Talking Billions with Bogumil Baranowski

• Excess Returns Pod: The Hidden Compounder Blueprint | Chris Mayer and Robert Hagstrom on Finding the Perfect Business

  Matt Zeigler and I had the privilege of hosting Robert Hagstrom (The Warren Buffett Way) and Chris Mayer (100 Baggers) for a special 100-Year Thinkers Edition of the Excess Returns Podcast.Two legendary investors and authors. One hour packed with timeless wisdom on long-term thinking and wealth creation. This is the conversation we’ve been wanting to have—and we think you’ll find it as valuable as we did.Available now on Excess Returns Podcast and Talking Billions. 🎧I’m excited to share this episode with you—it’s reposted here with permission and blessing from both Matt and Jack. Don’t miss it! And follow their work, links below.This episode of The 100 Year Thinkers brings together Robert Hagstrom, Chris Mayer, and Bogumil Baranowski for a deep conversation on what makes a great business, why long-term investing is so hard, and how the world’s best investors think about mistakes, management, conviction, and the durability of competitive advantages. We explore perfect businesses, the pain of missed opportunities, the behavioral traps that derail long-term compounding, and how to navigate rapid technological change while keeping your investment process grounded.Topics covered:• What defines a perfect business and why so few qualify• The role of capital efficiency, returns on capital, and cash generation• Why omissions are often investors’ most painful mistakes• How to build conviction to hold great companies through drawdowns• The behavioral edge of true long-term investing• Management quality, insider ownership, incentives, and red flags• Why owner earnings and free cash flow matter more than GAAP earnings• The challenge of evaluating fast-changing industries and staying within your circle of competence• How AI, networks, and scale economics reshape competitive moats• Portfolio management lessons, starter positions, and letting winners runTimestamps:00:00 Perfect businesses and long-term economics01:49 Defining the perfect stock03:27 Holding long term through volatility07:30 Behavioral inefficiencies and market structure09:15 Humanizing mistakes and decision making14:28 Errors of omission and painful missed opportunities19:00 What to look for in management24:27 Signals from financial disclosures and actions26:00 Key quantitative metrics for long-term compounders34:04 Owner earnings vs GAAP earnings37:00 Intangible investment and modern cash flow analysis38:50 Circle of competence and fast-changing industries42:00 Large language models, networks, and moats43:52 AI use cases and productivity45:00 Closing thoughts and where to find the guests46:25 Episode recap and takeawaysPodcast Program – Disclosure StatementBlue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice.Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.Information expressed does not take into account your specific situation or objectives, and is not intended as recommendations appropriate for any individual. Listeners are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified tax, legal, or investment adviser to determine whether any information presented may be suitable for their specific situation. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

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• Third Anniversary Episode: It's Not About the Money: Three Years of Wisdom on Wealth and Life

  Guest Host: Dave Specht, senior fellow at the Drucker School of Management, two-time author, and creator of the Generational Wealth Masterclass with Jay Hughes, turns the tables to interview Bogumil using audience-submitted questions.Key Ideas:It’s Not About the Money - Despite the focus on investing and wealth management, Bogumil emphasizes that money is merely a language or gesture representing deeper human values and connections. The true value lies in human relationships, creation, and purpose.Investing as a Lifelong Pursuit - Successful investing requires consistency, patience, and a long-term perspective. Many people identify good investments but fail because they don’t hold them long enough to benefit from compounding.Quality Compounds - Great businesses continually improve their quality and service. This compounding of quality—from leadership through every level of organization—creates lasting value that investors can benefit from.Value and Price Understanding - Value investing principles are timeless because they reflect basic human decision-making. Everyone intuitively understands the relationship between value received and price paid, whether at a farmer’s market or in stock investments.Invisible Wealth Requires Communication - Modern wealth is often invisible, creating challenges for families. Not communicating about wealth with the next generation can be dangerous; gradual education and preparation are essential.The Power of Inaction - “The inaction in the world that’s demanding action might be the hardest thing to do, but the biggest value added.” Sometimes the best investment decision is to simply hold onto quality investments.AI as a Tool Not a Replacement - AI helps investors by allowing them to “zoom out” to see broad patterns and “zoom in” on specific details, but human judgment remains essential for investment decisions.Seek Businesses You’d Own and Forget - Bogumil looks for businesses with good management and prospects that he can “own and forget about,” often waiting for price breaks to acquire them at attractive valuations.Control Your Time - True success isn’t measured by titles or money but by having the freedom to control your time and pursue what brings you meaning and curiosity.The Value of Having an Advisor - Having someone who understands both the technical aspects of wealth management and the human emotional side creates tremendous value, especially during market turbulence.Podcast Program – Disclosure StatementBlue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice.Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.Information expressed does not take into account your specific situation or objectives, and is not intended as recommendations appropriate for any individual. Listeners are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified tax, legal, or investment adviser to determine whether any information presented may be suitable for their specific situation. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

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• Robert Karas: Beyond Returns: What Buffett’s Early Partnership Letters Really Teach Us

  Robert Karas is a Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Bank Gutmann in Vienna, Austria's oldest private bank, where he oversees investment strategies for ultra-high-net-worth clients. Robert is a seasoned investor on a lifelong journey known for his thoughtful investment philosophy and engaging market insights.3:00 - Robert describes the 1960s "paperwork crisis" when Wall Street trading volumes exploded and people physically schlepped suitcases of stock certificates along Wall Street, requiring the establishment of the Depository Trust Company in 1973.5:20 - Bogumil shares his vivid memory of holding physical account statements from decades ago, witnessing the literal doubling of family fortunes—"two turning into four, four turning into eight"—and how the tangible nature of old statements helped him grasp the true power of long-term compounding.6:45 - Discussion of Buffett's revolutionary fee structure: zero management fees, profit sharing only above hurdles, and the forgotten detail—unlimited personal liability for losses. "Talking about aligned interests... we all talk about it, but normally we do not share in the downside directly."14:30 - Robert explains why Buffett dissolved his partnerships in 1969: "He didn't want to manage other people's emotions anymore." The shift from managing external capital to managing Berkshire allowed him to focus purely on business building without quarterly redemption pressures.25:00 - The power of Buffett's language: simple, clear, authentic communication that builds trust. Robert notes how Buffett writes letters "as if he's sitting in your living room explaining things to you."38:15 - Discussion of Berkshire as more than just an investment—it becomes part of people's identities, something they want to pass to their children, transforming from a stock into a legacy vehicle.56:30 - Bogumil's insight about Omaha during the annual meeting: "There's no other place on earth that for a few days, I have more friends per square mile than anywhere else."59:00 - Final reflection on trust and doing the right thing even when nobody's watching—the essence of working with families and the true lesson from Buffett and Munger.Podcast Program – Disclosure StatementBlue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice.Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.Information expressed does not take into account your specific situation or objectives, and is not intended as recommendations appropriate for any individual. Listeners are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified tax, legal, or investment adviser to determine whether any information presented may be suitable for their specific situation. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

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• Value: After Hours: Bogumil Baranowski on Freedom, Mindfulness, Patience, and the Art of Investing | S07 E39

  Please enjoy my recent appearance on Value: After Hours with Tobias Carlisle and Jake Taylor. One of my favorite interviews this season. A real weekend treat if you missed it!Guest: Bogumil Baranowski, founder of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC, host of Talking Billions podcast, author of "Money, Life, Family," and investment professional with 20 years of experience managing multi-generational family wealth.This episode was originally aired on Value: After Hours on 11/4/2025; it's reposted here with the kind permission of the hosts.Value: After Hours is a podcast about value investing, Fintwit, and all things finance and investment by investors Tobias Carlisle and Jake Taylor. See their latest episodes at https://acquirersmultiple.com/podcastPodcast Program – Disclosure StatementBlue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice.Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.Information expressed does not take into account your specific situation or objectives, and is not intended as recommendations appropriate for any individual. Listeners are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified tax, legal, or investment adviser to determine whether any information presented may be suitable for their specific situation. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

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• Rupert Mitchell: Are We Extrapolating Wrong Again? | A Macro Veteran on Chinese EVs, AI Hype, and Why Things Are Never as Good or Bad as They Seem

  Rupert Mitchell is a capital markets veteran with 30 years of institutional experience across three continents who now runs Blind Squirrel Macro, combining mythology, storytelling, and contrarian thinking to help investors understand why narrative often matters more than numbers in macro investing.Episode Sponsor: Fiscal AI is a modern data terminal that gives investors instant access to twenty years of financials, earnings transcripts, and extensive segment and KPI data—use my link for a two-week free trial plus 15% off: https://fiscal.ai/talkingbillions/3:00 - Rupert discusses the British education philosophy: learning to learn rather than narrow vocational training, creating adaptable generalists who aren't limited by having "an amazing hammer where everything has to look like a nail"6:00 - Bearings collapse story: Fresh graduate Rupert spent his entire £400 bonus on a briefcase (still uses it 30 years later) hours before the 250-year-old merchant bank collapsed overnight due to Nick Leeson's derivatives trades11:00 - Key lesson from Bearings: "Things are never as bad as you fear or as good as you would hope" - the "we're so back, it's so over" cycle teaches moderation in expectations and avoiding extrapolation extremes16:00 - The mythology connection: Rupert's father, a military history writer, taught him that "most people don't really have a sense of history beyond about five or 10 years" - understanding cyclical patterns creates edge21:00 - Chinese EV revolution firsthand: Witnessing Mercedes lose luxury market dominance to BYD in China taught Rupert that establishment brands can fall faster than anyone expects when technology shifts33:00 - The generalist advantage: "I'm never baffled or scared of a new product, topic, market or theme" - breadth beats depth when markets constantly evolve and surprises come from unexpected directions45:00 - AI investment paradox: Despite machine learning being used in biotech for years, healthcare hasn't announced breakthrough cycles - this "monkey on my back" makes Rupert question AI hype narratives54:00 - On success: "Success has to be being proud of what you've done, right? And that's not a number. Some of the most miserable people I know are wealthier than God"Podcast Program – Disclosure StatementBlue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice.Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.Information expressed does not take into account your specific situation or objectives, and is not intended as recommendations appropriate for any individual. Listeners are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified tax, legal, or investment adviser to determine whether any information presented may be suitable for their specific situation. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

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