock? It shouldn’t, because your investment should be the value of the entire business no matter how many pieces it is split into.  There's another kind of stock split which is called a reverse stock split, where you end up with less shares than you previously started with. For instance, let's say you had 100 shares and they reverse split it 10 to 1, you suddenly have 10 shares. Does it increase the value or decrease the value? Not at all.  Rule #1 investors look at the company not per share. They look at it as a whole company the way an owner does. This is why the company evaluation process is a critical step in investing—if not the most important.  The company evaluation process includes confirming that the business has a margin of safety. Margin of Safety is the discount rate you can buy a wonderful business, which is generally 50% off the Sticker Price. Because the Margin of Safety is just 50% of the Sticker Price, it allows you the ability to purchase into the business with lower risk. Setting this limitation on the price of a business before you buy it helps protect you by providing an extra 50% cushion off the value of the company. Since you must do a lot of research before buying a business, it should always be something you’re confident in purchasing. However, anything can happen in the stock market, and it makes sense to allot yourself an extra measure of protection. Buying at 50% off does just that.Another way to evaluate a company is by evaluating the business’s moat. Moat is the durable competitive advantage that a company has that protects it from being attacked by competitors.Moat is what makes a company predictable and allows us to put a value on the business. Charlie Munger said that “Coca-Cola is the perfect business because it has this gigantic durable competitive advantage, or moat, which gives it predictable cash flow.” This allows us to figure out what the future cash flow will be and value the company today, so we know whether we can buy it on sale or not.Today, Phil answers fan questions regarding stock splits, company valuation, and explains why it’s important to do your research and due diligence before committing to any companies on your watchlist. If you want to learn more about how to find excellent companies at attractive prices, download Phil’s Four Ms for Successful Investing Checklist: https://bit.ly/3jV5QAn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you think that because real estate lets you leverage your investment, the rate of return is much higher than a business/stock investment, and is, therefore a better place for beginner investors to put their money, think again. This is a commonly held idea that is completely mistaken. Phil and other expert investors including Warren Buffett have owned real estate, everything from subdivisions to large farms, apartments, commercial property, and single-family homes. If you were to do a real estate versus business/stock ownership returns comparison, we could pit the hottest real estate markets against the hottest Rule #1 investors. But it seems better to use the average real estate market and the average Rule #1 investor.As Rule #1 investors, we incur almost no management responsibility—a significant advantage. We have to spend about 15 minutes a week reading and researching, and that’s it. We’re required to know the basics of Rule #1 investing, but it’s easier to learn than real estate investing once you know the advantages. Let’s say a Rule #1 investor had $50,000 to invest. They could buy a wonderful business at an attractive price, and when it gets unattractive, sell and buy another. We do that for 30 years, averaging 15%. After 30 years, the investment would be worth $3.3 million.Now compare that to a real estate investment. Say the average person buys a $250,000 house for $50,000 down with a 6%, 30-year fixed mortgage. Their payments are $1,200 a month, but they rent it for $1,200 and cover the mortgage payments. They’re in the hole for insurance, maintenance, advertising, and taxes. Their only choice would be to re-leverage their investment and buy more real estate—which is a whole lot different than being retired, isn’t it?Now that you're starting to think about what assets you want to invest in, make sure you understand the distinguishing characteristics to look for when buying a piece of a company. Does the business have honest management, a large moat, margin of safety, and meaning to you? Research those companies more deeply to determine which abide by Rule #1 principles. If their numbers look good, these are companies you want to add to your watchlist.Today, Danielle and Phil discuss whether or not it’s possible to make real estate a beneficial component of a high-performing financial portfolio.Learn more about buying stocks within your circle of competence with this 3 Circles Exercise Guide! Click here to download: https://bit.ly/2F9rn9C Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Allan Mecham is a well-known investor who runs a hedge fund called Arlington Value Capital. Allan has had a phenomenal track record, and implements the values and philosophies of Rule #1 investing. In 2012, Allan sent out a letter to his investors that covered some of his core investing philosophies.One of those philosophies included that in order to be successful in the stock market, you must look for the rare combination of business safety, an attractive price, and a clear understanding of the business that leads to a low-risk and market-meeting return.His principles also focus on the idea that you’re not trying to make money in investing, but the objective is to not lose money. This doesn’t mean the stock price never goes down from where you bought it, but rather, the value of the business never decreases from where you bought it.Determining whether or not a business’s value will decrease comes down to finding a safe company at a great price, and making sure you understand it fully. This is one of the core Rule #1 investing principles. In Allan’s letter, he also stated that he has one goal in mind when structuring his policies. That is, to make rational decisions in investing which will lead to wonderful returns. This includes staying within your circle of competence and thinking objectively.The most important thing I can tell you about becoming a great investor is to focus on your circle of competence. Try to buy businesses that really mean something to you. What are you passionate about? What do you actually know something about? Those are the questions that will make you connect to your investments, and the more you connect with your investments, the more you will own it as if you own the whole business. The more you understand the meaning of the business, the better investor you are going to be.What Allan means by staying objective in investing is not being influenced by your emotions, and sticking to the data and facts in your researching process. Only buy into a company with the mindset that you are owning the business as if it were your own—and that you plan to own that company for the long-term. This is also aligned with Rule #1 investing philosophies.In today’s podcast, Phil dives deeper into Allan Mecham’s investing philosophies, and discusses what investors can learn from them. Learn more about buying stocks within your circle of competence with my 3 Circles Exercise Guide! Click here to download: https://bit.ly/3ieOJbp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warren Buffett says that the ideal investment is one that you can hold onto forever, growing your money for as long as you own it. However, Buffett and every other successful investor also knows that there are times when selling a stock is the best route.For example, Phil Town was a big fan of IBM and bought into the company in his earlier investing years. He researched IBM thoroughly, and felt that he understood the business as if it were his own.A few years later, IBM got a new CEO named Ginni Rometty. Phil believed that she was trying to change the direction of the company, and she did not have a proven track record of success in the technology field. This was a big red flag to Phil.It was clear that IBM wasn’t making the transition to a new CEO smoothly, so Phil tried to offset IBM’s drops in the market by buying in on put options and selling on call options. This did not generate returns like he hoped it would. Interestingly enough, while all of this was happening, IBM sustained a big Moat—which they still have today. This is a great indicator of how hard it is to break a big Moat, even when the company is seemingly doing everything wrong. But it takes much more than Moat to make a great company.Ultimately, Phil ended up exiting his position with IBM, but was still able to profit off of it. This is the importance of buying companies with a Margin of Safety.  So, the question is: when IS it the right time to sell a stock? If you’ve done your homework and you’ve bought a great company at an attractive price...why sell it?You don’t want to regret the feeling that you sold something too late or too soon.You should sell a stock when the fundamentals of the company have changed. All companies change over time—sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.New management sometimes takes over, new competition comes onto the market, and, sometimes, the entire story of the company itself may change. If the company you now own is no longer the same company that you first invested in and you no longer have faith in its new direction, it's a good time to sell your stock.Second, you should sell a stock when the price of the company has reached its intrinsic value. As Rule #1 investors, we try to purchase companies at a discount to their true value. Thankfully, various events in the market can often drive the price of a company down below its true value, creating a great buying opportunity.Last, it’s a good idea to exit your position in a company when you simply have a better opportunity. While it's always ideal to have cash set aside for use in case a great investment opportunity comes up, there may be times when you want to invest more than you have available in cash. In these situations, it's perfectly okay to sell a stock in order to free up capital.In today’s podcast, Phil and Danielle talk about the changes in IBM that drove Phil’s decision to exit his position, and what investors can learn from them. Don’t buy a risky stock. Download this ultimate to-do list for investors looking to buy wonderful businesses with low risk and high returns: https://bit.ly/2RwNp8S Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Investing is one of the most morally charged and important things we can do. If we’re privileged enough to be among the few who have more money than is necessary to survive, we must be careful about how we allocate that excess capital. Ultimately, it could determine how the world works for our family for generations to come. So as you’re building your watchlist, keep in mind that you are buying businesses, NOT stocks.For instance, although the marijuana industry is starting to grow, you would still have to ask yourself if it fits within your values if you were considering investing in a marijuana production company. Are you proud to own the business as if it were your own? These are all things you have to ask yourself while analyzing companies in any industry.You also must consider the predictability of a company in the marijuana industry, since they are typically younger and therefore carry more risk. In these cases, there is typically less public information about those companies, making it harder to perform a proper analysis in your initial researching phase of investing. The essence of Rule #1 is “don’t lose money,” but what that means in practical terms is to invest with certainty. Certainty comes from this: buying wonderful businesses at attractive prices. In Rule #1 investing, the word ‘wonderful’ actually encompasses four simple elements, which we call the Four Ms. First, the company must have Meaning to you. This refers to understanding the industry, and if the industry has meaning to you, then you understand the environment in which the business competes.The next M is Moat, which refers to the durability of the business—or the competitive advantage a company has over other companies in the same industry. Just as Moat protects a castle from attack, a durable competitive advantage protects a company. The third M is Management. Rule #1 investors only support businesses that have a CEO who is service-oriented, passionate about their business, honest, and experienced. While you can make money from a business with just Meaning and Moat, when you add in good Management, you’re less likely to suffer through a period when a traitor is running the show poorly and costing you money.Finally, the last of the Four Ms is Margin of Safety (MOS). MOS is essentially a large discount on the sticker price or intrinsic value—typically around 50% off.Understanding how to determine a company’s true value is so critical to stockpiling. Investors have gotten very rich buying companies, but unless they were very lucky, they only got rich because they knew the value of those businesses first. That’s why today, Phil and Danielle answer fan questions regarding business analysis, and discuss why it’s important to invest in companies that reflect your personal values. If you want to learn more about analyzing companies on your watchlist, download Phil’s Four Ms for Successful Investing Checklist: https://bit.ly/2FJNAuw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the core Rule #1 investing principles is to buy wonderful companies at attractive prices. This helps take the risk out of investing and makes it easier to get fantastic returns. However, there are other factors that you must consider before you commit to any companies on your watchlist.A great company encompasses four simple elements, and we call these elements the “Four Ms of Investing.”First, the company must have Meaning to you. This means you understand the business as if it were your own, you’re proud to own the business, and the business reflects your values. Meaning is often the factor that differentiates between truly investing in a company with confidence and simply gambling on whether or not they will grow in value.Next, the business must meet certain criteria in terms of financial strength and predictability. This is considered Moat. The business needs to have something that prevents their competition from coming in and stealing away the control they have over their market. By investing in a company with a Moat, you can ensure that you don’t lose your investment due to that company being watered down by competition.The third factor is Management, because every company is only as good as the people who are leading it! Far too often, companies are sunk due to dishonest or poor management. This is why it’s important to take your time to research the people who are leading a company, and make sure they have a track record of integrity, as well as success.Last, the business must have a large Margin of Safety (MOS). MOS essentially means you can buy a dollar of value for fifty cents. If you know what a business is worth, you must be able to buy it at a cheaper price. This will lead to high returns, and can eventually make you very rich.There are also red flags to consider when analyzing companies. For example, you should always be wary of CEOs that are selling off their shares of the company. This is tied to insider trading, or the trading of a public company's stock based on nonpublic information about the company. When people hear “insider trading,” they probably think of situations like Martha Stewart going to jail for this practice. But, what a lot of people don’t realize is that insider trading is essentially legal if the CEO in question notifies the SEC that they’re doing it within 48 hours of the sale.Do you understand the company and why their mission is important? Does it have a genuine, tangible competitive advantage? Is it run by good people? Is it on sale? By getting the answers to these critical questions, you’ll know whether or not you should invest in this company.Today, Phil and Danielle answer fan questions regarding company valuation, and explain why it’s important to do your research and due diligence before committing to any companies on your watchlist. If you want to learn more about analyzing companies, download Phil’s Four Ms for Successful Investing Checklist: https://bit.ly/32aNNQz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Invest in what you understand. Sounds simple, right? Shouldn’t everyone be investing in what they understand? Warren Buffett once stated that defining your circle of competence is the most important aspect of investing. Circle of competence is tricky to define, but is essentially built by the things you are passionate about, what you’re talented or good at, and things you spend money on. It could even be related to the industry you currently work in and are knowledgeable about. The goal is to be proud of the companies you own, and how your money is being used to support those businesses.In many ways, defining your circle of competence comes naturally. However, as you live your life, your interests will change and expand, and you can apply these new interests to your investing strategy.Take Warren Buffett for example. Much of the reason why he invested in Coca Cola is simply because he appreciates the company and enjoys the product. It aligns with his values, thus making it a great fit within his circle of competence. Let me give you another example. I’m a fan of motorcycles, so researching and investing in Harley Davidson was a natural choice for me. Since Harley Davidson is a company that is within my circle of competence, I enjoyed learning about them, I understand their business more easily, and am happy to have owned the company.Investing in your circle of confidence will help you reduce risk and makes your initial stages of research much more enjoyable. Although, it’s an often overlooked factor since many investors feel that they can make money with any company—regardless of whether they understand it or whether it aligns with their values. Today, Phil and Danielle dive deeper into the concept of circle of competence, and why it is a critical part of successful investing.If you want to learn more about your own circle of competence, download my FREE 3 Circles Exercise Guide. It will help point you in the right direction so you can invest in businesses you understand!: https://bit.ly/3luGI4V Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Rule #1 investing, we call “buying on sale” purchasing stocks with a Margin of Safety. All you have to do to get a big MOS is know the value of the business you are buying—as a business—and then wait to buy it until the market drops much lower than the value. Today, Phil and Danielle dive deeper into Margin of Safety valuations, and explain why understanding how to value a company is critical to stockpiling. For show notes and more information, visit www.investedpodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A powerful way to arrive at the margin of safety price is the “How long before I get my money back” method—aka Payback Time. If you buy the whole business and pocket all the earnings, Payback Time is the time it would take you to get your investment back. Once you get all of your money out of the business, you have no risk. Today, Phil and Danielle discuss this concept in depth, and explain why knowing Payback Time eliminates many fears of investing.For show notes and more information, visit www.investedpodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve done the initial Four Ms analysis of companies on your watchlist, but your work is not complete. The next step in the researching process is critical, and tells you whether or not the business is worth purchasing. Being at this point in your analysis means that you’re highly confident that the company is going to be larger and more productive in ten years. Today, Phil and Danielle discuss this next step in the research process, and cover how to calculate margin of safety using the ten cap valuation process. For show notes and more information, visit www.investedpodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices