Stock Stories, Vol. 12: Time Travel Investing

**David Gardner** (0:00)
Some people love superhero stories, enough to spend, I don't know, like a billion dollars at the box office in a single weekend. Others prefer tearjerkers. We all have a favorite bedtime story.
Humans are a storytelling species from prehistoric campfires to billion dollar industries like celebrity gossip, or sports, or the nightly news, all stories that shape how we see the world. Investing is stories too. Every stock has a mission, a tagline, a roller coaster arc. Look across your portfolio, you'll see tales of innovation, resilience, and wealth creation, sometimes destruction stories. Well, for the 12th time, we gather around the campfire this week for stock stories. Five Motley Fool guests join me with tales anew, freshly told to make you smarter, happier, and richer, only on this week's Rule Breaker Investing.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:01)
It's the Rule Breaker Investing podcast with Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner.

**David Gardner** (1:10)
Welcome back to Rule Breaker Investing. We tell a lot of stories on this podcast. Over the years, my golly, I can't even imagine how many stories we have shared, but one thing's for sure, we have done stock stories as an episodic series for 12 times now, counting this week. So if you're a new listener, welcome. There's a campfire.
Oh my gosh. Listen to it.
And I'm going to be joined at the campfire by five special fools, each of whom will have a story to tell. We're so happy you're here to join us. Grab a couple of marshmallows. Oh, and a skewer too, by the way.
We're going to have fun together this week. Let's aim to leave the campsite better than we found it. We're aiming to leave at the end of this episode smarter, happier, and richer. And I'm excited to get ready to welcome these five fools. Before we do that, I just want to mention next week's podcast. It's the Market Cap Game Show. Three contestants will be joining me as we kick off the 2026-2027 season with two competitors in studio. And of course, the third is you at home playing right along with us. By the way, we're going to have a new rule we're adding to the game, which that rule will debut next week, which does occasion the question, will next week's Rule Breaker Investing podcast be the best Market Cap Game Show? Yet, you be the judge. Same full time, same full channel. See you next week. But without further ado, let's get started. Let's settle in. I want to start by welcoming my first guest, my friend and longtime Rule Breaker associate, Carl Teel. Carl, a delight to have you.

**Carl Teel** (2:48)
So great to be here after, I guess, a fairly long absence.

**David Gardner** (2:53)
Yeah, you've definitely been around my campfire before, and you've been on this podcast a number of times over the years. But in terms of stock stories, we have to go back several volumes for your last contribution. But I was just listening to it the other day going, I need to have Carl back and here you are. Thank you. Welcome to our Foolish Campfire. Carl, before your story, could you just remind us in a sentence or two, what you're doing around Fooldom these days?

**Carl Teel** (3:15)
Yeah, I am still working on the Rule Breaker Service, as I have since I started with the Fool, though 20 plus years ago, which is great. But in addition to that, I'm doing some stuff on newer services we have around quantum computing, around energy and around sort of the intersection of health and artificial intelligence.

**David Gardner** (3:36)
Well, I'm glad to know that we're spreading your Foolish wisdom across more than just Rule Breakers, but I'm also really delighted, Carl, to think that that service that you were there at the start for and that we worked on so many years together, you're right there and you're not the only one. This wonderful team that's been around for so many years makes me really happy as the co-founder. Carl, before we get started with your story, icebreaker question for each of my guests here. Let's go with this one. Carl Thiel, audiobook, e-book, or physical book?

**Carl Teel** (4:06)
I do do all three of those to some extent, audiobook honestly for sleeping. I am a recent e-book convert. My wife got me Kindle Paperwhite, the kind of passive one.

**David Gardner** (4:17)
Nice.

**Carl Teel** (4:18)
Oh, I love that thing. So I've been kind of all e-book since then.

**David Gardner** (4:21)
And as am I, my friend. Okay, let's get started. Carl, what is the title of your story?

**Carl Teel** (4:27)
So my story is called The Shell Game or Five Memes, One Stock.