London Value Conference Presentation (Q&A)

I had the pleasure of speaking at the London Value Conference, which was a terrific, first-rate event. I did not make a formal presentation; instead I did Q&A with my friend, the wonderful David Shapiro.  

On the morning of the conference (which happened to be midnight in Denver), I found I had a hard time waking up. I went for a long walk – it didn’t help. So I drank six cups of coffee, which did wake me up, eventually. But it also made me a bit jumpier than usual, so that I could not list all of the Six Commandments of Value Investing. But don’t you worry, we created an eight-part email series that walks you through them, or you can download our brochure and read them there.

You can watch Q&A session here.

I hope you enjoy it.

We are back from Laguna Beach. After every family vacation I ask myself what is the single most enduring memory I’m taking away from the trip. For me it was not Lego Land or whale watching, though both were a lot of fun. (Lego Land is, however, better for a four-year-old and doesn’t have much to offer for a 12- and a 17-year-old).

I discovered that my favorite thing in the world to do is to walk on the beach early in the morning – and so I bribed my kids with Starbucks’ sugary drinks so they would get up at 7 am and walk with me. The town was still asleep, just a few people out walking their dogs or running; the beach was mostly empty. Ocean waves have a very random rhythm, but one thing you know: There is always going to be a next wave. Ocean waves have an incredible therapeutic quality. They remind you that the ocean has been there for billions of years and will be there for billions more, but we are transient speckles of sand on this world. Make the best of your time here. 

My 12-year-old daughter Hannah and I have a new routine: We read together. In Laguna Beach we’d sit on the beach and read for hours and hours. We’d come to the beach in the evening when the sun was going down, bringing our chairs and towels (using them as blankets), and read until it got too cold or too dark. 

Each of us was in our own (book) world, but at the same time this physical proximity brought us closer. Back in Denver now, we still read together. On Saturday we sat on the backyard. During the week I took a few half-days off, and we went to Cherry Creek Park (a beautiful park with a lake), sat on the beach, and read. Hannah is somewhat addicted to reading. A month ago, after watching a Mark Cuban interview where he talked about paying his kids to read, I offered to pay her $10 for every 200–300-page book she reads. I doubt this offer made a difference, but she is reading nonstop and I owe her $70. Probably the best $70 I ever spent. 

I really enjoyed speaking with Pepperdine University students. I am going to try to do these Q&A-like talks with students at different universities around the country.

I am off to VALUEx Vail conference this week – 24 presentations in three days, wine, time with friends (and family – family members are invited to join us for daily activities), mountain biking, walks. I am all fired up.

Originally Published on Contrarianedge.com

Vitaliy Katsenelson is the CEO at Investment Management Associates, which is anything but your average investment firm. (Seriously, take a look.)

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