Every Saturday I’ll be releasing my own compilation, a mixtape if you will, of blog posts from the week I think are worth your time.
This week’s mixtape is a special edition–the first financial blog I regularly followed, The Reformed Broker, turned nine this week. I haven’t been a reader for all nine of those years (I think I’m at 6 years), but I wanted to show my appreciation for Josh Brown’s writing by highlighting nine of my favorite posts. By now, readers of this blog are familiar with JB and his uncanny ability to write educational posts that are not only easy to understand but often times, incredibly hilarious.
As tremendous of a writer as Josh is, he’s an even better person. All you have to do is look at his interactions, retweets, and mentions on Twitter to see the impact he has not only in the investment world but with other financial advisors. I’ve had the pleasure to interact with him a couple of times outside of FinTwit and he was extremely generous with his time, genuine and someone you just want to be around. Our conversations were influential in deciding to start my own firm and the way I approach RLWM. I find myself still looking to see what the gang at Ritholtz Wealth Management are doing to see if it makes sense for my clients. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Imitation is suicide”, and while I always try to remember this, I don’t think following in someone like JB’s footsteps is a bad thing.
The List
Narrowing my list to nine was not an easy task, which is why my Saturday mixtape is coming out on Sunday. The amount of content on The Reformed Broker is ridiculous and there are so many list-worthy posts, I could have made a list of the nine best posts from each year. I can’t imagine trying to do a Greatest Hits list. So without further ado, here’s the list:
Ode To Joy Before we get to my list of nine, I wanted to start with his post from this week about his nine years of writing. It’s a great recap of why he started and how he’s grown the blog to where it is today.
9 Of My Favorite Posts From The Reformed Broker (in no particular order)
The Ten Crash Commandments The ability to work in a Notorious B.I.G. song into not a post but the title is list worthy for me; I’m a huge hip-hop fan and appreciate the craftsmanship of this post. Not only is this post clever in playing off Biggie’s The Ten Crack Commandments, the information in it is applicable to all investors. The point of the post is not to encourage readers to seek him out as an advisor, but simply to provide the knowledge they need to avoid blowing up their portfolios.
The Ten Things That Happen When You Begin To CrossFit Those who know me well probably would have expected this to be number one for me; I remember this post because I was just starting my personal addiction to CrossFit when I read this. I already was enjoying his writing, but now I found out he was CrossFitter–no doubt I was going to be a loyal reader. I also remember reading this post and realizing it was ok to write about things having nothing to do with finance on a financial blog–I wasn’t blogging at the time, but it gave me the confidence I could find the content to write my own blog, especially since it could include other things I’m interested in. I don’t think he is an active CrossFitter anymore, but I have a goal of getting him to drop in and hit a WOD with me whenever I visit NYC…may have to bribe him with Shake Shack as a post-workout protein snack.
The Only Metric That Matters This post didn’t serve as the blueprint for RLWM; I had already been in business for over a year before I read it. But, it did serve as confirmation for the vision I had (and still have) for my firm.
The Only Disclaimer You’ll Ever Need Again, saying what the investors need to hear and understand. This is also the first time I noticed his love for walruses (see next post).
ICOs are Where The Frauds Will Take Place I remember laughing out loud reading this post; this was the second time I noticed his love for walruses, and it was much more prominent than the last post. This post came out shortly after I had begun my dive into Bitcoin, blockchain and all things cryptocurrency, and I remember being impressed with how well his walrus farm analogy described the risks to ICOs. And not only did we get a classic in his writing, but the pictures too!
The Biggest Threat To Your Portfolio Priceless information for investors. Don’t be your own worst enemy!
Why We Dig In I’m always impressed by JB’s ability to produce content when it’s relevant–this is something I struggle with; I take too long writing a post and it’s no longer relevant by the time I finish. I also appreciate his willingness to add in some of his personal views without worrying about offending anyone.
Eight Lessons From Our First Year This post was helpful and inspiring to read as I started my own firm. Not very many firms will lay out their blueprint for everyone to see, but no fear here.
35 Get to know Josh Brown a little bit.
On the off chance The Reformed Broker reads this himself, I want to say thank you for keeping us informed, entertained and focused on the greater mission at hand, and I’m looking forward to many more years of your writing!
To everyone else, I hope you enjoyed!
Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimer page.
