

Stock Stories
Alex Mason
This is the podcast that helps you decode the business behind the stock. Join Alex Mason, your stock storyteller, as we journey through the S&P 500, mental models, and more.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 9, 2020 • 36min
Tesla (TSLA) Part II - Innovation Through Energy, Transportation, And Software
Tesla has taken the auto world by storm by designing and producing a suite of high tech electric vehicles, as well as a system of software and energy products to complement them. Over time, Elon Musk and his team have transformed the company from a small startup with a single car to a fast growing and polarizing company that has attracted a lot of attention in recent years.In today's episode we cover the business model, financials, and discuss Tesla’s future outlook. For a review of Tesla’s history, check out episode 150.Want to say hi? Send me a DM on Instagram @stockstoryteller or an email at alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.Email: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Dec 2, 2020 • 43min
Tesla (TSLA) Part I - The Rise Of Elon Musk And The New Age Of Electric Vehicles
Tesla has taken the auto world by storm by designing and producing a suite of high tech electric vehicles, as well as a system of software and energy products to complement them. Over time, Elon Musk and his team have transformed the company from a small startup with a single car to a fast growing and polarizing company that has attracted a lot of attention in recent years.In today's episode we cover the history of Tesla’s business. Come back next week for the full analysis...Want to say hi? Send me a DM on Instagram @stockstoryteller or an email at alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.Email: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Nov 25, 2020 • 45min
AutoZone (AZO) - Serving The DIY Auto Parts Niche And Buying Back Lots Of Stock
AutoZone is an auto parts retailer that created a niche for itself throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. Through catering to DIY’ers, they’ve established themselves as a go to source for auto parts and advice. Though relatively mature in the U.S. market, there has been gradual expansion into Mexico and Brazil. While this company pays no dividends, one of the more interesting facts about it is the significant amount of money it returns to shareholders through share buybacks.In today's episode we cover the history, business model, financials, and future outlook of AutoZone. Want to say hi? Send me a DM on Instagram @stockstoryteller or an email at alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.Email: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Nov 18, 2020 • 45min
General Motors (GM) - The Rise, Fall, And Recovery Of America's Auto Titan
General Motors became a powerhouse in the early 1900s and gave Henry Ford a run for his money. Boasting several brands, each tailored to certain socio-economic and demographics groups, GM achieved significant market share in the past. Now, the company has just four core brands and is trying to break into the electric vehicle and autonomous market.In today's episode we cover the history, business model, financials, and future outlook of General Motors. Want to say hi? Send me a DM on Instagram @stockstoryteller or an email at alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.Email: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Nov 13, 2020 • 48min
8 Mistakes of Beginner Investors - What I Wish I Knew When I Started Investing
These are some thoughts about what I wish I had known when I started investing. I could have paid more attention to these lessons and saved a lot of money. Because I made some of these mistakes, I am STILL paying for it in my portfolio. I don’t want you to go through what I went through.I'd like to give a special shout out to some of my fellow investors out there who contributed their thoughts to this episode:Harvir - @millenial_mogul_investingMabel - @girlsonthemoney (check out our interview in Episode 96)Teri - @imaninvestor (check out our interview in Episode 91)Hari and Beko - @valueinvestortvThe 8 mistakes, and their accompanying mental models are:Lack of Basic Financial Literacy (and lack of Mental Models as a general concept)Buying A Stock Because You Like the Product or Service (Endowment Effect)Placing Emphasis on Price, Not Value (Mere Exposure Effect)Placing Emphasis On Recent Stock Performance (Recency Bias, Scarcity)Failing to Recognize Cyclical Businesses and Business Cycles (Dunning-Kruger Effect)Lack of Patience With Capital Allocation (Action Bias)Overestimating or Underestimating a Business’ Competitive Advantage(s) (Mental Model: Confirmation, Mr. Market, Inversion) Outsourcing Your Thinking To Others (Mental Model: Availability Heuristic, First Principles Thinking)Other episodes mentioned include:Episode 4 - The Six Categories of StocksEpisode 10 - Mental Model: InversionEpisode 15 - Mental Model: Circle of CompetenceEpisode 26 - Mental Model: First PrinciplesSend me a direct message on Instagram with any comments, suggestions, or just to say hi @stockstoryteller. Or, you can email me at alex@stockstoriespodcast.comEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Nov 11, 2020 • 21min
Mental Model: Multiplying by Zero - Sometimes, One Thing Negates Everything
Multiplying anything by zero equals zero. It's a numerical truth that we learn when we're young and in school. Sadly, I think this concept gets applied to little more than math and people's homework when they're in formal education programs. How can we apply this concept beyond the numerical and theoretical?Today's episode explores what happens when we take the concept of multiplying by zero and apply it to life and investing. We'll talk about:The basic definition of Multiplying By ZeroAn further explanation of the conceptPutting the mental model in the context of the investorCome say hi with a direct message on Instagram: @stockstoryteller, or send me a note at alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.Email: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Nov 4, 2020 • 43min
SAP SE (SAP) - Advancing Productivity At Work Through Enterprise Software
SAP - short for Systems, Applications, and Products, is a software company based in Germany. For decades, they have created software systems for businesses, and are most known for their Enterprise Resource Planning software, or ERP. By linking the needs and requirements of different sides of a business, SAP's software becomes a single solution that a lot of businesses rely on to run their daily operations. Today's episode explores the history, business model, financials, and valuation of this German multi-national.Want to say hello? DM me on Instagram: @stockstoryteller. Or, send an email to alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.Email: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Oct 28, 2020 • 34min
Ventas (VTR) - Nursing Homes, Medical Centers, And The Intersection Of Healthcare And Real Estate
Ventas is a REIT that operates at the intersection of real estate and healthcare. With over 1200 properties spread throughout the United States, they are one of the biggest nursing home and medical office landlords out there. We'll discuss Ventas' history, business model, and financials, as well as some closing thoughts.Want to say hello? Send a DM on Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.comEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Oct 21, 2020 • 33min
Digital Realty (DLR) - The Intersection Of Data Storage And Real Estate
Digital Realty buys and operates buildings that house data centers. Data centers are physical locations where computer systems are stored. Companies pay DLR to store, protect, and route their data.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.comEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Oct 14, 2020 • 35min
Federal Realty (FRT) - Developing The Diamonds Of Commercial Retail And Producing Consistent Dividends
Today we're talking about another REIT (REITs have definitely been on my mind lately!) Federal Realty is one of the oldest REITs in America and has one of the best dividend track records. In today's episode we explore the history, business model and financials of a company that has been focused on commercial retail - a challenging industry, to be sure. We look at what Federal Realty is doing to position itself for future growth, as well as how it is dealing with current challenges related to COVID-19.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.comEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com