Skip to main content

John Templeton: Contrarian (2013 documentary)

The life of famed investor, Sir John Templeton is recalled by family and friends in Contrarian, a 2013 film directed by Mary Mazzio. You can watch the film online here, via Bloomberg, for a limited time.  

As an admirer of Templeton's investing acumen and wisdom, I was glad to check out this breezy overview of the legendary investor's career and to hear a few tales about his long and productive life (Templeton, who lived to be 95, died in 2008). 


However, those looking for a more critical look at John Templeton's business and philanthropic efforts may be disappointed. The documentary is wholly based on interviews with family and colleagues who fondly look back on his life and his habits and drives. You won't find much here that bucks the close-knit family atmosphere and retellings of cherished memories. In fact, I felt this biographical film bordered on hagiography. 

Having said that, there is still much to be gained from a look back at the ups and downs of Templeton's life and the lessons he accrued, and passed on, from his travels, his spiritual inquiries, his writings, and his long investing career. In fact, it might be a good idea to share this link with your family (especially your kids) and friends. You never know what good habits Templeton's lessons may inspire in others.

You can also find an excellent review of John Templeton's investing lessons in this video post from investor, Lauren Templeton (Sir John's grand-niece). There are some fantastic quotes and lessons within on savings, investing, and long-term contrarian thinking.

Popular posts from this blog

Nasdaq credit rating junked.

S&P cut Nasdaq's credit rating to junk status citing debt burdens and its questionable strategy to buy a controlling interest in the London Stock Exchange. Financial Times reported that the exchange's counterparty credit & bank loan rating were lowered fromm BBB- (lowest investment grade rating) to BB+. The change will increase Nasdaq's borrowing costs should it wish to pursue aquisition targets. For an earlier look at the exchange consolidation trend that brought about Nasdaq's push for a stake in the LSE, please see "Exchange fever" .

Clean Money - John Rubino: Book review

Clean Money by John Rubino 274 pages. Hoboken, New Jersey John Wiley & Sons. 2009. 1st Edition. The bouyant stock market environment of the past several years is gone, and the financial wreckage of 2008 is still sharp in our minds as a new year starts to unfold. Given the recent across-the-board-declines in global stock markets (and most asset classes) that have left many investors shell-shocked, you might wonder if there is any good reason to consider the merits of a hot new investment theme, such as clean energy. However, we shouldn't be too hasty to write off all future stock investments. After all, the market declines of 2008 may continue into 2009, but they may also leave interesting investment opportunities in their wake. Which brings us to the subject of this review. John Rubino, author and editor of GreenStockInvesting.com , recently released a new book on renewable energy and clean-tech investing entitled, Clean Money: Picking Winners in the Green Tech Boom . In Clean ...

Jesse Livermore: How to Trade in Stocks (1940 Ed. E-book)

If you've been around markets for any length of time, you've probably heard of 20th century supertrader, Jesse Livermore . Today we're highlighting his rare 1940 work, How to Trade in Stocks (ebook, pdf). But first, a brief overview of Livermore's life and trading career (bio from Jesse Livermore's Wikipedia entry). "During his lifetime, Livermore gained and lost several multi-million dollar fortunes. Most notably, he was worth $3 million and $100 million after the 1907 and 1929 market crashes, respectively. He subsequently lost both fortunes. Apart from his success as a securities speculator, Livermore left traders a working philosophy for trading securities that emphasizes increasing the size of one's position as it goes in the right direction and cutting losses quickly. Ironically, Livermore sometimes did not follow his rules strictly. He claimed that lack of adherence to his own rules was the main reason for his losses after making his 1907 and...