Market masters : product placement

Last november, a guy wrote me a message with this proposition: I'll send you 2 copies of my new book about canadian investors if you accept to write something about my book on your blog.

Could I really help the sales of this guy with my blog? No fucking clue. But I accepted the deal.

So, last week, I received via mail the book of this special guy. Please, notice the majestic joke here because this guy's name is Robin Speziale.

The thick book (almost 600 pages) gathers interviews of 28 investors, most of which are canadian with the notable exception of Bill Ackman. Yeah, no shit. That little 28 years old no-name special guy from Toronto managed to join Bill Ackman for a fucking interview!



Of course, there's a chapter about Jason Donville. That chapter begins with a familiar sentence: "Don't fuck with Donville". When I first opened the book, I went straight to that part and when I read it, I laughed, thinking: I'm such a fucking star now! Speaking of Donville, he looks pretty cool in the book and he shares a memory full of swearing, which is funny.

There's a lot of work behind the book. Taking the time to contact 28 investors (probably more), trying to convince them to spend some time with an obscure guy still in his twenties, prepare the interview, keep your calm in front of great investors (some looked pretty cocky), etc... It surely wasn't an easy task.

It's a great work and I recommend the book. I've only read the introduction and a few chapters so far (Jason Donville, Norman Levine, Bill Ackman and Francis Chou), but it's very interesting and I think that all the people reading this blog could like the book. Yeah, I'm not kidding.

So who will get the second book I got?

It will go to the first person to write me (masterpenetrator@hotmail.com) giving me the answer to those 2 questions:

1- What's the movie I've been referencing a couple of times on this blog, talking to the readers (clue: 1971)?
2- What's the singer related to the title of a recent post on this blog?

To conclude, here's a few questions I sent to Robin to know him a little better.

*****

Robin R. Speziale interviewed by Penetrator (february 7th, 2016)

1- Please, disclose at least your 5 biggest positions? 

Here are my top 10 largest holdings in my personal portfolio:

BlackBerry, Starbucks, Rogers Communications, Luxottica, Yum Brands, CCL Industries, McDonald's, Nike, Loblaw, and Alimentation Couche-Tard‎.

2- You're a good looking boy, given the picture on the back of your book. After having met many investors, do you think that, physically speaking, you're an anomaly in the investment field?

I guess I clean up well. Obviously, aptitude trumps beauty in the investment field. It's all about returns.
But that doesn't mean the 28 Market Masters I interviewed don't look good, too. For example, in my book,

I write that Norman Levine was an impeccable dresser. He wore a fine tailored suit to our interview. 

3- Except for investment, what are your interests and hobbys?

‎I'm a movie and videogame geek. In my condo, I've setup a premium entertainment system with a large screen TV, and surround sound system, that makes watching or gaming a fully immersive experience. I even have the old N64 hooked up... that catches people's attention. My favourite movie: Wall Street. Videogame: Metal Gear Solid.

4- Who's your favorite Beatle and why?

I didn't grow up with the Beatles, and frankly, I don't enjoy their music.‎ I much prefer classic rock if I were to listen to the 'oldies'.‎ But if I had to pick: John Lennon. Not because of any Beatles song but because of his song, Happy Christmas, which I do like very much. It's sad yet inspiring in that he paints a dismal world that we can improve together for the betterment of everyone. "War is over ‎if you want it. War is over now"

5- After reading some chapters of your book, I've had the impression that some investors are cocky. What's your general opinion about so-called great investors? You can have a specific opinion too (about a specific investor). 

What seems cocky on paper was mostly sheer confidence in-person‎. I appreciate that successful investors have their ups and downs, and so I did also elicit from the 28 Market Masters their mistakes over the years, which serve as 'cheap' lessons for the reader. I will say, though, that the most down to earth investor that I met was Peter Hodson. He had a great sense of humour. But Bill Ackman was the most serious. He has high conviction in everything that he does.

6- Which investor was the coolest?

It would be a tie between Jason Donville and Martin Braun. I'm sure you'd agree with my picking Jason. I'll parallel 'cool' to cliques in high school. I assume Jason would be the accomplished jock while Martin would be the strong and silent type. Both very different from each but "cool" in their own right and as perceived by the general population.

7- If you get rich, what will you do of your life?

I will keep working on passion projects. Anything that I'm interested in at the time. And, this sounds cliche, but I'll also live life to the fullest with the surplus money that I have. I'll pay for nice things if they can enrich my life, such as vacations to Europe every year. After all, I can't take money to the grave with me. But through and through, I won't change. I'll still be the same person.

8- When did you discover my blog? 

While conducting research on Jason Donville before meeting him in person for the interview. When I typed "Jason Donville" in Google, your blog was (and still is) on the first page (high Google PageRank!). Reading your blog made me more excited to meet Jason as I saw that he had a strong following.

9- I have to tell you that if your book had been bad or not my cup of tea, I would have written it without any remorse. I would have written that it was a crappy piece of shit. Otherwise, I'm surprised at the quality of the book and it has nothing to do about the fact that the chapter about Jason Donville begins with the line "Don't fuck with Donville". A couple of lines follow, all related to my blog. Your book has been a very good read so far. The only "negative" thing I have to say is that it's a heavy read and you have to breathe between the chapters. Well, it's investment, not a Mary Higgings Clark novel. Which leads me to a question: in your opinion, who will buy your book?

I hope that millenials buy my book. All Canadians in my generation. I say that because most people, regardless of their generation, don't educate themselves and start investing until much later in life. I honestly want people to be rich, early in life. It's liberating not having to work paycheque to paycheque. And investing is too much fun to pass up.‎ But I don't want to limit my readership. It's a long shot, but my dream is that Market Masters ends up in millions of Canadians' households, much like David Chilton's The Wealthy Barber book did upon its release and many editions. But, yes, I do agree that Market Masters is long; an investment of one's time. Once you read through the book, though, you will be an investment master in the making, yourself, and onto beating the market, making more more, and financial independence.