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David Gardner, co-founder of The Motley Fool, is among the most respected and trusted sources on investing. As a best-selling author, hugely successful stock picker, and financial authority, David has led The Motley Fool’s growth into a worldwide investment and financial advisory services company.
Each week David shares his insights into today's most innovative and disruptive publicly traded companies -- and how to profit from them by following his signature “Rule Breaker Investing” principles.
Financial Literacy: Interview with Dr. Annamaria Lusardi
The Motley Fool has long been an advocate of financial literacy in our schools. Crazy talk, right? Today, David has the pleasure of hosting one of the preeminent experts on the subject, Dr. Annamaria Lusardi of George Washingon University to discuss why this is such an important subject. And stick around for the close, where we will announce a fantastic opportunity for you and your kids!
38:3305/10/2016
Extra: Interview with Candice Millard, Bestselling Author and Honorary Fool
When one of your favorite authors stops by the office, a 10-minute interview just won't do! Lucky for us, Candice Millard was generous with her time here at Fool HQ. In this bonus episode, David goes into greater depth about Millard's New York Times bestsellers The River of Doubt and Destiny of the Republic, as well as her upcoming epic story of the making of Winston Churchill, Hero of the Empire.
22:4201/10/2016
Foolish Heroes: Interview With Author Candice Millard — Plus: September Mailbag
Candice Millard is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The River of Doubt and Destiny of the Republic, which David has praised in earlier episodes of the podcast. Today she sits down with David for a conversation about presidents, prime ministers, Fools, and non-fiction. Also, we dip into the mailbag to tell some listener stories, including one of the best exchanges ever to hit the Rule Breaker inbox. All that and more in this very Motley edition of Rule Breaker Investing.
30:0328/09/2016
A Portrait Of The Investor As A Young Man
Ah, the Folly of youth! Today David takes a tour of some of his earliest investments, from mistakes to multi-baggers. Find out which companies went under, which are still around, and most importantly, what were the lessons learned along the way.
32:1821/09/2016
When Robots Rule The Earth
In a century or so, humans might be able to scan our brains and run emulations or "ems" on futuristic supercomputers. That means conscious, digital minds working much faster than our own, and rendering us all but obsolete! So how should we plan for that? Today David interviews Robin Hanson, George Mason University economist and author of "The Age of Em - Work, Love and Life when Robots Rule the Earth."
24:1614/09/2016
5 Low-Risk Stocks For The Next Year
A year ago, here on the Rule Breaker Investing Podcast, David picked 5 Stocks For The Next 5 Years. Today we check in on those companies, because we’ll never know who’s winning if we don’t keep score! Then David digs through the safest stocks on his recommendation list to choose 5 more stocks for the coming year.
30:3307/09/2016
JCOC Part 2: Lessons From Our Military Leaders
What your business can learn from the US Military, why America will keep on winning, how to conduct a public Q&A session, and other learnings from David's experience with the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference. Plus, a few items from the August mailbag.
35:1731/08/2016
JCOC Part 1: A Visit With Our Armed Forces
Today David inspects an F-35, fires an M-16, overlooks combat operations, flies in a Blackhawk helicopter, and lands on an aircraft carrier. Has he joined the Special Forces? No, but as a member of this year's Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, David has had the remarkable opportunity to visit with the United States Armed Forces up close, and has come back with stories to share.
42:2324/08/2016
Great Quotes Vol. 4: Lessons From Past & Present
In this fourth installment of RBI's "Great Quotes" series, we're digging into the past with words of wisdom from philosophers and founders, and then jumping to present-day Foolishness – all in the service of helping you create a better future.
17:0417/08/2016
Lessons From A Great Business
In 1998, Tom & David made an appearance on ABC's The View and recommended a company for investment. Six weeks later, they were invited back to explain why the stock had already dropped by 33%. Luckily we are still keeping score -- and are still invested. Today we take a deep dive into one of the great companies of our time and its truly visionary CEO.
29:1310/08/2016
"I Own The Water:" A Fool's Brush With Donald Trump
In 1997 The Motley Fool publicly shorted Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts (DJT). In 1999, after the stock had dropped significantly, David got a call from the CEO, Nicholas Ribis. He invited a handful of Fools to Trump Tower in New York City to hear a defense of the business, and to meet The Donald in person. Here's what happened.
21:3803/08/2016
July Mailbag: Should The Motley Fool Go Public?
Should you buy in thirds or set limit orders? What's the big deal about Pokemon Go? Why would anyone ever own a bond with a negative interest rate? And why isn't The Motley Fool a public company? All this and more in this month's mailbag!
34:2127/07/2016
Pet Peeves & Other "Cool Stuff"
State lotteries, disclaimers, and soaps that don’t lather… From the sublime to the ridiculous, David shares his list of pet peeves.
21:1320/07/2016
The Brexit Inspired Stock List
Five companies that we like over the next 3 years - all inspired by The United Kingdom's recent move to withdraw from the European Union.
20:2013/07/2016
Investing Lessons From An 8 Year Old Gardner
Motley Fool CAPS (caps.fool.com) is a free service you can use to test your stock-picking prowess. You don’t have to risk any money in the market, but you will be scored for your performance. At the age of 8, David’s son Zack started picking stocks on CAPS, and now, nine years later, you may be surprised by how well he did. Today, a teenaged Zack is in the studio to review those picks, his reasons for making them, and the lessons learned growing up with a Rule-Breaking dad.
27:4606/07/2016
June Mailbag: Is Diversification Overrated? Should You Be Picking Stocks? Do You Have a Buy Discipline?
Are you cut out to pick stocks or should you stick to index funds? Should your first thought be your final thought? Is what to buy > when to sell? All this and more as we go over your questions and comments in today’s monthly mailbag episode!
24:0029/06/2016
Extra: Interview with Rob Daviau, Rule Breaking Game Designer
A few minutes with Rob Daviau in last week's podcast was simply not enough! In today's extended interview, David digs deeper into Daviau's disruptive game design, how he runs his business, and where he finds his inspiration.
20:4625/06/2016
5 Board Games That Will Make You A Better Investor
What's more exciting than the next hot IPO? The release of the next blockbuster board game, of course! Today we delve deep into David’s greatest obsession and see how his favorite games relate to you as an investor. And we meet Rob Daviau, a true Rule Breaker and designer of Pandemic Legacy Season One, which at least one sources ranks as the highest-rated of all-time.
42:4622/06/2016
Mental Tips And Tricks
Today David wants you to stay sharp with these simple life hacks. Tweak your thinking just a bit and soon you will be winning bar bets, giving great toasts, and of course, investing better. Do you have a favorite mental tip or trick? Share it with us on Twitter @RBIPodcast.
23:4815/06/2016
Great Quotes Vol. 3: Lessons from Buffett
In this third installment of RBI's "Great Quotes" series, we're going all Buffett all the time! What is the market really for? Do we need to watch out for "Idiots"? What's the one thing we need to do to become better investors? Find out now from the man who invests like a girl.
27:3308/06/2016
Campfire Stories Vol. 1: What is Better Than The Big Idea?
Gather around our campfire for some stories about long-term thinking, investing in people, and the biology of business. Also, monkeys!
22:0901/06/2016
May Mailbag: When to Add to Winners, Movie Villain Clichés, Short Selling, and More
Should you add a new stock to your portfolio or double down on one of your winners? Why are corporations always the evil villains in the movies? Should your experience as a customer influence your investing decisions? Plus, an optimistic view on the future of Twitter. All this and more as Fools jump in on the May mailbag episode.
25:2825/05/2016
How To Spot A Potential Buyout
Today David looks at 4 potential buyout scenarios, and names 3 stocks in each that—for better or worse—look ripe for the picking. While it's fun to see stocks pop at the news of a buyout, in most cases we'd rather see our businesses continue as independent, pure-play investments.
27:0218/05/2016
10 More Traits of a Great Company Culture
Kara Chambers and Lee Burbage are “Resources for Humans” here at The Motley Fool. Today David brings them back to the show to discuss some incredibly helpful tools, tips, and techniques you can use to make your workplace culture shine. Thanks to Audible for supporting this episode. Get a free 30 day trial at audible.com/fool.
34:1311/05/2016
Five Winners in a Thinking World
Today we present five stocks that are poised to win in the
information economy – or as David puts it, the thinking
economy. Tomorrow’s leading enterprises must be able to acquire
knowledge, apply analytics, and use creativity every day to
succeed, and these companies do that in spades!
25:1704/05/2016
April Mailbag: Portfolio Management, Business vs. Stock Performance, and More
How to manage a Rule Breaker portfolio, why a company's
performance matters more than its stock's, thoughts
on company buy backs, and more. Plus, was Kris Jenkin's
last-second shot to win the NCAA National Championship really
clutch? Fools weigh-in on the April mailbag
episode.
25:5527/04/2016
What The Top 3 Stocks of 2015 Have In Common
Investing is about looking forward, not back, but we can always learn by examining our winners. Last year’s top 3 stocks in the S&P 500 were Netflix, Amazon, and Activision Blizzard. Today we explore what they have in common, and what they teach us about finding tomorrow’s winners. Also, we want to know your FANG score! Add it up on today’s RBI Podcast.
24:3620/04/2016
How Sports-Talk Radio Makes You a Better Investor (Part 2 of 2)
Wrapping up this two-part series on investing through the lens of sports, David presents five examples of misguided thinking that are frequently repeated in sports and then draws a direct analogy between each of those and a similarly bad investing cliché.
28:2813/04/2016
How Sports-Talk Radio Makes You a Better Investor (Part 1 of 2)
March brought us the Madness of college basketball, and April, opening day for Major League Baseball. In this two-part series, David describes his love of sports and cross-overs between that and investing. You can become a better investor by outthinking sports-talk analysts with their clichés and threadbare thinking.
23:1206/04/2016
March Mailbag
As always, the last show of the month is mailbag time! Today David answers your questions about risk ratings, conscious capitalism, and when to sell stocks. Then we go Down Under to hear from an awesome Aussie Fool on international investing. Submit your own question for next month's mailbag on Twitter (@RBIPodcast) or by email ([email protected]).
26:3330/03/2016
Great Quotes, Vol. 2
Investing books are all well and good, but life offers myriad sources of more inspiring material. Today David turns to gurus and geeks to find investing lessons that you probably won't learn in business school. This is the second entry in our recurring Great Quotes series which debuted last December.
17:2323/03/2016
Calculating Risk Foolishly: CRI vs. VA (3/3)
It's week 3 of Risk Month here at the RBI Podcast, and today we wrap up with points #21 - #25 of our risk scoring system. With these final questions we turn up the Foolishness and break a few of our own rules!
27:4516/03/2016
Calculating Risk Foolishly: CRI vs. VA (2/3)
March is Risk Month here at the RBI Podcast, and today we continue with points #11 - #20 of our quantitative investment risk scoring system. The competition, the stock, and the management get the spotlight this time, along with a little secret sauce involving The Motley Fool's premium services.
27:5209/03/2016
Calculating Risk Foolishly: CRI vs. VA (1/3)
As promised, March is Risk Month here at the RBI Podcast, and today David lays out the structure of his unique 25-point system for quantifying the risk levels of your investments. This is not just a nebulous “high, medium, low” rating; rather, this is a methodical scoring system that you can use yourself to assess the long-term safety of the companies you love.
28:3802/03/2016
February Mailbag
The last Wednesday of the month means it's mailbag time! David answers your questions about how to avoid watering weeds, why adding to winners is the key to investing success, what to do with big losers, and "potentially" much more.
Submit your own question for next month's mailbag:
Twitter: @RBIPodcast
Email: [email protected]
Share your opinion on your favorite stocks, and keep score on your predictions alongside David on Motley Fool CAPS.
30:2824/02/2016
Dark Clouds I Can See Through
How do you spot Amazon in 1997? Or Starbucks in 1998? How do you know to double down on Netflix in 2004? Today David looks at how we can see the light of optimism through the pessimism of conventional wisdom - and profit by investing in tomorrow's success stories.
23:5417/02/2016
5 Stocks to Feed the Bear
We don't believe in timing the market, but we do believe in taking advantage of a market drop to buy long-term positions in stellar companies. Today David highlights 5 under-the-radar, lower-risk companies with great prospects and discounted price tags.
27:3310/02/2016
The Language of Investing
The words we choose when we talk about investing reveal a lot about our thoughts, biases, and motivations. This week, a little rant on diction, etymology, and cliché, along with some thoughts on how better to speak of our investing motives.
21:2703/02/2016
January Mailbag
It's the month-end mailbag episode! David Gardner answers questions about hating through inheritance, beating the efficient market, what Star Wars means to Disney, and more. Submit your own question for next month's mailbag on Twitter (@RBIPodcast).
29:0827/01/2016
The YODA Method of Measuring Management
Not to be mistaken for Luke Skywalker's little green guru, YODA is a helpful mnemonic for some (though not all) of the key traits that David likes to find in managers of companies he’s considering for investment. Help you it will!
23:2520/01/2016
New Year’s Resolution: Get Invested! And Ignore the Market Drop
If your New Year’s Resolution for 2016 was to get into the stock market, you might be worried that you made the wrong move. Fear not! A little historical perspective and a long-term point of view will set you right. Get invested, stay invested, don’t start judging your investments until at least 2019.
15:3113/01/2016
Focus
As Rule Breaking investors, we often focus on things that others miss. David shares what he'll be focusing on in 2016, and invites you to share your focus with us at @RBIPodcast.
17:3206/01/2016
December Mailbag
Maintaining our new end-of-month tradition, David Gardner answers listeners’ investing questions submitted on Twitter (@RBIPodcast).
25:1630/12/2015
Why We Invest
We work hard for our money. Why would we forfeit the enjoyment and utility of using this capital now? As investors, we forgo the instant gratification of spending and take on the risk that we may even lose it all. Why? As David explains, it’s for all the right reasons.
07:0223/12/2015
Great Quotes, Vol. 1
Cyberpunks, Dead Heads, Fools… not all of the best investing ideas come from business books. Today David shares some of the most inspiring quotes he’s collected over the years, often from the most unexpected of sources.
16:1916/12/2015
Styleboxing
Frameworks – especially those that can be explained in a matrix – are common in investing, but what should rule-breaking investors think about them? David Gardner discusses the pros and cons of those ubiquitous style boxes, and shares a couple of his own.
19:5009/12/2015
10 Traits of a Great Company Culture
Have you ever wondered how companies create a great company culture -- and how The Motley Fool has created and sustains an award-winning culture of its own? In this episode, David Gardner brings in members of The Fool's own People Team to share insights for investors and entrepreneurs alike.
34:5802/12/2015
November Mailbag
Mixing it up this holiday week, David Gardner answers listeners’ investing questions that were submitted on Twitter (@RBIPodcast).
28:2025/11/2015
Meet the World’s Worst Investor
We all feel like the world's worst investor sometimes. David coaches on how to handle yourself - and your portfolio - when the market is down and your confidence in your investing abilities has been dragged down with it.
13:3418/11/2015
5 Lesser-Known Rule Breakers
You’ve heard about Netflix – but what about Middleby? David Gardner talks about MIDD and four other lesser-known – but compelling – companies.
16:3011/11/2015