About

I named my website the Intelligent Speculator as a play on the book The Intelligent Investor, written by Benjamin Graham. Graham is considered the father of value investing and his investing philosophy greatly influenced Warren Buffet. If you read his book you will find that he doesn’t consider speculating a form of investing at all. In fact, he would probably consider the name of my website an oxymoron. While I agree with most of his investment philosophy I disagree with his opinion on speculating. I believe if you speculate in the right manner you can greatly increase your chances for exceptional returns.

So what do I mean by speculating? I don’t mean investing in a pink sheet stock that’s worth a penny and hoping it goes to two cents. That’s just gambling and you might as well go to a casino. I do mean investing in companies that aren’t making money but are heading towards profitability. I also mean investing in companies in anticipation of a good quarter and therefore a short term gain. There are also many other forms of speculating that if done properly can increase your returns.

While I think speculative investing can be beneficial, it is not without risk. I have a very high threshold for risk but most of my money still goes towards solid stocks (stocks that have good earnings and cheap valuations). In fact, the majority of my stock recommendations will not be very speculative at all.

If you like solid investments, but at the same time like to take on a little risk you have found the right place.