You have to start somewhere
Investing is intimidating, but it doesn't have to be
I have been an institutional investor for a long time. I have managed billions of dollars in quantitative strategies, pioneered risk management frameworks, and done due diligence on some of the best investors in the world. You name it, and I have likely done it (except stock picking, which is ironically what everyone thinks all investors do).
Small talk at parties
Inevitably someone asks what do you do for work. Over the years, you develop a shorthand for describing it.
For me, it’s “I work in finance.”
When I say that, I get 1 of 2 reactions:
Someone is interested and wants to pick my brain (usually for stock picks)
The most common reaction: “Oh that’s nice” and we casually move on
The interested ask groan-worthy questions, tell me about their ultra-risky portfolios, and/or ask for tips.
But for the others, I never knew why they were uninterested. I thought the reason most people casually moved on was because people thought finance was boring.
Then someone told me: no, its because its intimidating.
It doesn’t have to be.
Make unknown unknowns, known
Financial and investing literacy is miserably low. I want to help change that. No matter which camp you are in, this substack will give you the foundation to confidently make better informed investment decisions.
I will teach you what you don’t know you don’t know.
The How
It’s actually easy, you just have to take it in bite size chunks.
I am going to start slow.
What is money?
What is an investment?
What are the different types of asset classes?
How to evaluate them
Once the basics are covered, more advanced topics:
Portfolio management
Risk management
Basic investment strategies
What I won’t be covering:
Trading, there are plenty of people out there for that (and most are idiots)
Crypto because there are good resources out there for that. 2 I recommend are:
Macro commentary (visit Twitter for that BowTiedWombat)
Let’s walk together
If you have been investing for years, this may not be the place for you (but you might learn something).
I want people who avoid conversations about money and investing because they know they don’t know.
I want to make investing less intimidating
Anyone can do it. You CAN do it.
Its a journey. Join me on it.
Notes
Not investment advice. I always recommend you do your own research.
If you ever have questions, ask me in the comments or on Twitter (BowTiedWombat)