Bethany McLean - Business Gone Bad and the Art of Persistence - [Invest Like the Best, EP.96]
I’ve often heard that good investors are a bit like journalists: doggedly collecting evidence and building an understanding of how all the pieces of a company or investment fit together. My guest this week is one of my favorite writers and journalists, Bethany McLean. Across her career, Bethany has covered many of the most interesting stories in business and investing, including Enron (which became the famous book and documentary, the Smartest Guys in the Room), Valeant, Wells Fargo, SAC Capital, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the great financial crisis, and most recently, fracking and the energy revolution. Given how deeply she has investigated all of these topics-- and thought about the common threads across them all--this was an amazing conversation. When talking to her, you can feel how much she cares and how diligent and fair she is when analyzing a topic. In addition to all of the great stories already listed, we discuss the art of persistence and other lessons she has learned about businesses and people gone bad. I especially loved her evolving take on housing in America. Please enjoy my conversation with Bethany McLean For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag Links Referenced The Hunt for Steve Cohen Books Referenced Free Radicals: The Secret Anarchy of Science Saudi America: The Truth About Fracking and How It's Changing the World Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis Show Notes 2:22 - (First Question) – Differences and similarities between investors and journalists 3:19 – What has more of an impact on business practices, exposing negatives or reporting positive 4:57 – first story that got Bethany intrigued with finding bad behaviors 6:19 – The process of getting to know the people who know more than the market 7:43 – Mindsets: Optimism vs. Complacency vs. Pessimism 8:18 – First short seller that garnered her interest 8:57 – The process that led to The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron 10:36 – How to ask questions 12:18 – Importance of preparation 14:20 – Difference between a visionary and a fraud 15:42 – Free Radicals: The Secret Anarchy of Science 16:23 – Any standout frauds that told a really compelling story 17:33 – Looking into Valient 19:32 –Writing about the #MeToo movement 19:34 - Disgraced ex-BofA exec raises uncomfortable questions about #MeToo 21:49 – Thoughts on the spectrum of chasing this story 23:26 – Ways journalist can fairly impact this movement 24:14 – The romance of owning a home in America and what it has meant for the market 24:34 – Shaky Ground: The Strange Saga of the U.S. Mortgage Giants 28:27 – What has changed on her thinking about housing 30:24 – What role does Fannie and Freddie have in the market today 31:13 – Her desire to look into energy 32:26 – Saudi America: The Truth About Fracking and How It's Changing the World 35:05 – What have been the changes in energy market in the US 34:40 – Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy 37:01 – Where are we in the life cycle of energy production 38:29 – Technologies that shaped industrial revolution in America 41:10 – Why is Peter Elkin the best investigative journalist 42:24 – Most relentless she has ever been 43:58 – Who is doing it right 44:38 – All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis 45:36 – Her take on reporting the The Hunt for Steve Cohen story 49:01 – How her views have evolved over her career and lessons learned 50:40 – Are there ways to prevent success from leading people down a bad path 53:48 – The role of empathy in her career 55:13 – Kindest thing anyone has done for Bethany’s career