Kennon-Green & Co. Global Asset Management, Wealth Management, and Investment Advisory

Staying Inside and Playing Video Games During October

The Best Kind of October Afternoon: Reading Annual Reports By the Fireplace and Playing Video Games for Hours

Early morning, a giant package arrived from FedEx containing the historical annual reports of a company I’ve been studying for the past couple of weeks.  I’ve built positions in most of the accounts under my purview, including my household portfolios.  Even though I have read the financials in PDF format, I want to go back through the hardcopy, line-by-line, and make sure there is nothing I am missing.

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Acqua di Parma Fragrances and Colognes

Acqua di Parma Is a Good Case Study of Reviving an Old Brand to Create a Story that Resonates with Consumers

After the Guerlain fragrance purchases earlier, I ended up buying several new bottles of Acqua di Parma, including the Colonia, Colonia Intensa, and Blu Mediterraneo Bergamotto di Calabria in the Italy Pavilion of Epcot at Walt Disney World.  Again, I realized that most of the people who were in the store with me probably didn’t know the story of the high-end brand, or the business behind it that provides a great example of how a left-for-dead business can be revitalized to become relevant, fresh, and lucrative.

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Guerlain Is Another Example of a Successful Family Business Lasting 150+ Years Before Being Sold

If Creed is the king of French perfume houses, Geurlain is the Queen.  It is one of the oldest perfume companies in the world, and for 166 years between 1828 and 1994, the business was in the hands of the Guerlain family.   In Walt Disney World’s Epcot French pavilion, I visited the Guerlain store, which…

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Plain Tonga Toast from Kona Kafe Polynesian Resort Walt Disney World

The Disney Tonga Toast at the Polynesian Resort’s Kona Cafe Made Me Realize I Need to Learn Several Fruit Confit Recipes

Several people had told me about the supposedly legendary Disney Tonga Toast at the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World.  It is like a loaf of French toast, stuffed with bananas, sugar, and cinnamon, then accented with maple syrup and a strawberry confit.  Trying it, I will say it was delicious,…

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Annual Walt Disney World Vacation in Orlando Florida 2012

I Am in Orlando, Florida for the 2012 Annual Walt Disney World Vacation

From September 2nd through September 9th, I will be attending my family and friends’ annual Walt Disney World vacation in Orlando, Florida.  This time around, our group included eleven people and we all stayed at the Animal Kingdom Deluxe Resort and Villa.  Personally, I prefer The Grand Floridian of all the on-site properties because of the transportation access…

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Kennon-Green & Co. Global Asset Management, Wealth Management, and Investment Advisory