Welcome to The Chop Wood, Carry Water Substack

I am Alex - a thirtysomething tech manager turned avid reader, novice writer, and value hunter. Growing up in Campulung Muscel, a small town nestled in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, gave me a solid foundation in the principles of a happy life, hard work, perseverance, and resilience.

I possess a Master's Degree in Economic Cybernetics, Statistics, and Informatics; however, I wouldn't define myself strictly as a technical expert in those disciplines. Rather, my background includes engaging in diverse roles within IT companies where incremental progress advanced me into higher leadership positions. Along the way, though, something felt off; despite achieving success, I couldn’t shake the feeling of dissatisfaction. 

That’s when I realized true happiness lay in embracing simplicity-spending carefully and living within (and even beneath) my means. This realization not only gave me greater emotional peace but also ignited my love affair with value-based investments. This led me to discover Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger, Mohnish Pabrai, Guy Spire, Li Lu, Howard Marks, Seth Klarman, Rob Vinall, and many other value-oriented investors. Today, I'm doing my best and beyond, adopting their knowledge, focusing on the downside, while the upside takes care of itself.

I am grateful for my experience and the people I've met around the world during my journey.

Let's explore together how investing works while compounding goodwill. If any of my readers feel that they share similar values or interests, then please don’t hesitate to connect or send me your thoughts.

Alex, Founder of The Chop Wood, Carry Water Newsletter

Why The Chop Wood, Carry Water?

The great aspect of ancient quotes and stories is that they are subject to interpretation.

Here’s my personal take on it. Irrespective of your goals and what you have achieved, do this daily and do it well; Give special importance to the need for committing to and thriving during the process in any pursuit.

I took command of my life and finances and I take that seriously.

Why subscribe?

Well… I would love to build relationships by allowing us to share our experiences and helping us connect, and bounce ideas. The research I share with you requires a lot of love, time, data gathering, and real-world mapping but It’s not a full-time job despite all the hours invested.

If you’d like to support my activity, please subscribe using the free or paid tier. Paid tier offers access to my portfolio positions and the monthly changes (if any).

I believe that you’ll be helping me compound goodwill, as I’m learning to be a giver, not a taker.

Note that I’m not a writer, professional investor, or financial advisor, therefore what I’m sharing in this newsletter is just my point of view towards life and the yearlong journey of learning to invest (a journal for my future self). Please set your expectations low, the information provided in the newsletter, which has been gathered from various public, free and paid sources, is intended to be general in nature and should not be considered personal financial or investment advice.

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