Stock Stories

Tractor Supply is a rural lifestyle retailer - the largest in the US.  Their niche is as a one-stop shop for recreational farmers, ranchers and people in rural communities.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Leverage is a powerful tool, and how one can effectively multiply their efforts.  "Give me a long enough lever, and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I will move the world" exclaimed Archimedes.  There are many forms of leverage, including:Financial (debt)TimeTechnologyCommunications/RelationshipsKnowledgeHere is a link to Todd Tresidder's site, the Financial Mentor.DM me on Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.comEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Famous for their agricultural and industrial equipment, Deere & Co. has produced products for farmers and industrial customers for almost two centuries.  They continue to play an important role in the economy today with farm, forestry, and construction equipment.History (03:02)Business Overview (14:55)Financials (18:58)Closing Thoughts (23:55)Say hi on Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

CAT is one of the world's largest industrial companies and produces large machines that help build infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, and more.History (00:03)Business Overview (00:15)Financials (00:23)Valuation and Closing Thoughts (00:30)DM me on Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Copart is one of the nations largest auto re-sellers, and it's growing fast.  Copart operates in a small niche of the market and essentially facilitates the recycling of cars and their parts buy matching buyers and sellers from across the world.  They were the first auto re-seller to use a completely online auction model back in their early days in the 1990s.Send me a DM on Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

The largest food company in the world, Nestlé is based in Switzerland and owns brands that span many categories, from ice cream to coffee to water to pet food.What they lack in growth they make up for in earnings quality and stability.  As a massive consumer staples company that sells in virtually every country on the planet, they're not going anywhere anytime soon.  In my opinion, they are probably one of the highest quality businesses in the world.DM me on Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to leave something out - whether that's identifying a critical risk, not considering all reasonable possibilities, or missing an amazing opportunity.  Investing well relies not just on our ability to take the right actions, but to consider what actions we shouldn't take as well.  You and I don't have to get all of our investing decisions right - let's just start with avoiding the bad ones!Instagram: @stockstorytelleralex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Tootsie Roll Industries is the company behind a lot of well-known candy brands - things like Junior Mints, Dots Gumdrops, and of course, the Tootsie Roll.  Though new product developments are rare, the company does well what it has for a century - make tasty candy treats.Instagram: @stockstorytelleralex@stockstoriespodcast.com

BP is another one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, and is based in the U.K.  Founded over a century ago, they have operations in dozens of countries around the world.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Times are hard right now.  The coronavirus has officially spread around the globe, and people everywhere are adjusting their lives as a result.  The financial markets have taken a big hit.  Here are the six things I'm thinking about as an investor during this time:1. Nothing matters in investing if you cannot remain solvent during times of crisis2. Have general business and investing knowledge3. Have as much liquid cash as possible ready to deploy4. Prudent capital allocation matters5. Stocks behave differently during different times6. It is impossible to know how long a panic will last, so prepare accordinglyReach out to me at @stockstoryteller on Instagram or email alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.  How are you handling the current crisis?

This French oil major has been around for almost a century, and managed to compete with other industry juggernauts.  They have higher inside ownership than other majors, and have leading operations in Europe and Africa.History of Total (Youtube playlist) Instagram: @stockstorytelleralex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Royal Dutch Shell was formed with two companies from two different countries joined forces to keep Rockefeller's Standard Oil at bay.  It is one of the largest of the oil majors, and has a presence in over 70 countries.alex@stockstoriespodcast.comInstagram: @stockstoryteller

Irreducibility is the principle of breaking things down until you can't break them down any further.  This can apply to processes or products.  Think about the processes you observe as an investor that can be improved upon or otherwise remain unmodified based on this principle.alex@stockstoriespodcast.comInstagram: stockstoryteller

When the massive Standard Oil company broke up in the early 1900s, one of the remaining companies was Standard Oil of California.  This company ended up growing to become what we now know as Chevron.  Like the other oil and gas companies, Chevron find, extracts, and processes petroleum, natural gas, and other related products.alex@stockstoriespodcast.comInstragram: @stockstoryteller

Part of John D. Rockefeller's legacy, ExxonMobil boasts one of the world's largest expanse of oil and natural gas reserves.  They help provide the raw materials for the world's energy.  Though its business goes through long boom and bust cycles, companies like this can reward patient investors who can stomach significant volatility.alex@stockstoriespodcast.comInstagram: @stockstoryteller

Can you feel the "luv"?  Southwest Airlines, whose trademarked symbol is a colorful heart, has been dominating the skies in the U.S. for decades now.  Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, they were successful at taking market share away from legacy airlines with their unique culture and simplified approach.alex@stockstoriespodcast.comInstagram: @stockstoryteller

Basic Idea - what gets rewarded gets repeated, regardless of any ethical considerations.  Specifically “bad money drives out good”History - named after Sir Thomas Gresham, who was an English Merchant in the 1500s.  Also attributed to Copernicus and Aristophanes.Gresham brought to public attention that, in an economic system with fake coinage, the fake coinage will drive out the real coinage in circulation.  People will keep what is valuable and spend what is not.A few ways to interpret this:Things of value will tend to become more scare, while copycats and imitators will proliferate in a given market placeSystems of morality tend to fade away when practical benefits that appeal to human nature overshadow it Example: savings and loans crisis in the 1980sInterest rates from the Federal Reserve started rising higher than the rate at which S&L’s were paying out interest on deposited funds...recipe for disasterS&Ls, instead of immediately becoming insolvent, began to invest in speculative ventures, reachin

As the largest creator of medical devices in the world (by revenue), Medtronic supplies all sorts of devices used by hospitals and clinics around the world.  Their background has roots in developing cardiac solutions - they created the first externally powered pacemaker in the late 1950s.  Since then they have moved on to be become a leading provider of all sorts of medical devices, and have recently moved into the field of robotic surgery.alex@stockstoriespodcast.comInstagram: @stockstoryteller

Who makes the devices that doctors around the world use to perform procedures to help people get healthy?  Boston Scientific is one of the big producers of medical devices.  From helping people with Parkinson's Disease to predicting heart failure before it happens, they have a wide array of solutions for numerous conditions.  The company has decent growth prospects, but is the stock too high to make an investment worth it?---Instagram: @stockstorytelleralex@stockstoriespodcast.com

As the world's largest investment manager, they control over $7 trillion of capital.  Yes, that's $7,000,000,000,000!!  Because of their scope and size, they are able to offer a wide variety of financial products to institutions and individuals.  By making some key acquisitions in past years - namely Barclays iShare - they have been able to maintain a solid market share in a rapidly changing industry.alex@stockstoriespodcast.comInstagram: @stockstoryteller