Zeke Ashton (Trades, Portfolio) started his investment career after he dropped out of high school to work for Bear Stearns, where he gained an understanding about the financial market and learned how to invest in stocks. After he gained valuable experience working for Bear Stearns, he took a risk and moved to Europe where he got a job as a financial system consultant and further gained an understanding on the fundamentals for risk analysis.
He worked in the European banks for six years then returned to the U.S. and started writing for the Motley Fool. Since then, he has started Centaur Capital Partners. Ashton has had tremendous returns in the market, especially in 2008 to 2009 when everyone else got crushed. Ashton put his investment values to the test and thrived proving the intelligence behind his investing strategies as his performance trounced everyone else.
His four investment questions when purchasing a security are:Â What can go wrong? What is the company valued at? How many things can deteriorate the value? What catalysts can make the value go up?
Ashton also says there are only four things that you have control over when it comes to purchasing a holding:Â What stock to buy, how much to pay, how much of your portfolio to put into it, and whether you sell it at today's price.
Ashton also believes that there are three things that will help you become wealthy: your brain, your efforts and time.
Starting at the 14 minute mark in the YouTube video below, Ashton further elaborates on these three things
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KduGEY27S48
This is a great way to learn investing philosophies from a successful guru who dropped out of high school. He talks about his values and principles, as well as the mistakes that he made on his way to becoming a tremendous success.
Cheers to your investment success.
