Stock Stories

Facing conflict is always difficult.  Facing conflicts on multiple sides is even harder.   When companies face multiple headwinds and their attention and capital is diverted, we know as investors to take a close look at the risks.  We can also apply this principle to looking at a company’s stock price through the lens of technical momentum (buyers and sellers are always fighting to change the current stock price).In today's episode we cover the mental model of the Two Front War.Let’s connect! Instagram: @stockstorytellerTwitter: @stckstrytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

Brought together by conglomerate JAB Holdings in 2018, gourmet coffee and beverage giant Keurig Dr Pepper was born in its current form.  Although there is a growing diversity of brands, Keurig coffee and Dr Pepper soda are still the primary drivers of revenue.In today's episode we cover the business model of the Keurig Dr. Pepper, as well as discuss its financials.  We then spend some time synthesizing the information we’ve learned so far and touch on valuation.  Let’s connect! Instagram: @stockstorytellerTwitter: @stckstrytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Nestled in a small Vermont town, entrepreneur Bob Stiller found delicious, gourmet coffee, and he was determined to share it with the world.  By joining forces with another up and coming coffee start up, Keurig became a nationwide brand name and coffee makers started showing up in office break rooms and home kitchens everywhere.In today's episode we cover the history of the gourmet coffee business that ultimately became one half of Keurig Dr. Pepper.  Let’s connect! Instagram: @stockstorytellerTwitter: @stckstrytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Dr. Pepper began as a pharmacist’s concoction in the small town of Waco, TX.  Over time its popularity grew and spread around the United States.  Other brands like 7-Up and Schweppes also grew in influence.  These brands, and many others were combined and broken up again various times and corporate influencers fought for control over the soda market.In today's episode we cover the history of the carbonated beverage business that ultimately became one half of Keurig Dr. Pepper.  Check out these related episodes:Coca-Cola (KO) - Episode 39PepsiCo (PEP) - Episode 41Let’s connect! Instagram: @stockstorytellerTwitter: @stckstrytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Salesforce is the leader in CRM (customer relationship management) software.  By focusing on the cloud from the industry’s infancy, they’ve grown to become a major business that serves most of America’s large companies.  In today's episode we cover the history, business model, financials, and future outlook of Salesforce. SAP (SAP) - episode 145Microsoft (MSFT) Part I - episode 90Microsoft (MSFT) Part II - episode 92Let’s connect! Instagram: @stockstorytellerTwitter: @stckstrytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

Although Costco didn’t invest the wholesale concept, one might think that they have perfected it.  One of only a few companies able to compete with Walmart’s Sam’s Club, Costco focuses on providing quality products to people at very low prices, and they do it by selling in bulk with a “no frills” approach.In today's episode we cover the history, business model, financials, and future outlook of Costco. Let’s connect! Instagram: @stockstorytellerTwitter: @stckstrytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

This year, I learned a lot happened.  Not just in the investment world, but in the world at large.  In today's episode, we take a moment to reflect on major events of 2020, a bit about how I'm thinking about things going forward, and a quick update about the show.  Also, there's a few listener shout outs!  Thank you for your reviews this year!Let’s connect! Instagram: @stockstorytellerTwitter: @stckstrytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

O’Reilly Automotive has been a consistent grower in the auto parts space since it began in Springfield, Missouri decades ago.  Of the big three in this space (the other two being AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts), O’Reilly has the most evenly split business between commercial and DIY customers.  They don’t pay dividends but consistently return a TON of money back to shareholders through share buybacks.In today's episode we cover the history, business model, financials, and future outlook of O’Reilly Automotive (ORLY). Let’s connect!  Instagram: @stockstoryteller Twitter: @stckstrytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

Cause and effect is a generally understood principle - one thing happens and that causes another thing to happen.  But, what about when the effect comes back to influence the cause?  This is known as a feedback loop.In today's episode we explore the general concept of a feedback loop, and then apply it to how we look at markets as individual investors.Let’s connect! Instagram: @stockstorytellerTwitter: @stckstrytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

Advance Auto Parts is a specialty auto parts retailer in the United States.  They sell most of their product to commercial customers, but have a retail portion of their business as well.  They've gone through multiple transformations over the years, and have grown mostly as a result of acquiring other smaller auto parts companies.In today's episode we cover the history, business model, financials, and future outlook of Advance Auto Parts (AAP). Let’s connect!  Instagram: @stockstoryteller Twitter: @stckstrytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

Tesla has taken the auto world by storm by designing and producing a suite of high tech electric vehicles, as well as a system of software and energy products to complement them.  Over time, Elon Musk and his team have transformed the company from a small startup with a single car to a fast growing and polarizing company that has attracted a lot of attention in recent years.In today's episode we cover the business model, financials, and discuss Tesla’s future outlook.  For a review of Tesla’s history, check out episode 150.Want to say hi?  Send me a DM on Instagram @stockstoryteller or an email at alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

Tesla has taken the auto world by storm by designing and producing a suite of high tech electric vehicles, as well as a system of software and energy products to complement them.  Over time, Elon Musk and his team have transformed the company from a small startup with a single car to a fast growing and polarizing company that has attracted a lot of attention in recent years.In today's episode we cover the history of Tesla’s business.  Come back next week for the full analysis...Want to say hi?  Send me a DM on Instagram @stockstoryteller or an email at alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

AutoZone is an auto parts retailer that created a niche for itself throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s.  Through catering to DIY’ers, they’ve established themselves as a go to source for auto parts and advice.  Though relatively mature in the U.S. market, there has been gradual expansion into Mexico and Brazil.  While this company pays no dividends, one of the more interesting facts about it is the significant amount of money it returns to shareholders through share buybacks.In today's episode we cover the history, business model, financials, and future outlook of AutoZone. Want to say hi?  Send me a DM on Instagram @stockstoryteller or an email at alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

General Motors became a powerhouse in the early 1900s and gave Henry Ford a run for his money.  Boasting several brands, each tailored to certain socio-economic and demographics groups, GM achieved significant market share in the past.  Now, the company has just four core brands and is trying to break into the electric vehicle and autonomous market.In today's episode we cover the history, business model, financials, and future outlook of General Motors.  Want to say hi?  Send me a DM on Instagram @stockstoryteller or an email at alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

These are some thoughts about what I wish I had known when I started investing.  I could have paid more attention to these lessons and saved a lot of money.  Because I made some of these mistakes, I am STILL paying for it in my portfolio.  I don’t want you to go through what I went through.I'd like to give a special shout out to some of my fellow investors out there who contributed their thoughts to this episode:Harvir - @millenial_mogul_investingMabel - @girlsonthemoney (check out our interview in Episode 96)Teri - @imaninvestor (check out our interview in Episode 91)Hari and Beko - @valueinvestortvThe 8 mistakes, and their accompanying mental models are:Lack of Basic Financial Literacy (and lack of Mental Models as a general concept)Buying A Stock Because You Like the Product or Service (Endowment Effect)Placing Emphasis on Price, Not Value (Mere Exposure Effect)Placing Emphasis On Recent Stock Performance (Recency Bias, Scarcity)Failing to Recognize Cyclical Businesses and Business Cycles (Dunning-Kru

Multiplying anything by zero equals zero.  It's a numerical truth that we learn when we're young and in school.  Sadly, I think this concept gets applied to little more than math and people's homework when they're in formal education programs.  How can we apply this concept beyond the numerical and theoretical?Today's episode explores what happens when we take the concept of multiplying by zero and apply it to life and investing.  We'll talk about:The basic definition of Multiplying By ZeroAn further explanation of the conceptPutting the mental model in the context of the investorCome say hi with a direct message on Instagram: @stockstoryteller, or send me a note at alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

SAP - short for Systems, Applications, and Products, is a software company based in Germany.  For decades, they have created software systems for businesses, and are most known for their Enterprise Resource Planning software, or ERP.  By linking the needs and requirements of different sides of a business, SAP's software becomes a single solution that a lot of businesses rely on to run their daily operations.  Today's episode explores the history, business model, financials, and valuation of this German multi-national.Want to say hello?  DM me on Instagram: @stockstoryteller.  Or, send an email to alex@stockstoriespodcast.com.

Ventas is a REIT that operates at the intersection of real estate and healthcare.  With over 1200 properties spread throughout the United States, they are one of the biggest nursing home and medical office landlords out there.  We'll discuss Ventas' history, business model, and financials, as well as some closing thoughts.Want to say hello?  Send a DM on Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Digital Realty buys and operates buildings that house data centers.  Data centers are physical locations where computer systems are stored.  Companies pay DLR to store, protect, and route their data.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com

Today we're talking about another REIT (REITs have definitely been on my mind lately!)  Federal Realty is one of the oldest REITs in America and has one of the best dividend track records.  In today's episode we explore the history, business model and financials of a company that has been focused on commercial retail - a challenging industry, to be sure.  We look at what Federal Realty is doing to position itself for future growth, as well as how it is dealing with current challenges related to COVID-19.Instagram: @stockstorytellerEmail: alex@stockstoriespodcast.com