The Analysts Behind Wide Moat Research

Brad Thomas is a value investor and advisor with over three decades of investing experience – and a whole lot of lessons learned – under his belt. A real estate developer by trade, Brad ruled a booming empire… until the 2008 crash. Then he lost almost everything. To say the following few years were rough is an understatement, especially when he had a family of seven to provide for. But he used that time to build himself back “from the ground up,” as he likes to say. This time, he made sure to start with a firm foundation: a brand-new mindset that focuses on the long term instead of more fleeting gratification. This has given him a keen understanding of fundamental analysis. And since then, he’s brought those valuable lessons to individual investors. Brad’s focus is on cutting through the hype and noise and investing in reliable, consistent income-based strategies. That helped him become the most widely read analyst on Seeking Alpha, with more than 100,000 followers… and build back his personal wealth into the multimillions. The author of three real estate investing books – including his latest, The Intelligent REIT Investor Guide – podcast host, and public speaker, Brad also teaches at NYU and guest lectures at Cornell, Penn State, and Georgetown. His work has been featured in Forbes, Kiplinger, Fox, US News & World Report, Money, GlobeStreet, CNN, NPR, Institutional Investor, and more. Brad is a South Carolina man, born and bred, who loves to travel the world looking for strong investments that minimize risk and maximize income. If they happen to be in the brick-and-mortar real estate world he remains connected to… so much the better!

Stephen Hester is a professional equity analyst with a Wall Street background who now helps average investors achieve income safely. His career in the financial market began in the hedge fund industry. From there, it evolved into more complex and alternative investment analysis for large financial institutions. His latest role was as director of due diligence at two $200 billion-plus independent broker/dealer networks. In the past decade, he has presented institutional-quality analysis on commercial and residential real estate, tax-driven special situations, private equity, private debt, and traditional and renewable energy in over 100 investment committees. He’s also won risk-management awards as a professional trader. Stephen has examined all types of investments for some of the largest broker/dealers in the country, including the Blackstone Group, KKR, Brookfield Asset Management, Apollo Global Management, the Carlyle Group, and more. Working as a professional due diligence officer, he studied the strategies of the largest and most successful firms on Wall Street. He’s also authored publications on regulations, private and public company investment analysis, and advanced engineering applications. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics and master’s in energy and earth resources from the University of Texas at Austin.

Nicholas Ward is a financial analyst and writer who specializes in all things related to dividend growth stocks. Nicholas studied English at the University of Virginia. After a brief career in real estate, he transitioned into the world of finance. He’s been an investment analyst for 10 years, using a disciplined strategy focused on attractive margins of safety attached to blue-chip equities. That’s enabled his portfolios to beat the broader markets on a consistent basis. His primary concern is compounding capital with reliable and increasing passive income streams. And over the past five years, Nicholas has compounded that income at an average annual rate of 27.5%. He also stays diversified by owning high-growth stocks, crypto assets, precious metals, physical real estate, and tech. His interest in tech, in particular, has generated incredible gains on companies like Apple, where his cost basis is just $24.26. At Apple’s recent highs, that represented a peak return greater than 650%. And he brings this experience and track record to Brad Thomas’s team and readers of Wide Moat. Prior to joining Wide Moat Research in 2020, Nicholas was involved in running several investment newsletter services. He also wrote for The Street, where he covered Jim Cramer’s Actions Alerts Plus Portfolio, the Forbes Real Estate Investor, Investing Daily, Seeking Alpha, and Sure Dividend. A former national champion athlete, Nicholas has a deep passion for track and field and still follows the sport closely. These days, he spends more time chasing around two young children with his wife, Rachel, in their home in Virginia.