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Dear <<First Name>>,
I tweeted this last week:
I think "what if" tables like this often elicit an immediate feeling of "gosh, I missed out" or "doh, if only" especially for those who could easily have bought stock 11 years ago.
The other thought one might have is: what are the 4 stocks to buy now and hold for the next 11 years?
Whether it's $40,000 or $40, it's very easy and usually free to buy and hold stocks these days. The hard part is A) picking a good stock and B) holding for the long-term, especially when prices are likely to go up and down in unpredictable ways.
I've been toying with a list of 4 or 5 picks to make this year and hold for the long term. I'm open to ideas, and I'll share my picks whenever I make the investments.
Side bar: I remember owning some shares of Google back in 2005 and then having to sell them in order to pay the security deposit on my apartment right out of college. And then when I actually did have money again to buy stocks some months later, I just let it sit in my checking account doing nothing.
Last week's newsletter got a 53.2% open rate and the most-clicked link was the article on 5 signs of bad leadership.
Consumed
The Nutella Billionaires: Inside The Ferrero Family’s Secret Empire (Forbes article)
At its core, the chocolate business is a branding game. Every purveyor sells roughly the same commodities. Yet by some alchemy, or marketing savvy, Ferrero's goods have traditionally commanded a higher devotion. Nutella especially so. When Columbia University began offering the spread (a blend mainly of cocoa, sugar, hazelnuts and milk) at a dining hall in 2013, students smuggled it out like bandits, sending costs up a reported $5,000 in a week. In January, after a French grocery chain marked down jars by 70%, riots ensued.
[Chairman Giovanni Ferrero] elaborates, with characteristic wonkishness: "We are in love with a growth algorithm of 7.33 periodic because, organic or nonorganic, that would double the company in a ten-year time horizon."
Translation: Giovanni's plan is to increase revenues by at least 7.33% per year in order to double turnover in a decade. Ferrero's native product lines probably couldn't expand that quickly, so Giovanni is buying sales to compensate.
Financial and Life Lessons We Can Learn from Dr. Walter Palmer’s Cecil the Black Maned Lion Debacle (blog post)
Randomly came across this blog post about the dentist who unknowingly killed a beloved lion on a hunting trip and suffered harsh consequences. The author, a financial advisor, draws some personal finance lessons from the story and how one might try to be best prepared and protected from unexpected calamities that can take away your ability to earn a living overnight.
What Good Leadership Looks Like During This Pandemic (HBR article)
Helpful article that breaks down what effective leadership during a crisis looks like with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as models. This chart from the article sums up some of the key takeaways:
Created
Highlights from Corporate Turnaround Artistry by Jeff Sands
A timely read, I had just finished this book before the coronavirus pandemic began to impact the business. There are some valuable takeaways from this book written by a corporate turnaround specialist who helps failing businesses get back on track. I finally got around to curating my favorite highlights and writing some thoughts.
Cheers,
Peter
P.S. You can check out my list of books read right here. My hope is to get a good mix of challenging reads with some that are entertaining, inspiring, and instructive.
If you like what you've read, please share with your friends. They can sign up for the list here. Also, I always welcome recommendations of any kind–books, podcasts, movies, etc.
About me: Peter Kang is co-founder of Barrel, a digital agency in New York City. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, son, and dog.
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