LC

Agreed - great question. It will be difficult to get an unbiased answer on this forum because members here are, in general, more educated than the layman about investing. To get to the heart of it, imagine something you have no special knowledge on - let's say heart surgery. What protections should be in place when finding a qualified surgeon?

At the end of the day anyone buying anything needs to do their own research. A blog or newsletter may give you an idea, but you still need to investigate yourself. It's a good lesson to learn when you're young - a few folks here got burned a few years ago on ZINC - it hit all the right buttons and had respected investors behind it. This is no reason to invest. I'm happy that a 5% position then was a lot less than it is today - it taught me a valuable lesson that in this business you can only trust yourself. It's the same thing they taught you in third grade. Do your own work.

I always ask investors - what are you unsure about, what have you avoided due to being unsure.

For me a few things: -unfamiliar with the market and economy in general. what companies dominate? what are the driving factors behind consumer purchases and business purchases? -unfamiliar with corporate governance. what do successful companies have in common, in terms of (1) management and (2) shareholder engagement -unfamiliar with reporting standards. how strong is the general disclosure environment? what protections are there to prevent accounting abuses? -unfamiliar with the investor landscape. what investors/investment funds dominate? what is the history of investment? how is the economy split between public/private companies? Growing up in the US with an interest in business and investment, a lot of these things are picked up gradually over the years and so I put together my own perspective on "investing" as viewed through a US-lens. I have no idea what this perspective looks like for a person growing up in HK or SG, viewing Asia as a whole. Actually, I think your opinion on these items would be very much appreciated by most posters here!

Not more than usual and no.

To play off a Buffett analogy, if we're looking for 1 ft hurdles to jump over, investing in retail is already like a 6ft hurdle. Investing in women's retail is like a 10 ft hurdle. Just look at how many companies have gone in and out of the space in the last 5 years. Is there a more volatile mature industry?

Discretionary is different for everyone hence the varied responses. Tires for a new car. Well is the car necessary? Well do I live in a mass-transit city? Well do I live here out of necessary or choice? Etc. etc hence the topic of economic theory. For me, my last purchase was paint and supplies to refinish my kitchen. But before that I spent $400 on sushi so you tell me what that means, haha :D

100% agree.

Less information almost never ends well. Bad idea.

Looking forward to it, thanks for posting. Lewis did a piece for the NYT I believe about the staff changeover at the DOE. Good read if anyone wants a taste.

Children are expected to sit still for hours upon hours; to control their impulses; to focus on boring, repetitive tasks; to move from place to place when a bell rings; and even to ask for permission before going to the bathroom (think about that for a second). Teachers systematically reward children for being docile. . . . In fact, teachers reward discipline independent of its effect on learning, and in ways that tamp down on student creativity. Children are also trained to accept being measured, graded, and ranked, often in front of others. This enterprise, which typically lasts well over a decade, serves as a systematic exercise in human domestication.

https://www.athenahealth.com/insight/expert-forum-rise-and-rise-healthcare-administrator Here's some food for thought: The number of physicians in the United States grew 150 percent between 1975 and 2010, roughly in keeping with population growth, while the number of healthcare administrators increased 3,200 percent for the same time period.

The statement is accurate. Income does accrue tax free in these accounts. When that income is eventually withdrawn, it is taxed. There is a difference between accrued and earned income. Regardless the main point is the large decline in taxable accounts, and the implications on tax revenue and budgets

Interesting article: https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/only-about-one-quarter-corporate-stock-owned-taxable-shareholders

I hear where you're coming from, but sometimes this just isn't right. Maybe not "debunking" - but sometimes an anecdote tells the full story. Statistics and historical data can tell you some things, but a story can tell you a lot more and in a way you can understand the underlying reasons. I'll give you an example: people on this website talk about brands and brand power and all that Coke Charlie Munger stuff. Take Disney. You can look at the financials, and say, "wow they've got a real strong business - strong brand". But you don't really know why. This is where an anecdote helps. You read something like this ( ) and you suddenly know exactly WHY Disney has a brand and a great business.

Not sure I agree. I don't view quarterly guidance as a measure to price the stock - but rather to "price" management. How accurate are management's estimates? If they're regularly inaccurate, why is that? Is the business very volatile and even management cannot get much clarity? Is management just dumb, or at worse, dishonest? I think the more communication between management and shareholders, the better - even if it just management's estimate. It's the shareholder's job to manage that information.

Idiocracy is a pretty good movie especially in today's day and age, give it a watch some time!

Agreed. Have you seen the new AgTech research coming out? Could really turn the industry on its head:

LOL. If someone who isn't rich does this you probably just saw my grandmother. Hahaha ;D

I finally got around to watching this - thanks Liberty. For anyone outside the NY tri-state area in the 80s/90s, this presents the "Real" Donald Trump (namely, the idiot we all grew to love) .

One thing buffett hates is being front-run. So if we're just talking about now, he's probably already doing it.

A young woman alone in New York... Was so depressed that she decided to end her life by throwing herself into the ocean. She went down to the docks and was about to leap into the frigid water when a handsome young sailor saw her tottering on the edge of the pier, crying. He took pity on her and said, "Look, you have so much to live for. I'm off to Europe in the morning, and if you like, I can stow you away on my ship. I'll take good care of you and bring you food every day." Moving closer, he slipped his arm around her shoulder and added, "I'll keep you happy, and you'll keep me happy." The girl nodded yes. After all, what did she have to lose? Perhaps a fresh start in Europe would give her life new meaning. That night, the sailor brought her aboard and hid her in a lifeboat. From then on, every night he brought her three sandwiches and a piece of fruit, and they made passionate love until dawn. Three weeks later, during a routine inspection, she was discovered by the captain. "What are you doing here?" the captain asked. "I have an arrangement with one of the sailors," she explained. "I get food and a trip to Europe, and he's screwing me." "He certainly is," the captain said. "This is the Staten Island Ferry."

I don;'t think so. S&P includes them based on market cap. Only way to do so would be to de-list.

Re-bumping this thread because, despite the thread name and valid criticism in this thread, scientific progress really is spectacular to watch, and is by far one of the greatest contributors to improvements in human life: https://www.sciencealert.com/lab-grown-lungs-pigs-success-2018

For passive investing there are two options: Berkshire or Index funds.