Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin

Episode: What the Greatest Investors Are Investing In Right Now
Date: October 30, 2025
Host: Nicole Lapin

Episode Overview

In this compact, info-packed episode, Nicole Lapin spotlights what legendary investors—Bill Ackman, Cathie Wood, and Warren Buffett—are buying, selling, and rethinking in today’s volatile market. Nicole reframes the idea that “copying” big investors is a shortcut to success, instead suggesting that analyzing their strategies offers valuable trends and frameworks. The episode gives listeners actionable insights into how top investment pros structure their portfolios, why they pivot, and what ordinary investors can learn from their moves.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Value (and Limits) of Watching the Pros

• Nicole sets the stage:
  "It is so tempting to look at what the big investors in the game are doing because it can feel like copying their moves means getting the cheat code to the market. But here’s the truth. It is not cheat code. It is just one more data point." (02:37)
• Lesson: Look to the pros for inspiration and trend-watching—NOT as a prescriptive investment plan.

Bill Ackman’s Focused, Strategic Portfolio (03:03)

• Uber — Ackman’s Top Holding

  • Uber is viewed as a “capital-light business that finally is hitting its financial stride,” with ride-sharing revenues up 18% YoY and a $20B share buyback showing management’s confidence.
  • "Uber is trading at a price to earnings ratio of around 17. And if you want to dig more into price to earnings ratios, I linked an episode where I decode that jargon in the show notes." (04:01)

• Brookfield Corporation

  • A “diversified alternative asset manager” giving exposure to infrastructure, private markets, and real estate—areas hard for retail investors to access.
  • "Brookfield is a private infrastructure player, so think toll roads, ports, power plants and utilities." (04:41)
  • Also expanding into private credit and reinsurance.

• Restaurant Brands International

  • Parent company of Burger King, Popeyes, Tim Hortons—appreciated for its “huge margin franchise model" and a 3.9% dividend yield.
  • Investing $500 million to revamp Burger King worldwide.
  • Fast food seen as resilient during economic downturns as consumers trade down.

• Other Notables

  • Ackman still holds Chipotle, but cautious due to weaker traffic and rising costs, despite international expansion and stock buybacks.

Ackman’s Style: Concentrated bets on companies with structural advantages that can perform in challenging environments.

Cathie Wood: Bold Bets on Disruption & Innovation (06:09)

• Trimming Winners

  • Has been “quietly selling shares of Roku and Tempest AI, despite both stocks posting double digit gains.” (06:30)
  • Indicates risk management or a possible broader portfolio shift.

• Buying Into China

  • Recently bought Alibaba and Baidu—bold due to regulatory risks and ARK’s limited previous China exposure.

• Biotech Focus: CRISPR & Beyond

  • Heavy positions in CRISPR Therapeutics and Beam Therapeutics, signaling strong conviction that biotech/gene editing will be transformative.
  • Explains what CRISPR is: “It’s a gene editing technology that allows scientists to precisely cut and modify DNA. So think of it like molecular scissors for your genetic code.” (07:45)
  • Beam uses "base editing,” a next-gen precision tool.

• Cathie’s Framework

  • Sees gene editing, AI and robotics as “the five major innovation platforms.”
  • "If she is right, this could potentially be the health care equivalent of investing in the Internet in the early 2000s.” (08:33)

• Summary:
  “Volatility is part of the package, but she’s not afraid to take profits even on her highest conviction names and pivot where she sees opportunity.” (08:55)

Warren Buffett: Classic Contrarian, Patient Operator (09:02)

• Big Buy: UnitedHealth Group

  • Berkshire Hathaway bought 5M+ shares in Q2, after the CEO’s tragic death and the stock’s 30% drop.
  • Nicole highlights: “Buffett has a long history of betting on companies when everybody else is scared… this move suggests he believes in UnitedHealthcare’s long term fundamentals, especially its Optum business.” (09:23)

• Major Sell: BYD (Chinese EV Maker)

  • Fully exited his long-term stake, locking in massive gains.
  • “Buy when others are fearful, sell when others are greedy. Rinse, repeat. This is classic Buffett.” (10:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Investing is not a copy and paste situation. It’s a choose your own adventure.” (11:03)
• "If you are going to take inspiration from the pros, learn how they think, not just what they’re buying." (11:18)
• "Ackman goes concentrated. Buffett waits for fear. Cathie Wood bets big on trends that are still years from mass adoption. That’s strategy, not luck." (11:27)
• “You can borrow someone’s framework for sure, but you still have to write your own playbook.” (11:35)

Actionable Tips and Takeaways

• Find Your Own Strategy:
  “Just because Warren Buffett buys UnitedHealthcare doesn’t mean that it’s right for you… These moves are fascinating, and sometimes very informative. But they’re not gospel.” (10:38)

• Use Public Resources:
  Nicole reminds listeners that 13F filings are public and links them for further research.

• Automate Your Investments:
  “Automating your investments… can help you take the emotion and the mental load out of investing.” (11:51)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:37 – Nicole reframes “copying the pros” as a learning tool
• 03:03 – Bill Ackman: Uber, Brookfield, Restaurant Brands
• 06:09 – Cathie Wood: Portfolio trimming, China bets, biotech focus
• 09:02 – Warren Buffett: UnitedHealth buy, BYD exit, contrarian moves
• 11:03 – Core investing wisdom: formulas vs. frameworks
• 11:51 – Automating your investing life

Episode Tone

Nicole Lapin maintains her trademark direct, jargon-free, encouraging style, balancing accessible explanations with deep-dive insights. The episode feels energetic, approachable, and packed with “here’s what you should know now” momentum.

For anyone seeking to understand what the champions of Wall Street are up to—and how you can learn from their approaches without blindly following—this episode offers a concise yet comprehensive road map.