My Year-End Wrap Up

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Today I’ll be sharing a list of the best podcast episodes, newsletters, books, threads, tv shows and movies I consumed this year.

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The Year End Wrap Up

Highlights

• I’ve found 3 great podcasts this year - Motley Fool Money, Not Investment Advice, and Planet Money

• 3 Newsletters I loved in 2022 - The Generalist, Category Pirates, and SatPost

• I really enjoyed 5 books across various genres

Podcasts

This year I had a big mental shift with the way I look at energy on our planet.

I began the year avoiding investing in energy companies (particularly oil & gas) due to many of them damaging the environment. I’m a big proponent of a cleaner, greener future and I was high on renewables.

Unfortunately, an underinvestment in renewable methods of energy and a lack of oil exploration has put the U.S. in a precarious spot when it comes to energy.

It’s true that there are plenty of bad players and practices in the oil & gas space, but they ultimately deliver the critical oil we need for energy, materials and heat.

I still want what’s best for the environment and a cleaner, greener future for humanity. But I also enjoy having heat and electricity when I need it and so far, renewable methods have not created enough energy to meet our demands. We still need oil if we want to maintain the standard of living we’ve all been accustomed to.

So far this year we’ve seen an energy crisis in Europe and the rise of electric vehicles, which are putting more demand on the energy grid.

I’ve been lucky enough to almost always have access to power when I need it and I’ve taken it for granted. 2022 has opened my eyes to the realization that consistently having power may not always be the case.

These 3 podcast episodes come from 3 fantastic podcasts and I refer back to them frequently. They’ve changed my thinking on what energy truly is and why it’s crucial we make our own.

Motley Fool Money - Interview with Doomberg

Motley Fool Money is a daily podcast hosted by Chris Hill that keeps you up to date with the latest headlines in finance. On this episode they interview the anonymous Doomberg, known only by a green cartoon chicken avatar. Doomberg specializes in energy, finance, and the economy at large. The interviewee brings up great points that shifted my mindset on energy as a whole.

Not Investment Advice - Interview with Michael Saylor

Bilal Zaidi, Jack Butcher and Trung Phan host the podcast Not Investment Advice and they cover all things tech and “the edge of the internet”. On an episode with Bitcoin maximalist Michael Saylor, they mainly cover Bitcoin but Saylor brings in some interesting perspective on what energy actually is. Even if you’re not a fan of cryptocurrencies I still think it’s worth a listen.

Planet Money - The Midnight Connection

Planet Money is an NPR podcast that covers all things money and business related. This episode is all about how Texas could’ve avoided the devastating effects of the ice storms they faced in 2021and how a brave group of people set out on a quest for Texas’s energy safety back in the 1970s.

Threads

These 4 threads are written by 2 people I consider to be the best thread writers on Twitter. I highly recommend you check out both Brian Feroldi @BrianFeroldi and Trung Phan @TrungTPhan on Twitter. They drop interesting commentary on all things finance and technology.

Trung Phan

How ASML’s semiconductor machines work:

How Huy Fong’s sriracha business rose to success:

Brian Feroldi

Inside the portfolio management strategy of investor Tom Engle:

How to consistently buy stocks at better values (even when the price is higher):

Newsletters

I read a variety of newsletters, here are my favorites:

The Generalist

The Generalist covers all things tech, crypto, AI, venture capital and provides some of the most in-depth journalism I’ve ever read. Here’s an issue about Sturgeon Capital’s investments in emerging economies that I loved in particular:

Category Pirates by Nicholas Cole, Eddie Yoon and Christopher Lochhead

Category Pirates is all about turning yourself into someone who writes in a category of one. Creating new niches, becoming an expert, and sharing your knowledge with the world. It’s a goal I work towards everyday. Here’s an issue I love:

SatPost by Trung Phan

This newsletter is filled with super interesting stories about all things tech and business. I really liked the issue on Warren Buffett’s mistake with Disney stock. I deeply admire Buffett and it’s refreshing to see that as successful as he is, you can’t get every stock pick right.

Books

I read a few books across various genres this year, here are my 5 favorites:

Ikigai

Ikigai is the Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living. It’s a speedy read that reminds me to keep striving for what I want in life and to live life in a purposeful way.

The Boron Letters

The Boron Letters is a masterclass in copywriting told over a series of 25 letters between an incarcerated Gary Halbert and his 16-year-old son Bond.

$100M Offers

$100M Offers is a book written by multi-millionaire entrepreneur Alex Hormozi with the goal of teaching you how to sell a product/service and how to provide enough value so that you can charge what you want.

Haben, the Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law

This inspiring story is written by Haben Girma, a deafblind, first generation American that attends its most prestigious college, Harvard University.

This story opened my eyes to the daily challenges people with disabilities face and made me a much more understanding and accommodating person.

Damnation Spring

Damnation Spring is a fiction story by Ash Davidson that takes place in a logging town in Northern California. It’s a great story about the dangerous practices one logging company uses, and the battle between public safety and the need for jobs.

TV Shows + Movies

2022 was a good year for me to watch some seriously good tv and movies. Here are my favorites that I watched:

The Sopranos

Highly regarded as the greatest show ever, The Sopranos follows the story of crime boss Tony Soprano and has become my favorite show of all time. Phenomenal acting, writing, and storytelling.

The Wire

This under-the-radar show takes place in the gritty streets of Baltimore. Over the 5 seasons, The Wire gives you the stories of drug lords, politicians, police, teachers and more through an unfiltered lens.

Abbott Elementary

As an elementary school teacher working in an inner city, Abbott Elementary hits close to home. It’s a funny, honest look at what it’s like teaching elementary in an underfunded school. Great characters and funny dialogue.

Better Call Saul

Better Call Saul is the prequel to another one of my favorite shows, Breaking Bad. The show follows the transition from Jimmy McGill, a lawyer just trying to make it in the world, to Saul Goodman, the sleazy lawyer that can talk his way out of anything. Best camera angles I’ve ever seen and some sweet black and white episodes which I love as well.

The Founder

The Founder tells the story of how Ray Kroc came to power within the McDonald’s franchise. It’s a true story of entrepreneurship and betrayal that’s beautifully portrayed with great props and camera work.

The China Hustle

The China Hustle is a documentary that uncovers the major fraud committed by Chinese companies in the late 2000s.

Final Thoughts

2022 was a huge year of personal growth for me.

After reading investing content on the internet for years, I decided to start writing my own! I’m truly overwhelmed and thankful for the support you’ve given me since I’ve started my writing journey.

Big things are in the works for 2023!

I’ve found it very beneficial to reflect on the growth I’ve made this past year and revisit some of the media that I loved most. I encourage you to do the same! If you have anything you like to share, you can reach me on Twitter @DrDividend47!

Links & Memes

If you haven’t heard, there’s a new product called Chat GPT3 that has the capability to answer questions in a chat-like manner using AI. People have been quick to call it “The Google Killer” but it’s good to know that it still has some kinks it has to fix:

These guys are going apeshit in the gym:

Avocado-flation is here (side note: Who does the marketing for avocados? It’s hard to sell someone on mushy green fruit but whenever I ask someone about the benefits of avocados I always hear that they have good fats. What is a good fat? Regardless I’m still eating them😂)

Sam Bankman-Fried recently posted $250 million bail after claiming he was down to his last $100,000. Interesting…

Here’s an inspiring video from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Nadella is true professional that has worked his way up to the top of one of the most successful companies of all time.

Ever wondered why World Cup champion Argentina wears blue and white jerseys? Check out this incredibly detailed thread for the answer:

‘Tis the season for Christmas puns:

I’m Building A Course!

After hearing feedback from some very supportive readers, I’ve decided to start building a course!

The goal of this course is to teach investors the ins and outs of dividend investing. I plan on covering:

• Good practices for building a strong financial foundation

• The many benefits of dividend investing

• How to use quantitative and qualitative metrics to analyze a company

• Valuation methods you can use to find a good buying point

• How to analyze a company’s financial statements

• The various methods you can build and manage a portfolio

• How to build a retirement portfolio

• Options strategies you can use to bolster your income

If there’s anything you’d like me to add to the course, please reach out on Twitter or send an email to [email protected].

Thanks for your help and continued support!

P.S. I’m looking to book newsletter sponsors for 2023. Please email me at [email protected] or reach out to me on Twitter to get your product in front of 1000+ investors!

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Disclosure: The contents of this newsletter are in no way intended to provide financial advice. Dr. Dividend may have positions in any of the stocks mentioned and may buy or sell them at any time. This newsletter is in no way intended to promote buying or selling of any security. Please do your own research before investing in anything.