Overview
Investing is far more of an art than it is a science! And for those folks with an interest but no solid training or experience in investing, looking from the-outside-in can make investing seem like a confusing and tremendously challenging task. In today’s world, many potential investors find themselves confronted with “information overload,” facing a lot of complex equations, conflicting advice, and innumerable investment vehicles and strategies.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! You don’t need a master’s degree in finance to be a successful investor, especially if you have someone with expertise to help you sift through the information, establish an understanding of investing fundamentals, and guide you through the turbulent waters of the investment arena to develop a cohesive strategy that works for you! Let’s break it down and make investing more simple, straightforward, and most importantly – fun!
Raising InvestorIQ should prove highly beneficial for anyone with a basic to intermediate understanding of investing! This site will be used to strengthen investing fundamentals while providing relevant investment information, along with thoughtful insights and analyses on various aspects of investing.
Although the primary focus will be placed on long-term investing related to equities (stocks of publicly traded companies), there will also be discussion and information related to bonds, stock options, real estate, private equity, and various aspects of personal finance. The goal of this site and the content provided therein will be, again, to strengthen investing fundamentals in a way that proves simple and straightforward, ultimately equipping basic to intermediate level investors with tools and knowhow that may allow for the achievement of wealth and financial security.
If you have excess cash flow, you should be letting your money work for you! That excess cash should be invested in some legitimate investment opportunity(ies) that will afford you a solid return on investment (ROI). Stay tuned, and perhaps the content on Raising InvestorIQ can help you with that!
About the Author
The creator of Raising InvestorIQ is Darin Sills, and he’ll be the primary author contributing to content on this site. He has over 20+ years’ investing experience, and his personal investment portfolio has consistently averaged a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly ~25%, which isn’t too bad! This compares to the average annualized return of 9.87% of the S&P500 over the same 20 year period¹, meaning that his personal investment portfolio has performed better than the market as a whole over that time period.
Although Darin had been reading and studying about investing here and there for some time, his official investing experience started soon after completing his bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park. During his study of economics, he excelled in academic studies, including a course Financial Economics that included participation in the Online Trading and Investment Simulator (OTIS), a Wharton School simulation predicated on portfolio management in which earned him a top place ranking. Around this time, he also set up his own personal investment portfolio.
Darin subsequently completed both a master’s in Finance and an M.B.A. (focus on Strategy) from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park. During business school, he also studied and worked within Smith’s Global Equity Fund, a year-long program under the tutelage of a tenured professor where we had opportunity to conduct analysis on various stock investments (i.e., research, valuations, and pitches) and then invest actual funds from its endowment. It allowed for further development of investment prowess relative to research, analysis, valuation, and financial modeling, and he successfully recommended a few investment prospects which ultimately resulted in excellent returns for the fund.
Darin has also worked in corporate finance as a meaningful contributor to financial planning and analysis (FP&A) teams at a number of globally operated, reputable companies including Comcast, Discovery (now dba WarnerBros Discovery, L’Oreal USA, and ViacomCBS (now dba Paramount Global), where he honed analytic and strategic skills to aid with P&L management, capital budgeting, and various aspects of financial analysis, financial reporting, and team management.
Darin Sills is well-versed in the field of finance and retains a diverse skill set that includes various facets of investment management: valuation, DCF analysis, strategy, financial analysis, economic analysis, and statistical analysis. Many investors and finance professional use these tools to assess investment opportunities, but you don’t need these advanced tools to effectively evaluate investment opportunities. While these tools are indeed helpful, Mr. Sills will share his thoughts and tactics on how he more quickly and more easily assesses investment opportunities without necessarily doing a full-blown, complex valuation.
Many family, close friends, and associates are constantly asking for input and advice regarding investment opportunities, which Darin is always happy to oblige. Raising InvestorIQ will now provide a platform from which to share his thoughts, insight, and analyses not only with them but with many others. Hopefully you’ll find this site to be helpful in raising your investorIQ!
-
Aswath Damodaran, New York School of Business. “Historical Returns on Stocks, Bonds and Bills: 1928-2021.”
Disclaimer
This website is operated by Raising InvestorIQ LLC (“Raising InvestorIQ”). Raising InvestorIQ is a blogger, publisher, and marketing affiliate, not a registered broker-dealer or registered investment adviser, and does not provide investment advice. All information provided by Raising InvestorIQ Limited Liability Company is of a general nature for information and education purposes, and you should not construe any such information as investment advice. Raising InvestorIQ Limited Liability Company does not take your specific needs, investment objectives or financial situation into consideration, and any investments mentioned may not be suitable for you. You should always carry out your own independent verification of facts and data before making any investment decisions, as we cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information we publish and any opinions that we publish may be wrong and may change at any time without notice. If you are unsure of any investment decision you should seek a professional financial advisor. Raising InvestorIQ Limited Liability Company is not a registered investment adviser and we do not provide regulated investment advice or recommendations. Raising InvestorIQ Limited Liability Company is not regulated by the SEC. Raising InvestorIQ Limited Liability Company may provide hyperlinks to web sites operated by third parties. Your use of third party web sites and content, including without limitation, your use of any information, data, advertising, products, or other materials on or available through such web sites, is at your own risk and is subject to the third parties’ terms of use.
The information provided on this site is based on my own personal experience and is not to be construed as professional advice. I am not a professional financial advisor, stock broker, or planner, nor am I a CPA. The contents of this site and the resources provided are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute financial, accounting, or legal advice. The author is not liable for any losses or damages related to actions or failure to act related to the content on this website.