Episode 50: William Green: Richer, Wiser, Happier: From Investing to Kindness, Spirituality, Pursuit of Freedom and More
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50th EPISODE!
Every conversation with William Green is an adventure, and so was today’s hour and a half, where we talked about everything from investing to kindness, spirituality, the pursuit of freedom, and more –
His book Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World’s Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life is a must-read for anyone serious about investing and everyone curious to learn some of the greatest minds not only about getting richer but living better lives.
William is also a host of The Richer, Wiser, Happier collection of podcast episodes featured on We Study Billionaires, the flagship podcast of The Investor’s Podcast Network, which has more than 100 million downloads. He interviews high-profile guests such as Howard Marks, Joel Greenblatt, Ray Dalio, and Bill Miller, exploring what they can teach us about how to succeed in markets and life.
Over the last 25 years, William has interviewed many legendary investors—everyone from Sir John Templeton to Charlie Munger, Jack Bogle to Bill Miller. That experience led him to write a landmark book, Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World’s Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life. In the Richer, Wiser, Happier podcast, William draws on this unparalleled access to the world’s most successful investors, so you can listen to—and learn from—the very best.
Over the last quarter of a century, he has interviewed many of the world’s best investors, exploring in depth the question of what qualities and insights enable them to achieve enduring success. He’s written extensively about investing for many publications and has been interviewed about the greatest investors for magazines, newspapers, podcasts, radio, and television. He has also given many talks about the lessons we can learn from the most successful investors, not only about how to invest but about how to improve our thinking.
Green has written for many leading publications in the US and Europe, including The New Yorker, Time, Fortune, Forbes, Barron’s, Fast Company, Money, Worth, Bloomberg Markets, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe Magazine, The New York Observer, The (London) Spectator, The (London) Independent Magazine, and The Economist. He has reported in places as diverse as China, India, Japan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the US, Mexico, England, France, Monaco, Poland, Italy, and Russia. He has interviewed presidents and prime ministers, inventors, criminals, prize-winning authors, the CEOs of some of the world’s largest companies, and countless billionaires.
While living in London, Green edited the European, Middle Eastern, and African editions of Time. Before that, he lived in Hong Kong, where he edited the Asian edition of Time during a period in which it won many awards.
Green has collaborated on several books as a ghostwriter, co-author, or editor. One of them became a #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller in 2017. He also worked closely with a renowned hedge fund manager, Guy Spier, helping him to write his much-praised 2014 memoir, The Education of a Value Investor: My Transformative Quest for Wealth, Wisdom, and Enlightenment. Green also wrote and edited The Great Minds of Investing, which features short profiles of 33 renowned investors, along with stunning portraits created by Michael O’Brien, one of America’s preeminent photographers.
Born and raised in London, Green was educated at Eton College, studied English literature at Oxford University, and received a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. He lives in New York with his wife, Lauren, and their children, Henry and Madeleine.
Today we talk about:
1. Authenticity and Quality: We discussed the importance of being genuine and valuing quality in all aspects of life.
2. The Praise of Slowness: We delved into the value of taking things slowly and appreciating the moment.
3. Contradictory Truths: We recognized that profound truths can sometimes be opposing.
4. Contrasting investment strategies of Guy Spier and Mohnish Pabrai.
5. Emotions: We also emphasized the role of emotions in investment decisions.
6. When to persist, when to quit: We emphasized the importance of resilience and knowing when to persist or when to step back.
7. Kindness: We reflected on the significance of nurturing kindness and cultivating positive habits now, rather than waiting for a future time of wealth or success.
8. Right habits in times of crisis: we talked about preparing for crisis situations by establishing solid routines in advance.
9. Return on Life: William shared his views on the importance of assessing the value we derive from life, rather than just material gains.
10. Spirituality: William believes that spirituality could be the connecting thread in our journey towards becoming richer, wiser, and happier.
11. Pursuit of Freedom: William places a high value on freedom in his life and actively seeks it in his choices and actions.
12. Luck and Gratitude: We wrapped up our conversation acknowledging the role of fortune in our lives and the importance of remaining grateful for the life experiences we encounter.
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IMPORTANT: As a reminder, the remarks in this interview represent the views, opinions, and experiences of the participants and are based upon information they believe to be reliable; however, neither my firm nor I have independently verified all such remarks. The content of this podcast is for general, informational purposes, and so are the opinions of a member of a registered investment adviser and guests of the show. This podcast does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any specific security or financial instruments or provide investment advice or service. Past performance is not indicative of future results.