WILLIAM ACKMAN, Activist Investor, Hedge-Fund Manager
Warren Buffet is fond of saying that the first rule of investing is never lose money and rule number two is never forget rule number one. William Ackman takes this lesson as a point of departure for his Floating University lecture.
Ackman asks how can you avoid loses and earn an attractive return over time? Ackman's answer is that you don't want to be jumping from one company to the next. Instead, Ackman says, pick a company that you can own forever. In other words, if the stock market were to close for 10 years, you'd be perfectly happy with this investment. Two examples of these types of companies that Ackman offers are Coca Cola and McDonald's. These are companies, according to Ackman, are easy to understand, they're not complicated, have long-term track records, demonstrate an attractive profit, and can grow over time.
Watch William Ackman here:
We all want to be financially stable and enjoy a well-funded retirement, but we don't want to squander our hard-earned money on poor investments. William Ackman, the CEO of Pershing Square Capital, is here to tell you Everything You Need to Know About Finance and Investing –– in less than an hour. In this powerful lecture, Ackman navigates the complex landscape of how businesses work and how to make smart investments following a simple business model we can all relate to: a lemonade stand. From balance sheets and growth assumptions to the difference between debt and equity, by the end of the hour you will have a working vocabulary of financial terms. Why did Albert Einstein say the most powerful force in the universe is compound interest? Through questions like these, you will learn both what it takes to finance and grow a successful business and how to make sound investments that will allow for a cash-comfy retirement. The principles outlined in this lecture will also benefit your decision making when it comes to major financial decisions like buying a home, providing for a family, and developing your career.
Why would you as a business owner consider a taking loan over issuing stock? How can you generate enough cash to live on while you are growing your business? What advice would an expert investor give his own mother about investing? In this hour you'll get a personal introduction to the world of business from an expert advisor –– a solid foundation on which to invest in businesses and begin building your own company. Whatever your goals in life, smart investment strategy will help you to achieve them.
