I Choose You: Riding the Tegna Merger

 

Investing In Yourself – Using Pillars to Build Your Core	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/urbanomics-pillars-path-set-for.html
Setting Budgets + Saving for Black Swans	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2013/02/personal-finance-budget-101-free-credit.html
	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2019/11/hey-henry-high-earner-not-yet-rich.html
How to Open My First Brokerage Account	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/personal-finance-101-starting.html
Diversify your Life (Mind, Body, Soul, + Investments) Use the "SEARCH" bar to see if I've written about a topic you are interested in.	Get Updates to Your Email When I Create A New Post: Use the "Subscription" feature to receive free updates to your device.

Stop, collaborate, and listen because the Oracle is back with the same old mission. Good morning to you all out there and a very Happy Wednesday to ya. I wanted to quickly post about an investment that I've been writing about for quite some time. For a quick throwback, see these posts on Tegna (TGNA):

URBANOMICS: Tegna (TGNA) - I got the Hook Up Alert

URBANOMICS: Inflation | Stagflation | Recession - Either Way Here's How I'm Trading

URBANOMICS: How to Buy Week of 9/26 - Name that Stock Up 20% In 1 Week

When I first bought shares of Tegna (TGNA), it was thanks to a network of friends who help me spot solid investment opportunities. I call this group my Mansa Musa Network: people whose insight and instincts I trust.

One example is my friend Byron Allen. Years ago, I noticed how interested he was in acquiring this quiet, steady TV media company. At the time, Tegna traded around $12–14, and then Byron came in wanting to buy it for $20 or more. That move caught the attention of other investors, and soon a bidding war pushed the price up toward $24.

I won’t rehash the entire history, but I will close the chapter on what turned out to be a very solid investment. Looking back, it was a simple story: find value, be patient, and let the results play out.

Along the way, I sold about half my position but I held onto the shares I originally bought around $12. More recently, I added smaller positions and that brought my average purchase price to around $18.25. My goal was to trust my instinct that expected that this steady, quietly profitable broadcaster would eventually get bought out. If 5 titans in the investing world have been circling it in the last 4 or 5 years, a hook up is inevitable.

And that’s exactly what happened. As I’ve said before, a merger is a lot like a company getting married.

Tegna got chosen.

Fast‑forward to the merger deal finally closing at $22 per share, and my 2nd position in this stock turned into a nice win. A solid 20%+ return for simply being early, patient, and willing to sit through the noise.

What made this merger or hookup particularly fascinating was the roller‑coaster of headlines: regulatory delays, shifting buyer sentiment, and the usual swirl of speculation that comes with any media‑industry consolidation. Plenty of investors bailed during the uncertainty. But sometimes the simplest strategy, buying at a reasonable valuation and letting the process play out, ends up being the most rewarding. Don't believe me just read. I did a search for Tegna and added posts where I've written about this investment from the inception. I hope it helps you trade and more importantly understand the lesson of finding value and being patient -- in silly things like investments but more importantly within yourself.

I'm out, gotta start my day. Stay blessed.

The Stock Market is Falling - Will I Be Gone 'til November??

Every time I make a run

Girl, you turn around and cry

I ask myself why, oh why

See, you must understand, I can't work a 9 to 5

So I'll be gone 'til November

Said I'll be gone 'til November, I'll be gone 'til November

Yo, tell my girl, yo, I'll be gone 'til November

I'll be gone 'til November, I'll be gone 'til November

Yo, tell my girl, yo, I'll be gone 'til November

January, February, March, April, May

I see you cryin', but girl, I can't stay

I'll be gone 'til November, I'll be gone 'til November

And give a kiss to my mother

Lyrics by Wyclef Jean

Gone 'til November

Many investors are finally learning that stock markets do not go straight up. I've blogged that when the market was at its hottest, I was getting calls and text messages all day. Everyone was right and every stock they bought went straight up. I just hope that you took some of those profits off the table. Remember, we are building wealth and for some of us generational wealth for the first time and our goal is not to gamble. I learned the hard way many years ago that big gains should be pocketed or banked when you can and I use a crude but simple formula for selling some shares. If I've purchased a stock and it's gone up well, what's wrong with taking my initial investment OUT, then taking another 20% out, and finally letting the rest ride. Example:

Investment: $10,000

Say this Investment Goes up to 30% and you have $13,000 in your account

Sell $12,000 ($10K Initial Investment and $2K Profit Banked)

$1,000 - Let it Ride

I appreciate the calls when you get it right but I also want to hear about how you stacked your chips at the top. 

How did this work out for me? Well, I had help last year and a little bit of luck this year. Some of my largest positions were bought out. Again, a stock getting bought out is like a sports player getting a maximum salary offer from their team or being traded in free agency for a higher salary! So for me, I was luckily able to bank most of my gains. I somewhat listened to my own book because if you recall from a recent article, I showed some discipline and in October 2021 I moved 75% of my retirement account into safety. A few months ago, I moved the remaining 25% to safety as well. I know you want to know exactly what I moved them into. Well I surprisingly found out I have an Inflation Protection investment in my retirement account. If you're wondering whether this helped or hurt, it turns out that from the highs of Q3 2021, my stock portfolio was down roughly 10%...not great but less than what the market fell. That is about as much as I can ask for. In my personal portfolio, I learned that it was built in a barbell fashion and this was great when I wanted to take risk and not so great when the market turned down. I basically had half of my portfolio in what you may call value based safer stocks and roughly the other half were in the high flyer technology stocks.

Positive Positions:

Tegna - is being bought out so even while the market is down this position has not moved materially and should not until the acquisition is made in Q2 2022. I've actually played the ARBITRAGE and added to this position in a down market. This means I buy the stock as there is still a difference between the current price and the acquisition price. I monitor this stock closely but my last update was 87% of the shareholders just approved the merger so I think investment which I own in my personal and retirement account has a high likelihood of closing. 

Negative Positions:

ROKU - I'm glad I traded options against Roku because it was a very hot high flyer and as it went higher I made income trading against my position. Now as the market has dropped, that income trading is all I have to show for it, because Roku has fallen big time. 

Spotify - Spotify has fallen as well and the losses have been big.

When times get tough, I begin to move back to the basics. I look for trends that should work during these times and in my riskier personal portfolio this is where I consider buying stocks. Sometimes I simply do nothing at all. But here is what I'm doing:

1) Watching Warren Buffett - When the market is falling and people are scared, he has been cautious and now entering back in. But what is he buying or adding too, see this summary below:

a) I find it interesting; he is jumping into Paramount a stock I recently indicated had jumped on my radar because it was trading at a discount: Feb 2022 - Paramount Post

b) My Breakdown of Warren's Q1 Buys / Additions:

2) I am trading aggressively and trying to actively get out of any stocks that will not make up a core part of my portfolio. 

3) I've been more active than I've been in a long time. I've been trading:

Oil: Occidental Petroleum, Devon Energy

Arbitrage Plays: Twitter

Stocks that Benefit from Hard Times: Treehouse (maker of store brand products)

I copied Buffett and targeted Oil plays and want to build larger positions here as a hedge and I see he copied me by focusing on Arbitrage plays. I continue to buy Tegna until they get bought out and even purchased Twitter which hope Elon Musk will stop his shenanigans and agree to the original buyout of roughly $54. But is looking at Activision Blizzard, the video game maker, because he too is trying to identify high probability trades that will likely get bought out. I don't want high risk trades at this point and this could be why we both are looking at Arb plays. VMware may be one here shortly as Broadcom has been supposedly slidin' into it's DM and there are a few others bubbling out there.

I've spent way too much time on this post and have to get back at it, but a quick brain dump of what I'm thinking at the moment. Enjoy, trade safely, and #getthebag

How to Buy Week of 9/26 - Name that Stock Up 20% In 1 Week

  

Investing In Yourself – Using Pillars to Build Your Core	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/urbanomics-pillars-path-set-for.html
Setting Budgets + Saving for Black Swans	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2013/02/personal-finance-budget-101-free-credit.html
	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2019/11/hey-henry-high-earner-not-yet-rich.html
How to Open My First Brokerage Account	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/personal-finance-101-starting.html
Diversify your Life (Mind, Body, Soul, + Investments) HOW TO SEARCH MY BLOG:	Get Updates to Your Email When I Create A New Post:

How To Buy - Week of 9/26

Pictured above is a stock chart of TEGNA (NYSE:TGNA). TGNA is a media company fka as Gannett. 

The old Gannett provided news media -- think newspapers, your local TV stations, etc. They split these operations up and you can still own the slower growth newpaper business (USA Today and it's still know as Gannett) and the TV news / media business is now know as Tegna.  

Still with me?  Great, well I own Tegna. Need a better description, every time you watch your local news station...and it says Channel 13 NBC News, let's just say I thank you and my bank account thanks you. I first got into Tegna after 4 separate investors were looking to hook up with TGNA back in 2020 (note: ultimately TGNA decided against getting married).  This was rough for the stock but I held because election years are great for news and media stocks and Trump, Biden, and the craziness of American politics did not fail. Trust but Verify, see this post:

September 2020 - This post was insight into WHEN and WHY I Bought Tegna:

https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2020/09/how-being-risk-focused-allows-me-to.html

Last year, Tegna rebuffed it's suiters like a millennial who declines dating someone because they didn't tick off EVERYTHING on their dating wish list. So similar to a break up, Tegna was suffering from the rebound blues. The stock was trading very low for awhile but I knew if 4 companies wanted to slide into their DM, then it meant TGNA was attractive. And by telling us what they would pay for hook up...we found PRICE DISCOVERY. Most buyout offers were around $20. Remember these #traderfacts because they help me be the best trader I can be. 

Earlier this year, I sold 1/2 my position when TGNA reached the initial hook up price and I blogged about it. I've learned to never fully get out of my positions as I often miss out of additional good news later. I may have traded this stock the way it should be done. I held a big position, exited my first position taking my initial investment out and I'm guessing a 20% gain. Then let the rest RIDE!!  See the links below as I post to give you insight into real life trading...not some of this podcast bs that you can get rich over night.

April 2021 - This post was insight into WHEN and WHY I Sold Tegna:

https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2021/04/when-to-sell-tegna-prism-gun-violence.html

Fast forward to this week: TGNA has SURGED nearly 20% this week and at first I wasn't sure why. Well it turns out therrrrrre BACK!!! My friends in my Mansa Musa Network are trying to slide into Tegna's DM once again. This time the price is higher to get married and I've seen $22 (Byron Allen + Ares Managment) and $23 (Apollo) from 2 suitors.

I recently learned that one of my consultants in my cyber business follows my blog and trades after reading and learning from my posts. I hope to make it easier for us to trade notes in a community that's just for us. I hope to move my subscriber alerts to my "Discord" channel so you can learn How and Why I buy and sell. I also hope to learn from you.

Tegna netted me roughly a 35% profit and that came in less than a year for the April 2021 trade and now we'll be at above 35-45% based on the new hookup prices I've discovered.

#getthebag      #howtobuy  #tegna

When To Sell | TEGNA | Prism: Gun Violence

  

Investing In Yourself – Using Pillars to Build Your Core	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/urbanomics-pillars-path-set-for.html
Setting Budgets + Saving for Black Swans	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2013/02/personal-finance-budget-101-free-credit.html
	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2019/11/hey-henry-high-earner-not-yet-rich.html
How to Open My First Brokerage Account	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/personal-finance-101-starting.html
Diversify your Life (Mind, Body, Soul, + Investments) HOW TO SEARCH MY BLOG:	Get Updates to Your Email When I Create A New Post:

Coming soon is a post on Health -- The Body. You have to invest in and know the data about your body. Like many people of color, I get nervous about hospitals and doctors. Thanks to my corporate job, I was exposed to annual exams and blood tests. Unfortunately, when I made the shift to being an entrepreneur I didn't keep up with my annual exams. And it may be costing me...stay tuned for a future post on Health and how that impacts your Wealth. 

Also Coming Soon - a series on #HowtoInvest. People have been reaching especially after the spikes in Gamestop, AMC, and other stock to learn the basics. I self taught myself how to invest beginning at the age of roughly 18 and have never stopped. To be a good investor and ensure you are not gambling (speculating), I'll cover (hardest parts of investing in RED):

Budgeting 101 - How to Fund Ur Investments?

Why Stocks as an Investment?

What is Ur Investment Profile + Personality?

How to Pick Stocks?

When to Buy Stocks?

How to Enter My Trade?

How Many Stocks Should I Own?

When to Sell Stocks?

Am I Speculating (Gambling)?

When To Sell  

I recently sold half of my position in TEGNA. Why: because its not good to be super greedy. When I bought awhile back at an average price of just below $15, I used my Mansa Musu network philosophy to #getthebag. I shared this stock tip with my subscribers and they learned that at one time there were over 4 companies sliding into the DM of TEGNA, trying to buy them out at a price of $20... before the COVID-19 pandemic and well before the elections of 2020. Search my site for when I first started writing about TEGNA a company that own TV stations across America and was a part of the old Gannett newspaper company that owned USA Today. Going into the elections it seemed like there was VALUE in this company especially when it was trading at $15 and 4 companies wanna hook up at $20. One company was black media mogul Byron Allen's (Net Worth: $400 Million) firm. So thank you Byron for networking and finding a diamond in the rough. Because TEGNA never hooked up with any four of the companies that slid into their DM, I waited and rode the wave up to $20. Is it the right or wrong time to sell? Well trust your network...if 4 well heeled companies did their research and though $20 was a good buyout price...I can afford to jump off the train at this price. Luckily for me I backed that thang up and purchased a boat load of shares. For full disclosure:

I sold TEGNA in my 401K portfolio

I sold half of TEGNA in my personal account

A quick example of when to sell, easily the hardest thing to learn to do.

#getthebag

Prism - Gun Violence in America

1) No Minimum Baseline = Tons of Loopholes 

Why I'm Writing: I am considered a Subject Matter Expert in the Audit and Cybersecurity field. I take my craft seriously. In the cyber world to secure computers and companies we set a baseline...a minimum standard. So for the US to NOT have a minimum baseline or set of standards for guns across the nation means we'll have more mass casualties...plain and simple. Take Indiana, a recent shooting in Indianapolis was the result of a shooter who was flagged by the FBI as someone who could do harm to himself (and of course society). However, loopholes, workarounds, or lack of a minimum baseline to secure the people of Indianapolis led to this gentleman getting a gun 180 days later and committing a devastating mass murder of 8 people. I won't simplify the gun debate... but its simple. Take it from an auditor you either remove the automatic nature of guns to commit mass murder or you harden every facility like Fort Knox. I would have work for the remainder of my life (and be a billionaire) if we chose the latter (because it wouldn't be cheap) so the simple solution is to attack the guns. I lived in big cities and have traveled the world...good luck on trying to profile crazy. haha there are a lot of strange people walking around but either you make me a billionaire and I harden every restaurant, school, bathroom, club, and home or we simply solve the easier problem -- any weapon with semi-automatic shooting capacity. Because I can't diagnose crazy, I'll gladly give everyone a gun with training, however; we just don't need anything above semi-auto matto people call me fatso (Biggie baby baby) weapons on the streets. We do something called a risk assessment for Wall Street and major banks: Likelihood x Impact. The likelihood of guns will NOT go down...but let's focus on the Impact. Senseless mass murders means a lot of traumatized people walking the streets.

Coming soon my Health Article and why a Health Minimum Baseline was critical...and what I did wrong.

When to Buy: Playing Offense | Side Hustle 101: Pay to Play | Moral Vote

 

Investing In Yourself – Using Pillars to Build Your Core	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/urbanomics-pillars-path-set-for.html
Setting Budgets + Saving for Black Swans	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2013/02/personal-finance-budget-101-free-credit.html
	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2019/11/hey-henry-high-earner-not-yet-rich.html
How to Open My First Brokerage Account	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/personal-finance-101-starting.html
Diversify your Life (Mind, Body, Soul, + Investments) HOW TO SEARCH MY BLOG:	Get Updates to Your Email When I Create A New Post:

Coming soon is a post on Health -- The Body. You have to invest in and know the data about your body. Like many people of color, I get nervous about hospitals and doctors. Thanks to my corporate job, I was exposed to annual exams and blood tests. Unfortunately, when I made the shift to being an entrepreneur I didn't keep up with my annual exams. And it may be costing me...stay tuned for a future post on Health and how that impacts your Wealth. 

Also Coming Soon - a series on #HowtoInvest. People have been reaching especially after the spikes in Gamestop, AMC, and other stock to learn the basics. I self taught myself how to invest beginning at the age of roughly 18 and have never stopped. To be a good investor and ensure you are not gambling (speculating), I'll cover (hardest parts of investing in RED):

Budgeting 101 - How to Fund Ur Investments?

Why Stocks as an Investment?

What is Ur Investment Profile + Personality?

How to Pick Stocks?

When to Buy Stocks?

How to Enter My Trade?

How Many Stocks Should I Own?

When to Sell Stocks?

Am I Speculating (Gambling)?

When To Buy A Stock - Go On Offense 

Learning From David Tepper (Street Cred: #ABilliSquad Member Net Worth: $14.5B, When He Speaks Markets Listen, Owner: Carolina Panters; Charlotte FC (Major League Soccer): David has been a buddy for a long time. If you search my blog, he was instrumental during the financial crisis of 2008. When many were scared or unsure, wondering if the horrible housing bubble would ever end...David spoke calmly about what the Federal Reserve was doing and the fact that it was "Game On". He signaled it was time to be less afraid and start investing and that's what we did here. By following David's advice, we start investing around the lows of the market and our stock portfolios benefitted greatly.

So I wanted to share the following snippet from David for my "When to Buy A Stock" series:

"Tepper says big market corrections create big opportunities for investors and they need to spot those opportunities to become successful in investing.  

The investing legend advises investors to remain updated on all the market information and conduct thorough research before investing in a company to understand the best opportunities available."

Source: By Anupam Nagar ETMARKETS.com

Thanks David and in case you didn't completely follow what he meant, here is a "Detail" breakdown:

Market corrections create big opportunities - For us regular folk that don't speak Wall Street, he's simply saying to find opportunities to buy stock when the market is off its game.

What is a Correction? Try these example(s): 

a) When LeBron James, Serena Williams, or Tom Brady has a bad game (aka: market correction), INVEST -- they are ballers and will bounce back.

b) When you stand in line for hours on Black Friday freezing waiting for low priced deals (aka: market correction), INVEST -- buy that TV because those rock bottom prices are temporary.

This week I have 8 stocks that will expire profitably:

Tegna (TGNA) - Bought months before the elections when they media companies were at their lows. This is a hedge the stock will trade higher, as I have a big position in TGNA

Navistar (NAV) - Shareholders, like myself, approved the takeover from Traton. Small, but nice profit made here

P****** - This is a subscriber alert stock. We have a big position and continue to go on offense in this position.

Wabash National (WNC) - Small position, our play is to if things can continue to re-open...trucks will be on the road.

Viacom (VIAC) - Still on offense in this position. Read my previous posts

Roku (ROKU) - Still on offense in this position. Read my previous posts; This is a hedge and will be profitable by the end of the week

Snap (SNAP) - Small position, Snapchat is finding ways to make money off advertising and it's working

Palantir - I keep hammering this stock. I told the doctor who took care of me that Government, Cloud, and Security are forces that are converging.

Roku - So nice, I traded it twice 👌

#getthebag

Side Hustle 101 - Know Your Worth

1) Someone's Listening - Skipping College Sports Isn't Insane 

Why I'm Reading: Someone's listening. To keep it short, this article is about a league being developed to COMPENSATE high school athletes in a development type league prior to them being considered or drafted for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Again, I've been a broken record - NCAA makes money, colleges make money, coaches make money (and have radio shows)...the players are one injury away from devastation. On top of the fact on 3% of college athletes will make it to the professional leagues. I can sincerely say they ARE NOT being paid their worth.

Link: The game plan: Elite players find paths to pros besides NCAA (msn.com)

Prism - Voting is a Moral Issue

1) When I Lost I Shook The Opponents Hand --- I Didn't Get Revenge 

Why I'm Watching: The Ken's did an amazing job a few weeks ago. They used their muscle to alert the business community of a troubling development. A business community that was slow in it's initial response because businesses usually stay outta of it. Laws being developed across the country after record voter turnout. As a technology subject matter expert, I find it interesting we can use our mobile phones to securely gamble on sports and even purchase lottery tickets. Oddly, voters lines remain long, drop boxes are constantly argued, and more not less restrictions are being placed on this pillar of democracy. Making "progress" in our voting process doesn't mean you have to be progressive. Thank you Ken Frazier and Ken Chenault.

Video: 

When to Buy Stock | Prism - What Would U Do? | Tech + Finance | Music 2 My Ears

 

Investing In Yourself – Using Pillars to Build Your Core	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/urbanomics-pillars-path-set-for.html
Setting Budgets + Saving for Black Swans	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2013/02/personal-finance-budget-101-free-credit.html
	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2019/11/hey-henry-high-earner-not-yet-rich.html
How to Open My First Brokerage Account	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/personal-finance-101-starting.html
Diversify your Life (Mind, Body, Soul, + Investments) HOW TO SEARCH MY BLOG:	Get Updates to Your Email When I Create A New Post:

Coming soon is a post on Health -- The Body. You have to invest and know the data about your body. Like many people of color, I get nervous about hospitals and doctors. Thanks to my corporate job, I was exposed to annual exams and blood tests. Unfortunately, when I made the shift to being an entrepreneur I didn't keep up with my annual exams. And it may be costing me...stay tune for a future post on Health and how that impacts your Wealth. 

Also Coming Soon - a series on #HowtoInvest. People have been reaching especially after the spikes in Gamestop, AMC, and other stock to learn the basics. I self taught myself how to invest beginning at the age of roughly 18 and have never stopped. To be a good investor and ensure you are not gambling (speculating), I'll cover (hardest parts of investing in RED):

Budgeting 101 - How to Fund Ur Investments?

Why Stocks as an Investment?

What is Ur Investment Profile + Personality?

How to Pick Stocks?

When to Buy Stocks?

How to Enter My Trade?

How Many Stocks Should I Own?

When to Sell Stocks?

Am I Speculating (Gambling)?

When to Buy A Stock

Enough talking -- pictures and videos are worth a thousand words, so I plan to move into the digital age here soon. I'm an old soul in a millennial body with a 9-5 job and a side hustle empowering underrepresented groups to find employment in the technology field (and it's cash flowing almost better than my 9-5 job!). Oh by the way, I own real estate (with tenants) and trying to grow that portfolio. So be patient as I plan to do a video series that will help you invest in yourself and #getthebag. My best asset class is my stock portfolio and yes, it allowed me to semi-retire at 37. I've documented how I've done it here on my blog (mistakes and all) for the last 15+ years. Don't believe people that say it's easy --- Trust But Verify. If they are NOT teaching you how to do it yourself --- Then You Are The Product. #facts

Leading up to my video series, which you've been asking for, here is an example of how I hunt for stocks. Sometimes I rely on my network of friends in my #MansaMusa network. They've helped me build my mini empire and I appreciate all of them as they've support me in different ways. When I got started I had a few #whentobuy rules. So today I'm sharing Rule #2 - Follow Da Leader | Whale Watch | Griot Rule.  When I first started I read so many books from my mentor Warren Buffett...we just clicked personality wise. So it took me awhile to ease away from Rule #1 but after reading and reading about Warren I understood I had a job and could never dedicated as much time as he did to investing. So instead I incorporated Rule #2 of investing is assets to my stock game. Like in Africa, we place our elders in high regard, so my Griot Rule is to follow leaders that have dedicated their lives to investing. My Grade A college degree helped me realize that mathematically I'm not going to follow just anybody...I want to follow those leaders that have outperformed over time. Wall Street calls these people "Whales", I like to call then Griots. I've gotten so good at learning from these leaders over time that I've sometimes made an investment and come to find --- they made the same investment AFTER I did. Yes vindicating, but it shows me their is enough to grow the pie for everyone. I am not competing with Warren or the other leaders...we are planting seeds together.  Here are 3 Griots, I've learned to trust very much over time and hold in high regard:

Learning From Warren Buffett (Street Cred: #ABilliSquad Member, Net Worth: $100B, Patient, Philantropist, Teacher): Shareholder Letters (berkshirehathaway.com) - This link is to his shareholder letters, which teach you about life, investing, and stocks he buying.

Learning From Ray Dalio (Street Cred: #ABilliSquad Member, Net Worth: $20B, Hedge Fund Worth: $140B, Brutal Honesty, Teacher) : Top 3 Investments: ABBVIE (Ticker: ABBV); BlackRock (Ticker: BLK); Linde PLC (Ticker: LIN) - If you've not read Ray's work on Principles...please do. I to am brutally honest and Ray was a shining force for me NOT to change. Here are his top 3 investments.

Learning From Michael Blurry (Street Cred: Net Worth: $300M, Contrarian Views, Brutal Honesty, Wants People to Do the Right Thing : NOW Inc. (NYSE:DNOW); Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC); GEO Group (NYSE:GEO); Molson Coors Beverage Co. (NYSE:TAP); CoreCivic Inc. (NYSE:CXW); HollyFrontier Corp. (NYSE:HFC); and he owned GameStop (NYSE:GME) before Ryan Cohen and I jumped in. - If you remember, I unfortunately called the beginnings of the Financial Crisis in this 2006 article: URBANOMICS: Huff, Puff, & Blow the houses down. Now fast forward to one of my favorite movies: "The Biggest Short". I, in my mid 20s didn't know how to invest in assets (housing) that I believed was going to fall hard from being overpriced --- guess who made hundreds of millions because he did -- Michael Blurry. My only solace was I bought my first property during the crisis at a steep steep discount.

Learning from a Griot is the way we've always done it. Elders have been there and done that. I then research on my on and try to understand why and make a decision for myself if I agree and should I invest. Remember my #LexusMentality - take the best from others especially when its not your main hustle.

Tech + Finance

1) Main Street America is "cashing out" or cashing in on their homes at the highest rates since the 2008 Financial Crisis.  

Why I'm Reading: I like to look at trends and I'm not a fan of debt so we'll see how this plays out. It didn't end well before and history has a strange way of repeating itself.

Link: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/cash-out-refinancings-hit-highest-level-since-financial-crisis-11615458602

2) 3D Printing Homes of the Future

Why I'm Watching: Game changing trends of the future make for great investments and help the culture. I see affordable housing for the masses??

Prism

Why I'm Reading: For those that don't believe many of us face racism or unconscious bias on a daily basis need to read this story. I am a shareholder of Tegna Inc (NYSE: TGNA) stock and found this in my news feed. Read this story about Adonis Hoffman and then tell me --- What Would U Do?

Link: https://www.reuters.com/article/instant-article/idCAKBN2B11TP

Music 2 My Ears

Why I'm Reading: I like to dig for new artists like I do for stocks. The hard thing with Freddie Gibbs is deciding if he's new or at 39 just finally get his dues. Amazing story of one man's struggle to get to the top.

Link: https://www.theringer.com/platform/amp/features/2021/3/10/22319899/freddie-gibbs-grammy-nomination-profile-alfredo-alchemist

Stitch Fix (SFIX) -- How Your Shopping Actually Helps My Wallet

 Stitch Fix reported quarterly earnings today and they blew their expected earnings number out of the water. The online personalization shopping experiment is here to stay for now. I tiptoed into this stock probably around the middle of May 2019 and the ride has been bumpy since then.  Being that I'm a bit old school, I actually like this stock for a simple reason...if my online personalization shopper (likely a combo between a computer and real person) finds something that works for me, I joke I don't even want you to experiment...just get me one of every color of that shirt. And comfortable pair of jeans, nope don't need new ones until these are worn out. Now I'm sure their tool is way more sophisticated then that but heck as long as they don't veer too far off from what works and fits well --- I think many people will give up the department store shuffle. Clothes off rack --- race to the fitting booth ---- damn how does a size smaller fit me in this designer and I need a size bigger with a different designer. 

I think the lazy habits of us all makes this an ideal play for measure me, I try it on, once you know what works --- bingo, keep repeating that model.  So back to the reason for my post. 

Stitch Fix is UP more than 30% and it just occurred after they reported earning. SFIX was one of the few retail stocks that was a downer in my portfolio and I'm surprised to say no more. I have a healthy profit and hope you do too if you've been following and stuck with the downers in my portfolio. Little tip, these are the stocks in the last few weeks that are starting to outperform. Don't remember those names, well just click here for SFIX and my retail stocks that are now soaring:

How My Defensive Stocks Are Now on Offense

Chart Game:

And yes if you eat Red Robin, by shoes from Foot Locker, use Kohls cash, buy Coach bags, watch CBS, ready USA Today or watch your local news station --- I'm a fan of your and appreciate you.

How Being Risk Focused Allows Me to Play Defense + Offense

Playing Offense - Embracing Technology to Be More Efficient

Being a cyber guy, I take a brutal stance to technology. I don't have Instagram, Twitter, or any other junk accounts to monitor my behavior, recognize my face, and tailor advertising JUST for me. Unfortunately, I have a Facebook account. But I'd be a fool to shun technology as I invest in them and understand how they attract the masses yearning for one simple thing --- human connection. I prefer to pick up the phone and chat, the most genuine form of communicating and being able to interpret the little things but we all have to adapt to the world around us. So you all would be proud of me, today, I wrote a majority of this post using a speech recognition service on my computer. In an effort to save time, I need am modernizing how I send emails and blog. I simply say open word pad and begin speaking. I understand computers, so slow and steady dictation spits out my thoughts while I work on other things or follow the markets. 

Playing Defense - When Defense Turns to Offense

For this post I wanted to talk about defense.  Being a risk manager, I often help companies play defense.  By playing defense and protecting your core assets from risk. I believe eventually, you'll hit an optimal point where you're actually playing offense.  I was recently reading an article that cited the great investor Bill Gross.  He was cofounder oOf the legendary PIMPCO bond funds.  I found what he said in this article very interesting.  To summarize, he was talking about playing defense.  He mentioned at this point there are not many investments areas to continue to make outsized returns. In my opinion, this is a dangerous place to be in a market when they're are not many investments remaining that can offer decent returns.

If you were to ask me what keeps be up at night, it would be just that --- as I evaluate most assets whether it be stocks, real estate, even precious metals they all seem to be moving in one direction...  and that's up.  I found it interesting that Bill mentioned tobacco, banks, and the geographical region of Europe as areas to invest. As I evaluate my portfolio, I believe I'm seeing a similar trend playing out.  When I filter for the stocks that have recently been increasing I find that my dogs or laggards in my portfolio are moving up nicely.  If you've read my blog in the past you'll notice that many of the stocks fall in the retail space:

RED Robin - Restaurants

Stitch Fix - Apparel

Foot Locker - Apparel

Viacom - Television and Advertising

TEGNA - Newpapers and TV stations Advertising (think USA Today and your local news)

AMC Theaters - Movies

NEWELL Rubbermaid - Consumer goods

Tapestry (Coach) - Luxury Bags and apparel

I find this trend surprising but I also welcome the frothiness of the market dissipating.  What keeps me up at night, is that these stocks are primarily  focused on the consumer. Similar to Bill's thesis of tobacco, banks, and Europe.  Let's take a quick look: restaurants, apparel, television, movies, and consumer goods. The resilience of humans is absolutely amazing.  With COVID and high unemployment still as the backdrop, you are seeing people yearning for a sense of normalcy so we do what we feel is normal -- the machine wants us to spend. And spend we are. I'm not sure if this is sustainable but I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't disclose my portfolio will do okay if these positions move up. While I hunker down, America is purchasing online I wish I owned Amazon, Target, Home Depot and Lowes but I am playing the ELECTIONS (with TV and advertising) and Gambling (Ceasars and DraftKings). Stitch Fix I was playing as a tech play but man holding on has been a long brutal wait. The rest, I can't wait to get out because like the Malls, I think the future of retail is owning the platform (Amazon, Shopify, etc.) and less the physical stores.

50c Candy Bars - My value Search

Finally, I always on the hunt for value or as my billionaire buddy Seth Klarman calls them cigarette butts. Me I called them the 50c candy bar deals. My spidy senses are looking at Viasat at these levels. Now comes the deep analysis of how to invest in a way that limits my risk --- haha finally I found something that won't keep me up at night :)

Stocks mentioned in this post: Tapestry (TPR), Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (RRGB), Stitch Fix (SFIX), Foot Locker (FL), Viacom (VIAC), TEGNA (TGNA), AMC Theatres (AMC), Newell Brands Inc (NWL)