Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin

What the Greatest Investors Are Investing In Right Now

October 30, 2025

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  • Observing the moves of seasoned investors like Warren Buffett, Bill Ackman, and Cathie Wood provides valuable data points for spotting market themes, but copying their portfolios directly is not a substitute for personal research and strategy development. 
  • Bill Ackman's current top holdings reflect a focus on established, capital-light businesses (Uber), diversified access to hard-to-reach private markets (Brookfield), and resilient consumer staples with strong franchise models (Restaurant Brands International). 
  • Cathie Wood demonstrates active risk management by trimming high-conviction winners like Roku while making bold, contrarian bets on undervalued sectors like Chinese tech (Alibaba, Baidu) and long-term innovation platforms like gene editing (CRISPR Therapeutics, Beam Therapeutics). 

Segments

Emergency Fund Advice & Chime Ad
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Building an emergency fund covering at least three months of expenses is crucial, and choosing a bank like Chime can ease savings through fee-free features and early direct deposit access.
  • Summary: The initial advice emphasizes building an emergency fund to cover at least three months of expenses to handle unexpected financial shocks. Chime is presented as a banking solution that supports this goal by offering fee-free overdraft coverage up to $200 and access to funds up to two days early with direct deposit. Banking services are provided by The Bancorp Bank NA or Stride Bank NA, and Chime is identified as a financial technology company, not a bank.
Square Business Tools Promotion
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(00:01:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Square provides comprehensive, contract-free tools for small business owners to manage payments, appointments, and staff, facilitating the transition from hobby to hustle.
  • Summary: Square is promoted as the solution for business owners needing an easy way to accept card payments, even for small transactions like at a farmer’s market. The platform offers tools to run a business without complex contracts, and listeners can receive up to $200 off Square Hardware via a specific promotional link. This supports the concept of developing multiple streams of income.
Introduction and Ackman’s Portfolio
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(00:02:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Bill Ackman’s concentrated portfolio highlights conviction in Uber’s financial maturity, Brookfield’s access to hard-to-reach private markets, and Restaurant Brands International’s stable franchise model.
  • Summary: Nicole Lapin introduces the episode’s focus: analyzing the moves of Warren Buffett, Bill Ackman, and Cathie Wood, stressing that their actions are data points, not cheat codes. Ackman’s top holding, Uber, is viewed as a capital-light business hitting its stride, evidenced by strong revenue growth and a share buyback authorization. His second position, Brookfield Corporation, offers retail investors indirect exposure to private markets like real estate and infrastructure, which are typically inaccessible.
Cathie Wood’s Innovation Bets
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(00:05:49)
  • Key Takeaway: Cathie Wood is trimming winners like Roku while aggressively buying Chinese tech and doubling down on gene editing companies like CRISPR Therapeutics and Beam Therapeutics as a major innovation platform.
  • Summary: Cathie Wood is shown exercising risk management by selling shares of high-performing stocks like Roku and Tempest AI, potentially signaling a rotation. Simultaneously, she is increasing exposure to pressured Chinese tech stocks, Alibaba and Baidu, a departure from ARC’s historical focus. Her continued strong investment in gene editing companies like CRISPR Therapeutics and Beam Therapeutics positions this technology as the next major frontier in healthcare innovation, akin to the early internet.
Warren Buffett’s Contrarian Moves
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(00:08:29)
  • Key Takeaway: Warren Buffett demonstrated contrarian buying by investing $1.6 billion into United Healthcare Group amid leadership tragedy and regulatory fear, while locking in massive gains by exiting his profitable BYD stake due to EV competition and geopolitics.
  • Summary: Berkshire Hathaway acquired over 5 million shares of United Healthcare Group after its stock dropped significantly following the CEO’s tragic death and regulatory scrutiny. This move reflects Buffett’s historical tendency to bet on strong long-term fundamentals when others are fearful. Conversely, Buffett completely exited his highly profitable stake in BYD, illustrating a classic strategy of selling when competition and geopolitical risks increase, regardless of past success.
Learning from Investor Strategy
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(00:09:54)
  • Key Takeaway: The core lesson from the pros is understanding their strategic framework—Ackman’s concentration, Buffett’s patience during fear, and Wood’s long-term trend betting—rather than blindly copying specific trades.
  • Summary: Investing is described as a ‘choose your own adventure,’ emphasizing that individual goals and risk tolerance dictate action, not the actions of the pros alone. The key is learning how they think: Ackman concentrates, Buffett waits for fear, and Wood bets on long-term trends years before mass adoption. Listeners are encouraged to use the public 13F filings to study these frameworks.
Automating Investments with Public
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(00:10:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Automating recurring investments using Public’s Investment Plans removes emotion and mental load, allowing users to consistently contribute across diverse assets, stocks, ETFs, and industries.
  • Summary: To maintain momentum after learning about investing strategies, automating money moves is recommended through Public’s Investment Plans. These plans allow users to automatically contribute to a collection of assets on a recurring basis, either custom-built or pre-selected (e.g., Mag 7, dividend stocks, AI). This feature helps spread investment strategy across multiple asset classes and regions without emotional interference.