📖Jeremy Grantham

Understand Before Investing

🌱 Beginner★★★★★

Only invest in what you can explain simply.

💬

Never invest in a business you cannot explain in simple terms. If you can't describe why a company is valuable, you don't understand it well enough to own it.

— GMO Quarterly Letters,2017

🏠 Everyday Analogy

Analyzing a business is like choosing a long-term partner. Temporary excitement matters less than durable character, capability, and consistency.

📖 Core Interpretation

Jeremy Grantham emphasizes durable business quality over short-term noise. A strong model, real competitive edge, and disciplined capital allocation matter more than quarterly excitement.
💎 Key Insight:Simplicity of explanation tests depth of understanding.

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❓ Why It Matters

Without business-quality filters, investors drift toward stories rather than economics. Durable cash generation is what supports long-term valuation.

🎯 How to Practice

Use a checklist covering moat, management, unit economics, and capital allocation; track long-term cash generation instead of quarter-to-quarter noise.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Buying narratives instead of cash-generating economics
Overreacting to short-term operating noise
Ignoring management quality and capital allocation

📚 Case Studies

1
Pre-Crisis Housing and Credit Bubble (2007)
Grantham highlighted the U.S. housing and credit bubble, reducing exposure to risk assets while others chased returns in financials and leveraged structures.
✨ Outcome:During the 2008 crash, GMO strategies suffered less drawdown and recovered faster, validating the contrarian, valuation-driven stance.
2
Pre-Global Financial Crisis Caution (2007)
Grantham warned of a broad asset bubble, cutting exposure to risk assets and tilting toward quality stocks, cash, and selected safe bonds.
✨ Outcome:Portfolios following his asset allocation shift experienced materially lower losses during 2008–2009 and preserved capital for post-crisis rebalancing.

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