In today’s episode, Shawn O’Malley (@Shawn_OMalley_) explores the highs and lows of famed investor Martin Whitman’s career. Whitman is the founder of Third Avenue Management, which, at its peak in 2006, managed 26 billion dollars across a handful of funds. For nearly two decades, Whitman outperformed market benchmarks with average annual returns of 12 percent.
Whitman’s approach to investing is unique, and in this episode, you’ll learn about why the balance sheet is just as important or more important than the income statement, how Whitman got his reputation for being a “vulture” investor, how Whitman was able to profit from companies going through bankruptcy, the legal differences between being a bondholder and stockholder, what Whitman looks for in the companies he owns long-term, and takeaways from Whitman’s legacy, plus so much more!
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IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN
00:00 - Intro
07:13 - Why investors should focus on creditworthiness
08:20 - Why the balance sheet is just as important or more important than the income statement
11:35 - How Whitman’s legacy was tarnished by the 2008 Financial Crisis
15:05 - How to assess earnings power using assets
28:58 - What strategies Whitman used to beat the market averages
35:09 - How different markets have varying degrees of efficiency
37:42 - What issues Whitman has with current accounting standards
43:16 - The case for thinking more like a creditor in stock investing
And much, much more!
*Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences.
BOOKS AND RESOURCES
Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Kyle and the other community members.
Request a free copy of Whitman’s book, Dear Fellow Shareholders, on this page.
Whitman’s book Distress Investing.
Case studies on legend investors from past episodes: Howard Marks, Bill Ackman, Bill Miller, George Soros.
William Thorndike Jr.'s book, The Outsiders.
Hunter Hopcroft’s blog post on Martin Whitman — check out Hunter on Twitter.
Check out the books mentioned in the podcast here.
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when you had all this stuff was it paid off? Because otherwise you have to work to pay those things off that don't make you happy.
awsome episode
great episode
Great podcast but these pre pandemic podcasts are kind of useless now. Most of Q1 2020 info is completely irrelevant now. It's a completely different world and market. Great podcast still but would have been a lot more useful at the end of February when it was recorded.
Great podcast. I like how it's timeless. some other podcasts are so current that the advice is only good for a few days. The info on this podcast is useful for years, not just the next 2 trading days. Thanks for the info Robert. love the real estate podcast as well
Great show! It's very relatable for Millennials like me. Looking forward to more guests and inspiring stories :)