To New Beginnings
Investing in Businesses and your Passions
If you’re new here, welcome. Around this time last year, I started writing on personal finance before hitting the wall. I’ve since pivoted to speaking with active duty and vets in podcast format. I’ve distanced myself from my time in the Navy since exiting in 2018, but this return to my roots has been a breathe of fresh air and reminded me how badly the military/veteran community needs help.
The goal with this podcast is to break down the skills and strategies military members are using to build a successful career on the outside. We’ve had some fantastic guests on already, everything from professional investors to writers and business owners. I want to build the resource that makes their learnings accessible.
In the spirit of revisiting past events, I’ll be using this medium to cover past episodes, highlight key takeaways as well as other valuable military focused content. The great part of re-immersing myself back into this world is the chance to have conversations and connect with great services, tools, and people that don’t always make it to the podcast.
Podcast Episode 1 - Matt Cochrane
The first guest we had on was Matt Cochrane. I found Matt through his Motley Fool articles and we’ve become friendly over the last year. Listen to our conversation here.
High Impact Segment 51:00 - 1:01:00
One of my big takeaways was Matt highlighting the importance of knowing what type of work you’re cut out to do. When Matt got out, he got a job selling construction aggregates and did that for some time before realizing that he didn’t like paperwork.
If you’re in a spot where you don’t know what your “thing” is, you can get closer to finding it by identifying what your “thing” isn’t. Rather than trying lots of things, taking the inverse approach narrows your interests quickly and allows you to decline opportunities you know you won’t like. Had Matt known he didn’t like paper and office work, he likely wouldn’t have taken the job in the first place and waited for the next job.
Make a list of the jobs and specific tasks you hate the most. Explain in a sentence why you don’t like them. When presented with a job or opportunity, see if the day to day tasks involve anything on your list.
The follow up is knowing that you need to pay bills and accepting that your hobbies may not pay you. Investing became a hobby of Matt’s early on in his life and over time that developed into a job. That came by finding people with similar interests and contributing in a meaningful way. Regardless of whether it’s an online community or local sports league, you have something to valuable to offer. Find where people who like what you like congregate and be a part of it.
Where To Learn More
I’ll save that soapbox on the value of Twitter, but if you’re interested in investing, check out Matt’s Twitter for great commentary and stock research.
I’ll also going to use this opportunity to plug Matt’s service at 7Investing. A world class stock picking service where him and 6 others give monthly recommendations. Each pick is accompanied by a thorough write up of the business and potential risks. If you’re into individual stock picking or want to learn more about investing, Matt and his team are a great resource. On their website you’ll find free content, podcasts, and are currently running a holiday promo of $100 off a subscription.
This Week On The Podcast
I’m stoked for the episode this week (Wednesday 1/5).
We speak with Caleb Taylor, a former marine rifleman who currently works with FEMA. Caleb is a magnificent storyteller and, for the first time audibly, gives his account of a story that made national news this year.
During Caleb’s Afghanistan deployment, his unit befriended an Afghan interpreter who goes by “NB” for security reasons. Over the years they have stayed in touch which turned out to save NB’s life this year.
The US officially withdrew from Afghanistan this year which sparked a shit storm for Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban. NB and his family were part of this group. We get the full story of how Caleb coordinated with elected officials, lawyers, and wall street with Marine friends on the ground in Afghanistan to get NB out of the country.
Something To Ponder
An Interesting Quote
“Remember how long you’ve been putting this off, how many extensions the gods gave you, and you didn’t use them. At some point you have to recognize what world it is that you belong to, what power rules it and from what source you spring; that there is a limit to the time assigned you, and if you don’t use it to free yourself it will be gone and never return.”
-Marcus Aurelius
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