In praise of Paul Scott - journalist of the year twice - at Mello AND the Small Cap Awards

Trying to put it into one word...

For me it's a well deserved award for someone I have known "virtually" for less than a year and met in person just the once (OK, it was 2 evenings). I cannot believe the level of knowledge and the ability to share it in such a manner it's understandable and usable by all. On top of that, on the social front - An absolute blast and a pleasure to be around.

One word - Respect!

Enjoy the break, look forward to your return but perhaps not as much as Graham does :)

Difficult to add anything but I wanted to say something. I am privileged to have had a few beers with Paul and even a Dance!! (Mello) He is one of the best, very knowledgeable and great fun. As many do, I follow him and learn all the time. He is completely deserving of these awards. Keep going Paul because so many enjoy and benefit from your writings. Enjoy a well earned rest. :-)
Also to Ed, it is inspired to have Paul write for Stocko and to have put Graham Neary there as well to share the load; long may they continue. Charles

I can only echo everything that's been said above.

Apart from analysing the fundamentals as good as anyone, it's the 'other stuff' that makes Paul so important. He teaches all the aspects of what makes a great investor, including stuff which I'm not sure he knows he is explicitly teaching. For example, when he has a high conviction idea he 'backs up the truck' which seems to me to be what really makes the biggest gains.

Paul - Know that you've got several beers in the tap from me when we eventually meet!

Cheers

Chris

I don't really have a favourite story, because of knowing Paul through his writing - like Ed, I first came across him in Paulypilot's Pub on the Motley Fool.

For me it is Paul's own story that is the highlight, rather than his investing success or late-night Tweets (entertaining as they can be). A story of courage, honesty and determination; of someone who is caught out by once-in-a-lifetime events, trapped in illiquid, over-geared positions, loses everything, blames no-one else and simply gets his head down and works hard at what he does best until every penny that he owes is paid back. I never heard a word of bitterness or self-pity throughout those years.

I would also highlight Paul's generosity, he will often mention a charity that a friend is supporting and will offer to match donations or give a substantial amount himself.

The world is a better place for having Paul in it.

A bit late. The whole event had passed me by this year for various reasons. However I was delighted to see your long overdue recognition Paul, good things happen to good people. I hope you are enjoying Portugal, come back to us all refreshed and reinvigorated!

Congrats Paul ! I briefly met you at the Investor Show this year and you were very personable and approachable ; your insights and ability to explain your views in a clear and simple manner is refreshing. Whilst I'm relatively new to Stock I can already see favourable trends emerging in a number of stocks you've commented on this year.

Keep up the good work !

Cheers, Spl183

Congratulations on your award Paul.
Your analysis is brilliant, very insightful and usually very entertaining to read as well.

Not yet had the pleasure of meeting Paul in person but feel I know him from numerous online interactions and years of his tireless contributions, insight, forensics and humbling humanity.
His methods are sometimes far from the conventional and that is the magic of his maverick ways. His forensics on Naibu, yet another Chinese fraud on AIM, convinced me to exit on a company that ultimately delisted taking all shareholder funds with it (and I got our with a small profit thanks to Scotty)... Many other "leading" financial journalists and publications were confounded but Paul not only spotted their financial shenanigans but accurately read the narrative for how Naibu would wind up and salt away shareholders capital through a convoluted factory investment scam.
Above all else he is human, fun, engaging and a bloody good egg. I owe you some "cheese" Mr Scott but request you spare me the Chaka. Enjoy taking the Port out of Portugal

btw, the idiosyncratic irreverence of your acceptance speech was legendary and truly admirable

good guys do come first eventually.

I learn a little every time you write.

Thanks

paul congratulations on your award you deserve it for your honest thoughts on companies and your candidness about 2008. good luck for the future.

In a world which is either bland or full of ill-informed claptrap, Paul stands out as a breath of fresh air. I've been a reader for quite a few years now and he comes across as a genuinely nice human being.

met paul at the first stockapedia event 2 weeks ago which went very well can't wait for more, top guy and genuine,also like to ad ed is great guy also his team around him, did have few beers after event with paul in pub opposite, still can,t remember how me and yvonne got home on train, congrats

Well deserved recognition for honesty, transparency, humility, humour and hard work. Boohoo, Next, TNI - big winners all down to Paul!

Paul, accolades do not do justice to the value you have given small intestors, the insights, knowledge and opinion given so freely and openly. I have learnt so much fron reading the articles and your insights I can not thank you enough. Enjoy the break. Richard

Yes a richly deserved award. Since Motley Fool days I have read Paul’s analysis of stocks and I have been greatly rewarded. Well done and congratulations.
Paul

Highly intelligent, sincere, articulate, a blessing and a gift to the investing world.

Thoroughly deserved - Paul has made a unique contribution to financial journalism. His real-time analysis of RNSs is a daily educational seminar. However, what marks him out for me is the honesty of his journalism - as well as his many spectacular successes - he happily declares his mistakes and biases. These are real issues that we all have to struggle with as we seek to improve our own investment style. Paul has and is making a contribution that is unmatched and high time he received full recognition.

Great news!

Maddox

I recently started to follow the small cap reports and checking out Paul & Graham videos on youtube.
It very impressive , I was a fan of Ed and now I have become fan of Paul and Graham as well.

The simplicity & honest way of presenting things what I really like.

Please keep up the good work .
Cheers
Deepak

I want to agree with much of what's been said here. Paul's insight and honesty has been invaluable in some of the decisions that I've made, and he never ceases to amuse and inform with his asides into various topical matters.

First of all, I hope you have a good rest, Paul. But I hope that your book does eventually get written. The film rights may be hotly contested!

B2V

I laughed my socks off when I heard that Paul has missed presenting to the Shareprophets Investors Conference this year, having in the previous year incurred the ire of the tetchy and sweary Tom Winnifrith.

For that alone I could forgive most things.

Paul contribution is always eagerly sought by private investors, because despite his success he comes across as a fellow spirit, prone to making the occasional daft stock decisions, despite setting out a theoretical criteria. However, unlike us, he has courage and insight which carries him through. Hopefully we will continue to learn with him.

I don't think editorial deadlines or working weeks are quite Paul's thing, but we are never short changed when he contributes.

Enjoy the sab!

Great article. When I first came across Paul's writing it was a breath of fresh air. An actual investor writing who says what they think. Paul doesn't mince his words and covering so many stocks means that he has to give a relative view i.e. he has to give a view on what impresses him or raises concerns. People who only cover a few stocks can easily fall in love with them in my view.

By contrast the financial media landscape feels heavily sanitised.  My parody of a financial media writer is that their reports have a great title, a great introduction, a wonderful structure, are enjoyable to read and a clear conclusion.  But, importantly, say nothing of any substance or interest during the whole report.

I personally  find it hard to read some of the established financial media. This is because it is pretty obvious within a few paragraphs that a) they are not investors and b) have little idea what they are talking about. It would be like sports journalists not having done much or any sports and just being journalist or English graduates.

Anecdotes from Paul.  Well I wrote something like anyone that uses Best of the Best for gambling must be a bit silly and got called out on it by him!  He buys their tickets apparently.  

Agree with all the other posts, hopefully Graham picking up some of the load will persuade Paul to hang around a while longer. As above learned shed loads from him enjoy the saba's Paul and maybe pen that book from the days of living it large off of the tech boom, to the depths of the gearing blow up and then back from the brink by nailing trinity mirror I remember when you spotted that and it went up like a turbo charged nuke.

Good on you sir.

I am very glad to see Paul get the recognition he greatly deserves. Like many other I have followed him from his pre Stockopedia days and have always found his opinions to be very informative and whilst I do not always agree with his conclusions I would probably have been a more successful investor if i did. Long may he continue to contribute to the SCVR which is a great source of ideas for private investors.

It can be scary embarking on investing and trying to learn the ropes - there are so many untrustworthy views/opinions and articles. In the early days I got carried away blindly trusting some and my finances suffered immensely. They I found the small cap report, and the honest detailed workings out that Paul posted, the transparency around his process, and I learned... and learned... and it's so fantastic to have a knowledgeable honest mentor - inspiring.

It’s brilliant that Paul has received the recognition he so deserves. I’ve also followed him for years and since the start of Paulypilot’s pub on Motley Fool and have learned so much from him. He is a genius. How he is able to analyse Company results so thoroughly and then write so comprehensively about them so quickly is beyond me.
And he is so entertaining too. Never a dull moment. The depth and breadth of his knowledge is extraordinary.

Another key plus is his so down to earth approach to investment writing. No high horse. Admits when he gets it wrong. Incredibly honest about everything including his own mistakes. Unlike too many investors he learns from his mistakes and hence becomes an even better and even more successful investor. And that helps all of us who trust and respect him. Paul has helped improve my own learning and especially investment performance. e.g I would never have bought BOO at 35p but for his insight. BOO became a 7 bagger fast. I have had so many successful buys thanks to him. e.g his analysis of Next and the retail sector is sensational. And it persuaded me to buy Next on the big dip last year at £38. (I nearly bought Next at 30p many years ago but decided against as it had quickly 6 bagged. I wish Paul had been around then!)

And Paul also sees through so much and is just as good at helping us to avoid dud investments too. Quite simply; a genius. 

So congratulations again Paul and thank you!

Also Stockopedia too has been the best investment site by far I've ever come across. So many many thanks to Ed and his team too,

Well said Ed. Thoroughly deserved award!

The first time I met Paul was for a quick lunch he agreed to after Tamzin kindly made the intro. I wanted to explain to him what we were trying to do at Research Tree... Paul was an absolute gent from the first minute and we got on like a house on fire. Four bottles of wine and many hours later I felt like I’d made a firm friend.

I’ve only been reading his blog for the last two years but it has taught me a lot in that time and is one of the few things I read religiously on a daily basis. The introduction of Graham has been a great complement and the quality of their daily commentary has attracted a great pool of serious investors who add much wisdom to the comments section.

Enjoy yours hols Paul and see you soon,

Rob

Paul Scott is an under-rated genius. I am amazed, and incredibly grateful, that he has not been hijacked by a national newspaper and still finds time to pen his regular Stockopedia small cap columns with the very able help of Graham. As a retired financial journalist I can't remember coming across another journalist with the same ability to explain complex subjects in an understandable way, and a nose for what small cap investors really want to read about. Paul's commentary beats anything you can read in the city pages of the FT, IC, DT, Times, Daily Mail, Shares Mag, CityAM etc. His sense of humour and capacity to expand his daily commentary occasionally to make broader points on wider issues like the general economy, weaknesses of the accountancy profession, death of the high street etc, is the sign or a real all rounder. Equally important, although probably underestimated by most of Paul's readers, is his ability to turn out sensible and highly readable columns to a very tight deadline. It is a skill very few financial journalists can match.

Well done, Paul! Fully deserved. You wear your heart on your sleeve and it makes everything you write so much more interesting and involving. The analysis isn't too bad, either.

Thank you Paul. I will I've been investing for decades and I still learn loads from you every day

A truly genuine guy has finally been rewarded for he' s craft to the industry ",must be a very proud moment for you Paul",i'me sure you must be also very proud & privileged to work with such a great team.

Well done Paul and enjoy the break.
I'm reminded of Jesse Livermore's knack of heading to the beach when the markets were about to turn - there may be a new chapter waiting on your return so your insights will be more valuable than ever.

Congratulations Paul,

The SCVR has taught me a huge amount through the way you go about analysing stocks and looking at updates and results.

I am so pleased you are getting the recognition you deserve at long last and was glad I could be present at Mello 2018 to see you pick up the first award - the attendees were at one in their appreciation of your hard work and achievements and in believing that you were the outstanding recipient for the award.

Huge appreciation and congratulations! Well done.

James

I am so delighted to hear that Paul has won financial journalist of the year in the Small Cap Awards. Other nominations included Merryn Somerset Webb of the Financial Times, Simon Thompson from the Investors Chronicle and writers from the Mail on Sunday and the Evening Standard.

It is of course long over due. Paul has proven his merit time and time again not least when in the space of a few months he spotted frauds at Globo and Quindell. KPMG might have saved themselves a £3.5m fine from the FRC had the audit partner read some of Paul’s posts on Quindell.

His writing is insightful, honest, clear and often very amusing. He writes with a fluency uncommon in those who spend their days looking at numbers. He is generous with his time, money, knowledge and ideas.

His investing journey has not always run smoothly but his talents have always shone through.

Let me add my congratulations to Paul; richly deserved and overdue recognition.

Like many others I first encountered on TMF @ paulypilot's pub. So that's nearly two decades worth of education and entertainment I have to thank you for.

And whilst in gratitude mode, I also have Paul to thank for me 'finding' Stockopedia. Were it not for Paul moving his blog here I would probably never have come; I have too many of my own data mines, tool, techniques and theories for it be obvious that I should pay for someone else's, but moving on from reading Paul's content to other excellent content on the site, it became a no-brainer.

There's a beautiful irony that such a fantastically maverick stock-picker, should have drawn me to a site which at every turn leaves me more and more convinced that I actually don't need to stock-pick at all (of course I still will, it's too much fun not to!)

So here's hoping Paul enjoy's the sabbatical and comes back refreshed an reinvigorated.

Oh yes and put me on the list for that book.

Regards,

Gromley (Tony)

Ed is bang on the money, but forgot to say that Paul is Stocko's (not so) secret weapon - a massive benefit to us subscribers. The mixture of sharp -end financial experience, wit, and lashings of common sense, is surprisingly rare in the world of finance.....

Congratulations to Paul. And many personal thanks for the educational journey in how to assess the various qualities of a company. I am substantially richer than I would otherwise be thanks to you!

That’s a great tribute Ed and I echo all that you say. Congratulations Paul.

Back in the day, Paulypilot’s Pub was a place where I picked up many share ideas and general learning from you and others. The one thing I have learnt for sure is that I am not skilful enough to emulate your investing approach at which you are brilliant! I am in awe of the depth of research and analysis you put in on a daily basis and the quality with which the SCVR is written. I have enjoyed Graham’s introduction but hope that does not mean we will lose you for good. In truth, I don’t fish in the small cap space so much these days and therefore, have few shares in common with you - nonetheless, I read your report virtually everyday. It is both entertaining and insightful.

Enjoy the sabbatical!
Simon

Well done and thoroughly deserved Paul. Hurry back when you're re-energised.
Cheese!

Congarulations Paul (and Graham) you both have saved me a small fortune in time and money, the SCVR is the first place I go to before further research. Well done!

Hats off to paulypilot - he really is brilliant at spotting a sub-investment grade company quickly and articulating why. Check out his bargepole list.

If you look at his rate of output he obviously adds to much more 'alpha' than any other smallcap journalist. Well deserved.

And also hats off to Stockopedia - making this content freely available to private investors is a massive service, well beyond anything that the industry has ever bothered to do for this much ripped-off community.

Well done Paul - you’ve deserved this award for years!

What you and the wider stockopedia team have achieved over the years is essential reading but more than that it’s genuinely entertaining...and that is not a combination found v often in financial journalism.

I’ve known you ‘virtually’ for 20 yrs or so , and in that time you’ve done more to ‘Educate, Amuse & Enrich’ than anyone.

Enjoy Portugal my friend ..you’ve earnt a break!

Paul

I've been following you on Stockopedia for what seems like years now. I am simply in awe of everything you do. I love the way you write. The quantity and quality never cease to amaze me. I love the humour that you inject into your musings. I love the way that you make the reports so damn interesting. But I particularly love your honesty, of both your 'victories' and 'defeats'; it's one of the qualities that has made you so endearing to so many people, and helps me, personally, to relate to you.

My daughter is training to be an accountant, and is interested in the whole stock market 'thingy'. When she first started on her career, I gave her three people to follow - Warren Buffett, Terry Smith and Paul Scott.

Like many others here, I have benefitted financially from your sage advice, and if the opportunity arose to ever buy you a beer well, let's just say I'd buy you at least two!

Cheers

Paul

In a world where so many people and organisations are determined to part you from your cash, Paul is consistently determined to help you make some.

He grasped very early that investing is not a zero-sum game and we can all be winners. And he has helped very many of us to be winners. Many of us have recognised his qualities for years (over a decade) buy lovely to pick up something official too.

Enjoy, Paul!

Jon

PS And thanks to Ed for both giving Paul a platform and not trying to rein in his natural "variability" ;)

Congratulations Paul, richly deserved!
I suspect a number of factors have ultimately yielded success in your personal investing, ability to read a balance sheet properly, fascination and understanding of businesses and their respective markets, strong management bullshit radar and of, course, courage.
For us, your ability and willingness to communicate has allowed us to participate in, and in most cases profit from, your own successes. Yes, I made a decent turn on BOO but sold to soon!
May the force stay with you.

Well done Paul. Great endeavour and richly deserved.

It’s rare to find someone who gives so much but asks so little in return. All Paul has asked of us is that we make some informed comments of our own when we mention stocks rather than leaving all the work to him and Graham N.

Either by design or serendipity, this approach has stimulated plenty of usage of the discussion board on Stockopedia to the point that it has become an excellent place for healthy and polite debate where excellent new stock investment ideas can be found and warnings too that help one avoid the pitfalls. So, I believe that Paul’s blogging in the SCVR has generated value for us far beyond just the SCVR.

So, many congratulations Paul, very worthy recognition indeed. And many thanks to Graham N too for sharing the workload these days, your insight is also highly valuable and it’s good that you and Paul don’t always agree.

Big congrats, one of the reasons this small time beginner investor as remained a subscriber (at one point I was seriously cutting down on costs) is directly because of the SCVR. I appreciate in particular pointing out barge pole companies. Also breaking down the reports and pointing out what we as investors should be looking at when doing our own research.

Many congratulations Paul on a highly deserved award and recognition. Thousands of us eagerly await your (and Graham's) reports each day.

Whilst I was aware of Paulypilot's pub I never really read or devoted much time to it, much to my regret.

I also was slow to come on here, only after my painful loss on Globo, yes I was one of them drawn in.

I've been reading your reports for around 2 years now and have learnt a lot on your style and adopted a number of your quick checks (e.g. NTAV etc) to my initial analysis of prospective holdings.

I've appreciated your work so much that at the end of last year I became a paid subscriber to Stockopedia. Whilst I appreciate the amazing features of this website I also think Ed would be justified putting these SCVR reports behind the paywall.

Congratulations and thanks for all that you do. Please don't stop!

Congratulations to Paul. Not only is he one of the best analysts in the small caps market, he also has the ability to methodically rip apart a set of accounts. Also enjoy the occasional macro writeup and general life ramblings! Interesting bloke to follow on Twitter too- especially during nights of beer, cheese and question time!

I sincerely hope he is using this sabbatical to finally write this book!

Congratulations and well done Paul. Your clear and concise writing has helped me take my interpretation of accounts and announcements to a new level. Thank you.

Congratulations Paul! Well deserved.
I, like many others, have learned a lot through reading your knowledgeable reports and comments.
It is a great service that you provide.
Thank You
Geoff

Put simply, I've had the opportunity to share many drinking sessions with Paul over several years and he freely offers his time and personality so openly to amuse, educate and enrich.

Just don't expect to share a packet or 2 of crisps (cheese and onion, of course) without suffering some collatoral damage. Crisps could take your eye out didn't you know?!?

Congratulations Paul! Absolutely delighted that you are finally getting the recognition you so richly deserve.

I first got to know Paul - at least in the cyber-sense - when he ran Paulypilot's Pub on The Motley Fool back in the early 2000s, and quickly learnt that the Pub was THE place to go to get so much fantastic insight into small caps, not only from the landlord himself but from a small band of 'regulars' such as Carmensfella, KingMcKong, Marben100, Hallucigenia and others. That's one of the things about Paul - he is such a great investor that, even then, others were drawn into his circle. I used to print off those famous 'Paulyfolio updates' and read them endlessly.

I think I first met Paul in person at one of the early ShareSoc meetings and found him to be one of the most charming, polite and humble people I have ever met. He has a natural ability to put people at ease that very few people possess so readily.

Favourite personal story about Paul? There are one or two, but, err.., neither of us are about to join the Temperance League, so what's said in the bar should probably stay in the bar.

Paul: Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Enjoy your break, and I look forward to your return to Stockopedia as and when you are ready.

Cheese!

Dear Paul,

Private investing, sometimes, can seem intimidating. Certainly when I started out I was scared. Am I meant to be here? Is this really for me? Will I be the odd one out? Do I have what it takes? What if people don't like me? What if I don't fit in? Should I leave it to the big boys & girls? You have managed to show me, and so many others, how all of that doesn't matter one bit!

You have inspired and helped me to become not only to improve my returns, but to think more critically and to be more patient! Your value is immeasurable, and you give so generously with your time, it really is an absolute pleasure to have met you and spent time with you, and I hope to do so in the future.

I am especially pleased that formal recognition s taking place. It can't be long before a letter from the palace drops through the letterbox ;)

CHHHEEEEEESSSEEEEE

Thanks,

IG

I might only have come very late to your clear lucid and yes INTERESTING insights into small caps investing, but it is my singles daily don’t miss read. Glad for your sake you have great support from Graham as well. Enjoy your sabbatical. May the awards keep coming

Return rested when your ready and yes write that book

Paul

Very simply, total respect.

The SCVR is my first port of call every day, and every time I look at a stock, to buy, add to or exit from, I always first check back to previous SCVR issues.

Your library of work is invaluable.

What a great achievement.

Be very, very proud.

Regards
Howard

Awesome, great work Paul.
You saved me a fortune with the Quindell debacle, and a lot of your rules are now baked in my investing criteria - particularly "don't buy foreign on AIM". You've massively helped me to read more in a balance sheet and, whilst you don't do tips and I don't blindly follow what you say, I do the does it pass Paul's "my opinion" test in my own stock picks.

I hope you keep writing for many years yet. Enjoy the rest, you've certainly earned it.

Congratulations Paul, I have been following your wise words for years! Keep up the good work and write that book :)

I would like to echo Ed's congratulations and sentiment. Paul's writing style is a type of thinking out loud, which enables the reader to follow his thought process and in time adopt/adapt to a similar type of thinking. This writing approach was particularly valuable to me in my early investing days when trying to work out which companies had a high probability of losing, (or winning). Globo was a case in point that saved me £000s and Paul's Accesso Technology analysis gained me £000s.
So a very well earned break Paul and if you write the book, I will be the 1st in the que. Ian

Paul Scott very honest and whenever I meet him happy to give up his time and more importantly share his tremendous knowledge and insight in to small caps , an absolute star I love the guy !!

Well done, Paul..You have added method to my investing, and contributed significantly to my profits and avoidance of losses.

Thank you and all the best

Richard

I have really enjoyed Paul's insightful analysis on a daily basis for many years now. It's amazing how much work has gone into this project. The library of commentary they have produced is very valuable. I was lucky to meet Paul at this years UKIS - he is a really lovely chap and deserves the recognition he is getting!

Congratulations Paul and thankyou for the hard work that goes into the SCVR.
I particularly enjoyed the video of you at this years Mello showing how you look at stocks, I watch have watched it at least once a week since it was released, it was so informative.
Enjoy Portugal.

KR
James

A fantastic achievement by Paul and congratulations to the rest of the team at Stockopedia. The SCVR has helped my investing more than any other resource on the web and both Paul and Graham's analysis, individual approach to investing and generosity in sharing has been invaluable.