“Oh my god you have to write about that”
“No no, it wouldn’t be right.”
One night in, I don’t know, 2015 or so, Jon Boorman came out to dinner in New York City. He told an incredible story about investor psychology that I’ll never forget. That week he had just sold a stock for a big gain, roughly a double if I recall correctly. What made that particular trade so interesting is not what he gained, but what he lost. One of his clients fired him for buying the stock.
The market was in the midst of a pullback and his client didn’t understand how he could be buying something when stocks were going in the wrong direction. What this person didn’t understand is that Jon was a stock picker, a trend follower to be specific. He bought stocks that were going higher, period. He didn’t care what other stocks were doing, only what his stocks were doing.
If you want to get a sense of how Jon saw the markets, please read this, Some Things I’ve Learned Over the Last 30 Years. It’s one of my favorite blog posts of all-time.
If you want to get a sense of how Jon lived his life, let me tell you. Jon was such a gentleman that he refused to tell the story about the time he bought a stock, got fired for it, and then rode it to a 100% gain. Jon was that type of guy. Jon was a mensch.
My father is a dentist. He doesn’t know anything about finance. So when we had an investing conference, he came to check it out. During the lunch break, I was alone at a table with my dad. Jon sat down next to us.
Boorman loved music, and had just seen a Rolling Stones exhibit that he was so excited talk about. My father, a child of the 60s, was the perfect audience. That experience with Jon and my dad is forever burned into my memory. It was my two worlds colliding.
“What a nice guy” my father said. Yep, what a nice guy. (The Bravery of Jon Boorman)
When we found out that Jon was sick, we were devastated like everyone else. And then we were inspired. Jon knew his time was limited so he got busy living. Seeing him travel with his family and sing with his band was nothing short of spectacular. I mean, look at this rock star.
Two and a half weeks after brain surgery. Still got it! pic.twitter.com/jGv4YrMyCk
— Jon Boorman (@JBoorman) October 20, 2019
I’m so happy that I had the chance to know Jon, and I’m terribly sorry to have to say goodbye.
Rest in peace Jon, you will be missed.
