Equity Mates Investing Podcast

There are so many great investing and business books out there that sometimes it's hard to know where to start, and often, finding the time to finish them is equally as challenging. This episode we review some of the books we've finished reading over the last month or so, to give you some of the great lessons learned. In this episode you will learn: • The biggest risk is not investing • Why young people must start investing early and buck the conventional market wisdom • Why picking 'the hottest' stocks may lead to meager returns • Why you should not judge investing books by their shocking covers • How the founder of Nike is inspiring Equity Mates • (if Alec's tip for the Swans to beat Hawthorn by 30 points came off) Stocks and resources discussed: • Millennial Money: How Young Investors Can Build A Fortune (Patrick O'Shaughnessy) • The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success (Harvard Business Review Press) • The Black Swan: The Impact Of the Highly Improbable (Nassim Nicholas Taleb) • Trade Like A Stock Market Wizard: How to Achieve Super Performance in Stocks in Any Market (Mark Minervini) • Shoe Dog (Phil Knight) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The competition is really heating up. Over the last two weeks, we have revealed the strategies that we hope will take us to the top of the leaderboard of the ASX Sharemarket Game. The game gives players $50,000 in play money, and 4 months to invest in stocks in the ASX200. The game emulates the ASX in real time. This week we give an update on how the first two weeks have gone for us. Who is in profit? Has anyone had a disastrous start? In this episode you will learn: • The biggest lesson we've learnt from using stop losses • Who is and who isn't making a profit • Which companies have been the most successful for us over the last two weeks • How to utilise the reporting season to get some quick wins Stocks and resources discussed: • The A2 Milk Company (ASX: A2M) • Wesfarmers Limited (ASX: WES) • NexTDC Limited (ASX: NXT) • WorleyParsons Limited (ASX: WOR) • Kogan.com Limited (ASX: KGN) • Afterpay Touch Group (ASX: APT) • ASX Limited (ASX: ASX) • WiseTech Global Limited (ASX: WTC) • Australian Foundation Investment Company (ASX: AFI) • CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) • Commsec Reporting Calendar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Investing jargon. We hate it. Nothing makes it harder for new investors to get started than overcoming the wave of acronyms and terminology that comes with investing. We both found it challenging when we started, and we're hoping episodes like this make it a bit easier for those just starting out. We've chosen 5 key investing terms - some because they particularly annoy us, others because they're quite topical - and we break them down so you can understand them. For more experienced investors that may be familiar with these terms, we discuss the utility of some of these terms and Alec quizzes Bryce throughout. So even if you're familiar with the terms, you'll at least get some decent trivia questions out of this episode! In this episode you will learn: • 5 key investing terms, the way they're used and what they mean. • What the terms Alpha and Beta mean for investors. • Why risk and volatility are not the same thing. • What Blue Chip stocks are, and where the name came from. • Understanding what an Index is, and how Alec thinks about them. • How the first index came about and what was included in it. • Why it is important to look beyond share price and look at a company's market capitalisation. • The first company to be worth $1 trillion. Stocks and Resources Discussed: • Equity Mates Pardon the Jargon #2 blog post. • How to make money in bull and bear markets - Stan Weinstein Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is a decision every investor faces before they make their first trade, and for a lot of people it can be overwhelming. With so many options and so little experience, it is difficult to make the correct choice. No - we're not talking about choosing your first share - we're talking about choosing your brokerage platform. A brokerage platform is simply the place (usually website these days) where you buy and sell shares. There are so many options these days from the more traditional, like the Big 4 Banks, to the disruptive, think phone-based, no cost platforms. In this Basics 101 episode, we break down the options available and what the important considerations are. So if you're trying to make the choice, or think you made the wrong choice, this episode should help you choose the brokerage platform that is right for you. In this episode you will learn: • The three main categories of brokerage platforms available today • What the Big 4 Banks and Macquarie offer • What some of the online-only newcomers are offering in this space • The different prices you'll pay for brokerage • Other important considerations for choosing your brokerage • Which brokerage platforms the boys use and why Stocks and Resources Discussed: • Equity Mates brokerage platforms blog post. • We discussed a number of different share trading platforms in this episode. Rather than linking them all below, use these Finder.com.au resources to do your own comparison and decide what is right for you: • Factors to consider when choosing your brokerage platform (towards bottom of article) • Comparison of different brokerage options in Australia (confusingly, there are two sets of comparison tables in this article, scroll down to the second it is more comprehensive). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we started discussing last week, the ASX Sharemarket game has kicked-off. The rules are simple: $50,000 in play money, and 4 months to invest as best you can, competing against all other entrants across the country. The game emulates the Australian Stock Exchange in real-time each day. Alec and Bryce have decided to compete and to record their trades and learnings as they go. Last week Bryce revealed what his initial strategies were for picking his first investments, and this episode it's Alec's turn to reveal how he chose his investments for the next 4 months. In this episode you will learn: • What 'bottom left to top right means' and how it helps to pick a stock • Which company Alec thinks is one of the best capital allocators out there • Which stock both Bryce and Alec have chosen in their portfolio • How Alec has distributed his $50,000 Stocks and resources discussed: • Wesfarmers Limted (ASX: WES) • Cleanaway Wast Management Limited (ASX: CWY) • WorleyParsons Limited (ASX: WOR) • NextDC Limited (ASX: NXT) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who doesn't like the opportunity to put their investing strategies to the test without having the fear of losing your hard earned money in the process? Well thanks to the Australian Stock Exchange, you can do just that! Twice a year they run the ASX Sharemarket Game, where you are given $50,000 in pretend money, and you compete against all other entrants over a 3 month period. It's awesome. Everything is as if you're investing in real stocks - same prices, same brokerage, and the game mirrors the ASX in real time - but it's not real money. You can't lose. It's a fantastic way to try before you buy! This episode Bryce reveals some of the strategies he'll be using over the next three months as he competes with Alec, so see who is the top Equity Mate! Alec was a slow-starter, and yet to put any trades in, whereas Bryce $30,000 deep already. In this episode you will learn: • How using a Reporting Calendar can be helpful to identify investing opportunities • Which three stocks Bryce has chosen to kick-start his competition • What Ex-dividend date means • What the best and worst performing sectors were for FY18 and how this plays into Bryce's strategy Stocks and resources discussed: • Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) • Wisetech Global Limited (ASX: WTC) • Afterpay Touch Group (ASX: APT) • Australian Foundation Investment Company (ASX: AFI) • Cleanaway Waste Management Limited (ASX: CWY) • The ASX Sharemarket Game • 2018 Reporting Calendar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ali Hamed is a name you may not be familiar with yet, but we're betting you will be. At just 26 years old, Ali is not only a co-founder of CoVenture - a firm that invests pre-seed venture capital, provides unconventional debt financing and manages a cryptocurrency index - but is also one of the clearest thinkers we've come across in our time at Equity Mates. We heard a couple of interviews Ali had done and were taken by the way he thought and his ability to express his insights clearly. From why the 2 hour movie is dead, to the practical utility of crypto, we think you'll enjoy this one. In this episode you will learn: • Why Ali thinks the 2 hour movie is the modern day Shakespearean sonnet. • Ali's personal journey; from baseball scholarship, to sleeping on a park bench, to co-founding CoVenture. • One thing all company founders should remember when pitching to investors. • Any companies that Ali regrets passing on. • Why CoVenture looks for unpriced assets rather than mispriced assets. • The story of the creation of fiat currency (government-backed currency) and how that helps us think about cryptocurrency. • Why Ali is more bullish on bitcoin than the blockchain. • Some companies that may benefit from embracing crypto. • How Ali would value a digital account - like Instagram, AirBnB etc. • Why you should only consume media you pay for. • What keeps Ali up at night Stocks and Resources discussed: • CoVenture website • Books (click the title for more information): • Lords of Finance • The Fountainhead • The Power of One • East of Eden • The Unbanking of America • Ali's Twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australia loves investors. You need to understand the tax advantages of a lot of your investments to make the most of it. But trying to understand it all can be confusing, especially if it's your first time doing a tax return, or it's been your first year investing in stocks. Have no fear though, because in this episode we go through everything you need to know when it comes to your stocks and your tax return. In this episode you will learn: • What we mean when we say Australia loves investors • The basics - dividend income, capital gains, total assessable income • Wen yu need to fill out a tax return • The tax advantages of capital gains and capital losses • About capital gains discount • About tax loss selling • About the beauty that are franking credits • How margin loans can be advantageous if done right Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since our first interview with George Lucas a lot has changed. When we last interviewed him, he was the head of Acorns Australia. Now, less than 6 months later, he is the CEO of the publicly traded Raiz. We've been getting a lot of listener questions about the rebrand of Acorns Australia and what it means, so we thought who better to answer those questions than George Lucas himself. In this episode we get the back story and inside details of Acorns Australia's decision to rebrand as Raiz and to list on the ASX. This is also an exciting first for us, our first interview with an ASX-listed CEO. In this episode you will learn: • How Raiz, previously Acorns, helps you 'save in the background of life' • Why Acorns Australia rebranded as Raiz. • How George and his team came up with the name Raiz. • The reasons why Raiz went public. • The IPO process including the investor roadshow and how George felt on opening day. • How the company has performed since going public. • Growth in the FinTech market that is making it easier for non-professionals to invest. • Raiz's plans to get into Superannuation • The Raiz Rewards program, and how you can get companies to put money towards your investing goals Stocks and Resources Discussed: • Raiz Invest Limited (ASX: RZI) • Link to Raiz website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"This is not mission impossible!" - Matt Leibowitz, CEO of Stake This episode is a cracker. As many of you are aware, we were invited to participate in a trading competition, hosted by Stake, to beta test their new trading app. The rules were simple. We were given $500 (USD$370) to trade through Stake, in American stocks. We had two weeks to make as much money as possible, and we had to trade at least three different companies. Mission accepted! However, for Equity Mates, this was going to be a massive challenge, because our view on investing is much, much longer-term than two weeks. We had to radically change our mindset. We sat down with Matt for what was going to be a short wrap-up of the competition, and reveal of the results. However, as we got started we couldn't help picking Matt's brain further and further with questions about his trading during the competition and his views on technical analysis. We had a very open conversation with him about the tricks and habits of being a successful trader. In this episode you will learn: • How much money we won or lost in the competition, and where we placed • What our biggest learnings were from the two weeks • The stocks we picked, and why we picked them • The stocks Matt picked, and why he picked them • About the importance of using a stop loss, and how to best manage them • The basics of volatility, and how Matt used it to his advantage • How to "be a lion in the jungle, and wait for your prey to appear" • Why money drives markets and not the news cycle • Why everyone has the ability to manage their own money • Why investing is not about being right, it's about making money • The best books for technical analysis Stocks and resources discussed: • Avalara (AVLR) • Netflix (NFLX) • ProShares UltraPro QQQ ETF 3x Leveraged (TQQQ) • VIX Short-term futures ProShares (VIXY) • Frontline (FRO) • Fortinet (FTNT) • ProShares Ultra VIX Short-term Futures ETF (UVXY) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.