Jeff Sarti – The Only Way to Learn? Lose Money First (Wisely)

BIO: Jeff Sarti, CEO of Morton Wealth, leads a firm managing over $3 billion in assets. With a mission to empower better investors, Jeff helps clients achieve their financial goals while supporting employees in their career growth.

STORY: Jeff bought a few dot-com companies, thinking it was smart and safe because he bought the big brands. All of the companies dropped 90%+.

LEARNING: Don’t let greed, FOMO, and a lack of imagination drive you to a bad investment.

 

“Don’t take shortcuts. If you do, at least know that you’re gambling and speculating. That’s different from investing.”

Jeff Sarti

 

Guest profile

Jeff Sarti, CEO of Morton Wealth, leads a firm managing over $3 billion in assets. With a mission to empower better investors, Jeff helps clients achieve their financial goals while supporting employees in their career growth. A CFA charterholder, Jeff shares his insights through his Perspective newsletter. His expertise emphasizes challenging the status quo and fostering long-term, resilient investment strategies.

Worst investment ever

In the late 90s, during the dot-com boom, Jeff had just started making a bit of money. He bought a few dot-com companies, thinking it was smart and safe because he bought the big brands. All of the companies dropped 90%+ after a while.

Lessons learned

• Don’t let greed, FOMO, and a lack of imagination drive you to a bad investment.
• Always do your research.

Andrew’s takeaways

• When prices get untethered from earnings growth, our expectation of the future is what matters.

Actionable advice

The only way you can learn is by doing and making mistakes. But before you start doing, do the research, understand the underlying risk factors of your investments, and don’t take shortcuts.

If you do, at least know you’re speculating and not investing. Keep that speculative piece of your portfolio small. It’s always a good idea to balance speculative investments with more traditional, long-term investment strategies for a more secure financial future.

Jeff’s recommendations

Jeff recommends checking out resources on his website, such as his investment guides and market analysis, and signing up for his quarterly newsletter if you want financial education.

He also recommends reading Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman and books by Morgan Housel to understand how emotions drive investment decisions.

No.1 goal for the next 12 months

Jeff’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to continue traveling the country with his investment team, uncovering some new niche opportunities.

Parting words

 

“I really enjoyed the conversation. It was a lot of fun.”

Jeff Sarti

 

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