🗣️ Investor Talk #61: Brandon
Brandon invests in ETFs and quality companies, using options selectively.
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Every interview follows the same set of sharp, insightful questions — such as “What is your investment strategy?”, “What are your highest conviction stocks?”, and “If you could give one piece of advice to investors, what would it be?”
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Including interviews with Brian Feroldi (Founder of Long Term Mindset), Shay Baloor (Chief Marketing Strategist of Futurum Equities) and Gav Blaxberg (CEO of WOLF Financial).
In this edition, we have the pleasure of interviewing:
Name: Brandon @Invest_Brandon
Age: 33
Residence/Country: Las Vegas, Nevada
Invests since: 2014
Introduction
To break the ice, I didn’t stumble into the stock market. I studied it professionally, became obsessed with it, and dug deep into what actually makes money in the market. The hard truth is that it’s not what 95% of retail and professional investors are doing.
More than 90% of investors fail to outperform the S&P 500. That statistic should make everyone stop and think. We’re all here to make money, so why do so many people do so badly?
Many are trying to get rich overnight. Many don’t know what they own or why they own it. Many are only positioned to win when the market goes up, but when it dips, their portfolios suffer. Others use option strategies that cap their upside or fall into the cash flow trap at the cost of long-term appreciation.
The biggest problem is that many investors simply have no plan or system. They don’t know how to build a portfolio that works across different market environments while benefiting from both cash flow and long-term appreciation.
What is your investment strategy?
My investment strategy is very simple. It’s very boring. But I’ve used this framework to outperform the S&P 500 over the last decade.
I start at the 40,000-foot level and understand the macro: the economy, S&P 500 valuations, interest rates, and EPS growth. I then take that level of conviction and allocate my portfolio.
Around 75% of my portfolio is invested in broad market ETFs like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. That’s my compounding base, and I never touch it. The other 25% goes into elite companies trading at good valuations with solid EPS growth. To have a great investment, you need both a great company and a good price.
The final layer is options. So many people do options wrong. Options are leverage. They are a way to make a bet on a very compelling setup. If you don’t have a compelling setup, don’t use them.
When I buy options, I always choose expirations at least one year out. Nobody knows what stocks will do in the short term, but in the long run, stocks follow earnings. If you buy a great company with good EPS growth at a good valuation and give your thesis enough time to play out, you can be surprisingly consistent.
My approach is simple: if I’m bullish, I buy shares. If I’m super bullish, I sell portfolio-secured puts. If I’m super, super bullish, I buy LEAPS.
The strategy people ask me about most is the portfolio-secured put. It’s like a cash-secured put, but without cash sitting there doing nothing. My portfolio secures the trade instead, allowing me to participate in the market’s upside while avoiding the cash drag of a traditional cash-secured put. As long as my ratios are in check, I’m not even close to a margin call.
How many stocks are currently held in your portfolio?
A few ETFs and a handful of individual names. When the market is cheaper and more compelling, I often own more individual companies. When it's more overvalued and less advantageous, I own fewer individual companies and build my bond allocation. It's all about allocating based on how compelling the setups and the macro environment are.
Which sectors do you mainly focus on?
It's all about where the compelling opportunities are in areas I understand. Right now, I see opportunities in the Magnificent 7, AI picks-and-shovels plays, and banks too.
What are your 3 highest conviction stocks?
$TSM - TSMC
$NVDA - NVIDIA
$META - Meta
All three pass my test of being great companies at good prices, with strong moats, pricing power, durable competitive advantages, and valuations at or below intrinsic value.
What is the stock in your portfolio with the highest return?
$TSLA - Tesla, up 154% (it’s a small-ish position now).
My CAGR over the last decade beats both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq by a wide margin. That’s the key thing to judge on, in my opinion.
What is the biggest investing mistake you have made?
Confusing activity with progress. Early on, I chased short-dated options and momentum plays because they felt like more work, and I thought more trades meant more money. The market rewards patience and discipline, not making 18 trades a day like most people.
Everything changed when I stopped gambling and started following Buffett’s approach of buying great companies when they are on sale. Adding long-duration options and portfolio-secured puts to magnify ultra-compelling setups has been the game changer, combining long-term appreciation with cash flow.
If you could give one piece of advice to investors, what would it be?
The few investors who consistently beat the market over the long run don’t use the strategies most people are likely using. They buy great companies at good prices and only use options to magnify ultra-compelling setups, while always keeping their ratios in check to withstand deep market crashes.
That’s how I’m always allocated. It’s boring... but we’re all here to make money, right?
Brandon’s Favorites
📖 Favorite book: Richer, Wiser, Happier by William Green @WilliamGreen72
🎧 Favorite podcast: The All-In Podcast @theallinpod
💬 Favorite quote: "The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient." – Warren Buffett
👤 Favorite FinX account: Investing With Brandon @Invest_Brandon
Where can we find more info about you?
X: @Invest_Brandon
YouTube: @InvestingWithBrandon
Training & Discord: https://investingwithbrandon.co/invest
That’s a wrap!
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Until then, invest wisely.
Vincent & Stefan
The Future Investors
Disclaimer:
The information and opinions provided in this article are for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any financial product, security, or asset. The Future Investors does not provide personalized investment advice and is not a licensed financial advisor. Always do your own research before making any investment decisions and consult with a qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions. Please consult the general disclaimer for more details.