Things I Didn't Learn In School: Recent Episodes
Paul Podolsky
Conversations with guests including FBI Director Jim Comey, hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio, Congressman Jim Himes, and many others including a Chinese lawyer who survived the Cultural Revolution, a Cuban jazz genius, and a Russian doctor who was on the Covid front lines all sharing the life lessons they didn’t learn in school.Hosted by investor and author Paul Podolsky, author of Raising a Thief and the Things I Didn't Learn in School substack essays. More on paulpodolsky.com.
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Oops…looks like I didn’t send out the link to the actual podcast. Sorry about that.
Here you go!
We know the internet is simultaneously a recent invention, integrated into every niche of our lives, and difficult to understand fully. I like to anchor theoretical questions—how does the internet actually work?—in specific case studies. Today’s podcast guest, Lev Borodovsky, creator of The Daily Shot, is one of them.
Lev has created a daily email with a pile of macroeconomic charts that thousands of people—myself included—subscribe to. Think of it like a bakery (fresh bread each morning) only the hot rolls are snapshots of macroeconomic conditions. Below is one of today’s charts. (Note the jump in hospital costs, exactly what Mario Schlosser, founder of Oscar, discussed on the previous podcast.)
Lev’s success is a revealing data point. There is an important difference between disruptive inventions and cash flow. Airplanes are a wonderful invention but the cash flow from investing in them isn’t very good. Who makes money on the internet?
We know part of the answer is behemoths like Amazon that use scale to displace Walmart and Costco. Another part of the answer is that consumers enjoy lower prices, what economists call a “consumer surplus.” But there are also individual operators with a niche product and a well-defined audience that otherwise would not exist. That’s Lev.
He created The Daily Shot by accident and his missive hits inboxes at 6 am sharp each day. It is not as widely read as, say, The New York Times, but that doesn’t matter. As long as Lev keeps his expenses contained and quality high, he has figured out how to make a profitable “bakery.” As you will hear, like any exceptional baker, he is obsessed with quality.
I have had others on the show, like Remy Munasifi and J Mintzmyer, who both also found their niches. The recipe is similar—high-quality product, niche audience. I suspect 30 years ago, Lev would have been lodged inside a lumbering media organization or perhaps The Daily Shot wouldn’t even exist. As we gain clarity about how today’s internet works, I try to imagine the future—driverless cars, swarms of drone defenders, robot caretakers. Those are all themes I am researching and looking to position in my portfolio.
Note to readers: I am offering a sale this week. I started these posts as an experiment three years ago. They have now grown into a conversation with thousands of unpaid subscribers and hundreds of paid ones. I am grateful for each subscription. A service that started at $75 now costs $700 a year. If I could offer a sliding scale based on need, I would. But I can’t. So this week, I am lowering the price to $500 a year, or $1.36 a day. Also, I’m at an investment conference this week and won’t be publishing on Friday.
Mario is a fascinating person, a tech guy disrupting the US insurance industry via a company he founded, Oscar Health. For those of us in the US, dealing with health insurance is right up there with visiting the Department of Motor Vehicles or having your toilet overflow in terms of quality experiences. The US system is expensive and of poor quality, a Kia priced like a Mercedes.
“Health care costs have been inflating at twice the CPI for 40 years,” he said.“If your job description is to manage health care costs,” which is what an insurer is supposed to do, “there is no value there.”
As a result, entrepreneurs from Google to Amazon have tried to offer a better option leading them into a thicket of regulations and local providers. Google has taken numerous bites at the apple, all failures. Mario is German, so he understands well why that system is so much more efficient while the Canadian and UK plans are not.
Beyond being an expert on health care, he has experienced the entrepreneurial roller-coaster first hand. What’s it like to IPO and see your stock fall by 90+%? A risk taker needs to be tough to withstand the punches. After all the tussle, he retains a sense of humor and curiosity that I found inspiring.
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Summary:
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Keep an eye on Serbia.
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No US easing.
More below:
Over the weekend, the hard-right made gains in European Parliamentary voting. Last week, Senator Tuberville (R. Alabama) said Putin “doesn’t want Ukraine.” That extreme rightwing leaders are gaining even while we can see what the hard right looks like—Putin invading Ukraine—tells you something odd is afoot.
If I had to reduce the rise of the hard right to one cause, I’d point to wildly disruptive technology. Yes, immigration plays a role in some places, but that clearly doesn’t apply to Russia and China where people are trying to get out. More likely is the more we delight in new tech—computers that “think” for us—the more something deeply emotional rebels and seeks to preserve “tradition.” For some those traditions are found in religion for others in fixed gender roles.
The contradiction between a delight in novelty and an affinity for the old is in each of us. It’s just a matter of degree. While I embrace modernity, I’ve also taken to shutting down my phone on Saturdays. The difference is that I do this voluntarily and anti-modernist strictures impose such orders. If forced to turn off my phone, I’d probably turn it on.
How does this tie to a podcast on Serbia?
Serbia is a tiny country—6 million people—on the fault line of this modernism fissure, an ally of Russia but supposedly aspiring to be part of the EU. A belligerent in the 1990s Balkan wars and the home of the person who assassinated Arch-Duke Ferdinand (see my Letter from Sarajevo) to start World War I, Serbia is in a sometimes bloody dispute with Kosovo, which has declared independence from Serbia but which Belgrade does not recognize. It isn’t hard to imagine this conflict spiraling, Russia backing Serbia and NATO and the EU backing Kosovo and, bam, Ukraine squared.
The EU represents money and modernity, Russia past (Soviet) norms. I was researching the sequel to Master, Minion and came upon Mark Montgomery and Ivana Stradner, two people who know a lot about Serbia and US foreign policy and were kind enough to share their insights. Ivana grew up in Serbia and teaches at Johns Hopkins’ SAIS and Mark spent over 30 years in the US Navy, retiring as a Rear Admiral. Both are now with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
Investment Outlook
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Man has always asked the question: what is it all about?
J. Krishnamurti, 1969
Stories are intrinsic to being human, a survival mechanism. Some forms of story—poetry—can be created virtually for free and others—movie making—cost millions of dollars. But just because we need something, doesn’t mean it’s easy money.
What’s a good business? Monopolies (toll bridges), massive economies of scale (big tech), products people are addicted to (cigarettes), and services you are legally obligated to buy (insurance) all offer good cash flow even if some of them, like cigarettes, are terrible for you. Making movies is far cooler than any of these businesses but faces a structural challenge. Supply is unlimited and demand (our time) is fixed.
That’s why I wanted to talk to Mike D’Alto, the founder of First Gen Content, a film finance and production company that has made the films Bird, Catch the Fair One, Call Jane, and On Swift Horses. Mike co-founded the company with three others: Claude Amadeo, Randal Sandler, and Chris Triana. Mike and I both share a passion for stories and business. Many storytellers don’t understand finance; many business people don’t understand stories. Mike is the rare person with an understanding of each.
The basic issue is stories and businesses operate on different time frames. You can only measure good art over long time frames, like centuries. Does it have staying power? Yet, we measure business acumen in quarters or years. Any storyteller who is not independently wealthy must navigate these opposing realities.
Also, before turning to the investment update, I want to share that one of the previous podcast guests, George Manahan, testified before Congress, the link to his testimony is here, before the passage of the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act. I’m hopeful this podcast gave him a platform to share his message.
Investment Update
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“In spite of all the farmer’s work and worry, he can’t reach down to where the seed is slowly transmuted into summer. The earth bestows.”
Rainer Maria Rilke, 1875-1926
The difference between the Soviet Union and the United States is the former repelled people and the latter attracted (and continues to attract) them. That’s true despite the US’s many flaws. The attraction is related to an idea that is abstract until you lose it—freedom. That’s what led Rob Koyfman’s parents to leave Ukraine many years ago and come to New Jersey.
An element of liberty is the ability to create a business from scratch. Yes, many of these businesses fail and being an entrepreneur is hard. Yet, the pride in ownership is fundamental, like cooking your own food versus eating in a cafeteria. Still Press Media is a creation out of thin air, ditto Kate Capital. Rob has been an entrepreneur longer than me and created something amazing, Koyfin.
For those not in finance, some context is helpful. In regular life, only two companies create the phones most of us use, Apple and Samsung. In finance, one company, Bloomberg, has a lock on the software many professionals use. A single subscription costs about $35,000 without all the bells and whistles. While many have tried to disrupt this business, little has worked. Mike Bloomberg is worth over $100 billion.
Rob’s product, Koyfin, is making inroads into that cash flow kingdom. I was interested in his path and philosophy so I cold emailed him and he was kind enough to share his story.
A few highlights:
On the balance between ego and humility:
“You don’t have to be an egomaniac, you don’t have to be an a*e to also be ambitious and confident.”
On choosing what features to add and what to leave out of Koyfin:
“We are so constrained on resources we need to be very focussed in what we deliver.”
A surprising insight:
“Having someone who can communicate well is a superpower.”
I am leaving tomorrow morning for a multi-day wedding. I’ll try to find time to update you with my thoughts on markets, but the post won’t come out Friday. To my US readers, Happy Memorial Day.
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We hear about sanctions all the time. Biden just put more on China.
Do they matter? If so, in what way?J provides a framework to help us all understand.
This is J’s second appearance. In our conversation last year, here, you can hear J’s background and how he created his shipping advisory service, Value Investor’s Edge.
He is the perfect guy to discuss s…
David is former CIA and the author of Damascus Station and Moscow X.
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Barton is trained as an accountant and equity investor. We all know how much tech is driving the stock market. He sheds light on how to make sense of what is going on.
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Jim returns to the show to share his perspective on Ukraine, the border and the November election.
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Jason is an accountant, fluent Chinese speaker and Wall Street veteran. I always learn from my talks with Jason and I think you will too.
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Ivan is a renowned college sports journalist and the father of three, one of whom took his own life. It's a terrifying story and one we all need to hear.
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Scott Nelson is the Georgia Athletic Association Professor of History at the University of Georgia and an expert in the history of commodities. In this podcast he shares the history of grain and the impact on Ukraine, global commerce and Russia.
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Page is the Director of the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and
Harold Brown Professor of US National and Security Policy at Columbia University. She is an expert in how wars begin and end.
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Remy is a comedian and YouTube star. His father emigrated from Iraq and his mother from Lebanon and some of his humor is Arab-centric.
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Yasheng is the author of The Rise and Fall of the East, How Exams, Autocracy, Stability and Technology brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline. He is a professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management.
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Yashca is a professor at Johns Hopkins and founder of the digital magazine Persuasion.
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Bill is the author of several books. His most recent is a joint-effort with renowned doctor Peter Attia on how to increase your odds of not getting heart disease, dementia, diabetes or cancer or, in short, how to live well.
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Spencer founded Probable Futures to help us all become climate change literate. Before that he was Director of Investment Research at Wellington Management. He holds a PhD from Harvard.
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Leonid is a drone operator on Ukraine's front lines. This conversation is a bit "salty" so if that's jarring, don't listen.
The Canadian Money Roadmap
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Faye is the co-founder of Dipsea, which produces "short and sexy" audio stories designed by and targeted to women. She talks about finding her path, erotica and what makes a good story.
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Francisco was born in Venezuela and later watched that country's Democracy implode. He is now a journalist, a contributing editor to Persuasion and an expert on both Latin America and populism.
Chris Murphy is a Democratic US Senator representing Connecticut.
The Physician Syndicate: Angel Investing | Venture Capital | Startups | Personal Finance
The Physician Syndicate Podcast: A podcast for physicians to jump into the startup world.
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Dachi is a civil rights activist in Georgian (Tbilisi not the US state) and a key member of the organization Shame. I met him on my trip there and recorded our conversation in Shame's Tbilisi office.
J is an expert in global shipping stocks, which means he understands exactly what went wrong with the supply chain during the pandemic. He is also a person who, in addition to serving in the military, has developed a successful business in financial advice, independent of any financial institution, a fascinating case study.
Talking Trading - Expert trading tactics so you can excel in the sharemarket.
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Andrew is a senior member of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Russia expert and author of Accidental Czar, the Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin. He served at the National Security Council, State Department and Pentagon.
Talking Trading - Expert trading tactics so you can excel in the sharemarket.
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John is a journalist, author and teacher who has carefully documented the US role in abetting Pinochet's rule over Chile in the 1970s.
Talking Trading - Expert trading tactics so you can excel in the sharemarket.
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Henry is a former Financial Times reporter and author of Volt Rush, which delves into what metals are required to make the electric car industry work.
Talking Trading - Expert trading tactics so you can excel in the sharemarket.
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Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (retired) has fought and lead troops in multiple wars, trained some of those leading Ukraine's defense, traveled to over 100 countries, and provides commentary to CNN. He is also a husband, father and grandfather. He has given a lot of thought to what it means to be a good leader.
George is an expert in public relations, West Virginia and facing a tough disease, Parkinson's. In this conversation, he shares his perspectives on all three and what "be here now" means in practice. This episode was produced by Dave Manahan.
Vitaliy is a money manager and the author of three books including Soul in the Game. He was born in the Soviet Union and emigrated to the US. He suggests we look at both what makes a good investment and also how to properly account for the cost of pursuing wealth. This episode was produced by Dave Manahan.
Peter founded Transparency International in 1993 and it has since grown to have over 100 chapters around the world. Leaders such as former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan have lauded TI's work. Peter, a lawyer and former World Bank official, founded the organization as a way to track and quantify a global force that most people loathe. He has created the type of legacy we all can aspire to. This episode was produced by Dave Manahan.
Eleena began dancing as a child and rose to become a member of the Corps de Ballet at the American Ballet Theater. She takes us inside that remarkable life. What does it require to pull off those jumps and create that grace and magic? Her story is about grit, art and also knowing when to stop. This episode was produced by David Manahan.
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Dmitry has written 85 books including novels, poetry and biography, and published too many articles to count. In 2019, Bykov survived an apparent assassination attempt using a nerve agent and the Russian state now lists him as a "foreign agent," which means he says things they don't like to hear. In our conversation he discusses Putin, Zelensky, writing and his upbringing. This episode was produced by Dave Manahan.
Leopold and Victor are father and son. Leopold emigrated from Grenada, drove a bus in New York City for almost 30 years to support three children, one of whom is Victor, who is now finishing medical school. The two talk about their relationship, racism and changing stations.
David is a former CIA agent and author of the thriller Damascus Station. We discuss the CIA, growing up, his wonderful book. Syria and the creative process.
Heidi is a poet and author of An Insomniac’s Slumber Party. She discovered her talent early in life, embarked on a multi-decade business career, and then re-emerged into a writing life years later.
Marina is my wife. She grew up in the Soviet Union and has family both in Russia in Ukraine. Kidnapped twice, she is an expert on trauma and a licensed marriage and family therapist. A special mother's day episode. This episode was produced by Dave Manahan.
David Linden is a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins, author of Unique, The Compass of Pleasure and The Accidental Mind. He is also facing a terminal cancer diagnosis. This episode was produced by Dave Manahan.
Jay Newman is a lawyer, investor, expert in emerging market debt and the author of Undermoney, a novel that takes a reader inside a fictionalized world drawn from the rarified one he himself occupied for many years.
Amy Butcher is the author of Mothertrucker and Visiting Hours: A Memoir of Friendship and Murder and a writing teacher at Ohio Wesleyan University. This episode was produced by Dave Manahan.
Yuhua is a husband, father, associate professor of government at Harvard and an expert in Chinese politics. He grew up in Beijing, came to the US for graduate school and is now a scholar and prolific author. He has studied deeply how the Chinese dynastic tradition works, both the rises and the declines. This episode was produced by Dave Manahan.
Jim Himes represents Connecticut's 4th District and has been serving since 2009. He is a father, husband, Rhodes scholar and Harvard and Goldman alum. He shares his thoughts on the war in Ukraine, what the day-to-day is like in government, Trumpism and the biggest thing he didn't learn in school.
Harold is a Cuban musician and composer who plays extraordinary songs that are both rooted in Jazz but also stretch well beyond that. Hear him talk about his upbringing, switching from classical to jazz and why an audience is so important. This episode was produced by Dave Manahan.
John Yorke is the author of Into the Woods, a former BBC producer and a master in story structure. We all tell stories, be it socially, in our business or as writers and artists. Learn what the timeless laws are behind any great story. This episode was produced by Dave Manahan.
Matt is the founder and CEO of Barbell Logic, a remote weight-training program. He started as an enthusiastic amateur, evolved to strongman competitions and then opened Barbell Logic, which allows him to share strongman techniques with regular people. His erstwhile hobby became his profession. He thinks of barbells as medicine and has seen strength training transform lives. This episode was produced by Dave Manahan.
Nick Reber is the founder and CEO of Garner Health. Garner uses big data to track doctor outcomes, arming patients with the same type of stats about a doctor that previously were only public for roles like professional athlete. He also provides insight into how medical costs are formed, critical for making sense of long-term inflation trends. Produced by Dave Manahan.
Tamara is the founder of Chama Mama, a chain of Georgian restaurants in New York City. She grew up in Georgia, lived through the Civil War and opened up her first Chama Mama in New York City. This episode was edited and produced by Dave Manahan.
Jim Comey is a husband, father and grandfather, the former director of the FBI and the author of the New York Times Bestseller A Higher Loyalty. This episode was edited and produced by Dave Manahan.
Dan is CEO and CIO of Arena Investors, which manages over $2 billion. He made a fortune, lost it and is now re-making it. He shares his investment philosophy, his tangle with regulators and how turning to Stoic philosophers helped him gain perspective when his fortunes unexpectedly shifted. This episode was edited and produced by Dave Manahan.
Ray is the founder of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in the world, and author of the New York Times Bestseller Principles. He discusses growing up, founding Bridgewater and confronting loss. This episode was edited and produced by Dave Manahan.
Heart-surgeon Dr. Alexander Vanyukov was in the epicenter of Russia's Covid response. Overwhelmed, he asked for help. Find out what happened next. This episode was edited and produced by David Manahan and translated by Anna Brosgol.
What is the role of religion in the modern world? What is the day-to-day life of a Rabbi and how does one become one? What are the differences between different religions and differences within religion? Hear a thoughtful conversation. Edited and produced by Dave Manahan.
Adam is the author of the memoir The Survivors and was also a speechwriter for President Obama, helping craft lines that entered our collective consciousness. Listen to him talk about his path, working for Obama and what makes a great speech. This episode was produced and edited by Dave Manahan. Thanks Dave!
Sue grew up on top of a Chinese take-out resteraunt in the UK, escaping to pursue a career as an illustrator and later wrote and illustrated a story to describe that experience. This podcast was edited and produced by Dave Manahan.
Paul Fetters has been taking pictures for decades, many of them showing up in the media you have likely seen, including the New York Times Sunday Magazine, The Washington Post, US News and World report, etc. For more of his work go to paulfetters.com.
Vanessa is Chief Academic Officer and Provost of Westchester Community College. She describes the role community colleges play in our education system and how Biden's fiscal package could be put to work in this sector. This episode was produced and edited by Dave Manahan.
Lois is the author of Reversed, a memoir about raising a child who struggled terribly in school, was deemed to be impaired by his teachers but ultimately went on to gain a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Oxford University. How did Lois unpack his challenges? Take a listen.
Pat played 10 years in the NBA, most of that time for the Orlando Magic, helped manage the Detroit Pistons and also has worked in money management and media.
Peter makes massive public installations both in the US and abroad. To see the artwork we discuss go to petebeeman.com.
Roger Johnson grew up in Bridgeport, served time for armed robbery and later became a father, minister and entrepreneur who helps get ex-cons and others from the inner city onto their feet. He talks about his evolution, Bridgeport, CT, the power of faith and his take on Black Lives Matter. We struggled a bit with some audio issues on this call. Don't let the sound throw you off, this talk is worth every minute!
Pierre-Yves reflects on fighting a war, forecasting a peasant uprising, running a bank in China and the future of the European Union.
Eileen is Chair of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and on the board of HSBC, Guardian Life and Compass. She grew up in a housing project and climbed the ranks to hold senior positions in Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and served as co-CEO of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in the world. She discusses her childhood, how her career unfolded and what advice she has to others following in her tracks.
Andrew Weiss is the James Family Chair and vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace overseeing research on Russia and Eurasia. He previously served on the National Security staff and at the State Department. In this episode, he describes what makes the Kremlin tick, how hard it is for a Russia outsider to apprehend the truth and where Putin has made strategic blunders.
The second part of my conversation with Gao Xiqing describes his training as a lawyer, what China's history of law is, how that contrasts with the US and where China is going, among other topics.
Gao Xiqing is a lawyer, investor, father and husband. He helped found China's stock market and was modern China's first person to pass the New York State bar. Our conversation was so extraordinary I divided it into two parts. In this first part, hear him describe what it was like to grow up in China shortly after the 1949 revolution and live through the Cultural Revolution and then, miraculously, make it to law school. If you don't know much about China this will open your mind.
Dr. Enikeev is a Russian psychiatrist who grew up in a country that no longer exists and now runs a US practice with over 40 psychiatrists. He describes what it was like to grow up in the Soviet Union, how rock 'n' roll weakened the system, "double thinking" and the peculiar anxiety of freedom.
Paul, the Head Coach of Brown University Men's Crew team, talks about how sports force us to be "in the moment," teamwork, what it takes to be a great athlete and what role sports played in his life as he processed, as a kid, his father's suicide. Paul has coached Olympians and won the Ivy League in 2008, 2009 and 2012 as well as placing in many other highly competitive events.
Jen is a second-generation special education lawyer, following in her father's footsteps. Based in Connecticut, she has years of experience helping navigate parents through the thicket of special education laws and how to advocate for your child.
TJ has decades of experience working with kids in residential treatment, an intense form of mental health intervention for families and kids.
Greg is a friend, a parent, an educator and a Minority Achievement Coordinator and a Facilitator of Courageous Conversations about Race and Equity in Classrooms. In this episode, he reflects on the racial divide in 1980s Washington, D.C., managing his own mental health and that of his students and the importance of parents advocating for their own children.
Alex and Damien are two friends who co-founded Advanced Research Investment Solutions and in this episode share some of their practical but profound advice about how to save and the parallels between good investment practices and life practices.
A conversation with psychiatrist Neal Aggarwal about what he has learned since getting out of school, the prognosis for RAD kids, his research across different cultures, violence and terrorists.
I speak with my dear friend, psychologist Jim Levine. Jim has a Ph.D. from Simmons University, founded and has directs a multidisciplinary 30-clinician group in Western Massachusetts that provides outpatient therapy, psychological testing and mental health, behavioral and trauma-focused consultation to more than 40 school districts and is an award-winning author of Learning from Behavior. His next book, to be published in 2021, is called Children Gripped by Trauma.