1. Authors
    2. /
  2. Scott Phillips
    3. /

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

A male investor sits at his desk looking at his laptop screen holding his hand to his chin pondering whether to buy Macquarie shares
Motley Fool Take Stock

How I learned to love low share prices

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

I raise it to remind you of how you should think about share prices.

Read more »

A couple sits in their lounge room with a large piggy bank on the coffee table. They smile while the male partner feeds some money into the slot while the female partner looks on with an iPad style device in her hands as though they are budgeting.
Motley Fool Take Stock

You really should invest. Now.

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

By the time people get motivated to invest, it’ll probably be at the height of FOMO fever.

Read more »

A man sits at a desk holding a small replica house in his hand, upset at the sale of his property.
Motley Fool Take Stock

The swiftest solution for housing affordability

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

There are three major buckets, here.

Read more »

a woman explaining information to an elderly couple about finance
Motley Fool Take Stock

Making money… the old-fashioned way

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

I can’t stress enough how important I think it is to find quality people with old-fashioned values.

Read more »

A young woman sits at her desk in deep contemplation with her hand to her chin while seriously considering information she is reading on her laptop
Motley Fool Take Stock

How to choose a Super Fund

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

When it came to our default fund here at The Motley Fool, we had to answer this question.

Read more »

A man analyses stockmarket graph on his computer.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Mr. Market vs. The Economist

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Most of the time the market is telling you about its mood... not its ability to correctly price companies.

Read more »

A man holds his head in his hands after seeing bad news on his laptop screen.
Motley Fool Take Stock

The worst reason not to invest

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

No, Bradman didn’t score a century every time he went out to bat.

Read more »

man using laptop happy at rising share price
Motley Fool Take Stock

Happy Vanguard Index Chart Day

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Happy Vanguard Index Chart Day, to all who celebrate.

Read more »

An excited man stretches his arms out above his head as he reaches a mountain peak representing two ASX 200 shares reaching multi-year high prices today
Motley Fool Take Stock

Guess which company just hit an all-time high?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

I’ve been recommending shares in the company to my members and readers for yonks!

Read more »

A group of older women and men cheers their wine glasses ecstatically, even though they're in lockdown.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Is your portfolio ageing like a fine wine?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Giving good wine some time to mature is a smart strategy.

Read more »

a man wearing a business suit has a wide-eyed surprised expression on his face with a powerboard in one hand and a power plug in the other and yards of power chord wrapped many times over around his neck and body.
Motley Fool Take Stock

No degrees of difficulty in investing

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

See, unlike in Olympic diving, there’s no extra points for degree of difficulty when you invest.

Read more »

A man sits in deep thought with a pen held to his lips as he ponders his computer screen with a laptop open next to him on his desk in a home office environment.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Don't let cheap brokerage cost you money

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

What’s not to like about cheap brokerage?

Read more »

Uluru at sunrise under a majestic sky.
Motley Fool Take Stock

The beauty of long-term investing (and the outback)

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

It's easy to get away from it all when you invest for the long term.

Read more »

A male investor sits at his desk looking at his laptop screen with his hand to his chin pondering whether to buy Origin shares
Motley Fool Take Stock

Are you getting value for what you're paying?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

There are some financial planners who seem to view their clients as meal tickets.

Read more »

A man in a business suit wearing boxing gloves slumps in the corner of a boxing ring representing the beaten-up Zip share price in recent times
Motley Fool Take Stock

Mike Tyson on investing

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Mike Tyson more than anyone, understands ‘no pain, no gain’.

Read more »

A surprised and curious male investor drinks black coffee while reading the latest news on rising ASX shares in the newspaper
Motley Fool Take Stock

Investors 1: 'Permabear' forecasters 0

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

When the ASX stock market gets volatile and the permabears come out, choose very carefully who you listen to.

Read more »

The Australian Coat of Arms flanked by a kangaroo and an emu features as a fresco on a building with the backdrop of a blue sky.
Motley Fool Take Stock

My budget verdict

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

I’m glad you asked.

Read more »

graphic depicting australian economic activity
Motley Fool Take Stock

Do we dare hope, when it comes to the budget?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

What are we to expect tonight?

Read more »

A young investor working on his ASX shares portfolio on his laptop
Motley Fool Take Stock

Buffers, bank blow-ups, and Buffett

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Yeah, it’s been one of those weeks!

Read more »

Percentage symbol in white with a black rising arrow.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Buffett, rates and cigarettes

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

The government is stimulating the economy while the RBA is trying to cool it.

Read more »

A male investor wearing a white shirt and blue suit jacket sits at his desk looking at his laptop with his hands to his chin, waiting in anticipation.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Another ASX company to disappear

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

I don’t love the idea of the ASX losing yet another consumer branded business to an overseas buyer.

Read more »

remembrance day poppy
Community Service Announcement

Lest We Forget

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

We will remember them.

Read more »

A female sharemarket analyst with red hair and wearing glasses looks at her computer screen watching share price movements.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Just when you thought it was safe to stop day-trading

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

There’s a new index to compete for our attention.

Read more »

A young woman sits at her desk in deep contemplation with her hand to her chin while seriously considering information she is reading on her laptop
Motley Fool Take Stock

What investors can learn from the RBA's mistakes

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Successful investors, I would argue, focus not on the past, but the future.

Read more »

A man with a wry smile on his face is shown close up behind ascending piles of coins as he places another coin on top of the tallest stack representing rising dividends
Motley Fool Take Stock

11 times your money? Yes, it's possible (we did it)

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

I’m pleased that I can share a real world example of the power of investing.

Read more »

Young boy with glasses in a suit sits at a chair and reads a newspaper.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Of rains and interest rates…

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Hopefully our capital-F Foolish investing analogy is clear. 

Read more »

A senior investor wearing glasses sits at his desk and works on his ASX shares portfolio on his laptop.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Are 15% of home borrowers really going to default?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Predictions – from anyone – should be taken with a large dose of salt.

Read more »

RBA influence on asx shares represented by yellow wall with reserve bank of australia sign on it
Motley Fool Take Stock

The RBA's job just got harder

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

You might be surprised that Phil Lowe doesn’t consult me on rates decisions.

Read more »

A man sits bolt upright watching something intently on his television.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Bitcoin: The reality TV of the investing world?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Will someone pay more for Bitcoin at some point in the future? You’re welcome to speculate on that outcome, if…

Read more »

A worried woman looks at her phone and laptop, seeking ways to tighten her belt against inflation.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Another day, another bank in trouble

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

I'm calling for much more, and better, regulation for our nation’s and the world’s banks.

Read more »

Young ASX share investor excitedly throwing hands up in front of savings jar.
Motley Fool Take Stock

So close, Premier. Let me fix it.

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

I really like this idea… with two exceptions.

Read more »

A couple sits on a sofa, each clutching their heads in horror and disbelief, while looking at a laptop screen.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Understanding the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

I will tell you what I’m doing as a result of this.

Read more »

A young woman sits with her hand to her chin staring off to the side thinking about her investments.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Warren Buffett could have saved us from ourselves

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

A lesson in defending the indefensible, some good oil and a nod to the wisdom of one of the world's…

Read more »

man and woman discussing superannuation
Motley Fool Take Stock

Unscrambling the Superannuation mess

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

I’m going to quickly propose a better alternative.

Read more »

Woman on her laptop thinking to herself.
Motley Fool Take Stock

What would Warren Buffett do?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Warren Buffett's been very, very generous, for years, in sharing his expertise with anyone who cares to read or listen…

Read more »

Kid pouring out coins from the money jar.
Motley Fool Take Stock

Investing lessons from a 10 year old

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Will you read a better rationale for investing this week?

Read more »

Australian notes and coins surrounded by a calculator and the word super spelt out.
Motley Fool Take Stock

A first-principles look at the super changes

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Here’s my view on potential changes to Super.

Read more »

Two couples having fun racing electric dodgem cars around a track
Motley Fool Take Stock

Where's the competition?

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

The best way for capitalism to create maximum value for society – and for shareholders – is when competition works…

Read more »

a woman wearing the black and yellow corporate colours of a leading bank gazes out the window in thought as she holds a tablet in her hands.
Motley Fool Take Stock

CBA's profit soars… and shares sink

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

The market doing what the market does.

Read more »

a man in a business suit holds his hand up to his mouth as though sharing a secret and gives a sly grin.
Motley Fool Take Stock

An open letter to Treasurer Jim Chalmers

| Scott Phillips (TMFGilla)

Treasurer, I want to put something to you.

Read more »