Pretty much every day for the past 15 years I've been asked the same question: What should I invest in? The way I get asked is always changing, of course. It's been, "How many houses should I buy in Miami since real estate only goes up?" to, "Which marijuana penny stock should I buy?" to, "Which crypto do I buy" (not if. which one?). The "sexy assets" of each era are all different, but the idea is the same. Because of my interest in markets, this question is constantly fired my way.
The answer I give isn't always well received, but it comes from the bottom of my heart. If you want to invest, where better to do that than in yourself? Go buy a book and spend the time to read it. Go reach out to someone you look up to and buy them a drink, or coffee or lunch and learn from them. Go travel to a far away land and meet with the locals. All of these "investments" are probably going to go a lot further than the litecoin you just bought because your nephew told you it's a good idea and you saw someone talking about it on the tv.
I am really lucky that I learned this very early on and it has helped me exponentially more than I could have ever imagined. I had always hoped that it was the right thing to be doing, especially when I was younger, but I didn't actually know. Other than their 401ks and some mutual funds, my parents are not "market junkies" like me and a lot of my friends. I always went to them for advice on pretty much every other topic, and still do. But when it comes to markets, trading, investor psychology and portfolio management, it's my trips to Asia, the books I've read, the mentors I've had I have and the trust in the process that has gotten me to where I am today, and hopefully where I'm still going in the future.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. Sure, I love great food, drinks, family and football. But the reason that Thursday means so much to me is because I truly believe I am one of the luckiest people in the entire world. I have everything to be thankful for and I think about this every single day. Thanksgiving is the day that we all celebrate that together. For me, it's truly Thanksgiving every day.
This week I was in New York City running around in meetings and doing a little tv spot from the Nasdaq. I got stuck in the stupid subway on my way downtown so I got off in Soho and jumped in a cab to the Financial District. Coincidentally, the cab driver decided to take Lafayette Street through Tribeca and we drove by my first apartment in New York City. "Apartment" is a strong word. It was actually an NYU dorm that I lived in with 5 other guys 15 years ago while I interned at Merrill Lynch. It really hit me hard how long I've come since that summer. I almost started to cry.
Today I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has helped me over the past decade and a half. There are more of you than I can even list in a single blog post and you know who you are. I don't know how I can ever pay you back for everything you've done for me.
The only thing I can think of is to share a collection of insights that I've learned throughout my career. I will continue to add to this list of material, but for now here is some of the stuff I've picked up from people much smarter and more experienced than me. If you read any of these, or all of these, or take a trip to Southeast Asia or read a book or even take someone to lunch, the point I want to make is to invest in yourself. I think that's probably the best investment you can ever make. Invest in your mind, your body and your awareness.
