Essential Listening: Perfect Bets

I did not come across any noteworthy news on the podcasting front, so let’s dive right into some new podcast suggestions.

For an even wider array of selections, you can also access earlier installments of Essential Listening.

• One of the challenges of the high-frequency trading (HFT) debate is that there are few HFT experts, and those willing to talk about it in depth are fewer still. Here, Barry Ritholtz interviews Keith Ross, chairman and CEO of PDQ Enterprises and formerly of Getco, about the market’s microstructure, the state of the exchanges, and HFT in general. (The Big Picture)
• Like it or not, crowdfunding is for real. One area in which it has taken off is in real estate investing. Timothy Li of RealtyMogul discusses the real estate crowdfunding model, and why competition has increased so rapidly. (Knowledge@Wharton)
• Richard Hsu sits down with Jason Zweig, author of The Devil’s Financial Dictionary, to consider how investing reflects the human condition and how humor can help shine a light on the true nature of Wall Street. (Hsu Untied)
• Everyone knows that Apple has a ton of cash on the balance sheet. The company has come under pressure to invest more in the business by making high-profile acquisitions, but Apple seems content to return cash to shareholders in the form of a dividend. Neil Cybart examines the full Apple dividend story. (Above Avalon)
• Speaking of tech companies, Yahoo! is much in the news these days. Shareholder Eric Jackson has been pushing for change at the company and may get it in the form of a sale of its core internet business. Roben Farzad and Jackson review what went wrong with Yahoo!, including why institutional shareowners are reluctant to “go activist.” (Full Disclosure)
• The pivot has almost become a cliche when talking about start-ups. However, almost every start-up reaches a point where it has to make a critical decision about moving forward or taking a new path. In this episode, Lisa Chow and Alex Blumberg get together with the guys behind Justin.tv. (StartUp Podcast)
• Alec Ross, author of The Industries of the Future, explains how openness will be key for economies, societies, and individuals, as our economic landscape continues to evolve. Ross notes that the 21st century will be a terrible time to be a “control freak.” (Knowledge@Wharton)
• Steve Mirsky converses with Adam Kucharski, author of The Perfect Bet: How Science and Math Are Taking the Luck Out of Gambling. They discuss how advances in probability and statistics have helped to push progress in the sciences. (Scientific American)
• James Altucher talks with Anders Ericsson, co-author of Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise, about the role of mastery, motivation, and the value of learning by doing. (James Altucher)
• Entertainment and economics don’t necessarily go hand in hand. Tracy Alloway and Joe Weisenthal meet up with money manager Jon Shayne, aka Merle Hazard, “country music’s most economically sophisticated singer.” (Odd Lots)
• The Wire is often (correctly) held up as an exemplar of the new golden age of television. Marc Maron spends some time with David Simon, creator of The Wire and other shows. They cover everything from Simon’s transition from newspaperman to television writer, to the failures of the drug war. (WTF with Marc Maron)

Did I miss anything? If you know of a podcast that EI readers might enjoy, let me know in the comments section below. I may highlight it in the next edition.

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

If you liked this post, don’t forget to subscribe to the Enterprising Investor.

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