Whitney Tilson

Investor, author, and philanthropist

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Book Recommendations:

WT

Recommended by Whitney Tilson

I read The Dhandho Investor from start to finish in one sitting―I couldn't put it down. Mohnish shares the 'secrets' of his extraordinary success and has made a significant contribution to the literature on value investing. (from Amazon)

A comprehensive value investing framework for the individual investorIn a straightforward and accessible manner, The Dhandho Investor lays out the powerful framework of value investing. Written with the intelligent individual investor in mind, this comprehensive guide distills the Dhandho capital allocation framework of the business savvy Patels from India and presents how they can be applied successfully to the stock market. The Dhandho method expands on the groundbreaking principles of value investing expounded by Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffett, and Charlie Munger. Readers will be introduced to important value investing concepts such as "Heads, I win! Tails, I don't lose that much!," "Few Bets, Big Bets, Infrequent Bets," Abhimanyu's dilemma, and a detailed treatise on using the Kelly Formula to invest in undervalued stocks. Using a light, entertaining style, Pabrai lays out the Dhandho framework in an easy-to-use format. Any investor who adopts the framework is bound to improve on results and soundly beat the markets and most professionals.

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Recommended by Whitney Tilson

Can a book teach you how to beat the pants off the stock market? After all, billion-dollar portfolio managers can't do it -- and if they can't, they figure no one can. Business-school professors not only say it's impossible, but they can cart out plenty of statistics to prove it. So, why should you buy this book? Because Joel Greenblatt has been beating the pants off the stock market (with returns of 50 percent a year) for more than ten years. And now he's willing to show you how to do it, too. Here, in this witty and accessible guide, you'll learn the secret hiding places of stock market profits. You'll see how simple it is to succeed where the professionals and the professors have failed. No special tools are required. No degrees are needed. All it takes is a little time and a little effort, and You Can Be a Stock Market Genius. But who's Joel Greenblatt and why should you listen to him? He's the former chairman of a Fortune 500 company and founder of Gotham Capital, an investment partnership whose stock portfolio achieved returns of $52 for each $1 invested at its inception. Now he's ready to reveal all his secrets. This book will show you how to uncover the investment opportunities that the experts are actually trained to miss. You'll learn the hidden value and the incredible profits that lie waiting in those uncharted areas where the individual investor has a huge advantage over the Wall Street pros. This is not a book full of theoretical possibilities; You Can Be a Stock Market Genius is a practical guide to finding those special situations in which big profits are possible. It's all here, including specific case studies, the background information you need, and the tools you'll use. If you're an investor who wants to beat the market, you've come to the right place. If you want to be a stock market genius, just think of this book as your personal treasure map to the secret hiding places of the stock market profits that you've been looking for.

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Recommended by Whitney Tilson

“By far the best book on investing ever written.” — Warren Buffett The classic text of Benjamin Graham’s seminal The Intelligent Investor has now been revised and annotated to update the timeless wisdom for today’s market conditions. The greatest investment advisor of the twentieth century, Benjamin Graham, taught and inspired people worldwide. Graham's philosophy of "value investing"—which shields investors from substantial error and teaches them to develop long-term strategies—has made The Intelligent Investor the stock market bible ever since its original publication in 1949. Over the years, market developments have proven the wisdom of Graham's strategies. While preserving the integrity of Graham's original text, this revised edition includes updated commentary by noted financial journalist Jason Zweig, whose perspective incorporates the realities of today's market, draws parallels between Graham's examples and today's financial headlines, and gives readers a more thorough understanding of how to apply Graham's principles. Vital and indispensable, this revised edition of The Intelligent Investor is the most important book you will ever read on how to reach your financial goals.

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Recommended by Whitney Tilson

Security Analysis, Sixth Edition (Leatherbound Edition) book cover

by Benjamin Graham, David Dodd, Seth Klarman·You?

First published in 1934, Security Analysis is one of the most influential financial books ever written. Selling more than one million copies through five editions, it has provided generations of investors with the timeless value investing philosophy and techniques of Benjamin Graham and David L. Dodd. As relevant today as when they first appeared nearly 75 years ago, the teachings of Benjamin Graham, “the father of value investing,” have withstood the test of time across a wide diversity of market conditions, countries, and asset classes. This new sixth edition, based on the classic 1940 version, is enhanced with 200 additional pages of commentary from some of today’s leading Wall Street money managers. These masters of value investing explain why the principles and techniques of Graham and Dodd are still highly relevant even in today’s vastly different markets. The contributor list includes: Seth A. Klarman, president of The Baupost Group, L.L.C. and author of Margin of SafetyJames Grant, founder of Grant's Interest Rate Observer, general partner of Nippon Partners Jeffrey M. Laderman, twenty-five year veteran of BusinessWeekRoger Lowenstein, author of Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist and When America Aged and Outside Director, Sequoia Fund Howard S. Marks, CFA, Chairman and Co-Founder, Oaktree Capital Management L.P. J. Ezra Merkin, Managing Partner, Gabriel Capital Group . Bruce Berkowitz, Founder, Fairholme Capital Management. Glenn H. Greenberg, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Chieftain Capital Management Bruce Greenwald, Robert Heilbrunn Professor of Finance and Asset Management, Columbia Business School David Abrams, Managing Member, Abrams Capital Featuring a foreword by Warren E. Buffett (in which he reveals that he has read the 1940 masterwork “at least four times”), this new edition of Security Analysis will reacquaint you with the foundations of value investing―more relevant than ever in the tumultuous 21st century markets.

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Recommended by Whitney Tilson

"You will find lots of jewels in these pages that may do as much for you as they have for me."-from the Introduction by Kenneth L. Fisher Forbes columnist Widely respected and admired, Philip Fisher is among the most influential investors of all time. His investment philosophies, introduced almost forty years ago, are not only studied and applied by today's finance professionals, but are also regarded by many as gospel. He recorded these philosophies in Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits, a book considered invaluable reading when it was first published in 1958, and a must-read today. Acclaim for Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits "I sought out Phil Fisher after reading his Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits...When I met him, I was impressed by the man as by his ideas. A thorough understanding of the business, obtained by using Phil's techniques...enables one to make intelligent investment commitments."-Warren Buffett "Little known to the public, rarely interviewed and accepting few clients, Philip Fisher is nevertheless read and studied by most thoughtful investment professionals . . . everyone will profit from pondering-as Warren Buffett has done-the investment principles Fisher espouses."-James W. Michaels Editor, Forbes "My own copy [of Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits] has underlinings and marginal thoughts throughout."-John Train Author of Dance of the Money Bees

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Recommended by Whitney Tilson

The widely adopted, now classic book on influence and persuasion—a major national and international bestseller with more than four million copies sold! In this highly acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Dr. Robert B. Cialdini—the seminal expert in the field of influence and persuasion—explains the psychology of why people say yes and how to apply these principles ethically in business and everyday situations. You’ll learn the six universal principles of influence and how to use them to become a skilled persuader—and, just as importantly, how to defend yourself against dishonest influence attempts: Reciprocation: The internal pull to repay what another person has provided us.Commitment and Consistency: Once we make a choice or take a stand, we work to behave consistently with that commitment in order to justify our decisions.Social Proof: When we are unsure, we look to similar others to provide us with the correct actions to take. And the more, people undertaking that action, the more we consider that action correct.Liking: The propensity to agree with people we like and, just as important, the propensity for others to agree with us, if we like them.Authority: We are more likely to say “yes” to others who are authorities, who carry greater knowledge, experience or expertise.Scarcity: We want more of what is less available or dwindling in availability.Understanding and applying the six principles ethically is cost-free and deceptively easy. Backed by Dr. Cialdini’s 35 years of evidence-based, peer-reviewed scientific research—as well as by a three-year field study on what moves people to change behavior—Influence is a comprehensive guide to using these principles effectively to amplify your ability to change the behavior of others.