Episode

#109: The 5 Things I Did To Become a Better Investor
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34:59
Published: Sat Oct 03 2015
Description

I get asked a lot about investing. This is mostly due to start-up investing and the hoopla around it, but I've expanded my experiments to late-stage deals, real estate, and more. So far, my startup bets are 10x+ more successful (on paper) than my publishing career. Based on cashed-out positions, they're still several times more successful. I've had a lucky stretch. By no means am I an elite investor, but I've borrowed from elite investors since 2007. I'm incredibly fortunate that amazing people have been very generous with their time. Thank you, all! I've made hundreds of survivable mistakes, networked my little bald head off, and--net-net--I'm happy with the results. In this short podcast episode, I'll explain the 5 (or so) steps I took to become a better investor, starting at ground zero. Caveat emptor: I am NOT a financial advisor, and none of this advice should be taken without speaking to a qualified professional first. Also, my results could be due to pure luck and zero skill. M'kay? M'kay. Hope you enjoy, and please let me know in the comments if you'd like more of this. Or what you'd like more of. Related reading that I mention in the audio: Rethinking Investing How I Created a Real-World MBA Things I Learned and Loved in 2008 (Lots of Financial Lessons) This podcast is brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by world-famous investors technologists from places like Apple. It has exploded in popularity in the last two years, and they now have more than $2.5B under management. In fact, some of my good investor friends in Silicon Valley have millions of their own money in Wealthfront. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams. Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you—for free–exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to grab their advice and do it yourself, you can. Or, as I would, you can set it and forget it. Well worth a few minutes: wealthfront.com/tim. Mandatory disclaimer: Wealthfront Inc. is an SEC registered Investment Advisor. Investing in securities involves risks, and there is the possibility of losing money. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Please visit Wealthfront.com to read their full disclosure. This podcast is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run…***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chapters
This podcast episode features a brief ad/article endorsing Tim Ferriss's "5 Bullet Friday" newsletter, which contains weekly short and interesting bulletins related to apps, books, documentaries, and gadgets.
00:00 - 01:00 (01:00)
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Advertisement
Summary

This podcast episode features a brief ad/article endorsing Tim Ferriss's "5 Bullet Friday" newsletter, which contains weekly short and interesting bulletins related to apps, books, documentaries, and gadgets.

Episode
#109: The 5 Things I Did To Become a Better Investor
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
On this episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, Tim talks about how to invest and win.
01:00 - 09:32 (08:31)
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Investing
Summary

On this episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, Tim talks about how to invest and win. He discusses the advantages of having information or analytical skills, and also highlights lessons he has learned from different styles of investors.

Episode
#109: The 5 Things I Did To Become a Better Investor
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The author suggests reading about different styles of investing to identify strengths and weaknesses and improve quality of life.
09:32 - 15:38 (06:05)
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Investing
Summary

The author suggests reading about different styles of investing to identify strengths and weaknesses and improve quality of life. He recommends books like "More Money Than God," "Flash Boys," and "Liars Poker" to understand the risks and avoid competing against professionals with infinite resources.

Episode
#109: The 5 Things I Did To Become a Better Investor
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast episode, Tim Ferriss recommends several investment books including "Master of the Game" by Tony Robbins, "The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read" by Daniel Solin, and "What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars" by Jim Paul and Brendan Moynihan.
15:39 - 21:05 (05:26)
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Investment
Summary

In this podcast episode, Tim Ferriss recommends several investment books including "Master of the Game" by Tony Robbins, "The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read" by Daniel Solin, and "What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars" by Jim Paul and Brendan Moynihan. He also mentions the importance of understanding cognitive biases and common failure points when investing.

Episode
#109: The 5 Things I Did To Become a Better Investor
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
To get started investing in startups the speaker suggest two possible methods: the first is to paper trade for two years, investing hypothetically to learn, and the second is to check out the TechCrunch finalists over the years and use them as a guide; AngelList can also be a helpful resource.
21:05 - 28:03 (06:58)
listen on Spotify
Investing
Summary

To get started investing in startups the speaker suggest two possible methods: the first is to paper trade for two years, investing hypothetically to learn, and the second is to check out the TechCrunch finalists over the years and use them as a guide; AngelList can also be a helpful resource.

Episode
#109: The 5 Things I Did To Become a Better Investor
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss discusses his investment strategy of taking a hyper-conservative approach with cash-like instruments to make up 80 to 90% of his portfolio, and a hyper-aggressive approach to early-stage startups to make up the remaining 10 to 20%.
28:03 - 34:55 (06:51)
listen on Spotify
Investing
Summary

Tim Ferriss discusses his investment strategy of taking a hyper-conservative approach with cash-like instruments to make up 80 to 90% of his portfolio, and a hyper-aggressive approach to early-stage startups to make up the remaining 10 to 20%.

Episode
#109: The 5 Things I Did To Become a Better Investor
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show