

Excess Returns
Excess Returns
Excess Returns is dedicated to making you a better long-term investor and making complex investing topics understandable. Join Jack Forehand, Justin Carbonneau and Matt Zeigler as they sit down with some of the most interesting names in finance to discuss topics like macroeconomics, value investing, factor investing, and more. Subscribe to learn along with us.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 19, 2023 • 1h 2min
Value Investing and Lifelong Learning with Cole Smead
In this episode, we speak with Smead Capital CEO and Portfolio Manager Cole Smead. Smead Capital has built a strong long-term record using a unique approach to value investing. We take a deep dive into their approach, the key metrics they use and how they think about portfolio construction. We also talk about his favorite investing books, discuss the most important lessons he thinks investors can learn from Warren Buffett and get his take on inflation and how it impacts their process.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
To answer the question mentioned in the podcast, please go to our YouTube Excess Returns channel, like the video and then obtain the question from the description below the video.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Jan 13, 2023 • 59min
A Complete Guide to Factor Investing with Andy Berkin
In this episode, we speak with Andy Berkin, Head of Research at Bridgeway and co-author of "Your Complete Guide to Factor Investing: The Way Smart Money Invests Today." We cover a wide range of factor investing topics, including the future of value investing, composites vs. individual metrics, the different approaches to multi-factor investing and factor timing. We also talk about how his background in Physics has helped him in his investing career, how investors should look at inflation and a lot more.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

7 snips
Jan 5, 2023 • 59min
The Biggest Lessons From Our Five Most Popular Podcasts of 2022
2022 was a great year for Excess Returns. We were able to interview some of the smartest people we know and more than doubled our audience as a result of the many great insights our guests have provided and the support of our loyal listeners. As has been the case since the beginning of our podcast, we tried to focus on talking to investors who have had long-term track records of success, and we tried to extract the major lessons all of us can learn from them. As we start the new year, we wanted to take a look back at 2022 and highlight some of the most important lessons we have learned from the interviews we conducted during the year.
Here are the biggest lessons we learned from our 5 most popular interviews of 2022.'
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Dec 29, 2022 • 1h 4min
High Quality Value Investing with a Tactical Twist With Jeff Muhlenkamp
In this episode, we speak with Jeff Muhlenkamp. Jeff is the manager of the Muhlenkamp Fund, which has managed client money for over three decades. We discuss his approach to finding undervalued securities and the portfolio management process he uses to manage the fund. We also cover the fund's unique approach to raising cash based on market conditions, the biggest lessons he learned from his father Ron, who originally founded the firm, and how his military training has helped him in the investing world.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Dec 22, 2022 • 34min
Innovative Small ETF Firms Challenging the Big Players
The ETF industry is dominated by the big players. They control most of the assets and they have some clear advantages over the smaller companies within the industry in terms of their ability to launch and grow products. We know this first hand since we launched our own value ETF in 2014 (not exactly the best timing for a value strategy by the way) and it eventually didn’t work out.
But just because big firms control most of the assets doesn’t mean they offer the most innovative products. Some of the most interesting products we have seen have come from smaller shops who are not afraid to challenge the big players. We have been fortunate to interview many of them in the three years since we launched our podcast and so we thought it would be interesting to put them together into a compilation of smaller firms that are helping to launch new products that give all of us a more robust series of choices within the ETF space.
Here are some of the more interesting ETF companies we have featured on Excess Returns.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Dec 15, 2022 • 1h 11min
What Investors Need to Know About Geopolitics with Marko Papic
In this episode, we talk Geopolitics with Marko Papic, Chief Strategist at the Clocktower Group.
We look at his framework for analyzing the geopolitical landscape to cut through the noise and identify the most important events and information. We also take a tour of the current world to look at some of the most important areas investors should be paying attention to including the Ukraine War, what is going on in China, and some areas that are flying under the radar, but could be the source of future conflict.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Dec 8, 2022 • 1h
An Evidence-Based Approach to Markets with Larry Swedroe
In this episode we speak with Buckingham Strategic Wealth's Head of Financial and Economic Research Larry Swedroe. Larry is one of the most prolific producers of quality financial content we know and has committed much of his career to helping to educate investors. We talk to Larry about the current situation in the economy and markets and how long-term investors can make sense of it. We also discuss value investing, ESG, the importance of diversification and a lot more.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Excess Returns is an investing podcast hosted by Jack Forehand (@practicalquant) and Justin Carbonneau (@jjcarbonneau), partners at Validea. Justin and Jack discuss a wide range of investing topics including factor investing, value investing, momentum investing, multi-factor investing, trend following, market valuation and more with the goal of helping those who watch and listen become better long term investors.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Nov 29, 2022 • 58min
Talking Convexity, Interest Rates and the Future of Inflation with Harley Bassman
In this episode we are joined by Harley Bassman, Managing Partner at Simplify ETFs. Harley's work on convexity and how to utilize it in portfolios earned him the nickname the Convexity Maven. We discuss convexity and how investors can benefit from it in their investment strategies and also cover a wide range of other topics, including inflation, housing, Fed policy and a lot more.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Excess Returns is an investing podcast hosted by Jack Forehand (@practicalquant) and Justin Carbonneau (@jjcarbonneau), partners at Validea. Justin and Jack discuss a wide range of investing topics including factor investing, value investing, momentum investing, multi-factor investing, trend following, market valuation and more with the goal of helping those who watch and listen become better long term investors.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Nov 22, 2022 • 57min
A Common Sense Approach to Markets with Ben Carlson
In this episode we talk with Ben Carlson, author of the popular A Wealth of Common Sense blog and Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management.
We discuss Ben's path to creating and building the blog and what he has learned along the way. We also get Ben's help putting the current market and economic situation in historical context and discuss some of the biggest lessons he has learned studying market history.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Excess Returns is an investing podcast hosted by Jack Forehand (@practicalquant) and Justin Carbonneau (@jjcarbonneau), partners at Validea. Justin and Jack discuss a wide range of investing topics including factor investing, value investing, momentum investing, multi-factor investing, trend following, market valuation and more with the goal of helping those who watch and listen become better long term investors.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Nov 17, 2022 • 57min
Show Us Your Portfolio: Ben Hunt
When we started Show Us Your Portfolio, we assumed there would be one major requirement for each interview - a portfolio. But it turns out one of the most interesting episodes we have done is with someone who doesn't have one (at least in public markets).
We talk with Epsilon Theory founder Ben Hunt about why he doesn't invest in public markets and instead invests in the things closest and most important to him. We also get his take on public markets and how he would think about constructing a portfolio if he were to build one in today's world.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Excess Returns is an investing podcast hosted by Jack Forehand (@practicalquant) and Justin Carbonneau (@jjcarbonneau), partners at Validea. Justin and Jack discuss a wide range of investing topics including factor investing, value investing, momentum investing, multi-factor investing, trend following, market valuation and more with the goal of helping those who watch and listen become better long term investors.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau