Welcome to Valuing Dutchman

Valuing Dutchman is essentially a personal stock newsletter, a kind of stock market diary in which I, Sam Hollanders, discuss the stocks that I select for myself and my family. It provides an intimate glimpse into my investment journey, a journey that I enjoy sharing with like-minded individuals.

In a nutshell: With experience since 2011 in writing a stock newsletter (and more than 25 years as an investor) and a previous career as an entrepreneur, I offer honest, rational, and easy-to-understand stock analyses. I provide transparency and integrity to help busy investors make informed decisions they can stick with, even during declining markets.

My focus is primarily on European (including Nordics) small and midcaps, with an involved shareholder, well-known and (more often) unknown companies. When selecting stocks, I am always price-conscious. I seek the highest possible quality, but the price matters!

Additionally, I am also interested in what is known as "Deep Value." This involves buying very cheap companies where the market completely misjudges their value. If you can buy companies at less than their tangible book value, or at a multiple of 2 or 3 times EBIT, and you can reasonably predict that profits will not collapse, or much less than the market expects, why would you pass these up? My portfolio is always a mix of this type of stocks, although some naturally fall into both categories. Most attention is given to the first type, which often remains in the portfolio much longer. More information can be found in “my investment philosophy”.

In addition to this type of stocks, I also have a fondness for family holdings, which constitute a separate segment in my portfolio.

On this Substack, these stocks will be part of the premium section, reserved for paying subscribers.

What others are saying

What’s for free?

On this Substack the stock ideas, constant updates, and the Doubler Portfolio will be part of the premium section, for paying readers.

What can you expect for free? Spontaneous thoughts on the stock market and investing, short pieces centered around the mindset of investors. Because let's be honest, a good mindset is not only crucial but also the most difficult to cultivate and maintain.

While the skills of research and valuation are relatively easy to learn, developing the right mindset constitutes a much more complex journey.

My goal with this substack is clear: to bring calmness to investors in challenging times. A beacon of tranquility in periods of euphoria and a support pillar when the markets are less favorable. The 3P-Check blogs are an example of this.

Additionally, I enjoy sharing fascinating discoveries such as articles, books, and videos, both here and on X (Twitter).

Stock ideas?

For those who want to take it a step further, the premium section offers a deeper dive into my portfolio. At least one to a maximum of two actionable stock ideas per month, presented in a comprehensive report—a valuable addition for paying subscribers. click here for a sample report

Weekly updates are the norm. News and figures of the selected stocks, along with an overview of the entire selection and my current perspective on them.

Through the Doubler Portfolio (started on 29/04/2024), you can follow how €50,000 will grow to €100,000 (and more).

Valuing Dutchman is not just a newsletter; it's a community. A space for discussion, sharing insights, and learning from each other. My door is always open, either through the website or email, for direct interaction with members.

My goal

My goal is simple: to save you time. Investing demands a lot of time, and I understand that not everyone has that luxury. As Peter Lynch said, the investor who turns over the most rocks wins.

A crucial aspect for me when presenting and tracking a company is to highlight the risks and potential dangers. Where do the pitfalls lurk?

I understand that some of you may wonder why I continue to share a newsletter, given my role as a fund manager. There are several reasons for that:

Writing keeps me sharp. The process of writing forces me into additional reflection. The way you process information while writing differs from passive reading.

I value feedback from the community. Each of you brings unique expertise in specific sectors. I appreciate your comments because I study these sectors from an external perspective.

Moreover, it's one thing to be able to live off your investments; it's another thing to want to. At this moment, I feel too young for that. I prefer to see my wealth continue to grow.

What Valuing Dutchman isn’t

I do not offer courses or educational programs here; for that purpose, I prefer to direct you to experts in that field.

Don't expect Deep Dives of 30 or 40 pages on stocks. Essentially, a clear investment thesis should be able to be summarized on one page. I aim to strike a balance between informing and not wasting time, as I write with the busy businessman/woman in mind.

Financial updates of the companies in the portfolio are also reduced to the essentials and checked against our investment thesis. The intention is not to copy the companies' reports.

I also want to emphasize that I do not provide financial advice. The selected stocks align with my own investment profile and may not correspond to your personality or circumstances. If you are seeking personal advice, I recommend consulting a financial advisor. My contribution here consists of sharing my work and ideas to the best of my ability.

Do not expect familiar names or popular stocks here. Most may be less known or stocks traditionally looked down upon. My focus is not on getting rich quickly, meme stocks, or 100-baggers. I simply seek good to great companies that I can acquire at a favorable price.

About the author

I am Sam Hollanders, a dedicated family man fortunate to have a loving wife and three beautiful daughters. After a captivating career in retail, focusing on photography and multimedia, and inspired by positive results during the 2008 financial crisis, I followed my passion to the stock market and became a full-time investor.

My journey into the world of investing began in 1999, and since 2010, I have been continuously active in the stock market. Writing a stock newsletter has been part of my personal exploration since 2011. Recently, I took on the role of managing a zero-management fee fund. It is a non-public fund, exclusively accessible to professional and well-informed investors. (See here for the definition according to the Luxembourg supervisory authority CSSF.)

Driven by a deep-seated desire to share my knowledge, stemming from what I have learned and continue to learn from master investors, my book "Double Your Money in Five Years" (only available in Dutch) emerged in 2019. The title is deliberately challenging, not only to attract people to the stock market but also as a reflection of the achieved return between 2004 and 2019 of 13.86% CAGR. The book serves as a guide, a window into my own journey in the financial world, and an invitation for others to learn and grow in the field of investing.

Disclosure

Nothing shared on Valuing Dutchman constitutes investment advice. All content reflects my individual perspectives and research tailored to my personal circumstances. It's important that you take into account your own specific situation, conduct your own research, and/or seek advice from a financial advisor prior to making any decisions based on ideas presented on Valuing Dutchman.

All content, including ideas, reports, articles, and other features within this subscription product, is presented solely for informational and educational purposes. None of the content herein should be construed as investment advice. All decisions made following the consumption of our articles and reports are entirely the responsibility of the reader.

Our service is designed to serve as a repository of potential ideas to integrate into your own decision-making process. The limited purpose of the provided information is to potentially indicate that this newsletter is a valuable resource for those interested in small-cap stock ideas. Articles should not be interpreted as buy or sell recommendations.

The positive feedback provided by subscribers, has not been verified for accuracy. Any positive returns achieved by these subscribers are solely attributed to their own decisions and processes. This newsletter shares ideas but refrains from providing any form of investment advice.

Our analysis relies on SEC filings (or equivalent in other countries), current events, interviews, corporate press releases, and other publicly available sources of information. Despite our efforts, errors may exist, and it is strongly advised not to base any investment decisions solely on the content presented here. There is no guarantee, or suggestion of a guarantee, that our ideas will perform as they have in the past.

It is important to disclose that I/my clients or affiliates may hold positions in securities mentioned, and such positions will be disclosed at the time of publication. However, the retention of such positions is not guaranteed.

Neither the author nor any affiliates accept any liability for direct or consequential loss arising, directly or indirectly, from the use of information contained herein. Nothing presented herein constitutes an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.