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Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Scott Phillips is The Motley Fool’s Chief Investment Officer in Australia. He is Advisor of The Fool’s flagship investment service, Motley Fool Share Advisor and the Portfolio Manager of Motley Fool Everlasting Income and Premier Portfolio, as well as running our most premium service, Motley Fool Platinum. He is passionate about investing, having managed his own portfolio for over 15 years. A dyed-in-the-wool Fool (in the best way), he has been a member of The Motley Fool since 1999. Scott holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Management) and a Graduate Diploma of Accounting. Before joining The Fool, Scott worked in various Sales and Finance roles in industry, which has allowed him to see the good, bad and the ugly of corporate management close-up. Giving him a great understanding of the way businesses run – and what separates the business wheat from the chaff – Scott wholeheartedly agrees with Warren Buffett when he said he was a ‘better investor because I am a businessman and a better businessman because I am an investor’. Scott left a successful career to follow his passion – helping our members achieve the best possible investment returns, and helping Australians learn to better manage their money. It’s no surprise he ended up at The Motley Fool.

Recent Articles

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It was close. Too close. At least now we have a winner

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

It was a remarkable week. Who was the biggest loser?

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When 'cutting rates' doesn't mean what you think it means

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Here's a red hot question for the Big 4 banks: Why haven’t you passed on the cash rate cuts to…

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STOP PRESS: Today's RBA rate cut is only the sideshow.

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

It's momentous but we all expected a record cut to interest rates today. And there are 3 other parts of…

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Melbourne Cup tips inside (yes, really!)

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

A low-key Melbourne Cup may not stop the nation today, but we've brought our regular tipster Lewy back to share…

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shares to buy in US election represented by blue and red fists coming together against backdrop of US flag
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Here's what the US election means for investors

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Nothing... We can't predict the outcome of the US election. So tune out the politics. Save, invest, and buy the…

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A greedy woman gloats over a cash incentive.
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Don't listen to me. Listen to Charlie Munger…

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

When it come to the financial services industry, it pays to remember that the incentives of others don’t always align…

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optimistic investing represented by eerie close up of lion's eyes
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So much brainpower… wasted by betting against humanity

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

See, optimism isn’t blind faith. It isn’t ignoring reality. It’s realising that humanity and progress are inseparable, despite setbacks.

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Bunnings stock represented by hand holding a sausage in bread against backdrop of Bunnings store
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If you LOVE a Bunnings sanga, you might LOVE the stock…

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Love matters. Love isn’t enough, of course but if you can find a company that has loving customers, you’re off…

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A man in a suit carrying a briefcase carefully keeps his balance while he walks a tightrope.
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The Budget verdict, without the politics

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

In a COVID-19 recovery bid, the Government has thrown everything and the kitchen sink at the Federal Budget. Here's our…

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rise in asx share price represented by one hundred dollar notes flying freely through the air
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Is the Treasurer destroying the village to save it?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Letting credit flow more freely is a worthwhile goal. As long as the credit goes to people who can responsibly…

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Young girl wearing a suit and tie with rocket wings looks to the sky representing the highest traded stocks today
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Building an empire, one Ooshie at a time

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

You and I can buy any number of shares. But we can’t buy them all. The question we should be…

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businessman holding chalk board with the words 'you're fired' on it representing rio ceo
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Rio's CEO walks the plank…

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Three Rio executives are going to walk the plank. It is almost certainly too little, too late. But it’s something.

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Share Market News

What are the odds that Tom Waterhouse makes a great investor?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Who knows if Tom Waterhouse will be a good investor. But years of working as a bookie should give him…

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hand picking dice with happy face from selection of neutral and sad face dice
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Here's why stock-picking is hard (but you should do it, anyway)…

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

If you’re going to beat the market, you must take a position that’s different to the market. Why? Because if…

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crystal ball reflecting NASDAQ stock charts
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NASDAQ plunges 5%. What next?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Well that was quick. And brutal. But it wasn’t unexpected.‘It’ is the 5.23% fall in the NASDAQ composite index overnight.

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Unless you think bank CEOs need more money?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

The odds are excellent that 99 out of every 100 people are paying too much for their home loan. Now…

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Optimists 1, Pessimists 0

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

5 months and 8 days later...

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Illustration of male investor with facemask looking toward gold trophy
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The Investors' Creed

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Don't listen to these 'imposters'

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Woman in mustard yellow blouse on laptop holds both hands out to either side with graphic illustration of question marks above them
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Apple shareholders are either correcting a mistake… or making one

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

$500 billion. That’s the extra ‘value’ that’s been created in Apple shares over just the last 20 or so trading…

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ASX 200 tech shares Investor touching a screen with a smiley face icon on it, indicating a surging ASX share price
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Four companies that got crushed (and why you had to own them)

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Good investing isn’t about always being right (it’s not possible). It’s about being right as often as possible, to end…

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White puzzle pieces being split apart on blue background
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Is it time to break up Big Tech (and our banks)?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Australia has long been the land of the duopoly (two dominant players) and oligopoly (a handful of dominant players). So…

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Share market uncertainty
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How COVID-19 is locking in our economic future…

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

In this time of uncertainty, one thing is clear: Keynesian economics – spend in tough times, and recover it in…

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asx investor holdind wooden blocks in hand that spell ego
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Investing 101: Humility > Arrogance

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Humility beats arrogance, because you give yourself more room to change course, and you’ll likely learn something.

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Ready for the "80% stock market crash"?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Predictions of an 80% stock market crash make for great headlines, and our brains are programmed to expect the worst.…

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Half a million people with no Super… At. All.

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

More than half a million Australians starting again... from scratch

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What history tells us about investing through COVID

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

It seems strange to say, but at some future point we’ll forget most of the events of this current COVID…

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My pre-holiday trading strategy

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

The ASX -- and investing in general -- isn’t the place for action, activity or trying to be too clever…

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Banknotes floating in front of a graphic representation of the share market
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Apparently free brokerage is to blame…

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Apparently, they’re taking advantage of free brokerage. In reality, it’s a fig leaf covering the sins of the supposed professionals.

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Australia recession ASX 200 shares street sign saying recession ahead with dark clouds looming
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Shares up? Haven't you seen the economy?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

There’s no reason shares should be thrown out with the bathwater, just because the economy is currently in a rough…

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bar graph with man jumping over low number representing dip in asx shares
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Down 20% in 7 trading hours… Worse to come?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

If you’re still letting the market dictate your moods, or your actions, I hope this piece helps you sleep a…

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Banknotes floating in front of a graphic representation of the share market
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Two perspectives and a Buy recommendation

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

The S&P 500 is now showing a positive return so far in 2020, and the ASX may well close the day above…

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We're in recession. What does that mean for investors?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg admitted the inevitable on Wednesday. Australia is in a recession. So what does this mean for ASX…

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Banknotes floating in front of a graphic representation of the share market
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Just because it's free, doesn't mean it won't cost you

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Don't believe the hype: Free trades aren't free!

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An economist's expectations for coronavirus and beyond

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

"A 'W' shaped recovery..." and much, much more...

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Hands wanting to grab red dollar sign on a hook, symbolising a scam.
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Don't be a sucker

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

If you've read my emails or seen me on the telly, you know that I want every Australian to be…

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Investing lessons from coronavirus

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

More investing lessons from COVID-19.

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a woman
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Bank on it? Not so fast…

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Are they still telling you to buy 'blue chip' stocks?

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a woman
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We Will Remember Them

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Silence. The stillness of the early morning, just before the sky lightens at dawn. The air is heavy with meaning.…

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a woman
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The recession we're going to have to have…

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

This is the recession we're going to have, like it or not!

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a woman
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Measure twice, cut once

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Measure twice, cut once... carefully! Thoughts on backyard building projects... and investing.

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