The year is 2030. You are planning your annual spring break trip. Normally, you’d fight long lines at the airport or divide the driving among the adults in shifts as you scurry to the beach before exhaustion overwhelms the whole family. Not this year.

For the amateur investor, platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit open the doors to “financial enlightenment”. Trends emerge and fads flourish, often at the cost of sound investment principles. Fear and greed are the greatest barrier to making intelligent investment decisions. Currently, normally sensible investors have been greed-lusting (I’m trying out this phrase) over everything from crypto to AI.

On March 4th, Austin joined Yet Another Value Podcast to talk about The Lovesac Company (NASDAQ: LOVE).

Watch the full video here.

I recently had a chat about something that's been on my mind a lot lately—the future of AI and investing. It's exciting to see all the progress in AI, but sometimes I think we forget that all these advancements come at a cost. Companies like Nvidia, which is now one of the most valuable in the US, are leading the charge in designing chips for AI.

But let's not forget, someone has to pay for all this innovation.

Austin Crites reviews the performance of Aurora’s portfolios over this past year.

We began buying stock in Lovesac back in 2020 and I wrote an article about it in 2022. Lovesac (popularized by the “giant beanbags”) is a designer and retailer of furniture, primarily modular, sectional couches called sactionals. 

Two weeks ago, the team at Aurora Financial Strategies had the incredible opportunity to attend CES, the world's largest consumer tech show. This annual event, renowned for showcasing cutting-edge technology and innovative ideas, was a thrilling experience for all of us.

When we think of war, we should be thinking of personal safety rather than the safety of capital. At the end of the day, people’s lives matter more than money. However, when global conflicts arise, they are often effective ways to protect your money…

Gentex was founded in 1974 and headquartered in Zeeland, MI. Gentex is a leader in automotive accessory production as they are the largest player in the interior auto dimming mirrors market with a 91% market share. They are a global entity with offices and production across the US, Europe and Asia. Gentex is a company which offers a strong moat for investors due to their large market share, continuous innovation and current partnerships.

Once upon a pre-Covid time, the idea of online grocery was quite niche constituting just 3% of all grocery sales in 2019.  Fast forward to September 2023, the time of the multi-billion dollar IPO of Instacart whose primary business is sending gig workers to grocery stores as a sort of personal shopper and delivering them to customer doorsteps.

Talk of artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm in 2023. Students started using ChatGPT for homework while many working-age adults fret whether the bots are coming for their jobs. Though investors have become enthralled with this new endeavor, one thing we should all ask is, how much?

We are interested in learning about companies that may offer a strong margin of safety, an identifiable moat and favorable corporate governance. Rayonier appears to be a compelling case for a potential investment as it is operating in a mature industry while having plenty of different strategies for future growth and value creation.

The Aurora team is excited to announce that we are now expanding our Asset Management offering to outside advisors and institutional consultants.

What is a “Proxy Statement” and Why Are They Showing Up in Your Inbox? Every spring, investors find themselves inundated with proxy materials. What are they? Do I have to vote?

We recently increased our position in Lovesac (LOVE) for many of our clients. Our models indicate the stock is worth approximately $61/share vs the price of $24.34 as of market close 10/31/2022. Lovesac has a differentiated product line and business model conferring multiple sustainable competitive advantages. Retail concepts can be volatile businesses. Do your own due diligence prior to investing.

LOVESAC IS A LITTLE PLACE WHERE…WE…CAN…SIT TOGETHER!...LOVESAC BAAABYYY!

Commodity producing companies have been starved for capital for almost a decade leading to an attractive commodity price environment. Economic Moats in mining are derived from access to low-cost supply and wise capital allocation decisions. Sibanye Stillwater is our preferred choice in the mining industry due to their improving cost structure, strong corporate governance, and attractive valuation.