MAY 30, 2025
EPISODE 1K
55 MIN

TIP725: First Principles of Valuation w/ Tim Koller

We Study Billionaires - The Investor’s Podcast Network

On today’s episode, Clay is joined by Tim Koller to discuss all things valuation.

Tim is the lead author of Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies which is the #1 best-selling guide to business valuation. This book—now in its eighth edition—has sold more than one million copies, and is used as a textbook at top business schools such as Wharton School, University of Chicago, MIT, INSEAD, Tuck School of Business, and Northwestern University.

As a Partner at McKinsey & Company, Tim combines broad cross-sector experience with decades of service to clients in value creation, corporate strategy, capital-markets issues, and M&A transactions.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

00:00 - Intro

01:45 - How companies create shareholder value.

05:13 - The common misconceptions related to creating shareholder value.

13:54 - How managers should think about return on invested capital.

28:08 - Why it’s so common for managers to not take a long-term approach.

33:16 - How return on invested capital impacts a company’s valuation.

46:30 - How Tim thinks about the vast differences in returns we’ve seen in the US relative to Europe.

And so much more!

Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.

BOOKS AND RESOURCES

Join Clay and a select group of passionate value investors for a retreat in Big Sky, Montana. Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Join the exclusive ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIP Mastermind Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, Kyle, and the other community members.
Tim’s book: Valuation.
McKinsey’s website.
McKinsey’s insights: McKinsey on Finance.
Related Episode: TIP577: Valuation Masterclass w/ Aswath Damodaran.
Follow Tim on LinkedIn.
Follow Clay on LinkedIn & X.
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