TIP670: Sam Zell’s Secrets to Spotting Bargains & Managing Risk

On today’s episode, Clay reviews the wonderful book — Am I Being Too Subtle by Sam Zell.  Sam Zell has an impressive background, having started his career in real estate in the late 1960s.  He was the founder and chairman of Equity Group Investments, a leading private investment firm. Over the course of his career, Sam made many bold moves and investments, earning him a reputation as a savvy and fearless investor. One of Sam’s most notable achievements was his role in creating the modern-day real estate investment trust (REIT) industry. He did this by founding Equity Office Properties Trust in 1997, which became the largest office REIT in the United States. In 2007, he sold the company for a record-breaking $39 billion. Just prior to passing away on May 18th, 2023, Sam had his final recorded interview with The Investor’s Podcast Network. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: 00:00 - Intro 07:38 - The story of Sam’s family escaping Poland in 1939 to head to the United States. 12:08 - Sam’s early entrepreneurial and real estate ventures. 28:15 - How Sam got the nickname as ‘The Grave Dancer’ within the real estate industry. 32:46 - Sam’s investment criteria when buying real estate. 33:36 - How Sam capitalized on finding bargains outside the real estate industry. 50:56 - An overview of Zell’s record-breaking deal in 2007. 59:12 - Sam’s critical insights into building a great culture. 01:06:54 - Sam’s key business principles that helped him become a billionaire. And so much more! Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, Kyle, and the other community members. Sam’s book. Related Episode: Listen to TIP552: Mastering The Art of Investing: A Deep Dive w/ Sam Zell, or watch the video. Follow Clay on Twitter. Check out all the books mentioned and discussed in our podcast episodes here. Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok. Check out our We Study Billionaires Starter Packs. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance Tool. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Stay up-to-date on financial markets and investing strategies through our daily newsletter, We Study Markets. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: River 7-Eleven Toyota Connect Invest Miro TastyTrade Daloopa The Bitcoin Way Facet Public Fidelity Fundrise Onramp SimpleMining Bluehost ReMarkable Vanta Shopify HELP US OUT! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review on Spotify! It takes less than 30 seconds, and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm