Learning From Podcasts

"Nothing has served me better in my long life than continuous learning." Charlie Munger
If there is one common trait that links the world's greatest investors, it's a desire to learn. And to keep learning.
When I was younger, the available learning sources were much fewer than we have available to us today. We had newspapers and magazines, libraries and universities, but none of it was instantaneous; we had to travel somewhere else to grab the latest information. Nowadays its much different - Enter the Internet. These days there's an incredible volume of high quality, free material available to us to supplement our learning experiences.
Of course, one of the downsides to having all this information is that we don't always have the time to review it. Our lives are so busy with work and family, there's usually not much spare time to devote to learning. Enter the humble Podcast.
Podcasts are like audio-blogs. When stuck in traffic, working out at the gym, sitting on a plane or waiting for a bus, a podcast is a great way to better utilize that downtime and keep learning.
Over the last few years I've taken to regularly listening to podcasts, and have enjoyed many which have challenged my thought processes, provided numerous investment insights and added to my knowledge base. If I'm reading a book recommended by one of the Investment Masters, I'll often search the Apple podcast App to see if I can catch a quick podcast with the author first. I also often subscribe to a series and save individual podcasts to come back to.
Below are some of my favorite Podcast series along with some great episodes worth listening to [click on the images to access] ...
When it comes to great Podcasts, it’s hard to go past Barry Ritholtz’s ‘Masters in Business’ series. Mr Ritholtz has a fantastic line up of interesting guests across a broad spectrum of disciplines and his broad knowledge of all-things-investing ensures the interviews are insightful and engaging.
Some of my favourites have included Leon Cooperman [Omega], John Carreyrou [Theranos reporter], Jim Chanos [Kykonis], Dr Raife Giovinazzo [Fuller & Thaler], Ed Thorp [Beat the Dealer], Yuval Noah Harari [Sapiens], Daniel Kahneman [Thinking Fast & Slow] and Jeffrey Sherman [DoubleLine].
Shane Parrish is the founder of the fabulous Farnam Street blog, ‘a mecca for the world’s biggest money managers’ including Ray Dalio and Dan Loeb.
The blog and associated podcast interviews focus on personal betterment through improved mental agility and mindfulness. A treasure trove of content with a broad array of deep thinkers. Some of my favorite interviews have included Naval Ravikant, Atul Gawande, Annie Duke, Philip Tetlock and Robert Greene.
If you want to learn about what makes a successful business, Guy Raz’s NPR podcast series, ‘How I Built This’, is a must. Raz delves into the characteristics of both great businesses and their CEOs. He gets a great line-up of high quality guests.
Some of my favorite podcasts include Chip Wilson [Lulumon], Ron Shaich [Panera Bread], Brian Scudamore [1-800-GOT-JUNK], James Dyson [Dyson], Arthur Blank [Home Depot], Herb Kelleher [Southwest Airlines], Sara Blakely [Spanx], Miguel McKelvey [WeWork] and Howard Schultz [Starbucks].
Understanding businesses can provide an edge in investing. Ask Buffett .. “I am a better investor because I am a businessman, and a better businessman because I am an investor.”
Business Wars gives you the unauthorized, real story of what drives companies and their leaders, inventors, investors and executives to new heights — or to ruin. Some of my favourite podcast series have included Netflix vs Blockbuster, Fender vs Gibson, Ferrari vs Lamborghini and Ford vs Chevrolet. A 10 out of 10.
A must-follow for investors, entrepreneurs, creatives, high achievers, and changemakers. Sean provides inspiration through What Got You There – lending you an inside view into the personalities, experiences, and strategies of some of the world’s most influential people.
Some of my favourites include Tom Peters [In Search of Excellence], W. Brian Arthur [Santa Fe Institute], Robert Rosenberg [Dunkin Doughnuts], Francois Rochon [Giverny Capital] and Yen Liow [Aravt Global].
‘Value Investing with Legends’ is a series run by Columbia Business School with interviews with some of the world's greatest investors. The interviews cover their views on the investment management industry, how they developed their investment process and how they see the field changing over time.
Some great interviews including David Abrams, Tom Russo, Mario Gabelli, Chris Davis and Michael Mauboussin.
I’ve learnt a lot while taking in some of the great interviews on Patrick’s ‘Invest Like the Best’ podcast. He’s an A-grade interviewer who has a first class line-up of awesome guests willing to share what they’ve learned with you.
Some of my favourites have included Chuck Akre [Akre Capital], Marc Lasry [Avenue Capital], Sam Hinkie [Philadelphia 76ers], Josh Wolfe [Lux Capital] and Jerry Neumann [VC - ReactionWheel].
I had the pleasure of chatting to Sean Murray from ‘The Good Life.’ We talked about all things investing including quality companies, powerful business models, developing a multi-disciplinary mindset and the common threads evident amongst the very best investors, CEOs and businesses.
I’m a big fan of Sean’s work, be sure to check out his other interviews with the likes of Robert Cialdini, Annie Duke, Michael Abrashoff, Morgan Housel and William Green.
David Rubenstein, the billionaire founder of private equity firm, The Carlyle Group, gets a distinguished line up of guests on his namesake show including some of America’s greatest CEO’s, Investors and Politicians.
Some of the interviews I’ve enjoyed include Paul Singer, Warren Buffett, Jamie Dimon, Ken Griffin and James Gorman.
Ted Seides of Protégé Partners is probably more famous for his ill-fated hedge fund bet against Warren Buffett than his podcast series. Notwithstanding, Mr Seides’ interviews are an excellent resource for investment knowledge.
Some of the interviews I have enjoyed on Ted’s podcast series include Paul Black [WCM], Andy Redleaf [WhiteBox], James Aitken [Aitken Advisers], Dan Ariely [Irrational Capital] and Thomas Russo [Semper Vic Partners].
Consuelo Mack’s Wealthtrack video interviews are available as audio recordings in podcast form. Consuelo has a great line up of interesting guests including many of the Investment Masters themselves. Mack’s focus on long term investing and her experience with financial markets ensures the interviews are insightful and entertaining.
Some of my favourite interviews have included Chuck Akre [Akre Capital], Cliff Asness [AQR], Ed Yardeni [Yardeni Research], Thomas Russo [Semper Vic Partners] and Chuck Royce [Royce Funds].
Preston and Stig get a diverse line up of great investors and business people on their podcast series. They’ll also often review interesting books, investors, investing styles, authors and business success stories.
Some interesting interviews include Robert Cialdini [Influence], Guy Spier [Aqua Marine Fund], Roger Lowenstein [Author], Jim Rogers [ex Quantum] and Ed Thorp [Beat the Dealer].
I stumbled across Steven Bertoni’s podcast series when I was searching for a podcast on a blog post I was writing. Mr Bertoni’s interviews are always interesting and he gets a solid line-up of guests across a broad array of disciplines.
I’ve enjoyed interviews with Paul Tudor Jones [Tudor Corporation], Tom Steyer [Farallon], Adam Neumann [WeWork], Ray Dalio [Bridgewater], Ron Shaich [Panera Bread], Captain ‘Sully’ Sullenberger [Sully] and Danny Meyer [ShakeShack].
The a16z Podcast is the go-to place for discussions about technology, innovation, and change as it impacts all our lives, covering everything from tech trends and culture to company building for companies of all sizes. Nuanced conversations with top industry and academic experts from around the world; company leaders, builders, makers; book authors; and emerging voices.
The series that I've included above are those I regularly enjoy, however you'll find there are plenty of other great podcasts available to you. To date, despite listening to copious amounts of these wonderful audio blogs, I've barely scratched the surface when it comes to those devoted to great businesses and investing.
Others I've also enjoyed listening to include episodes from FT's Alphachat, McKinsey on Finance, The Tim Ferris Show, Knowledge@Wharton, Inquiring Minds and Value Investing Podcast to name but a few.
If you're embarking on a new book, studying a new discipline or learning about a favourite investor, take a trip to the App store to see what you can find. You might be surprised. And whether you're driving, about to travel on a plane or are stuck in traffic on the way to a meeting, throw on those headphones and listen to a podcast. Its one of the best ways I know to keep learning!
Keep learning on Twitter: @mastersinvest
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