Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner joins Paula Pant to share his philosophy of “Rule Breaker” investing. Instead of obsessing over short-term market moves, Gardner explains how to identify high growth stocks that are shaping the future, why “overvalued” companies often end up being the biggest winners, and how long-term optimism is the most powerful financial strategy you can adopt.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why September has a bad rep for stocks (and why it doesn’t really matter).
The 6 traits of a Rule Breaker stock — and how to spot them.
Why “overvalued” often means “undervalued by the market’s metrics.”
How to decide when (if ever) to sell your biggest winners.
What your personal “sleep number” has to do with portfolio allocation.
Lessons from the dot-com boom and bust — and how they apply to today’s AI hype cycle.
Why optimism isn’t just a mindset — it’s an investing strategy.
This episode blends timeless investing wisdom with practical guardrails you can apply to your own portfolio. Whether you’re an index investor or looking to buy your first individual stock, David’s contrarian perspective will give you a fresh, long-term lens on wealth building — and a clearer path to identifying the high growth stocks that can transform your portfolio.
Resources:
Rule Breaking Investing: link
Timestamps:
00:00:00 – Opening & Market Seasonality
00:02:20 – Sports Teams & Stock Picking
00:05:12 – Values-Based Investing
00:07:52 – The Starbucks Story
00:11:22 – Six Traits of a Rule Breaker Stock
00:18:41 – Why ‘Overvalued’ Can Be Good
00:30:20 – Intangibles that Drive Stock Success
00:37:18 – When to Sell (or Not Sell)
00:43:26 – Allocation & Rebalancing
00:53:04 – David’s Sleep Number
00:58:00 – Buying Winners vs. Doubling Down on Losers
01:03:16 – Investing Outside Your Expertise
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