Equity Mates Investing Podcastpodcast

Scott Phillips: The stock picker who doesn’t think you should pick stocks

Monday, September 28, 2026View original

Scott Phillips is the Chief Investment Officer at The Motley Fool, but he thinks most people shouldn’t be picking individual stocks.


Fresh off writing The One Page Investing Plan, Scott joins Bryce and Ren to explain why simple investing habits often beat complexity, why ETFs should be the default for many investors and why trying to time the next market crash can cost you.


Plus, Scott shares his case for shares over investment property, the risks of thematic and leveraged ETFs, and why staying invested matters more than predicting what happens next.


Stocks & ETFs mentioned: Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B), John Deere (NYSE: DE), Xerox (NASDAQ: XRX), IBM (NYSE: IBM), Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL), Visa (NYSE: V), Mastercard (NYSE: MA), Webjet Group (ASX: WJL)


Chapters:

00:00 Why Scott Says “Invest Anyway”

01:50 The One Page Investing Plan

07:24 Why Most People Shouldn’t Pick Stocks

11:15 Finding Your Investing “Why”

19:31 The Investing Habits That Actually Matter

26:59 Shares, ETFs and Thematic Investing

32:21 Shares vs Property: Scott’s Case

40:20 Should You Invest With a Market Crash Coming?


Check out Scott's new book 'The One-Page Investing Plan: Start Simple, Stay Patient, Build Serious Wealth'.


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This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes only. Any advice is general advice and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs. If unsure, speak to a financial professional. The host of this podcast and their guests may have positions in the companies mentioned. Equity Mates Media is part of the Betashares Group but maintains editorial independence and operates under Australian Financial Services licence 540697.


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