Stock Stories

Basic Idea: By aligning yourself in a certain domain with favorable characteristics, you are more likely to have greater flexibility and reap more rewards.Today's mental model is called Seizing the Middle.  Seizing the middle is all about options.  Where can we put ourselves in life and business such that, in the future, we’re more likely to have a lot of options? Check out Shane Parrish's website Farnam Street for excellent coverage of mental models.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

This week we're discussing the other Marriott spin-off.  This company is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that is the largest lodging REIT in the U.S., and the largest owner of Marriott properties.  They operate Marriott, Hyatt, and other branded hotels.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

A few weeks ago we discussed Marriott, one of the world's largest hotel chains.  In that episode I mentioned that at one point, they spun off a few businesses.  This is one of those businesses!Marriott Vacations Worldwide is in the vacation club business, or timeshares, as they are more frequently known.  We discuss how the timeshare industry works as well as details specific to the company.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

In last week's episode we discussed one of the few publicly traded space companies out there - Virgin Galactic.  Well, what about all of the other start-up space companies that exist that aren't publicly traded?  Is there a way to invest in them?Today, I'm happy to share a conversation I had with entrepreneur Aaron Burnett, who has founded Spaced Ventures, a crowdfunding platform for space-focused start-ups.We cover a lot of ground, including Aaron's story, how funding for private companies works behind the scenes way before an IPO happens, and the economic nature of the space industry (and also, what are the risks?)Enjoy, and be sure to check out Spaced Ventures for more info.Want to say hello?  Reach out to me below:Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

It's one of the few publicly traded space companies out there.  Virgin Galactic's mission is to help the greater good of humanity through space.  Though it's a vaguely described mission, Virgin has been putting their money where their mouth is by building space planes and actually launching them into orbit.Now a revenue generating operation, let's look at one of billionaire Richard Branson's more highly publicized projects as of late, and develop a better understand of the business behind space tourism.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Choose one thing, and you can't choose something else.  Say no to one thing in order to say yes to another.  This is the essence of opportunity cost, and it is a central idea in behavioral economics.In this episode we take a look at what opportunity cost means from a holistic perspective as well as what this concept means for investors.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

With over 7,000 properties spread throughout the world, Marriott has become one of the biggest and most recognizable lodging brands out there.  They have 30 different brands, each with their own distinct feel.  Let's look at where Marriott came from and how we can understand this business from an investor's perspective.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Macerich is one of the larger pure-play mall REITs in America, and they have several dozen properties scattered across the country.  Though they have a good history of paying generous payouts to shareholders, is their very existence in trouble because of COVID-19 and the general trend of e-commerce?Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

The modern mall has existed for only a century or so, but gathering places of commerce have existed for millenia.  Simon Property Group has a large portfolio of quality commercial real estate spread throughout America and in countries around the world.Say hi on Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail me: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

If you live in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, or Virginia, there is a good chance that you pay your electric or gas bill to Southern Company.  As the second largest utility in the U.S., they serve well over 8.5 million customers.Connect with me via Instagram or email:Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Flight or Flight is a powerful biological response to the way that we, and animals, respond to perceived threats.  Either we're attacking something or we're running away from it.  In this episode we cover how we can apply this mental model to our investing practice.Instagram: @stockstorytelleralex@stockstoriespodcast.com

With the largest fleet size in the world, American Airlines is one the few large "legacy" airlines.  Although they suffered a big bankruptcy and merger with U.S. Airways as a result of the 2008 recession, they managed to survive.  We discuss the present troubles due to COVID-19 and what shareholders could see next.Send me a message on Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail me: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Mattel is most known for Barbie, Hot Wheels, and American Girl, which are iconic toy brands it has made over the years.  They also own the card game UNO and make various toys and games licensed from hit kid's movies.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

As one of the largest toy and game company's Hasbro makes classics like Monopoly, Jenga, and Twister.  They also brands such as Transformers and My Little Pony, and license Disney's intellectual property to make toys and games (ex. Frozen or Star Wars).  Even with Hasbro's storied history, can they continue to successfully create new brands in the era of digital gaming?Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Bottlenecks are limiting factors in our process - if we don't figure them out our results are limited no matter what else we do.  Like many mental models, this can apply to a variety of situations, including how we manage our investment portfolios.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Understanding what our political leaders are buying and selling for their own portfolios is important for transparency within any country's political and economic system.  Alignment of interests is key.  Today's episode is an interview with investor and entrepreneur Marvin Barron, co-founder of FinePrint, a startup focused on tracking political stocks. Over discussion covers a variety of topics, including: What is the STOCK Act and why does it matter? How political data is now being tracked by investors What is political risk? What can we learn from the investment behavior of our elected officials? Connect with FinePrint at fineprintdata.com, or on Twitter @fineprintdata. Connect with Alex from Stock Stories on Instagram @stockstoryteller, or email alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

Episode SummaryLiveNation provides concert venues around the world, bringing iconic musicians and artists to the stage.  They manage concert venues, tours for artists, and are even involved in sports management and film production.  They also generate revenue through Ticketmaster, the digital ticketing service.Connect with Stock Stories!Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Fasteners are small, seemingly insignificant items that have a big impact on our everyday lives.  They're everywhere - in furniture, cars, houses, planes, and the equipment used to make all of the things that we buy.  Fastenal provides not only fasteners but sells safety products, cutting tools, and many other items as well.  They seem to have a great company culture.@stockstoryteller (Instagram)alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Today, we tackle a listener question about Employee Stock Purchase Plans (ESPPs).  What are they, how do they work, and when we use them to our advantage as investors?Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

The largest food distributor in the U.S., Sysco provides both basic foods and ready to eat meals to restaurants, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and universities.  By becoming a large middleman in the industry, they are able to source foods from around the world to help create various menu options.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com