One of the most powerful presentations we've seen this year... How to improve your mind... The three questions you must ask before you buy any stock...
Today, we're continuing our coverage of the Stansberry Conference Series event with some more conference highlights.
While most of the presentations this week have been devoted to protecting and growing your wealth, there have been some interesting non-financial-related discussions as well.
One of the most powerful presentations came from author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Mick Ebeling. He is the CEO of Not Impossible Labs, a company focused on developing creative solutions to "real-world" problems.
Ebeling shared two examples of these solutions his company has developed: The Eyewriter – a "do-it-yourself" device that allows folks with paralysis to write and communicate using just the movement of their eyes – and Project Daniel – a 3D-printing lab that creates inexpensive prosthetic limbs for children in war-torn Africa.
The stories behind these projects are incredible, but his message for the crowd was simple...
Everything that is possible today – even things we take for granted, like air travel, automobiles, woven clothes, and even walking upright – was once considered "impossible." All it really takes to make the impossible possible is for one person to do it.
While few of us are in a position to help solve huge problems, Ebeling believes all of us have the potential to do extraordinary things and to improve the lives of those around us... And he has dedicated his life to showing others how it can be done.
There was far more to his presentation than we can fully explain in these pages, but if you're interested, we encourage you to learn more at his company's website: notimpossible.com. Ebeling has also written a book, Not Impossible: The Art and Joy of Doing What Couldn't Be Done, in which he discusses his philosophy in detail.
Another great "non-financial" presentation came from memory expert Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking With Einstein.
Foer began his career as a journalist. He was sent to cover the 2005 U.S.A. Memory Championship for Slate magazine and was fascinated by what he found...
He met hundreds of folks who were able to remember mind-boggling amounts of information. Yet every person he talked to claimed to have no natural "gift" for memorization. Instead, they explained that it's just a skill... and nearly anyone is capable of learning to do the same.
So Foer decided to try it himself. He studied these techniques... and the following year, he entered the event... and won.
As he explained, ever-increasing technological advances have allowed us to "outsource" our ability to memorize things. With Google just a click away, people have begun to rely more heavily on looking things up, which is making our brains weaker.
But Foer says it's not that difficult to retrain your memory. Here's some of his best advice...
| • | The first rule of remembering anything is that you have to be paying attention. |
| • | If you want to make information memorable, use words that are funny, strange, bizarre, gory, etc. |
| • | If you bombard people with information, they're most likely to remember the first and last items on a list... So if you want someone to remember something, don't bury it in the middle. |
| • | Abstract words (like "height" or "silence") are harder to remember than concrete words (like "apple"). |
| • | Words without a mental association are harder to remember. For example, it's harder to remember a person whose name is Baker than someone who is a baker by profession. |
| • | Do you have trouble remembering people's names? Try to link the sound of their names to their physical presences. Picture a man named Mike with microphones dangling on his face... or a woman named Abby being stung by a bee... or a man named David, whose body is the Statue of David. |
| • | If you want to memorize a speech, don't try to memorize it word for word. Instead, create a mental image for every topic you want to cover, and use that as a blueprint. |
Of course, there were plenty of presentations focused on finance. One of the best talks of the day came from a familiar name...
Longtime Digest readers will remember our friend Dr. Richard Smith. Richard is a mathematics PhD – and former Stansberry Research subscriber – who built the excellent TradeStops trailing stop loss software we often recommend (and proudly call our corporate affiliate).
If you've been with us for long, his presentation will sound familiar...
Richard says there are three questions you must ask yourself before you buy any stock or investment:
| 1. | When should I sell? |
| 2. | How much money should I invest? |
| 3. | Is it a good fit for my portfolio? |
The "catastrophe-prevention plan" we always recommend addresses these questions...
Following a trailing stop loss strategy tells you when to sell... proper position sizing tells you how much to invest... and using careful asset allocation helps you decide whether a particular investment is a good fit for you.
But Richard's presentation took these ideas to another level... He showed how his new TradeStops tools make it even easier to make – and automate – these decisions.
Richard showed how his "smart" trailing stops calculate the ideal trailing stop loss to use for any particular stock. For example, today, the smart trailing stop for blue-chip health care giant Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is about 11%... while the smart trailing stop for electric-car maker Tesla (TSLA) is a huge 44%. He showed how using these smart trailing stops in place of a standard 25% trailing stop helps you maximize returns.
He also explained how using his new "equal risk" position-sizing tool helps you instantly know how much money to invest in any position based on the expected volatility of that stock.
In addition to making risk management easier, the new TradeStops offers something we've never seen anywhere else... It has tools that alert you when it's safe to buy back into a stock after you've been stopped out.
You can learn more about the new TradeStops here.
Again, this is just a small sample of the great presentations the Stansberry Conference Series event.
We also heard from hedge-fund manager Erez Kalir, who will be running the new Stansberry Asset Management... Rich Checkan, president of Asset Strategies International... former Federal Reserve official Andrew Huszar, who ran the Fed's infamous quantitative-easing program... and many more brilliant minds. And the day was capped off with a "must-see" presentation from Porter.
New 52-week highs (as of 10/13/15): Activision Blizzard (ATVI), McDonald's (MCD), and Altria (MO).
Two subscribers write in with their "on the ground" experiences from our conference in Las Vegas. Please continue to send your thoughts on the Alliance meeting – the good and the bad – to feedback@stansberryresearch.com.
"The Stansberry Las Vegas Conference has been one of the best conferences I have attended, and I have attended a lot of investment conferences. In fact, the only conferences that compete are the Stansberry series from 2014. Dr. Ron Paul addressing the audience, what a treat, and taking questions from the audience, where else do you get that kind of access? Just incredible. Penn Jillette was a treat, entertaining and informative. Delivering clear, concise, logical information.
"The access to the Stansberry editors is unprecedented. All of the team is available, taking questions, and giving actionable advice. What sets Stansberry apart as well is the willingness to have others with opposing views take the stage. Reasonable people can agree to disagree, and Stansberry gives you access, if you are willing to learn, to hear both sides of a story and allow you to make up your own mind. Truly delivering on the principle of delivering information that you would want to know if the roles were reversed.
"Further, the Stansberry conference is not just about investing or politics. Mick Ebeling is a perfect example. A truly inspiring story about 3D printing of prosthetic arms, and that nothing is impossible.
"And, what other conference have you been to where the organizer has flown his personal barber out to give free shaves? I mean, come on! If you are not receiving value from this conference, you are simply not paying attention.
"Actionable investment recommendations, unprecedented access to analysts, political leaders (who are not here to get votes, but rather here to deliver a message that needs to be heard), to all the incredible perks that come along with Vegas, excellent food and accommodations, and the perks that come along from being a partner in Porter's business.
"Ladies and gentlemen at Stansberry Research and the Stansberry Conference series, a heartfelt thank you for making this a tremendous opportunity for Alliance Members. This was the best investment I have ever made, and the dividends are just beginning." – Paid-up subscriber Justin S. Fowler
"My first Stansberry conference and I will mark my calendar to be back next year. Two days loaded with great speakers and valuable information. I could not make notes fast enough. Wow! My head is still spinning! Thanks to all who put this wonderful event together." – Paid-up subscriber Todd Carter
Regards,
Justin Brill
Las Vegas, Nevada
October 14, 2015
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