Dan Villalon is a true renaissance man, with a deep technical love for, and expertise in, investing, winemaking, and woodworking – specifically surfboards and ukuleles. It’s one thing to understand the basics of a complex and intricate topic, and quite another to be a maker. Not to mention, being able to teach and explain the way Dan does.

During the pandemic, do-it-yourself became almost a cliché. Bread, anyone? Our team was just as guilty of this trend, discovering the liberation that comes from learning how to build on your own. After listening to Dan, we’d argue the source of that liberation comes from deeper understanding and appreciation for how things are made, and for the people who do the making. In this episode, Dan elaborates on how renowned American physicist Richard Feynman changed his life with the quotation “What I cannot create I do not understand.”

More about Dan Villalon

Dan is the Managing Director and Co-Head of Portfolio Solutions Group at AQR Capital Management. In his role, he oversees the team responsible for advising clients on portfolio challenges, developing custom analysis and writing white papers and other research. Dan is also a member of AQR’s Multi-fund Investment Committee, which oversees the design construction and implementation of multi-asset multi-strategy portfolios. Listen below or click here to listen on Apple.

The next book about money we plan to read is The Psychology of Money – Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness. It is scheduled to be released on September 8th and is getting the buzziest reviews we have heard about any finance book in 2020. It’s authored by Morgan Housel, who readers of this email will recognize. Housel uses 19 short stories to explore the way people make financial decisions. “Important decisions are often made at the dinner table, where personal history, your own unique view of the world, ego, pride, marketing, and odd incentives are scrambled together.” 

“It’s one of the best and most original finance books in years.”

Jason Zweig

*Pre-order here if you are as excited as we are.

“Bad news and ill omens can make the market appear riskier than many investors would prefer,”  wrote Vanguard in their recently published lessons on their website. “But if you take the long view, things might not seem so bad.” We love that Vanguard, the second-largest mutual fund company on the planet, used our trademarked phrase. Obviously, we agree. 

See it Here