Report card, reflections and more

after seven years of investing my own money

In the summer of 2017, I started investing my own money to build a track record. I parlayed that track record into a seat investing the balance sheet of a large Chicago trading firm in early 2019. 18 volatile months later, I shut it down. I was not able to scale into a big enough capital base and was exhausted, harried and defeated. In late 2020, I left the buyside, unintentionally. Since then, I’ve done corporate development type work for a VC backed business. My time away from the buyside has been good on a number of levels; I’ve made good money, spent a ton of time with my young family and learned that I have skills valuable to a growing business. But I miss the investing industry, where my talents and experience are worth the most and about which my mind is most active. I’m trying to find my way back, in the right role. In the meantime, I continue to take investing seriously, my goal in 2017 and a promise I remade to myself in 2020. I deeply appreciate all the ways there are to make money in this world, but for me, stock picking is how I butter my bread.

1. My results since 2017

2. My goals and philosophy

3. What’s worked well and what has not

4. My current portfolio and watchlist

5. Why my strategy isn’t institutional quality but my results are

6. What’s next and closing thoughts