Our Approach
What is This?
Put simply, this blog is a medium which I will use to help me better understand reality. Whether that means understanding a company that I invest in or discussing psychology, my goal is to clear the fog that enshrouds my mind on a variety of topics. In doing so, I hope to provide value to you, the reader.
Ironically, in attempting to "clear the fog" you end up seeing more fog. One way to represent this is by using a Wikipedia article. Say the sum of your knowledge at time zero is this one Wikipedia article linked to 10 other articles (these 10 articles = the fog). At time one, you explore one of the ten links. This article is then linked to five other, different articles. Your knowledge expands to two articles and your fog expanded to 14 articles. Thus, practically (ignoring the fact that if you knew everything), the more you learn the more you are increasing the amount of fog you have on a subject matter.
Due to this, there are two aspects of my writing that are a bit different. The first is I pepper my writings with parenthetical questions / statements to myself and the reader. Secondly, I will insert "interludes", which allow me the opportunity to tease something out further, but may be off topic. Feel free to skip those.
What do These Headings Mean?
Latest: Fairly self-explanatory - it is my latest post. While I hope to write timeless content, I recognize people's craving for the "new" even when there is a repository of potentially "better" content.
Essays: The majority of my learning comes from books or long form articles that I read and, more importantly, closely examine. This section is an examination of the topics explored in the material that I have read or heard.
Mental Models: Occasionally, something I read or hear fundamentally changes the way I view the world. This section examines what influences my thinking.
Interlude: In my current job, I am an investor. At its core, investing is about understanding the reality of a company's current situation and prospective situation. Given the inherent complexity, it provides a platform for me to be able to test the mental models that I develop. I am sure there are other jobs which allow one to consistently apply and test mental models, but I have found investing to be the most intellectually rewarding (a post will be on this). As such, I enjoy writing and exploring how to think about investing (investment philosophy), industries and ultimately companies and investments.
Investment Philosophy: Investopedia sums this up nicely, "A set of guiding principles that inform and shape an individual's investment decision-making process."