An opportunity for the "unscripted stuff": Why conferences are crucial in investing
Every Wednesday, we talk about great coaching comments and investing tips. Our goal is to help you implement the right investing strategies and disciplines so you can grow your investment portfolio and achieve financial freedom in the long run. Ready to know more about today’s topic? Keep reading below to know the reason why the institutional investing world values in-person conferences.
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An opportunity for the "unscripted stuff": Why conferences are crucial in investing Do you believe that no two conferences are the same? For many business leaders, executives, and top industry professionals, attending conferences is a big deal. More than having the chance to talk to others, these events—whether online or onsite—provide several benefits for career development. These include:
… and more. Let’s further talk about this in the lens of the institutional investing world. The Real Reason Why Investors Go—and Should Go—to Conferences In 2022, Professor Joel Litman and his colleague Rob Spivey attended the annual Stansberry Conference. In one segment, Professor Litman delivered his presentation titled, “The End of ‘The End of America’.” His presentation was centered around the concept that for far too long, the mainstream financial media and some highly-regarded analysts have been disseminating false narratives that America’s global economic dominance is falling. Professor Litman and Spivey were also thrilled to meet fellow attendees and discuss some of their ideas during the conference’s breakout sessions. For them, it was a privilege to be with lots of great minds in one place, though that wasn’t the most important reason for attending the conference. Any guesses on what this important reason was? According to Professor Litman, the REAL value of a conference comes from the “unscripted stuff.” Such an event gives professionals an opportunity to meet sooooo many people at the same time and place—even folks one might never get to cross paths with otherwise. Conferences and Investing: What’s the Connection? You might be wondering why we’re talking about conferences when the main theme of today’s article is about investing. Here’s the thing: In the investing world, that is how you get a leg up. In fact, there’s a reason why conferences are at the heart of the institutional investing world. Think about this: Investment banking company JPMorgan Chase (JPM) hosts around 28 conferences a year. The topics span almost every industry, from healthcare and gaming to lodging and industrials. Professor Litman says such presentations are great. However, the challenge is anyone can tune in to these events remotely these days. He states if you’re looking to get an edge from these conferences, you have to be there in person. Besides, that’s how you get the chance to talk to the CEO of a high-performing company face-to-face even without an appointment. Only then can you ask the question that might make or break your potential investment idea. What else? You never know who you’ll run into the elevator as you go to a conference or what business dinner you might get invited to after the event. These unscripted conversations you can have with these people can change your outlook on a specific industry. Unfortunately, not all investors can attend every conference and talk to every CEO or any other top industry professional… but there are similar ways to gain an edge. How? According to Professor Litman, some of Altimetry Financial Research’s institutional clients host “investment dinners” whenever they couldn’t go to full-blown conferences. In these dinners, they invite their industry contacts, fellow investors, family members, friends, etc. Then, they bounce new ideas off each other over dinner. Some dinner attendees are finance experts, and that’s a great thing. Others have little financial background, and they’re important too. They look at things from a different perspective and ask questions an expert might not have asked otherwise. Another plus factor in these investment dinners? The host and the attendees get to “break bread” with each other, leading to stronger bonds while also exchanging new knowledge with one another—that’s a similar result one can expect to get from going to a full-blown conference. — Professor Litman says attending conferences and investment dinners isn’t something only professional investors can do. Even novice investors can create and join such a fellowship! One can even make an informal “investment club” that gathers and shares ideas regularly. While these things seem small, they can make a BIG difference in one’s investing life. After all, there’s no substitute for face-to-face discussion whether in investing or life in general. Allow us to repeat: Nothing beats attending conferences in person in the world of finance and investing. Such meetings often yield a piece of critical information that can change your buy or sell decision. However, that doesn’t mean online events or programs aren’t valuable. We believe you can learn a lot from joining those too, but the main point of why we're saying in-person gatherings are better is because you get to see and talk to your fellow attendees or colleagues in the industry face-to-face, and observe verbal and non-verbal cues you wouldn’t notice online. Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s The Independent Investor! In a past “The Independent Investor” article, we talked about why the best investors are great listeners. Learn more about why this tech giant will keep beating the market despite recent struggles in the industry in next week’s article! |
