Read the Footnotes Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 At a recent CoB&F meet-up, a board member was speaking about how much he appreciated the some of the great contributors to Corner, and he specifically complemented Packer16. He mentioned how Packer is always professional, always respectful and always concise and to the point. I would also say that Packer is generous with his time and really shows his passion for investing by always being willing to respond or contribute to a conversation. I especially appreciate how Packer is always respectful and professional in his posts as many others here are. I hope that this thread can be an inspiration to bring out the best in all of us and to inspire us to be even more collegial and helpful to each other. I'd like to start us off by asking Packer: What are your thoughts are on how to be a great contributor to CoB&F? Are any tips he'd like to share for people who would like to improve their contributions to the board? Are there any other board members you'd like to thank and ask for their thoughts? I asked Packer via email in advance if he'd be willing to participate in this discussion and to try to widen the discussion to more members a he said he thought it was a great idea. I also noticed how many of the great contributors to CoB&F stopped by this thread (http://www.cornerofberkshireandfairfax.ca/forum/general-discussion/poll-have-you-set-the-politics-message-board-to-ignore/) to contribute, and it was interesting to think about how each of them contributes in different ways. I hope some of them will join in this conversation by naming members whose contributions they appreciate and naming the behaviors or contributions that they appreciate. I've also noticed that those members who search for the elusive 10 bagger really appreciate the input from each other, so it might be interesting to hear from them and their unique 1000+ page long relationships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boilermaker75 Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Another great contributor, who I really appreciate, is globalfinancialpartners, gfp. I always look forward to reading his posts. Plus he's a Saints fan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DooDiligence Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Another great contributor, who I really appreciate, is globalfinancialpartners, gfp. I always look forward to reading his posts. Plus he's a Saints fan! Yep, and Cigarbutt. I find their posts to be accessible for someone with my constrained finance knowledge. Both are thoughtful & reasonable, which provides a counterbalance to my off the cuff, semi-reasonable, hot takes. There's quite a few others that I find very helpful but I don't want this to turn into a page & a half response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxthetrade Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 I really liked Ben Hacker's posts, always well reasoned and on topic. Unfortunately he doesn't seem to post anymore. I agree on Packer and gfp! In general the thread on BAC was great, I had a big position in BAC but a few posts in that thread (and Buffett's buy) really convinced me to supersize that position. Edit: Forgot Wabuffo, not frequent poster, but always worth reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deepdive Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Both ThePupil and BG2008 have good discussions on real estate topics. I like BG's discussion on B malls, dept stores, and why he avoids them. Ericopoly is great for back the truck up ideas. I wish he would post more. Packer is great for leveraged situations and telcos. Liberty opened my eyes to investing in better companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alwaysinvert Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Nobody has mentioned him yet so I'm going to say that in the last few years writser has been the best contributor, hands down. There are a couple very smart people here, but he stands out in terms of idea generation and willingness to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DooDiligence Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Both ThePupil and BG2008 have good discussions on real estate topics. I like BG's discussion on B malls, dept stores, and why he avoids them. Ericopoly is great for back the truck up ideas. I wish he would post more. Packer is great for leveraged situations and telcos. Liberty opened my eyes to investing in better companies. ^^^^^ Yep, yep & yep. It's like trying to pick your favorite guitarist. Impossible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregmal Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 I find the entire universe here to be enlightening and one of the best(if not the best) place to stay engaged. Each member provides valuable input to me in ways they and I am probably both aware and unaware. There isn't really a place where you have the entire investing spectrum covered, from great high level thinkers, to kind of know nothing follow ons... I dont mean that as condescending, but there is a very good variance/distribution here. On that note, I've grown to find Tesla shareholders and BRK shareholders have significantly more in common than I'd ever imagined, and I'll just leave it at that... Sanjeev is the best. The way he lets things flow works, whereas many other places Ive seen get restricted and become echo chambers and fiefdoms. I love the rare occasion when he will jump into stock analysis with the rest of us, although I can understand why he doesn't do it very often. I am a bigger picture investor. I think SharperDinegaan by leaps and bounds is the best at really sizing up and summing up any given situation from politics to Bitcoin Ive seen him just nail it. To me thats the hardest thing to do. Anyone can look at the same income statement numbers and draw conclusions(although Schwab711 does it better than most) and anyone can simply buy or sell a stock, but finding where things fit into the universe Ive found is the most crucial element in the "producing returns" equation, and Mr. SharperDinegaan does that extremely well. Once you figure out where things are going, the rest is easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Another great contributor, who I really appreciate, is globalfinancialpartners, gfp. I always look forward to reading his posts. Plus he's a Saints fan! +1 for gfp, he is a great contributor. I look forward to reading his posts too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Shout out to abe, some of the best private conversations i've had. the guy has such a broad and weird perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spekulatius Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 I always look for posts from “Viking” regarding financials and “Own the rails” regarding what I would consider “inevitables”. “ajc” checked out here, but his posts on growth stocks were very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wabuffo Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I follow every post from benhacker and writser as well. Very thoughtful investors (and humble too - despite their very evident value investing chops). I also like cigarbutt's careful reflections and ideas. He's very polite and tolerates my snarky posts about Aimia. I don't think I would have his patience and grace if someone was ripping one of my investment theses. :) Overall - as long as one stays away from the "Politics" mosh pit, one of the few websites with so many high class posters! wabuffo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Read the Footnotes Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 Sanjeev is the best. The way he lets things flow works, whereas many other places Ive seen get restricted and become echo chambers and fiefdoms. And he also deserves our appreciation for keeping out the grifters that would otherwise try to join the party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
writser Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I'll join the circle jerk. I agree with most of the names dropped in this thread (subtle brag - thanks for the mention!). I'll add three names: Foreign Tuffett, Hielko, and KJP. Picasso was great too but he basically stopped posting. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few names, mostly because not everybody spends as much time here. For example, what I think is one of the more interesting threads lately basically is a discussion between three people who hardly ever post here. Also, I think the question is not that important: good posters occasionally fuck up and bad posters occasionally have great ideas. Do your own due diligence. What makes a good contributor? For me the answer is pretty simple: somebody who brings up original, concrete analysis. I think I can safely state that Packer is one of the most valuable contributors to this board. Browse through his posts: he replies to a wide range of stock threads and every post contains either a) concrete analysis or b) questions that are relevant for concrete analysis. Perhaps more importantly, what does he not post? - blurbs with zero added value. - vague macro views. - anecdotal evidence. - results and results-oriented analysis. - what other people think. - pictures of his cat or political viewpoints. - countless links and short news flashes. - no-brainer ideas, guaranteed winners and other displays of overconfidence. - angry posts. - meta-stuff about 'what diet is best for value investors', 'who is the best poster on this forum' or 'how can I apply Secena's philosophy to my stock portfolio'? Just rational, independent analysis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orchard Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I miss itsavaluetrap along with BenHacker... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharperDingaan Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 Thank you for the recognition, but there are many others a lot better than I am. I prefer not to name, but a shout-out to the many attached to the financial services/wealth management industry, that post here. When you have to continually deliver over a short time frame, it is a very different thing. All contributors are different, but it's really the diversity of viewpoints that make this board work. And that they do NOT all come from the same place. Coal stoker, and aristocrat, long may it continue. Top-down macro is just a different methodology to bottom-up micro; common sense and pattern recognition, versus reliance on formula and ratios. It helps to be widely travelled, and to have bull**** detecting friends from Brooklyn! SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cherzeca Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 there are many posters, mentioned above, that have cogent and insightful comments about many topics. however I appreciate especially those with specialized knowledge about particular companies, having done the work. many posters not mentioned above do this well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boilermaker75 Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I really liked Ben Hacker's posts, always well reasoned and on topic. Unfortunately he doesn't seem to post anymore. I agree on Packer and gfp! In general the thread on BAC was great, I had a big position in BAC but a few posts in that thread (and Buffett's buy) really convinced me to supersize that position. Edit: Forgot Wabuffo, not frequent poster, but always worth reading! Yes, strongly agree about wabuffo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurgis Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 vinod1 and KCLarkin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I find the entire universe here to be enlightening and one of the best(if not the best) place to stay engaged. Each member provides valuable input to me in ways they and I am probably both aware and unaware. There isn't really a place where you have the entire investing spectrum covered, from great high level thinkers, to kind of know nothing follow ons... I dont mean that as condescending, but there is a very good variance/distribution here. On that note, I've grown to find Tesla shareholders and BRK shareholders have significantly more in common than I'd ever imagined, and I'll just leave it at that... Sanjeev is the best. The way he lets things flow works, whereas many other places Ive seen get restricted and become echo chambers and fiefdoms. I love the rare occasion when he will jump into stock analysis with the rest of us, although I can understand why he doesn't do it very often. I am a bigger picture investor. I think SharperDinegaan by leaps and bounds is the best at really sizing up and summing up any given situation from politics to Bitcoin Ive seen him just nail it. To me thats the hardest thing to do. Anyone can look at the same income statement numbers and draw conclusions(although Schwab711 does it better than most) and anyone can simply buy or sell a stock, but finding where things fit into the universe Ive found is the most crucial element in the "producing returns" equation, and Mr. SharperDinegaan does that extremely well. Once you figure out where things are going, the rest is easy. Agreed. Two others that i appreciate readings posts from are John Hjorth (thoughtful, respectful) and spekulatius (ideas and logic). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liberty Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 Sanjeev, because he created and held together the whole place for a really long time, and he's always more patient and good-humored with all of us hoopleheads than most people would be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DooDiligence Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I find the entire universe here to be enlightening and one of the best(if not the best) place to stay engaged. Each member provides valuable input to me in ways they and I am probably both aware and unaware. There isn't really a place where you have the entire investing spectrum covered, from great high level thinkers, to kind of know nothing follow ons... I dont mean that as condescending, but there is a very good variance/distribution here. On that note, I've grown to find Tesla shareholders and BRK shareholders have significantly more in common than I'd ever imagined, and I'll just leave it at that... Sanjeev is the best. The way he lets things flow works, whereas many other places Ive seen get restricted and become echo chambers and fiefdoms. I love the rare occasion when he will jump into stock analysis with the rest of us, although I can understand why he doesn't do it very often. I am a bigger picture investor. I think SharperDinegaan by leaps and bounds is the best at really sizing up and summing up any given situation from politics to Bitcoin Ive seen him just nail it. To me thats the hardest thing to do. Anyone can look at the same income statement numbers and draw conclusions(although Schwab711 does it better than most) and anyone can simply buy or sell a stock, but finding where things fit into the universe Ive found is the most crucial element in the "producing returns" equation, and Mr. SharperDinegaan does that extremely well. Once you figure out where things are going, the rest is easy. Agreed. Two others that i appreciate readings posts from are John Hjorth (thoughtful, respectful) and spekulatius (ideas and logic). Yep & yep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benhacker Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 Thanks for the kind words. After 15 years here, I’m glad I made a few friends and few (hopefully) enemies. ;) I still miss board posts by Bsilly... but I’m dating myself.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwericb Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Actually I was surprised to see a post from Bsilly last month as a newbie (showing my age too): http://www.cornerofberkshireandfairfax.ca/forum/fairfax-financial/woodlock-house-blog-post-about-ffh/msg382296/#msg382296 I have also found that Petec has some excellent posts on the FFH board and also Linadin's posts on Altius used to read like a daily news bulletin. However recently he has seemed to have disappeared. Yes and Sanjeev, of course. but there are also dozens of others here who's posts are always worth reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Read the Footnotes Posted October 15, 2019 Author Share Posted October 15, 2019 I was hoping that this thread would be differentiated from previous "who's worth reading on Corner" types of threads by putting the focus a bit more on the process and skills of contributing well. Wrister, thank you for taking a moment to share your thoughts and for expressing yourself through "rational, independent analysis". There is obviously no one right way to contribute and we benefit from different styles of participation, so it would be great to get more input along the lines of what Wrister contributed. For those of you who stopped by to accept a round of applause (Wabuffo, SharperDingaan, Viking and Ben Hacker, for example), would you be willing to share some similar analysis? Some possible starting points: What you like to see in posts by others? What about your own background and process contributes to others appreciating your contributions? Do any of you have rules or guidelines you use to think about when deciding whether or how to post? Do you think about your reader when posting? If so, how do you think about readers? Thank you in advance for keeping it a positive, constructive conversation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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