Investing Lessons From a Billionaire
It’s one of the most basic ideas in investing: Diversify and spread risk along various asset classes or, in the case of equities, among different industries. But self-made billionaire investor and entrepreneur Michael Lee-Chin begs to differ. Taking a distinctly contrarian approach to investing, the founder and chairman of Portland Holdings Inc., a privately held investment company in Burlington, Ontario, argues that when looking at stocks, focusing on specific companies and industries trumps diversification any day. Lee-Chin also doesn’t try to read the tea leaves of economic indicators. “I didn’t create wealth by being a prognosticator,†he says. “I created wealth by finding businesses that are fundamentally sound and that have great business models that I understand and can buy inexpensively.â€