📖John Neff

Review Your Investment Thesis

🌿 Intermediate★★★★☆

Regularly challenge your original investment thesis.

💬

Regularly review whether your original reasons for owning a stock still hold. If the facts change, change your mind. Holding a broken thesis is the costliest mistake.

— John Neff on Investing,1999

🏠 Everyday Analogy

Long-term investing is like planting trees. Early progress looks slow, but compounding happens underground before it becomes visible.

📖 Core Interpretation

John Neff frames investing as a compounding game. Time amplifies quality and discipline, while unnecessary activity often destroys long-horizon returns.
💎 Key Insight:Adapting to new facts prevents holding broken investments.

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❓ Why It Matters

Short-term noise often forces investors out before value is realized. Long-term discipline increases the odds that fundamentals, not emotions, drive outcomes.

🎯 How to Practice

Extend research and review horizon, reduce unnecessary turnover, and adjust only when intrinsic value, risk, or opportunity cost materially changes.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Calling it long term while never reviewing thesis
Overtrading and damaging compounding
Ignoring opportunity cost and alternatives

📚 Case Studies

1
Ford Motor Rebound (1981)
During recession and auto slump, Neff accumulated Ford at high yield and depressed valuation while sentiment was extremely negative.
✨ Outcome:As industry recovered and earnings normalized, stock rerated and dividends plus price gains generated outsized returns.
2
Ford Motor Post-Oil Shock (1974)
After the 1973–74 oil crisis, auto stocks plunged. Neff bought Ford at low P/E with solid dividend and restructuring underway.
✨ Outcome:Ford rebounded strongly as U.S. economy stabilized, delivering market‑beating returns while its valuation normalized.

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