• Current read is 64 on the fear greed index vs 42 last week.

• Market rebounded sharply off the lows a week ish ago & pushed us back in to the greed category.

• Market Fearful = Potential Opportunity/Deals. (consider buy calls/sell puts/buy shares)

• Market Greedy = Potential Over Valuation. (consider buy puts/sell shares/take on less risk)

• I like to be bullish when there is extreme fear

• I like to be bearish when extreme greed.

• Opportunity is out there, just gotta find it!

• 30 year fixed mortgage rate decreased to 6.60% Today, vs 6.72% last week.

• 10 year treasury bond yield decreased to 4.64% Today, vs 4.71% last week

• 2 year treasury bond yield decreased to 4.19% Today, vs 4.26% last week.

• Rates came down a little this week as it looks like we are going to get some resolution with Iran for the 86th time… We shall see! Be allocated to win either way!

• As I always say, interest rates are gravity!

• As interest rates/bond yields INCREASE, stocks become LESS attractive because bond yields go UP which makes the risk free bond look MORE attractive.

Hope everyone had a good week!

This week’s newsletter is going to be a little different vs ones in the past.

I did a mini interview recently and wanted to share that info with everyone here as I think there is value!

We will be back to normal next week!

Ok here we go:

To break the ice... I didn't stumble into the market... I studied it professionally, obsessively, and dug DEEP in to what actually makes money in the stock market. The hard truth... it's not what 95% of retail & professional investors do. The cold hard facts are that 90%+ of all investors do not outperform the SP500. That needs to click. We are all here to make money... So why do so many people do so bad? 

How in this world of easy information can so many people day trading, swing trading, doing covered calls, cash secured puts, & spreads do so bad...

Well...Many are trying to get rich overnight. Many do NOT know what they own and why they own it. Many are only allocated to win when the market goes up, but when we dip, its total destruction of their portfolios. Many do options in a way that cap upside. Many fall in to the cash flow trap at the cost of appreciation. Many just have no plan. No system. No idea how to build their portfolios in a way that works in all market types and gets the best of both worlds from cash flow and appreciation.

What is my investment strategy?

It's very simple. It's very boring. But I have used this framework to outperform the SP500 in the last decade.

I start from the top at the 40,000 foot level and understand the macro at a basic level. This is how the economy is doing, overall SP500 valuations, Interest rates, & EPS growth for SP500. I then take that level of conviction and allocate my portfolio.

Depending on my bullishness/bearishness on the macro, 75% ish of my portfolio is broad market ETFs like the SP500 & nasdaq. That's the compounding base & I never touch it. This is also VERY important to do the portfolio secured put option strategy which I will talk about in a minute! The other 25% goes into ELITE companies that are trading at good valuations with solid EPS growth. In order to have a good investment, you need both a great company at a good price. BOTH are required!

Now the options layer. So many people do options VERY wrong... Many get crushed. & trust me, I did not wake up day one day and realized this... It took MANY years of blood sweat & tears to realize this so hopefully it helps leap frog you from where you are to where you need to be.

Understand the point of options and why they exist. They are here to magnify something. They are leverage. They are a way to make a bet on a VERY compelling setup. If you do not have a compelling setup... DON'T use them! Do not force a trade for the sake of making a trade. The setup MUST be good. Now... the expiration date I choose on my options is always 1+ year out. Why? Because NOBODY knows what stocks will do in the short term. So why make a magnified bet on that... I do NOT. Stocks follow the earnings (EPS) in the long run. When I buy a great company with good EPS growth at a good valuation to start... you will be surprised how consistent you can be if you give enough time for your thesis to play out. This is why I always do 1+ year. 

So a simple flow... If I am bullish, I buy shares. Super bullish, I sell 1+ year portfolio secured puts. Super super bullish, I buy leap calls.

The thing many people ask me about is the portfolio secured put. Here is the simple overview... Its like a cash secured put but with no cash sitting there doing nothing. If I am bullish enough to sell the put, I wouldn't want the cash there doing nothing... Just look what happened on the Iran dip and the huge market rally after... You were right to sell the put. Wrong to secure it with cash because the cash did no participate in the HUGE upside the market did. My portfolio secured the trade. I collect nothing in margin interest. & if the market falls 60% my ratios are in check to not even be close to a margin call. Best part... I have no cash drag like a cash secured put...

How many stocks are currently held in my portfolio?

A few ETFs and a handful of individual names. When the market is cheaper & more compelling, I often have more single companies. When its more over valued and less advantageous, I have less single companies and actually build bond allocations. It's all about allocating based on how compelling the setups/macro is. 

Which sectors do I mainly focus on?

Its all about where the compelling deals are in areas that I understand. Right now, there is opportunity in Mag7, Ai picks and shovels plays, & banks too. 

What is the biggest investing mistake I have made?

Confusing activity with progress. Early on (over a decade ago) I chased short dated options and momentum plays because they felt like more work and more trades equaled more money. The market rewards patience and discipline, not making 18 trades a day like most people... The day I stopped gambling and actually followed the Buffett approach of buying great companies when they are on sale... it really changed everything. Then the long duration options layer + portfolio secured put to magnify ultra compelling setups is the gamechanger for appreciation and cash flow. 

If I could give one piece of advice to investors, what would it be?

The few investors that beat the market in the long run do not do the strategies you are likely doing... They buy great companies at good prices and only use 1+ year options to magnify ultra compelling setups & ALWAYS have ratios in check to be fine in deep crashes. That is how I am ALWAYS allocated. Its boring... but we are all here to make money right...

My Favorites
Favorite book: Richer, Wiser, Happier
Favorite podcast: All In Pod
Favorite quote: "The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient." – Warren Buffett
Favorite FinX account: @invest_brandon
Where can we find more info about you?
X: @Invest_Brandon
YouTube: @InvestingWithBrandon
Training & Discord: https://learn.investingwithbrandon.co/join

See you next week!
- Brandon

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Economic/Earnings Calendar For August 10 - August 14
(all times in pst)

Monday August 10
No major economic data reporting
See how market digests Iran situation
Hims Earnings (post market)
Rocketlab Earnings (post market)

Tuesday August 11
No major economic data to report
SMCI Earnings (post market)
Lumentum Earnings (post market
Coreweave Earnings (post market)

Wednesday August 12
5:30a CPI inflation data
5:30a Real Earnings
Nebius Earnings (premarket)
Cisco Earnings (post market)
Coherent Earnings (post market)

Thursday August 13
5:30a PPI inflation data
5:30a Initial & continued jobless claims
ONDAS Earnings (pre market)
Applied Materials Earnings (post market)

Friday August 14
5:30a Retail Sales

Everything will be broken down in real time in Discord!