Lucas Thiels

Passionate about finding high-quality companies that can compound over the long term. A strong willingness to acquire knowledge auto-didactically and an independent mindset are my most critical assets to find this type of investments. I can say with certain confidence that intense reading in my spare time since I was fifteen years old is worth more than my master degree.

Reading: I prefer to spend my spare time reading. I discovered the value of this habit when I was fifteen years old. I mainly read books, annual reports and shareholder letters from investors whom I admire. I believe reading is particularly useful for refining my pattern recognition skills. In total I have spent hundreds of hours improving my pattern recognition skills. I consider the following literature to be most influential on my personal investment philosophy:

-Berkshire Hathaway letters to shareholders

-Nomad Investment Partnership letters to shareholders

-Akre Capital Management letters to shareholders

-100 Baggers: Stocks that Return 100-to-1 and How to Find Them 

-The New Buffettology

I spend quite a bit of time reading annual reports in the hope of generating investment ideas. Since the autumn of 2023, I have been managing a large part of my family's assets and I try to closely monitor the fundamentals of interesting companies and get to know them as well as possible.

Football: I used to play football at the highest (national) level at KVC Westerlo for eight seasons. I left the club when I turned nineteen (2022). I then played football for one last season at VC Herentals before leaving the sport behind.

Running: After having played top-level sports for years, I now try to stay fit by running regularly. I try to challenge myself as much as possible. In October of 2023 I ran my first marathon in Brussels.

Fitness: I like to go to the gym a few hours a week.

Since the autumn of 2023, I manage a large part of my family's assets. I have also decided to write them a letter every now and then with the state of affairs and so that they know what I do with our money. In attachment, you can find one of these letters. I think it gives a good idea of my investment philosophy and what I look for in companies.