Praise:
“The Rebel Allocator is a ‘one-sitting’ kind of book–you won’t be able to put it down. I learned so much about business while still being entertained. I just absorbed the lessons without even trying.”
— Gillian Zoe Segal, Author of Getting There
“Jacob L. Taylor has written a modern-day investment classic. The Rebel Allocator is Reminiscences of a Stock Operator for value investors. It’s a fictionalized retelling of the lessons in The Intelligent Investor in an accessible page-turner. If you want to learn how to invest like Warren Buffett by sitting at his knee, this is the book for you.“
–Tobias Carlisle, author of The Acquirer’s Multiple, Deep Value, & Quantitative Value
“Profound business fundamentals wrapped in a moving narrative, as a sage old man tutors a young investor wrestling on the cusp of marriage, a budding career, and uneasy family history. Jake Taylor, who could write a textbook on capital allocation, has chosen instead to render a delightful journey toward business wisdom. Real life personalities and teachings are the backdrop for this engaging and inspired work, with plenty of character twists and plot surprises to both hook and enlighten. An inspired way to teach subtle business fundamentals.”
–Lawrence Cunningham, Professor at George Washington University, author of a dozen books, including the bestseller The Essays of Warren Buffett
“Jake Taylor is a dear friend, a brilliant fellow investor, and one of the smartest people I know. His wonderful novel, The Rebel Allocator, is a must-own book for everyone curious about money, investing, and business, and those ready to join him on a journey toward wonder, discovery, and transformation!”
— Bogumil Baranowski, co-founder and partner of Sicart Associates, author of Outsmarting the Crowd
“The Rebel Allocator is an entertaining novel filled with timeless business and investing wisdom. It is sure to be an instant classic.“
— Ian Cassel, founder of MicroCap Club and co-founder of Intelligent Fanatics
“There is a lot of wisdom wrapped in this engaging story. Jake has written an inspiring narrative which Buffett and Munger fans will love!”
— Saurabh Madaan, Managing Director at Markel
Good capital allocation is the secret sauce of business success and investment returns. How could what you spend money on inside a business not be of utmost importance?
Yet Warren Buffett has admitted it’s a difficult topic to learn, observing: “The heads of many companies are not skilled in capital allocation, and … it is not surprising because most bosses rise to the top because they have excelled in an area such as marketing or institutional politics.” Ouch, that’s a damning indictment from a Hall-of-Famer. Surely, someone has written a book to address this glaring leadership gap?
I looked for a business person’s guide to effective capital allocation for years. I thought, “What a nice gift to send to the CEOs of my portfolio companies!” as visions of outsized returns danced in my head. To my dismay, the search came up dry. I decided I’d have to write my own.
I started at the individual customer transaction level and built all the way up to M&A, share buybacks, and beyond. To keep from boring you, I wrapped the lessons in a coming-of-age story of a college grad crossing paths with a wealthy Midwesterner. Imagine if The Karate Kid‘s Mr. Miyagi was modeled after a certain well-known Oracle. (OK, it’s not The Brothers Karamazov, but I’m not the most original guy.)
This book is for you if:
- You’re a business decision-maker who was never taught good capital allocation and you’re wondering what you’re missing. These lessons apply to small business people and Fortune 100 titans, and everyone in between. It doesn’t matter if you’re public or private, this book will help.
- You’re building or advising start-ups. Today’s disrupter is tomorrow’s capital allocator. Learn it early and save yourself a ton of headache.
- You’re an investor who appreciates the studies finding good capital allocators outperform the S&P 500 by 20x (no joke), and you want an easy way to help management and board members make better decisions. This book will also aid you in spotting those doing capital allocation right–such a huge advantage. (This was my original itch I wanted scratched. Part of me wants to keep this book to myself and only send it to the management teams in my portfolio.)
- You’re fresh out of school and want to learn the good, and sometimes bad, sides of business. Or you might want to kindle an appreciation for the wonders of capitalism. (Please don’t send a copy of this book to Bernie Sanders.)
And perhaps most importantly, your journey will be less painful when mixed with a splash of humor and movie-like pacing. Even if you’re like me and read non-fiction almost exclusively, you’re going to be glad you took a chance on this one. This is fiction designed for the non-fiction reader. If you like it, you might even share it with a friend who could benefit. (I don’t mind you getting all the credit for the good recommendation.)
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With gratitude,
