Today, we are breaking down the insurance giant AIG. AIG's story is one of a remarkable turnaround, a tale of a global insurance giant emerging from near collapse during the great financial crisis. Over nearly two decades, AIG has transformed itself into a more focused and efficient property and casualty insurer.   To grasp the magnitude of AIG's journey, consider this: During the financial crisis, the company required a $180 billion bailout from the U. S. government, a sum it fully repaid with interest.  To help tell the story of AIG's transformation and its current position, I'm joined by Austin Hawley, Portfolio Manager at Diamond Hill. Today, under Peter Zaffino's leadership, AIG has refocused its underwriting efforts, returning to profitability while divesting noncore businesses, including the demerger of its life insurance arm, Corebridge. The AIG of today stands as a near pure play specialty insurer with a focus on achieving top-quartile industry returns. Please enjoy this breakdown of AIG For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick. — This episode is brought to you by EightSleep, the temperature-controlled mattress cover that heats or cools your mattress to transform your sleep. The Pod 4 Ultra is the new gold standard in intelligent sleep systems. It can be added to your current mattress like a fitted sheet and is been clinically proven to give you up to an hour more quality of sleep every night. The cooling capability can cool your side of the bed to 20 degrees below room temperature, all managed by the pod's autopilot feature, which adjusts the temperature throughout the night. Go to eightsleep.com/breakdowns and use the code glueguys for $350 off.  ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes (00:00:00) Introduction to Business Breakdowns (00:04:57) AIG: A Tale of Turnaround (00:05:31) Understanding PNC Insurance (00:06:56) AIG's Historical Context (00:09:58) AIG's Post-Crisis Struggles (00:15:17) The 2017 Management Overhaul (00:21:42) Berkshire Hathaway's Role (00:24:26) Strategic Moves and Divestitures (00:28:32) AIG's Strategic Transformation (00:30:40) Understanding AIG's Business Metrics (00:32:10) Specialty Lines and Global Footprint (00:33:31) AIG's Niche Businesses (00:34:47) Evaluating Insurance Companies (00:38:04) Competitive Advantages in Insurance (00:42:04) Pricing Environment and Market Dynamics (00:45:35) AIG's Investment Strategy (00:48:25) Competitors and Comparisons (00:50:03) Lessons from Breaking Down AIG's Turnaround

Today, we are covering what might be the most interesting investment strategy I've come across in a long time: activism in Japan. In this episode, I talk with Masumi Nishida, Partner and Managing Director for Dalton's Tokyo research office. As part of this intro, I brought on the catalyst for this episode, Nick Bartolo, founder and Managing Partner of Essential Partners. The conversation delves into the opportunities for activism in the Japanese market, highlighting the historically low valuations of Japanese equities and the cultural dynamics contributing to this scenario.  We discuss corporate governance reforms and the Tokyo Stock Exchange's role in improving market efficiency and shareholder value. And, Masumi highlights several case studies that illustrate successful activist strategies, including promoting management buyouts and enhancing capital allocation. Please enjoy this unique Breakdown on Japan activism.  For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick. --- This episode is brought to you by Public: Invest in stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and more in one place. A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. The [6.7%] yield is the average annualized yield to maturity (YTM) across all ten bonds in the Bond Account, before fees, as of [9/05/2024]. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore a bond’s YTM is “locked in” when the bond is purchased. Your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTM is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTM of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity, or if the issuer calls or defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. You should evaluate each bond before investing in a Bond Account. The bonds in your Bond Account will not be rebalanced and allocations will not be updated, except for Corporate Actions. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to Business Breakdowns (00:00:40) Understanding Japan's Market Valuation (00:02:08) Cultural Dynamics and Cash Reserves (00:03:47) Financial Literacy and Balance Sheet Optimization (00:08:27) Corporate Governance and TSE Reform (00:13:12) Challenges of Cross Shareholdings (00:18:24) Opportunities in Small to Mid Cap Companies (00:21:31) Activism Strategies and Proposals (00:26:51) Bellpost's Strategic Moves and Initial Proposals (00:27:24) Challenges with Shareholder Support in Japan (00:29:11) Management Buyouts and Capital Allocation (00:30:33) Case Study: Ihara Science's Path to Privatization (00:31:43) Financing Dynamics in Japanese MBOs (00:34:48) Case Study: Mitsuboshi Belting's Shareholder Proposals (00:40:35) Case Study: Ihara Science's MBO Success (00:45:55) Current Market Dynamics and Future Outlook