In this episode of Multiple Perspectives, host David Lofgren sits down with investor and educator Brian Feroldi to unpack the psychology behind successful investing. From his early mistakes in day trading to building long-term conviction, Brian shares how mastering mindset matters more than market analysis. Listeners will learn why financial foundations create psychological safety, how to seize opportunities during downturns, and the role of continuous learning and AI tools in building resilient investment strategies.

Brian Feroldi is the founder of Long Term Mindset, a renowned investment strategist and financial educator with over 20 years of experience. Known for blending fundamental analysis with investor psychology, he helps individuals build conviction, resilience, and confidence in their investing. From early lessons as a novice trader to identifying opportunities in companies like Google, Netflix, and Chipotle, Brian has built a market-beating portfolio and now teaches others how to analyze businesses and invest successfully for the long term.

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Brian shares how his initial approach to investing focused on day trading and quick gains, leading to consistent losses that ultimately became valuable learning experiences. For high-earning professionals, understanding that even business education often fails to teach practical investing wisdom is crucial to avoiding common pitfalls. Rather than giving up after early failures, Brian recognized the stock market as a long-term wealth-building machine and committed to learning proper investment principles. He discovered that studying investing books and maintaining persistence through setbacks was essential for developing sound investment knowledge. This mindset shift from short-term trading to long-term investing became the foundation for his future success as an investor.

During the 2008-9 financial crisis, Brian identified Google as a strong investment opportunity when its stock had fallen 60% from its peak, demonstrating how market panic creates opportunities. High-earning professionals can learn that the most profitable investments often come when market sentiment is at its most negative. He explains how he similarly invested in Netflix during its 80% decline in 2013 and Chipotle during its 75% drop in 2015 due to the E. coli crisis. The key insight is that having deep knowledge of a company's fundamentals provides the conviction to invest when others are fearful.

Brian emphasizes that modern investors have unprecedented access to educational resources through podcasts, YouTube, blogs, and other digital platforms. For wealth managers and finance professionals, the challenge isn't finding information but rather identifying quality sources and avoiding misleading content. He recommends starting with the company's annual reports and using AI tools to help analyze and understand complex financial documents. The focus should be on building genuine conviction through thorough research rather than making superficial investment decisions. This approach helps develop the deep understanding necessary to maintain positions through market volatility.

Brian reveals that 70% of his net worth is in individual stocks, with the remainder in index funds for retirement accounts and cash reserves. For high-net-worth individuals, he stresses the importance of having a strong personal finance foundation, including zero debt and six months of emergency funds, before pursuing active investing. This conservative approach to personal finances provides the psychological safety needed to invest aggressively in stocks. The strategy involves holding about 30 companies long-term and allowing winners to become larger portfolio positions naturally through appreciation.

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