Austin
Smith.
Background & credentials.
Austin Smith is a financial publisher with over two decades of experience as an investor, analyst, and advisor. He covers stocks, ETFs, Artificial intelligence and personal finance for 24/7 Wall St. Previously, he spent over a decade at The Motley Fool as a senior editor for Fool.com, portfolio advisor for Millionacres, and launched The Ascent to help reader take control of their personal finances.
His work has been featured on Fool.com, NPR, CNBC, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, AOL, Marketwatch, and many other publications. He is as an advisor to private companies, and co-hosts The AI Investor Podcast with Eric Bleeker.
When not looking for investment opportunities, he can be found skiing, running, or playing soccer with his children. Learn more about Austin's investment approach here.
- CFA 2008
- MBA 2015
- PhD 2020
-
The Motley FoolManaging Editor2011-2019
-
V-Twin RealtyOwner2006-2026
-
AnnnabodePartner2019-2025
Top performing calls.
What Austin believes about money
-
01
Investing is the most fun game on earth, and one that completely changes your life when played well.
-
02
Managing emotions matters as much as choosing investments
-
03
A small number of investments can carry an entire portfolio, if you let them
Coverage Universe
Stock Research
10-K reads, valuation, and what the bulls miss.
- Stocks aren't tickers or lines on a chart, they are pieces of living, breathing companies that can change your life if you find the right ones to buy and hold for the long run. Stock research means understanding the business behind it.
Spending, saving, and the boring math that compounds.
- All money is personal. Investors should spend as much time ensuring their portfolio is set up to help them achieve their goals as they do picking great investments. Picking the best stocks on earth doesn't matter if your portfolio isn't set up to serve your aims.
Real Estate & REITs
Inflation-aware income outside the S&P.
- Real estate is the largest asset class on earth and has created more millionaires than any other industry. But it remains deeply misunderstood and overwhelms new investors who struggle to juggle sort cap rates from interest rates, and depreciation from deductions.
Latest from Austin.
Recommended Resources
A book that reframes booms from a four-letter word in investing to its rightful place as an opportunity where capital meets innovation and the world changes forever.
Boom: Bubbles and the End of Stagnation
A deeply analytical podcast covering artificial intelligence, geopolitics, science, math, and everything in between.
Dwarkesh
A broad cross-section of science and technology videos that will inspire you about what the future could look like.