Decoded with Ryan Pallotta

Herb Greenberg is a former journalist and current legend in the investing community. The first 20 years of Herb's career saw him plying his trade at some of the most recognizable publications that cover business, with stints at the Chicago Tribune, Fortune, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. In 1998— a time when Americans were accessing the internet via a dial-up modem—Herb became one of the first mainstream journalists to make the leap to writing online, blazing a trail at TheStreet and MarketWatch while becoming a familiar face as a CNBC contributor. In recent years, Herb's gotten increasingly into financial research, which he describes as an opportunity to dig deep while cutting out the noise that comes with being a well-known voice in the business journalism space. He currently pens newsletters for Whitney Tilson's Empire Financial Research.  Today we talk with Herb about his dynamic career, seismic changes that have taken place in business journalism, the toxicity of social media, and the point at which a firehose of content becomes a cesspool of misinformation.

Today, we're joined by author, philanthropist, former hedge fund manager, and current investment newsletter publisher Whitney Tilson.  During our fascinating conversation, Whitney describes his childhood in Tanzania and Nicaragua, his relatively late start to investing, his long friendship with investment titan Bill Ackman and forming his own hedge fund, Kase Capital. At Kase, Whitney predicted and navigated both the dot com and housing bubbles, beat the market for 11 of the next 12 years, and grew assets under management from $1 million to $200 million.    Soon after winding Kase down in 2017, Whitney pivoted and poured his considerable insights into Empire Financial Research. While subscribers to the company's eight newsletters include investment whales, most of their subscribers are average investors. Whitney talks to us about the common mental mistakes people make with managing money, the characteristics of a good stock picker, and the spidey sense he developed after more than two decades in the investing world.  

Today, we’re talking with a group of amazing people challenging the long-held idea that generating wealth and positively impacting the world are opposing strategies. Newday Impact was founded so that responsibly-minded individuals and institutions could access the impact and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) marketplace. CEO Doug Heske, COO Anne Popkin, and Head of Data Analytics John Boyer describe how we can use our voices as stakeholders and shareholders to advocate for solutions to global problems. The Newday team are joined by representatives of two organizations they're partnering with to demonstrate how capital is being deployed and the impact it’s having: Georgie Badiel of the Georgie Badiel Foundation is a model and activist tackling the issue of potable water in her native Burkina Faso. Phillippe Cousteau Jr is an oceanographer and co-founder of EarthEcho International, an environmental non-profit built around a mission to power a global youth movement to protect and restore Earth's oceans.

Today we sit down with two guys doing something exceptional in the investment space—Emmet Peppers and Matt Smith. The pair were vaguely aware of one another from their respective tweets about Tesla and shared prediction: that Tesla could become the greatest stock of all time by the end of the decade. Their bullish views on the company highlighted a shared investment philosophy that was the genesis of their working relationship at the remarkable company Emmet had founded—Good Soil Investment Management. In our illuminating chat, Emmet and Matt talk about their thoughts on Tesla, offer their perspectives on navigating markets during the current geopolitical upheaval, their complementary skill sets, and more.

Jeff Dorman is a visionary investor using his expertise to creatively push boundaries in our rapidly-evolving world. Jeff is the CIO and Co-Founder of Arca—an innovative new crypto investment firm exploring new methods of applying traditional investing strategies in the world of blockchain. During our sitdown, Jeff showcases his unique talent for breaking down this revolutionary technology in a way that is easy for anyone to digest and describes how the lessons he learned through his career in traditional finance have helped him find opportunities in crypto.

Marc Cohodes, a renowned investor and short-seller, is known for exposing corporate corruption. In a riveting conversation, he discusses his dramatic takedown of Insys Therapeutics and his unusual start by betting against a pinball machine manufacturer. Cohodes shares insights on the mindset needed for continuous success and the emotional challenges of confronting corporate fraud. He emphasizes the importance of focus in investment strategies and critiques current financial regulations while advocating for increased market accessibility for average investors.

The brilliant Kyle Bass is the Chief Investment Officer of Hayman Capital. Kyle rose to prominence in 2008, having successfully predicted and bet against the US subprime mortgage crisis that came to a head in that year. In our highly engaging chat with Kyle, he details his inspiring journey from modest beginnings to finagling a gig on Wall Street, offers strident views on US engagement with Bejing, and talks about the thought process behind his latest venture, Conservation Equity Management—a private equity firm that marries his investment acumen with his love of nature.

Episode 4 of Decoded features Lilly Ghalichi. An entrepreneur, attorney, and former reality tv star. Lilly is an inspiration for entrepreneurs everywhere.  She describes how her immigrant parents—gave her confidence in her abilities to succeed, inspiring her to be her own boss. Lilly is an inspiration for young women, motivating them to build their brands and businesses without fear.Transitioning from an attorney to an entrepreneur she was Inspired and driven to be a powerful business woman. Lilly, shares how early business missteps helped her perfect her approach to success, and shares a plan that anyone looking to build a brand or a business can use.Through the lens of her own experience, Lilly illustrates the importance of putting our health and wellbeing first, letting go of what no longer serves us, and moving forward with confidence and optimism.  

Today we have the privilege to talk to an incredible investor. Gil Weisblum. The way he uses a philosophical approach to better his investing is something we can all learn from. Gil talks about using what he calls our Human Functionality tools to become better humans and investors.Gil has been an investor for over 20 years managing money for a multi billion dollar family office. His intention moving forward is to recalibrate how we approach investing in a more balanced way and How we can use the tools of capitalism to benefit the world. Over the years he has become a better investor by quieting the noise and focusing on what’s important.

Prometheus Decoded is a place to uncover the stories behind leaders who have stepped up to shape the future of business. They are change agents. Innovators and Visionaries. On Prometheus Decoded, you’ll hear from inspirational investors who share professional and personal stories about navigating the financial and business world—with lessons and best practices to help you drive transformational change. ​ We are so excited for you to hear our conversation with Marcellus Wiley. Every word that comes out of his mouth is inspiring and motivating, we always feel like we are better in life and business after listening to his thoughts. An inspiring figure, Marcellus never let his environment affect his mindset and goals. We loved the analogy he used when he told us how we often don't “read our own instruction manuals”. Growing up in the rough neighborhood of Compton he often did not know how his parents were going to make ends meet. But he did not let his circumstances determine his path. With a focus on education went on to Columbia University and against all odds was drafted by the Buffalo Bills, playing in the NFL for 10 years. Today he is a Fox Sports commentator, avid investor and author of his memoir “NEVER SHUT UP”. Which will inspire you and be relentless in your pursuits.