Our Monthly Portfolio Update - August 2026

**Bryce Leske** (0:00)
We did want to respond to some of the commentary that comes through when we do these episodes, pulling equity from the mortgage to invest. Wife gonna love that in a 20% drawdown. The guys are borrowing against their houses to buy leveraged ETFs and private equity. Great way to end up financially devastated.

**Alec Renehan** (0:16)
Look, this is a learning journey. Equity Mates started because we wanted to learn, we wanted to learn in public, and that hasn't changed.

**Bryce Leske** (0:26)
Welcome to another episode of Equity Mates, a podcast where we explore what's possible in the world of investing. If you've just joined us for the very first time, a massive welcome to our community. My name is Bryce.

**Alec Renehan** (0:36)
And I'm Ren. And today we are unpacking our personal portfolios and seeing how they have gone for the month of August. But Bryce, August has been a big month for us because we have also landed the biggest guest in Equity Mates history and he's going to be part of FinFest.

**Bryce Leske** (0:52)
Yeah, I did tease it a couple of weeks ago where we said the line up for FinFest is going to rival that of Global Investment Conferences.

**Alec Renehan** (1:00)
And a lot of people asked us, did you guys get Warren Buffett?

**Bryce Leske** (1:04)
I know, I know.

**Alec Renehan** (1:05)
No, we didn't get Warren Buffett. But it is actually Warren Buffett's birthday as this episode comes out. So happy birthday, Warren Buffett. But no, this person is right up there in the most well-known investors globally.
And he's going to be a part of FinFest.

**Bryce Leske** (1:22)
We are super excited to announce that Bill Ackman will be joining the FinFest lineup. So for those that don't know Bill, he is one of the most followed, one of the most listened to fund managers globally. He is the founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management. They manage about $33 billion.

**Alec Renehan** (1:42)
So Ackman's been known as quite an activist investor. He was on Wall Street from the 90s, started Pershing Square in the early 2000s. He has this quote, when it comes to activist investing, make a bold call that nobody believes in. And there's a number of stories of where he's made a bold call, sometimes fought with management, sometimes worked with management, often made a lot of money along the way. And so we're going to be unpacking some of his big wins and losses over his career, unpacking his investment philosophy and how he's seeing markets today.

**Bryce Leske** (2:14)
So we're heading to New York to do an exclusive interview with him just for FinFest, which is super exciting. And we will screen that at FinFest. So you're not going to get better value for $55 a ticket. I don't think there'd be a conference in the world where you could see him for less than 55 bucks.

**Alec Renehan** (2:28)
So if you're as excited as we are, head to equitymates.com/finfest and get your tickets before they sell out.

**Bryce Leske** (2:34)
FinFest is proudly brought to you by Betashares.

**Alec Renehan** (2:40)
All right, Bryce. Well, it's that time of the month where we look at our portfolios, unpack how they've gone, what have been the notable movers and any changes we've made or any stocks or investment ideas we've been researching. We like to do this once a month, and we love your feedback.
In this episode, we're going to start with what's happened since we last did this episode. Then we're going to talk about our portfolios, and then we're going to close with our responses to some of your feedback because, look, it was constructive last time. And we're all on a learning journey together. That's why we do this. So let's keep learning.

**Bryce Leske** (3:16)
And a big thank you goes to Sharesight for partnering with us on all of our monthly portfolio updates. It's the portfolio tracker that we use to keep track of our portfolio. You can get started with Sharesight and save four months on an annual plan if you head to sharesight.com/equitymates.

**Alec Renehan** (3:33)
All right, Bryce. Well, it's been another big month in markets. So let's take a look back and remind ourselves of what's happened.

**SPEAKER_4** (3:39)
The yield on the 30-year US Treasury bond has hit its highest level since 2007 as investors remain very worried about inflation and government borrowing.

**SPEAKER_5** (3:49)
The national debt just hit a record high, $40 trillion.

**SPEAKER_3** (3:53)
That is the total amount of money the government has borrowed to cover its spending.

**SPEAKER_6** (3:57)
Australia's debt will hit a new milestone today, tipping over to $1 trillion.