The Investor's Speech
Perspectives, by Mark Robertson, Managing Partner March 1st, 2011
Why should you attend an event in Minneapolis or Chicago or Ann Arbor or Cincinnati in person.
We gather to get better. We do it to share and learn from trusted colleagues. We do it to increase our opportunities and probabilities for long-term success in investing.
King George VI: [Logue is sitting on the coronation throne] Get up! Y-you can’t sit there! GET UP!
Lionel Logue: Why not? It’s a chair.
King George VI: T-that… that is Saint Edward’s chair.
Lionel Logue: People have carved their names on it.
King George VI: L-listen to me… listen to me!
Lionel Logue: Why should I waste my time listening to you?
King George VI: Because I have a voice!
Lionel Logue: …yes, you do.
The conversation ends with a comment about perseverance and courage. Discipline isn’t easy. Neither is patience. But both are necessary components for most of the most successful long-term investors in history. And it’s easier in GROUPS.
Why should you attend an event in Minneapolis or Chicago or Ann Arbor or Cincinnati in person? What’s in it for you?
Because we’re all wired differently and we all learn in different ways. We hear different voices and march to different drummers. Each one of these events features a group of investors … practitioners. As educators, they’re sharing experiences and lessons learned. We listen to Hugh McManus talk about primal needs, campfires, fear of darkness and then link it to why our own instincts are the worst thing when it comes to investing. Or it could Cy Lynch talking about Derek Jeter … practice, practice, practice and the miracle of being in the right place at the right time. Gretchen Hurt leans on the powerful lessons of history and encourages all of us to lean on each other. Peggy Schmeltz describes vistas of philanthropic opportunity made possible by decades of long-term investing. Believe it or not, we can link muskrats to respecting time-honored traditions and Mark Robertson might even sprinkle in a few words about cow tipping, Mark Twain or doing stock studies with Elvis in Kalamazoo.
We’re all wired differently. We hear things on different frequencies and these events offer multiple opportunities to hear different perspectives from any number of successful practitioners.
Need some ideas for stocks to study? How about some hints and tips on where to find those ideas in the first place? What about coaching on selling decisions? What can history teach us about corrections and bear markets? What can we do to stay prepared for the next correction and recession? How about some topics for study on your own or during your next investment club meeting? What are some best practices deployed by investment clubs? What is the role of quality as we seek investments?
How about listening as Ken Kavula makes the connection between Slovakia, Cleveland, Mid-Michigan and China using pulled pork? What is the urgent role of smaller companies in our portfolios? Matt Willms draws parallels between portfolios and championship football teams. Ann Cuneaz shares fantastic footnotes and can share a story or two from BI’s First Cut series or monthly online stock discussions. What about Steve Sanborn’s reminder to watch for profitability expansion potential? As a Value Line analyst, he worked with Coca-Cola for decades and witnessed the power of optimization and scalability … and decisions made — good and not-so-good. We might even tackle an urban myth or two along the way …
Inception? We’re all wired differently.
But we’re all wired together when it comes to sharing dreams and helping each other experience success in long-term investing. It’s WHAT WE DO. Inception, indeed.
Mark Robertson
Mark Robertson is founder and managing partner of Manifest Investing, a source for research and portfolio management focusing on strategic long term investors.