John Zolidis on Making Better Decisions and Recognizing Flawed Mental Models

Investment research created by large banks, mid-sized banks, and even smaller boutiques is frequently muddled by conflicts of interest, and its value diminished by over-distribution. Analysts often feel pressure to have positive ratings to support bankers or to generate corporate access.  And the time horizon of most research is typically very short, causing analysts to miss long-term winners due to near-term considerations. But the biggest issue is that most analysts have no proprietary information or process. Additionally, what are the mental models that can best serve not only making investment decisions, but also the various other choices we make in our lives?  John Zolidis has a lot to say about all that. As to the investment aspects, via Quo Vadis Capital, where he is President and Founder, he provides a research service that, while designed for the buy-side, is organized to solve for the sell-side’s issues. If you’re not exactly sure what that means, we’ll unpack all that and more in this conversation. John’s work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, The New York Post, Marketwatch.com, The Street.com and others; he was named in the Wall Street Journal’s “Best on the Street” list, and is a part of value-investing conferences in Vail, Cyprus, Klosters, London, and Dubai.     Please note, in this episode, we are not providing any investment instruction or recommendations.  Please consult your financial advisor for investment advice that is appropriate for your personal financial situation, risk tolerance and objectives.