Whitney Tilson
Mon, Dec 22, 2025|Whitney Tilson

My seminar on 'An Introduction to Finance and Investing'; A recommended reading list on successful companies

As we move through the holiday season, I'm sharing an educational series that has been popular with readers over the years...

You see, back in 2018, I taught a five-day seminar on finance and investing to a couple dozen high school and college students (including one of my own daughters). Since then, friends and readers have often asked me if I'll do something like that again.

Well, I still don't have plans to do so. But when I say this, folks will ask me if I have anything I can give them to share with their children to help them learn the basics. (And in many cases, it's information that anyone who's investing can use – not just younger folks.)

So I've put together a collection of materials, which I'll share in today's e-mail.

I've done this previously around the holidays... So if you have some extra time around this time of year, it's a great opportunity to take advantage.

As I always say, it's critical to be curious and become a "learning machine"...

As a start, folks should read my two daily e-mails on financial advice to a recent college graduate and financial advice to retired readers. (Please keep in mind that I can't offer personalized financial advice – this is more generalized advice.)

Then, read my four dailies on how to get a job in money management, breaking into money management (part 1 and part 2), and tips on the "first step" of securing a successful financial future.

Then, check out my presentations on:

I also recommend watching this classic video from my college buddy Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management: Everything You Need to Know About Finance and Investing in Under an Hour. And check out the following six videos I've done over the years:

(On a separate note, one of my biggest tips for folks the past couple years has been to make sure you're earning the maximum return on your cash. I made the mistake of keeping my cash in a low-interest account for far too long – read more about this in my e-mails last year on April 18, April 19, April 22, and April 29.)

Additionally, I devour books about successful companies...

What better way to develop the skill of identifying great businesses (ideally early on, before everyone else does so and they're valued at hundreds of billions of dollars) than by studying the greatest of all time?

That's why I've read dozens of books by and about the most successful businesses and entrepreneurs in history.

In my book collection, a number of them jump out at me (some of them date back more than 20 years!)... So again, if you have extra time around the holidays this year, I suggest reading one (or more) of these:

There's a lot of content linked here – but that's the point! And looking ahead, as we move further into the holiday season, as I've done in the past, I'll continue this series with more details from some of my educational presentations... So stay tuned!

Best regards,

Whitney

P.S. I welcome your feedback – send me an e-mail by clicking here.

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