Practical analysis for investment professionals
10 February 2016

Essential Listening: Constructive Feedback

By now, everyone is familiar with TED Talks. They have become a cultural phenomenon. The question is: What happens to speakers after they give a popular TED Talk?

David Pogue of Yahoo Tech explores the “TED Effect” through interviews with presenters whose lives changed for the better after their 15-minute speeches.

While it is certainly interesting to hear about the effect a popular talk can have on a speaker, what impact does producing a podcast have? James Altucher, whose series has attracted a number of high-profile guests, explains the lessons he has learned in putting out his podcast. In short, you have to be curious, funny, persistent, and willing to take a deeper dive into topics to be successful.

As I have noted before, there is pretty much a podcast about everything. For those of you who suffer from insomnia, Drew Ackerman has a series called Sleep with Me that may help you reclaim some shuteye. Ben Cosgrove at The Daily Beast talks with Ackerman about the podcast and what you can do to get a better night’s sleep.

If you’d like to hear more podcasts, be sure to explore earlier editions of Essential Listening. As usual, the latest installment features a broad array of content to make your next drive or plane trip a bit more stimulating.

  • Ben Carlson at Ritholtz Wealth Management talks with Aaron Watson about the challenges of complexity in investing. Avoiding the costs of complexity matters not only for individuals but for institutions as well. Carlson also notes the benefits of face-to-face meeting in our increasingly digital age. (Going Deep with Aaron Watson)
  • Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures was recently interviewed by Dan Primack of Fortune. The interview covered a lot of ground but the big story coming out of it was Wilson’s explanation as to why Uber and similar companies should not wait so long before going public. (Upfront Summit 2016)
  • Executive pay and resulting income inequality is a major topic in the current US presidential race. Jacob Goldstein and Stacey Vanek Smith look at the history of executive pay and the moment when CEO compensation went through the roof. Surprisingly, they note that executive pay has actually been going down of late. (Planet Money)
  • Even investment professionals can make mistakes when thinking about money. In this interview, Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, talks about the errors we all make with money and what we can do to avoid or mitigate them. (CFA Institute)
  • This past week, I was a guest on a couple of podcasts. In episodes of Jake Taylor‘s Five Good Questions and Aaron Watson‘s Going Deep, I spoke about the challenges of information overload, distinguishing luck from skill, and how important it is that investors give themselves a break. (Abnormal Returns)
  • There are alternative assets and there is “investing” in sneakers. Russ Roberts interviews Josh Luber about the world of sneaker collectors and what analyzing millions of sneaker-related transactions has taught him.(EconTalk)
  • Sonal Chokshi talks with Adam Grant, author of Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the Worldabout how original thinkers work and how to raise creative children. (a16z Podcast)
  • Whether at work or in our regular lives, we give and receive feedback. The question is: How can we get better at providing it constructivelyJack Zenger and Joseph Folkman talk about who benefits from feedback and how to give it more effectively. (Harvard Business Review)
  • Economics is generally thought to be a pretty dry subject. Maybe that explains why there is one — and only one — stand-up economist. Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway listen to a set from comic Yoram Bauman and ask him what is and isn’t funny about the economics profession. (Bloomberg)
  • It is easy to forget just how much technology has integrated itself into our lives. This podcast, courtesy of PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman, shows some of the weird stuff that can happen in our wireless world. The duo explores a modern mystery in which an Atlanta couple was trapped in a frustrating wireless vortex. The hosts eventually solve the puzzle, but not before calling in a true expert. (Reply All)

Feel free to leave a comment or to suggest other podcasts that Enterprising Investor readers and listeners may enjoy. I might highlight your suggestion in this ongoing series on the world of podcasting.

You can read more from Tadas Viskanta on his blog Abnormal Returns or follow him on Twitter @abnormalreturns.

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All posts are the opinion of the author. As such, they should not be construed as investment advice, nor do the opinions expressed necessarily reflect the views of CFA Institute or the author’s employer.

Image credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Big_Ryan

About the Author(s)
Tadas Viskanta

Tadas Viskanta is the founder and editor of Abnormal Returns. He is also the author of Abnormal Returns: Winning Strategies from the Frontlines of the Investment Blogosphere, which culls lessons learned from his time blogging.

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