DEAD COMPANIES WALKING

Scott Fearon has years of experience investing in the right and – maybe more importantly – wrong, companies. In his new book, DEAD COMPANIES WALKING, he will share his stories, successes and insights for all levels of investors. This is not a straightforward how-to book, but an engaging narrative that illustrates the lessons he's learned in a fresh, new way.

Unlike most investors, who live in fear of failure, Scott Fearon actively seeks it out. He has earned millions of dollars over the past thirty years shorting the stocks of businesses he believed were on their way to bankruptcy. In Dead Companies Walking, Fearon describes his foolproof formula for spotting these doomed businesses, and how they can be—extremely profitable investments. In his experience, corporate managers routinely commit six common mistakes that can derail even the most promising companies: they learn from only the recent past; they rely too heavily on a formula for success; they misunderstand their target customers; they fall victim to the magical storytelling of a mania; they fail to adapt to tectonic shifts in their industry; and they are physically or emotionally removed from their companies' operations.

Fearon has personally interviewed thousands of executives who were headed, unknowingly, for bankruptcy — from the Texas oil barons of the 80s to the tech wunderkinds of the late 90s to the flush real estate developers of the mid-2000s. Here, he explores recent examples like JC Penney, Herbalife and Blockbuster Entertainment to help investors better predict the next booms and busts — and come out on top.

After successful stints as a stock analyst and mutual fund manager, Scott Fearon launched his own hedge fund in 1990, Crown Capital Management, with only $3 million under management. A few years later, it held more than $200 million in assets. A graduate of Stanford and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business, Scott has several decades of successful financial experience, and a keen business sense. With DEAD COMPANIES WALKING, he hopes to give readers a new understanding for how common, and important, failure is. It's a critical part of what makes a healthy market economy—and it happens every day to some of the smartest people in the world.