Provoking Posts

Provoking Posts Provoking Posts are ideas shared by Preston McSwain to promote debate on timely topics. Thought Provoking Questions and Ideas by Preston McSwain

Fear that I would not be able to hug my Mom again. This is my motivation for writing this personal post. My Mother was f...
07/16/2020

Fear that I would not be able to hug my Mom again. This is my motivation for writing this personal post. My Mother was found alone on the floor after being there for an estimated three days. Why? She had COVID-19. Doctors think that she didn’t realize that she had it and that it came on so fast that she passed out. [ 443 more words ]

Fear that I would not be able to hug my Mom again. This is my motivation for writing this personal post. My Mother was found alone on the floor after being there for an estimated three days.  Why?  She had COVID-19.  Doctors think that she didn’t realize that she had it and that it came … Mor...

Some investment fund presentations, just "don't make good sense."
05/12/2020

Some investment fund presentations, just "don't make good sense."

“Son, I wouldn’t do that. It don’t make good sense.” “Yes, Sir.” “I told you once, and ain’t going to say it again, don’t do that.” “Yes, Sir.” The next thing I knew, I was literally knocked off my feet. My Grandfather ran a one-man HVAC service business in Alabama (yes, I ca...

03/14/2020

The past few weeks have a lot of people in the financial world making comparisons to the 2008-2009 financial crisis. This is understandable, as markets have fallen and day-to-day swings are reminiscent of the large one-way - and then the other-way - percentage point moves in 2008 and 2009. I remember those days well, as I was a Managing Director at Lehman Brothers. [ 380 more words ]

The past few weeks have a lot of people in the financial world making comparisons to the 2008-2009 financial crisis. This is understandable, as markets have fallen and day-to-day swings are reminiscent of the large one-way – and then the other-way – percentage point moves in 2008 and 2009. I rem...

The following is a quote from a breakfast that I recently had with a long-time senior executive and UHNW private direct-...
10/02/2019

The following is a quote from a breakfast that I recently had with a long-time senior executive and UHNW private direct-deal investor. "We all know that the D and A in EBITDA can be 'delusional accounting' but it is 'accepted' so we work it." We were discussing how most everyone inside the business knows about the games that are all too often played with EBITDA, and other valuation and reporting metrics, but how they are now accepted by investors large and small so… [ 432 more words ]

The following is a quote from a breakfast that I recently had with a long-time senior executive and UHNW private direct-deal investor. “We all know that the D and A in EBITDA can be ‘delusional accounting’ but it is ‘accepted’ so we work it.” We were discussing how most everyone inside t...

Push push push... Work more, research more, analyze more - faster and faster. Sound familiar? I can't speak to all types...
08/11/2019

Push push push... Work more, research more, analyze more - faster and faster. Sound familiar? I can't speak to all types of business, but over my career in and around the investment world, I've consistently seen premiums placed on the frequency of extremely long days, all-nighters and working through the day without breaks. I'm not saying that hard work and grit are not warranted sometimes, but if we step back, do we really make the best decisions and think clearly during days packed with back to back 15-30 minute meetings? [ 257 more words ]

Push push push… Work more, research more, analyze more – faster and faster. Sound familiar? I can’t speak to all types of business, but over my career in and around the investment world, I’ve consistently seen premiums placed on the frequency of extremely long days, all-nighters and working ...

This past weekend my family was fortunate enough to spend time on Martha’s Vineyard and I smiled when seeing this old si...
07/16/2019

This past weekend my family was fortunate enough to spend time on Martha’s Vineyard and I smiled when seeing this old sign again. It has sat for many years at the edge of a grass airfield – a simple weather-divining device involving only a stone and some pithy instructions. It is a little worn, but the message has endured. Not just because it’s funny, but because it serves as a commonsense reminder to pilots: … [ 676 more words ]

This past weekend my family was fortunate enough to spend time on Martha’s Vineyard and I smiled when seeing this old sign again. It has sat for many years at the edge of a grass airfield – a simple weather-divining device involving only a stone and some pithy instructions. It is a little worn, ...

The title of this post is the headline out this morning from the Council of Leading US Economists (C.L.U.E. for short). ...
04/01/2019

The title of this post is the headline out this morning from the Council of Leading US Economists (C.L.U.E. for short). According to the organization, C.L.U.E.’s prediction is based on their latest research model. Will the Dow hit six figures while Trump is still in office, or is this another example of the never in doubt but often wrong career affliction, Strategist Analysis Disorder, otherwise known as S.A.D.? [ 184 more words ]

The title of this post is the headline out this morning from the Council of Leading US Economists (C.L.U.E. for short).  According to the organization, C.L.U.E.’s prediction is based on their latest research model. Will the Dow hit six figures while Trump is still in office, or is this another ex...

Tips Direct from the NFL The past few years, I’ve written Super Bowl posts about the emotions of big financial market ga...
02/01/2019

Tips Direct from the NFL The past few years, I’ve written Super Bowl posts about the emotions of big financial market games often getting the best of investors (click here for last year’s version). This year, I was fortunate enough to collaborate with Jeff Locke, who has been a punter in the NFL since 2013 (he deserves full credit for this post). [ 1,086 more word ]

Tips Direct from the NFL The past few years, I’ve written Super Bowl posts about the emotions of big financial market games often getting the best of investors (click here for last year’s version). This year, I was fortunate enough to collaborate with Jeff Locke, who has been a punter in the NFL...

Yes, this title is a little click-baitish, but with all the other crazy headlines floating around I figured I’d throw ou...
01/04/2019

Yes, this title is a little click-baitish, but with all the other crazy headlines floating around I figured I’d throw out this provoking question. I didn’t make it up, however. How one could have outperformed “100% of the time” in the “longest” bear markets was detailed in a report published by a well-respected research center in 2001 (more on this below). [ 701 more words ]

Yes, this title is a little click-baitish, but with all the other crazy headlines floating around I figured I’d throw out this provoking question. I didn’t make it up, however. How one could have outperformed “100% of the time” in the “longest” bear markets was detailed in a report publi...

Try to stay focused on your goals and the often rewarding long-term green versus short-term red. On my way to the office...
12/24/2018

Try to stay focused on your goals and the often rewarding long-term green versus short-term red. On my way to the office this morning, I noticed many holiday decorations in red and green. They always bring me joy and I stopped to take the picture at the top of this post. Unfortunately, in the financial markets, red and green evoke other feelings such as the ones illustrated in the charts below. [ 802 more words ]

Try to stay focused on your goals and the often rewarding long-term green versus short-term red. On my way to the office this morning, I noticed many holiday decorations in red and green. They always bring me joy and I stopped to take the picture at the top of this post. Unfortunately, in the financ...

Chicken Fried and Cold Beer on a Friday NightCan Investors Learn A Few Things From A Country Song?
11/09/2018

Chicken Fried and Cold Beer on a Friday Night
Can Investors Learn A Few Things From A Country Song?

Can Investors Learn A Few Things From A Country Song? Those of you who know me well know that I am from Alabama and that I still have some Southern boy in me. Those of you who know a little country music may also recognize that the title of this post is based on a … More Chicken Fried and Cold Bee...

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