RWH072: The Making of A Money Master w/ Rob Vinall

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

You're listening to TIP.

William Green (0:03)

Hi there, it's wonderful to see you again here on the Richer, Wiser, Happier podcast. I have a very special treat for you today, a really rare interview with a superb investor named Rob Vinall. As you'll hear, I embarrassingly mispronounce his surname at the very beginning of our conversation. In any case, it's well worth listening to Rob's hard earned insights on investing and business and studying how he's crushed the market in the 20 years since he founded his investment firm. But before we get to that conversation, I also wanted to let you know about an exciting opportunity that I hope will be of interest to you.

Later this year, I'm going to be launching a new Richer, Wiser, Happier masterclass. If you're interested in studying with me over the course of a year in a very small intimate group that's likely to be somewhere between 10 and 20 people, please contact my friend and fellow podcast host, Kyle Grieve, to find out more about dates and prices and all that good stuff. His email address is kyle, which is K-Y-L-E, at theinvestorspodcast.com.

Who's the masterclass intended for? Well, based on the first two masterclass groups, I would say this is ideal if you're a fund manager, an asset allocator, a wealth manager, a manager of a single family office, a CEO, an entrepreneur, or simply a serious investor managing your own family's money.

Essentially, the masterclass is designed for keen investors and passionate learners who liked the idea of studying with me and an amazingly accomplished and diverse group of people over Zoom each month and also in person at a couple of very special private events that we'll host in Omaha and New York. My current plan is to make this my third and final Richer, Wiser, Happier masterclass. So if you're interested in this year long exploration of how to build a life that's truly Richer, Wiser, and Happier, then please don't wait. It would be really great to spend some time with you. In any case, I hope the stars align and that I'll see you later this year. And now, as my friend Stig Brodersen would say, on with the show.

SPEAKER_1 (2:16)

You're listening to the Richer, Wiser, Happier podcast, where your host, William Green, interviews the world's greatest investors and explores how to win in markets and life. This show is not investment advice. It's intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. All opinions expressed by hosts and guests are solely their own, and they may have investments in the securities discussed. Now for your host, William Green.

William Green (2:51)

Hi, folks, I'm absolutely delighted to welcome today's guest, Rob Vinall. Rob is the Managing Director of RV Capital, an investment fund that he founded almost exactly 20 years ago. He has a superb investment record as the manager of the business owner fund. Since launching the fund in 2008, he's racked up an annualized return of around 15.5% net of all fees, which is a cumulative return of more than 1200% over the last 18 years. He's an exceptional investor and a delightful person, as I'm sure you'll see.

It's extremely rare for him to do an in-depth interview like this. I'm particularly excited on multiple fronts to be chatting with him today.

Rob is joining us from Switzerland, where he lives with his wife and three children in a village near Zurich Lake that I gather is about 100 yards away from the famed Lindt Chocolate Factory. So welcome, Rob, it's really lovely to see you.

Rob Vinall (3:45)

Yeah, thank you so much for doing this with me, William. It's been a few years since I did a podcast, so the downside of that is I may be a little bit rusty, but the upside is that hopefully there's lots of stuff which is new for people.

William Green (3:56)

Well, I managed to whittle down my questions to about 15 or so pages, so we should be here for the next seven or eight hours, which is great news. So buckle in everyone, we've got a lot to discuss.

I wanted to start by asking you about your early life. I'm wondering if you can tell us a bit about where you grew up and what your parents were like, because it seems so different in a way from the life you've built for yourself as a fairly cosmopolitan globe trotting fund manager in Switzerland, with investments everywhere from Denmark to China. When you and I spoke recently about your early life, I was just really struck that there was nothing that really seemed to predestine you for a life as a successful globe trotting investor.