Friday, December 28, 2012

Pour Your Heart Into by Schultz

I don't drink coffee. As such, I've never quite understood the draw Starbucks has on people. Until I read this book, that is. The founder of Starbucks tells the story of how Starbucks came to be in Pour Your Heart Into It, which I recently had the pleasure of reading.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Paulin Buyout

The oldest stock on this site's Stock Ideas page has finally made its mark. Three and a half years ago, I wrote about a little company called H. Paulin that traded at a massive discount to its net current assets. Yesterday, the company announced a buyout that saw investors generate more than a 400% return over this period!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Moonwalking With Einstein

Journalist Joshua Foer was writing an article about memory when he came upon a couple of people professing to be able to teach an improved memory. Until then, Foer had figured (as I had until having read his book) that people were born with good memories. In Moonwalking with Einstein, Foer proves to the world that a better memory can be taught; indeed, having employed some of the techniques of the book, my memory has already improved! So can yours!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Looking For A Book That Interests You?

The book section of this site has been revamped to make it easier to find what you're looking for.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Human Evolution

I recently had the opportunity to read Roger Lewin's Human Evolution, which is an excellent introduction to the adaptations and possible behaviours of some of our immediate ancestors.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Value Conference Without The Cost

Value conferences are prohibitively expensive for the average investor. Not only do you have to pay a fee to cover the cost of the venue and its staff, you need to pony up to fly there, and deal with the financial and non-financial costs of disrupting family and work considerations. Therefore, to meet the needs of this market, Value Conferences is presenting its Best Ideas 2013 conference fully online!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Surging to a Large Discount

Shares of Surge Components (SPRS) are extremely cheap. The company is profitable, but still trades not much above its net cash level. I first came upon the company following this tweet from value investor Paul Sonkin:

Monday, December 10, 2012

Meade Loses 1/3 of Market Cap Due To Mistake?

Meade (MEAD) shares fell by almost 30% today, seemingly on news that Hummingbird Management has cut its stake in the company from 7.63% to 3.24%. There may be reason to believe the filing is a mistake and that Hummingbird hasn't actually cut its stake, however.

Previously Unavailable Stock Info

Value investors know that the most inefficient part of the market at any given time is likely in the smallest companies. But getting the info on these companies that you need in order to make an investment decision can be hard to come by. Over-the-counter stocks don't always publish their financials; sometimes, such info is only made available in hard copy format to current shareholders, which is undoubtedly a small group. One site seeks to change all that!

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Innovator's Solution

The Innovator's Solution is one sequel that doesn't disappoint! Christensen follows up the popular The Innovator's Dilemma (previously summarized on this site here) with this new book that helps deepen the reader's understanding of technological disruption in business.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Get Notified When A New Transcript Is Available

Thanks for all your feedback regarding the conference call transcript site. To provide an update, I have added some more functionality to hopefully make it more useful.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

QLogic: Likely Undervalued

Shares of QLogic (QLGC) have been thrashed over the last couple of years. But this is a well-capitalized company in a growing industry that is a market leader in many of its product segments.