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There may perhaps be no other group of investors that’s more DESPERATE today than pension funds.

Pensions, of course, are the giant funds responsible for paying out retirement benefits to workers.

The idea is that both the employer and the employee typically contribute a set percentage of the employee’s salary throughout his or her career with the promise that, upon retirement, he or she will receive a fixed monthly payment.

Many state[...] Click here to continue reading

About a month ago I joined the Board of Directors of a publicly-traded company that invests in US real estate.

The position brings a lot of insight into what’s happening in the US housing market. And from what I’m seeing, the transformation that’s taking place today is extraordinary.

Buying and renting out single-family homes has long been the mainstay investment of small, individual investors.

The big banks and hedge funds pretty much[...] Click here to continue reading

A few weeks ago the Board of Trustees of Social Security sent a formal letter to the United States Senate and House of Representatives to issue a dire warning: Social Security is running out of money.

Given that tens of millions of Americans depend on this public pension program as their sole source of retirement income, you’d think this would have been front page news...

… and that every newspaper in the country[...] Click here to continue reading

What’s money worth if interest rates are negative?

Interest rates, after all, are the “price” of money.

When we borrow money from a bank and pay interest on the loan, it means that the money we’re borrowing has value. That –capital- has value.

Negative interest rates, on the other hand, suggest that capital is totally worthless.

This isn’t a philosophical exercise. These are the times we’re living in.[...] Click here to continue reading

After roughly two months away in Europe and Asia, it’s great to be back here at my favorite place on earth.

I’m not talking about Chile-- although I do enjoy the country. I'm talking specifically about this farm. It’s the perfect place for me.

The views are sensational. I’m surrounded by nature. And there’s an imposing backdrop of snow-capped Andean peaks to frame the vista.

And the stars at night are[...] Click here to continue reading

In 353 BC, as violent class warfare broke out across ancient Greece, one wealthy Athenian lamented in his journal,
When I was a boy, wealth was regarded as a thing so...admirable that almost everyone affected to own more property than he actually possessed. Now a man has to be ready to defend himself against being rich as if it were the worst of crimes.
Ancient Greece had become deeply divided at that point.

The[...] Click here to continue reading

Yesterday a good friend of mine came over for lunch to talk about his new business.

He has a very simple and compelling concept that easily helps restaurants make more money and creates a win/win for everyone-- restaurant owners, diners, and the business itself.

This is exactly the type of model that I like to invest in.

Best of all, though, the business he’s creating isn’t new. There’s a company based[...] Click here to continue reading

Today is one of those days when I feel blessed to have such wonderful and interesting people in my life.

A few months ago I introduced you to Ben Yu, a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur who’s easily one of the most unique people I know.

I first met Ben when he came to our summer entrepreneurship camp a few years ago.

I knew instantly that he was bright… and different.

[...] Click here to continue reading

If you invested $1 in this stock back in 1968 it would be worth around $7,000 today – returning over 20% a year for nearly 50 years.

No, this isn’t another story about buying Warren Buffett’s holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, back in the day and getting rich.

This is about buying cigarettes… In particular, cigarette giant Altria (MO).

The tobacco industry has long been one of the steadiest and[...] Click here to continue reading

One of the greatest investors in the world is getting worried…

Howard Marks is the billionaire founder of Oaktree Capital, one of the largest and most successful investment firms in the world.

A few times each year Marks write up his thoughts about financial markets-- he calls them ‘investment memos’.

And he just released his latest one with a very clear message: it’s time to be cautious.

From[...] Click here to continue reading