Top Podcasts of the Week

Below is our “Top Podcast” list with our curator, Colby Donovan!

Today we have Michael Munger & Russ Roberts with their take on free markets, legendary investor Jeremy Grantham on the market and economy, and a DTC company with at-home fertility tests.

Investing

  • EconTalk: Michael Munger on Free Markets. Author and economist Michael Munger of Duke University talks about the virtues — and the flaws — of free markets. He walks through how he defines a free market, why he believes it’s the best system we have, the trade-off that exists between those who are pro-free market and pro-government, and the rare instances when intervention is still needed. [August 9, 2021–70 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker | Website Link

“Comparative advantage is an idea whose time has passed.”

  • The MoneyWeek Podcast: Jeremy Grantham, we’re in one of the greatest bubbles in financial history. Legendary investor Jeremy Grantham talks about the current state of the markets, the peak of U.S. profit margins, and our inability to combat COVID in a sensible way. He also touches on inequality, inflation, and prior market peaks in 1929, 1987 and 2000. He wraps with his thoughts on the agricultural sector and changes it may see as a result of climate change. [August 5, 2021–48 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker | Website Link

  • GoodFellows: Advance, Retreat, Resign. This podcast is similar to the All-In podcast and features Hoover Institution senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane. They walk through the government’s poor rollout of the vaccine, the disaster in Afghanistan, and the rise and fall of Andrew Cuomo. It’s a really good conversation between the three of them. [August 11, 2021–65 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Website Link

  • The Acquirers Podcast: Metal Royalty: Vox Royalty’s CIO Spencer Cole on precious metals royalty and streaming. Cole is Chief Investment Officer of Vox Royalty, a precious metals royalty and streaming company with a portfolio of 50 royalties. He walks through what exactly a precious metals royalty is and why they generally have “asymmetric leverage” — similar upside exposure as mining companies but with downside protections. He talks about the sourcing process and how he and his team have built the world’s largest proprietary royalty database with companies in a number of different industries, some of which don’t even know they actually have the royalty until Cole tells them. [August 9, 2021–42 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker | Website Link

The Meb Faber Show

  • #338 — Startup Series — Will Matthews, Fellow — Semen Quality Is The Canary In The Coal Mine To Overall Health. Will Matthews is the founder and CEO of Fellow, a company that’s rethinking the future of men’s fertility and runs the largest semen analysis lab in the U.S. Will starts by discussing the decline in fertility rates in the West and the possible reasons why — stress, obesity, and chemical exposure. Then he shares what it was like to create the first clinic grade direct-to-consumer semen analysis kit so men can avoid that awkward doctor’s visit. Will shares his vision of creating a flywheel effect, using test data to conduct research and in turn use that research to fine-tune their test kits (visit meetfellow.com and use the code MEB to get $20 off your order). [August 9, 2021–49 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker | Website Link

  • #339 — George Davis, Hotchkis & Wiley — We’re In Unchartered Territory Right Now. George Davis is the CEO and Portfolio Manager for Hotchkis & Wiley, a global investment manager serving institutional and individual investors. The episode starts with George’s investment philosophy and then covers how he views the market today, seeing value in both financials and energy stocks. George shares what it’s been like to invest for over 33 years, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and what attributes he believes make a great investor. At the end of the episode, George talks a little about the business side of asset management and what it’s been like leading a firm that’s been around for over four decades. [August 11, 2021–49 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker | Website Link

The Rest

  • The Knowledge Project: #117 Kat Cole: The Power of Possible. Cole rose from a part-time job as a hostess at Hooters to become the COO and President of Focus Brands, a franchisor of brands including Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s, Jamba Juice, and is now thought of as one of the most respected business leaders in America. She walks through her leadership style, why she defaults to trust, how she became a leader of people who were her peers, and the benefit her marriage has had from a monthly check-in. [August 10, 2021–64 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker | Website Link

“Anytime you are criticized, assume first it’s correct. Just allow yourself to digest that and then respond. And either you will reaffirm that the criticism is not correct, and you can focus more on the why and a productive relationship or you realize there’s at least some grain of truth, and you will work intensely to address that issue.”

Good investing,Meb Fabertheideafarm.com