May 30, 2025
TIP725: First Principles of Valuation w/ Tim Koller
We Study Billionaires - The Investor’s Podcast NetworkAbout this episode
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 . Check out all the books mentioned and discussed in our podcast episodes here . Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our Premium Feed . NEW TO THE SHOW? Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter . Check out our We Study Billionaires Starter Packs . Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok . Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here . Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance Tool . Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services . Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts . SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors : Hardblock AnchorWatch Cape Intuit Shopify Vanta reMarkable Abundant Mines HELP US OUT! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review on Spotify ! It takes less than 30 seconds, and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://premium.theinvestorspodcast.com/ Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm