Finding Real Value in a Sea of Smoke, Mirrors, & Shills

Issue #47 December 18, 2019

Today’s message will be more of a real-time rant and stream of consciousness than anything else, but I hope you will harness my intent and take a personal inventory into your current strategy, portfolio positioning, and feel more comfortable doing less or eliminating noise and frantic urgency from your day.

This post is triggered today by several hours of meetings, pitches, and interviews that I had between 8 am-1 pm back to back, but has been front of mind for the last 12 months in one-way shape or form as I continue to assess how we will redefine what is valuable and worth our time, energy, and money in 2020.

First off, I have come to the conclusion that at least 95 percent of the people I meet and deals/investments I see fall into (by innocent ignorance or malicious design) a category of smoke, mirrors, or shills. This is a fact I wish weren’t true, but has proven to be time and again (and more so than ever in 2019). At first blush, this may be disheartening or discouraging to inter…