chris camillo

Investing is my hobby, not my profession. Over the course of my career I have washed and sold cars, delivered pizza, folded clothes at the GAP, and worked as an assistant to a major Hollywood agent. My day job since 2001 has been working as a Senior Marketing and Partner Development Executive for e-Rewards Market Research where I have led the company’s growth from a 7 employee start-up to a 350 employee global leader in online market research panel services. I joined e-Rewards from Bizrate (now Shopzilla.com), a leading online shopping comparison service where I played a key role in the introduction and implementation of the Internet’s first cost-per-click bid for placement shopping exchange. Prior to Bizrate, I helped pioneer the evolution of online car buying at Carsdirect.com, working with the company’s founding management team to structure and launch the automotive industry’s first “Direct-to-Consumer” Internet sales platform. The only finance jobs I ever held were college internships as a Sales Assistant at Dean Witter and Mutual Fund Representative Fidelity Investments. I hold a BBA in Finance from Southern Methodist University and reside in Dallas, TX with my wife Amy.

Investment style

I find investment opportunities in all aspect of my daily life. There is not a second of the day that I am not looking or listening for information that might lead me to my next great trade. I seek out market inefficiencies – opportunities where I am able to uncover or interpret material information or critical data related to a company quicker than others. I generally find between 1 and 3 "bet the farm" investment opportunities every year, prior to which I conduct 30-50 hours of proprietary research. My research is unconventional, comprehensive and intense. I conduct my own "in-person" channel checks and emerge myself deeply in the companies and industries I track. I follow very few stocks, generally less than 3 at any one time but consider myself to be deeply in tune with those stocks that I follow. The extent of due diligence I commit before committing to a large investment is unparalleled. I primarily invest in options which contribute the vast majority of my portfolio gains - none of which are tracked by Covestor - which is unfortunate.

How I got started

As a teenager growing up in Texas I was a daily consumer of lemon flavored Snapple ice tea- until one Summer afternoon when I was no longer able to find my favorite flavor of Snapple at the local 7/11. Overnight, the store's shelf space for Snapple products had dwindled from 3 full refrigerator doors to less than just 1/2 of 1 door. I shared this information with my older brother who at the time was a stock broker, asking him to help me short Snapple’s stock. Later that week Snapple released its quarterly earnings report and to Wall Street's surprise (but not mine) their product inventory had risen dramatically. Grocery retailers were being deluged with flavored drinks made by larger beverage companies and competing Snapple knock-off brands. I had tripled my $300 investment in just 3 days by simply acting on readily available information that had been overlooked by Wall Street.

Personal Interests

Investing for myself while helping family, friends, and colleagues to invest for themselves.