Talking Billions with Bogumil Baranowski

Pieter Slegers, founder of Compounding Quality Newsletter, shares insights on quality investing, finding great businesses led by outstanding managers at fair valuations. The podcast delves into early investing experiences, transitioning to quality investing, and building a long-term portfolio for generations. Learn about learning from mistakes, market expectations, and the importance of humility and success in investing.

Money is a difficult topic, so when I meet someone who can make it easier, I can’t wait to have them on the show. Rachael is a Certified Financial Planner and owner and founder of Camp Wealth, a financial planning firm for high-earners and entrepreneurs. She graduated from Indiana University Kelley School of Business with a degree in Finance, and spent her entire career in financial services. She created Camp Wealth when she realized financial advisors weren’t providing the service that Solopreneurs and High-earners really need. I've been enjoying her thoughtful writing for a while now, and I’ve been curious to have a deep discussion with Rachael about a variety of money topics and more. Today, Rachael shares how her clients often realize they need less than they thought to have their dream life. She explains the 5 levels of financial freedom. I really appreciate her thoughts on handling a large, sudden sum of money. Rachael shares with me the most common myths associated with financial freedom. I found it refreshing and inspiring to hear that it’s not all about beating the index but creating an environment that encourages disciplined & consistent investing. Rachael explains how: “Investing when it's hard to invest is a way to increase performance.” Stay tuned until the end when my guest reveals some alternatives to traditional retirement. Finally, Rachael tells me how sometimes she uses her time away in a cabin in the mountains with no internet and TV to find inspiration. We take on so many big ideas today. https://www.rachaelcampwealth.com/ NEVER INVESTMENT ADVICE.

My recent podcast guest and a good friend took over the show and asked me some incredibly thoughtful questions -- what followed was a lovely discussion. Matt is one of those multi-faceted individuals that I feel blessed to have in my life that no simple bio can describe, but it doesn’t have to. He reads, writes, loves music, he is passionate about finance and family wealth, and has an endless curiosity that he expresses in many ways — his Cultish Creative blog is one of those places, you have to look it up. He is a seasoned podcaster himself with a radio voice and personality. His brain is on fire and makes connections where few see it. We met not long ago but instantly hit it off. I recently released a Talking Billions episode with him, which is one of my favorite conversations. I highly recommend it. He knows me well enough to ask some terrific questions and short enough to still find new and intriguing facts about me, some that I forgot, but his curiosity helped me unearth. When he asked me to turn the tables and the spotlight on me for an hour or so, I had to say yes. So here it comes, Talking Billions’ very First Fireside chat with the host led by Matt Zeigler. Thank you, Matt, you are a rockstar. https://cultishcreative.com/ NEVER INVESTMENT ADVICE.

Christian and I were at the same investor event in Zurich last summer, John Mihaljevic’s MOI Global. A couple of mutual friends told me I needed to have Christian on the show, and he was kind enough to say yes, and we sat down, and chatted for over an hour. Christian Billinger has invested in European equities for close to 20 years, first as an analyst for GAM, Gartmore, and Cheyne Capital based in London and more recently for his own investment company, Billinger Forvaltning. His investment philosophy is focused on owning a small number of great businesses for the long run, and the structure of a private investment company is, in his view, the ideal environment for pursuing this style of investing. For more information: https://www.billingerforvaltning.se Today, Christian and I have a wide-ranging discussion. We obviously start with the early days and talk about the relationship with money. Christian shares his thoughts about managing family money versus other people’s money. I especially like his thoughts on the soul in the game concept. We discuss how in life and investing, we are looking for something that’s really not for sale. As a fellow patient and long-term investor, my guest shares his take on an infinite investment horizon. Stay tuned until the end, when we take on benchmarks and investing solely in publicly traded equities. There are some golden nuggets sprinkled throughout our conversation. NEVER INVESTMENT ADVICE.

Vishal Khandelwal is the founder of Safal Niveshak, an investor education initiative. He is an independent analyst and financial writer. He says that he spends 75% of his waking time reading. He is the author of The Sketchbook of Wisdom, A Hand-Crafted Manual on the Pursuit of Wealth and Good Life. I highly recommend it; it’s a beautiful book packed with the wisdom of the ages, from Lord Krishna to Socrates, Charlie Munger, and Warren Buffett. He also published Mental Models, Investing and You, which covers ideas from various disciplines, from psychology, economics, business, and mathematics to literature, statistics, and more. Today, we take on some big questions. First, we’ll hear Vishal’s thoughts on what life is all about beyond eating and making money. We talk about kindness and how to be okay when things are not. My guest shared ideas about the concept of freedom, a topic that came up many times on the show. I really enjoy hearing about minimizing the cost of being wrong, which is at the essence of my own investment philosophy. We dive into a beautiful image that our wealth is like our children, our primary link between the present and the future. Stay tuned until the end, when Vishal tells me if money can buy happiness. https://www.safalniveshak.com/about-vishal/ Twitter: @safalniveshak is the founder of Safal Niveshak, an investor education initiative. He is an independent analyst and financial writer. He says that he spends 75% of his waking time reading. He is the author of The Sketchbook of Wisdom, A Hand-Crafted Manual on the Pursuit of Wealth and Good Life. I highly recommend it; it’s a beautiful book packed with the wisdom of the ages, from Lord Krishna to Socrates, Charlie Munger, and Warren Buffett. He also published Mental Models, Investing and You, which covers ideas from various disciplines, from psychology, economics, business, and mathematics to literature, statistics, and more. Today, we take on some big questions. First, we’ll hear Vishal’s thoughts on what life is all about beyond eating and making money. We talk about kindness and how to be okay when things are not. My guest shared ideas about the concept of freedom, a topic that came up many times on the show. I really enjoy hearing about minimizing the cost of being wrong, which is at the essence of my own investment philosophy. We dive into a beautiful image that our wealth is like our children, our primary link between the present and the future. Stay tuned until the end, when Vishal tells me if money can buy happiness. NEVER INVESTMENT ADVICE.

Jordan Olmscheid is a successful small business owner and the editor of the Wealth Letters, a collection of letters written by people from all walks of life. The idea was to tap into the wisdom of the crowd and distill wisdom from the life and business experiences of others. Jordan was kind enough to include me in his project, and we’ve had some wonderful conversations since. Today, we talk about Wealth Letters and what wealth means. We attempt to answer what it means to look, feel, and be rich. Jordan explains how money can be a very stressful topic and proposes a certain framework of 3 big expenses to tackle it. We search for universal wealth principles. Stay tuned until the end, when we talk about the importance of mentors and the idea that if someone out there has already done whatever you are trying to accomplish, it might be helpful to talk to them. https://www.thewealthletters.com/about NEVER INVESTMENT ADVICE.

Matt is a Managing Director and Private Wealth Advisor at Sunpointe Investments. He helps clients create, align, and manage their financial plans and investment strategies. Matt’s talent-turned-skill is engaging people on their level. In his words, "Finance may be complex, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.” Outside of work, Matt has a long-standing interest in all things creativity and culture related. He was born and raised in Pennsylvania, received his undergraduate degree in music from The University of Hartford, and has resided in Connecticut for over 20 years. You can find him with his eyes on a book, his ears in some music, his nose over the stove, his feet on a trail, and his mind on the markets and the markets on his mind. I’ve been greatly enjoying his Cultish Creative blogposts that I highly recommend. Today, we talk about a variety of topics. I especially enjoyed hearing about Matt’s experience straddling both music and investing in life, and what the two have in common. We have a longer discussion about curiosity, and ideas and bring up Rick Rubin, Joseph Campbell, Rory Sutherland, and more. Stay tuned until the end, when we talk about how the world works, and how to make it work for you. It’s just an all-around fun, deep, entertaining, and educational conversation. https://cultishcreative.com/ NEVER INVESTMENT ADVICE.

David McRaney is a science journalist with a deep interest in brains, minds, and culture. He is the creator of the blog, book, and podcast "You Are Not So Smart," which was initiated to understand self-delusion and motivated reasoning. His journey, however, began with diverse experiences, including construction work, selling leather coats, and owning two pet stores. In 2009, McRaney started his blog, which quickly evolved into an internationally bestselling book, translated into 17 languages, and later into a popular podcast. This podcast, once a part of Boing Boing, features interviews with scientists exploring the psychology of reasoning, decision-making, and judgment. McRaney has authored two more books: "You Are Now Less Dumb," released in 2013, and "How Minds Change," released in 2022. Additionally, he travels globally to give lectures on these subjects. His early career as a newspaper reporter saw him covering Hurricane Katrina, NASA's rocket testing, and more. Beyond journalism, McRaney's career includes roles as an editor, photographer, voiceover artist, television host, journalism teacher, lecturer, and even a tornado survivor. Following "How Minds Change," McRaney wrote, produced, and recorded a six-hour audio documentary delving into the history of the concept and the term "genius." Today, we learn about David’s childhood, and early passion for journalism. We have a deep, broad discussion about our decision-making with a realization that we are not that smart. David has some strong comments about the dance between the emotional and the rational brain. We tie it back to investing, the field where we are supposed to be rational and without emotions, but is it really the best advice? My guest shares some thoughts about changing our minds, and how to go about it. Stay tuned until the end, when we talk about the meaning of the word genius. As much as the word might feel familiar, I’ve been looking at it differently since my conversation with David. https://www.davidmcraney.com/ NEVER INVESTMENT ADVICE.

Meet Jakob and Tobias Schober, the youngest portfolio managers in Europe! They discuss their early fascination with investing, family dinners with stock discussions, and their transition from running a family business to managing a portfolio of investments. They also talk about their contrarian mindset, their investment strategy with buybacks, and the importance of having a net positive impact on the world.

Cayden Chang, a Singaporean Value Investor, discusses his journey and experiences with value investing, including his mistakes and the establishment of the Value Investing Academy. They also cover topics like the tax system in Singapore, investment myths, and common misconceptions about investing.