Magic Formula investing, developed by Joel Greenblatt, is a systematic strategy that selects the top 20–30 high-quality (high Return on Capital) and undervalued (high Earnings Yield) companies, usually excluding financials and utilities. Investors typically buy 2–3 stocks monthly over a year, hold for 12 months, and repeat.
Magic formula investing is a rules-based strategy designed to surpass the average market returns by ranking stocks based on price and capital returns. The method was developed by Joel Greenblatt and focuses on large-cap stocks, excluding small caps, financial, utility, and foreign companies.
Calculating the Magic Formula
Enterprise Value is calculated as Market Cap + Debt - Cash. Return on Capital measures how effectively a company uses its money (capital and debt) to generate returns. To calculate the Magic Formula score, you separately rank all stocks by EBIT/EV.
The 3-5-7 rule in stock trading is a risk management strategy: risk no more than 3% of capital on a single trade, keep total open position risk under 5%, and aim for a minimum 7% profit target or 7:1 reward-to-risk ratio, ensuring capital preservation and disciplined growth by setting clear limits and avoiding emotional decisions.
3 months if your income is stable and you have a financial safety net. 6 months as a general rule, if you have children or large financial obligations, such as mortgages. 9 months if you're self-employed or have an irregular income stream.
Warren Buffett has said that 90 percent of the money he leaves to his wife should be invested in stocks, with just 10 percent in cash. Does that work for non-billionaires? As far as asset allocation advice goes, 90 percent in stocks sounds pretty aggressive.
The central pivot point is calculated as the average of the high, low, and close prices from the previous trading period. Resistance levels (R1, R2, R3) are calculated above the pivot point, indicating potential price ceilings, while support levels (S1, S2, S3) are calculated below, indicating potential price floors.
The 84% Rule in trading is a concept where traders re-enter a trade at the same key level with identical parameters (stop-loss, target) after an initial stop-out, expecting an ~84% success rate for the second attempt, especially after a fake-out or liquidity grab, leveraging the idea that the market often respects the original level despite the initial false move. It's a trade management technique to recover losses or capitalize on high-probability setups when price returns to the original thesis, often involving identifying market imbalances like Fair Value Gaps (FVGs) for confirmation.
Joel Greenblatt's Magic Formula: ~20–30 Stocks
Rationale: Empirical evidence shows that a diversified portfolio of top-ranked value stocks outperforms the market over time, but still requires a reasonable spread to reduce individual company risk.
The "90-90-90 rule" in trading is a harsh reality check stating that 90% of new traders lose 90% of their money within the first 90 days, highlighting the high failure rate due to emotional decisions, poor risk management, and lack of education/strategy. It serves as a cautionary tale, emphasizing that success requires discipline, a solid trading plan, continuous learning, and strict risk control (like risking only 1-2% per trade) to avoid the common pitfalls that wipe out most beginners.
With $900,000 saved, and factoring in an average annual rate of return between 10–12%, you'll have between $90,000 and $108,000 to live off of each year, not including your Social Security benefits.
Warren Buffett's 8+8+8 Rule — A Lesson for Every Professional This rule reminds us of the importance of balance in our daily lives: 8 hours for work, 8 hours for rest, and 8 hours for personal time. This principle highlights the value of employee well-being, productivity, and sustainable performance.
By carefully managing withdrawals, maximizing Social Security benefits, and adjusting lifestyle expectations, retiring with $500,000 can be feasible for many individuals. However, it requires thorough planning and a realistic assessment of long-term financial needs.
The “5 Finger Framework” suggests spreading investments across five key asset classes to balance risk and reward effectively. These asset classes include high-quality stocks, value stocks, GARP (Growth at Reasonable Price) stocks, midcap or small-cap stocks, and global stocks.