For over 15 years I have been a contributor to TheStreet and its subscriber-based products (currently Real Money Pro).
TheStreet, Inc. was founded as TheStreet.com by Jim Cramer and Martin Peretz in 1996 and went public in 1999. Since then, TheStreet has become one of the most popular and informative fountains of investment information of its kind.
I have always enjoyed writing, and Jim and his team have provided me with a platform in which I combine humor, pop culture metaphors, and even clever quips from my Grandma Koufax in an attempt to differentiate my words from the dry Wall Street research that permeates the investment narrative.
If I have been successful, it is probably because I write for myself. I ask myself in every column—and I typically write at least 15 columns a day—if I have learned something new and if the process of reading my diary has been an engaging and enjoyable experience.
This is easier said than done. After all, since 1998, I have likely written over 30 million words contained in more than 50,000 columns.
Ask yourself whether you discuss 15 new subjects in your own life with your friends and family each and every day.
With so much to express in my daily columns, I start my day early at around 5:00 A.M., and I end the day, subject to after-hours news, after 6:00 P.M.
That's a long day. But it has been rewarding, and I like to think that I still have something to say or observe.
My writings and investment/research process have been influenced by numerous legends as well as many regular folks and friends.
My journey was made possible by the tens of thousands of subscribers to TheStreet, Real Money, and Real Money Pro. We have shared experiences, corresponded frequently, and some of us have grown to be true friends.
The cornerstone and epicenter of my journalistic travels on TheStreet starts with Jim Cramer. Jim has been my collaborator, my defender and advocate, and he has provided me with the guidance of a shining star in the night. He has been generous with his time and kind in his criticism. All this has made the journey smooth, and the 15-plus years have flown by. Stephanie Link, also at TheStreet, has been helpful and has also been an important adviser to me over the past several years. Finally, TheStreet CEO Elisabeth DeMarse is a wonderful leader who has steadily guided the company through an ever-changing and increasingly difficult-to-navigate media terrain.
Perhaps my most significant personal influence is my Grandma Koufax. She was a successful businesswoman, investor, and feminist, who taught me about the stock market when I was in my mid-teens.
Other influential iconic figures for whom I have worked include Jerry “The Chief” Jordan, the best trader I have ever met; Larry Lasser, who taught me how to deliver a sound analytical argument; and Martin Hale at Putnam Management, who gave me a historical perspective. Omega Advisors' Lee Cooperman, the hardest-working hedge-hogger extant, and Steve Einhorn showed me the positive consequences of going belly to belly with a company's management and enlightened me about the advantages of looking more frequently on the optimistic side.
Our late national journalistic treasure Alan Abelson, of Barron's, as well as my first boss, Ralph Nader, taught me the benefits of being a skeptic, thinking outside of the box, and the value of investigative research, which is essential in developing differentiated and hard-hitting analysis.
Warren Buffett's invitation to grill him at his 2013 Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting provided me with a unique opportunity and contributed to one of the most enjoyable weekends of my life (which I shared with my son, Noah). By now, my copies of his letters to shareholders are all dog-eared. The Oracle of Omaha is simply the best professor any investor can be schooled by.
Others from whom I have learned include Yale's Bob Shiller, George Soros, Stanley Druckenmiller, “Uncle” Bob Farrell (the greatest technical analyst of all time), Leon Levy, Grant's Interest Rate Observer's Jim Grant, Bloomberg's Tom Keene, BTIG's Dan Greenhaus, The Lindsey Group's Peter Boockvar, TheStreet's Herb Greenberg, Richard Bernstein (who has helped me navigate the noise), Raymond James's Jeff Saut, the indomitable Dennis Gartman, the lynx-eyed Barry “Tell It Like It Is” Ritholtz, the research-intensive Jeff Berkowitz (Jim Cramer's former hedge fund partner), Bob “Scarsdale Fats” Brimberg, and Howard Marks (who teaches us all that there is more than one important thing to investing).
A special thanks to all of my friends at CNBC: Mark Haines (R.I.P.), Sir Larry Kudlow (my favorite host), the New York Times's Andrew Ross Sorkin, Becky Quick, “Judge” Scott Wapner, David Faber, and many others who have provided me with a forum for my investment ideas and views since 2003.
I owe a lot of gratitude to my Seabreeze associates Chris “The Fisherman” Brandon and Scott Budner, who put up with my idiosyncrasies and long hours.
Finally, I want to give a special shout out to my best pal, Barry Wish. Barry is a thoughtful and compassionate friend who has been my rabbi, especially over the past 15 years. His wise counsel has been a beacon of light.
I could not have produced the stream of columns without the steady hand of Daniel Robinson. Danny has been my editor for much of the past decade and has done the heavy lifting to bring this book to fruition. Despite his adoration of the Boston Red Sox, his friendship and creative pen have been invaluable.
What a long strange trip it has been and will, hopefully, continue to be for many years ahead!