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William J. O’Neil, commonly known as Bill O’Neil, is an American entrepreneur, stockbroker, and author who founded the Investor’s Business Daily and the William O’Neil + Co. investment firm.
Bill O’Neill
Bill O’Neil, or William O’Neil, is one of the top-performing stockbrokers, and he is known for inventing the growth stock investing strategy – CANSLIM. He was born in Oklahoma City in 1933. William O Neil is the founder of the American newspaper and website “Investor’s Business Daily” (IBD founder), which is the biggest rival of “The Wall Street Journal.”
Born on March 25, 1933, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, O’Neil grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. His father owned a small retail store, and his mother was a homemaker. At a young age, O’Neil showed an interest in business, and he started selling newspapers and delivering groceries to earn money.
After graduating from Southern Methodist University in 1955 with a degree in business administration, O’Neil began his career as a stockbroker with Hayden, Stone & Company in 1958. He quickly became a top producer and was promoted to the firm’s head office in New York City.
In 1963, O’Neil founded William O’Neil + Co. Inc., an investment firm specializing in growth investing. The firm was known for its proprietary research and used a computerized stock-picking system ahead of its time.
In 1984, O’Neil founded Investor’s Business Daily, a daily financial newspaper that provided investors with stock market news, analysis, and research. The paper was known for its use of charts and graphs to help readers identify trends and patterns in the stock market.
O’Neil is also the author of several best-selling books on investing, including “How to Make Money in Stocks” and “The Successful Investor.” His investing philosophy, known as the CAN SLIM method, emphasizes investing in stocks with solid earnings growth, increasing institutional ownership, and positive technical indicators.
He earned a Bachelor of arts in business administration at Southern Methodist University in 1955. After that, he attended military service and started working as a stockbroker at Hayden, Stone & Company. He became the best broker there as he developed CANSLIM – an investment strategy. Good results and financial success saw him starting his own company – William O’Neil & Co, in 1963. It happened when he was only 30, meaning he was the youngest to buy a place at the New York Stock Exchange. His daily paper was founded in 1983 and started as Investor’s Daily, but since 1991 it has been called Investor’s Business Daily. It is the main rival of The Wall Street Journal.
William o Neil’s net worth
William o Neil’s net worth is $115 million in 2023. However, Investors Business Daily’s company worth fluctuates, so this number needs to be recalculated.
Bill O’Neill’s trading strategy (in simple words)
CANSLIM is a stock trading strategy developed by Bill O’Neil or William O’Neil, the founder of Investor’s Business Daily and the William O’Neil + Co. investment firm. Here’s a breakdown of the CANSLIM strategy:
- C – Current Quarterly Earnings Per Share (EPS): Look for companies with solid earnings growth over the past year, and make sure the company’s current quarter earnings per share are higher than the same quarter in the previous year.
- A – Annual Earnings Growth: Look for companies with a track record of consistent annual earnings growth of at least 25% over the past three years.
- N – New Product, Service, Management, Highs or Lows: Look for companies that have introduced a new product or service, have a new management team, or are reaching new highs in the stock price.
- S – Supply and Demand: Look for stocks with a low supply and high demand. This can be indicated by high trading volume and institutional buying.
- L – Leader or Laggard: Look for stocks that are leaders in their industry or sector or have shown recent strength compared to their peers.
- I – Institutional Sponsorship: Look for stocks with strong institutional support, as this can indicate future price appreciation.
- M – Market Direction: Look at the market’s overall direction and invest in stocks trending in the same direction.
By following the CANSLIM strategy, investors can identify stocks with solid earnings growth potential, a competitive edge in their industry, strong demand and institutional support, and a track record of outperforming their peers. In addition, this strategy helps investors to identify stocks that have a higher probability of performing well in the future while minimizing risk through strict risk management techniques like stop-loss orders.
Bill O’Neill’s Strategy goals
- Focus on growth stocks: O’Neil’s trading strategy focuses on investing in companies with high earnings growth potential and strong price momentum.
- Use technical analysis: O’Neil uses technical analysis to identify stocks with strong trends and patterns that suggest they are likely to continue to rise in price.
- Look for leading stocks: O’Neil looks for industry or sector leaders with a competitive edge over their peers.
- Emphasize earnings growth: O’Neil believes that stocks with strong earnings growth are more likely to continue to perform well in the future.
- Monitor market trends: O’Neil pays close attention to market trends and uses them to adjust his trading strategy accordingly.
- Use stop-loss orders: O’Neil uses stop-loss orders to limit potential losses and protect his trading capital.
- Avoid emotional decision-making: O’Neil emphasizes the importance of avoiding passionate decision-making and sticking to a disciplined trading strategy.
- Practice risk management: O’Neil emphasizes managing risk and only taking on trades with a favorable risk-to-reward ratio.
- Stay informed: O’Neil stresses the importance of staying informed about market news and developments that could affect the performance of individual stocks and the market.
Throughout his career, O’Neil has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the financial industry. In 2005, he was inducted into the Direct Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame, and in 2010, he was awarded the Trader Monthly Lifetime Achievement Award.
Today, O’Neil remains active in the financial industry and is a sought-after speaker and commentator on investing and the stock market. His legacy as an innovator in the investing field and his defiled to helping individual investors succeed continue to influence investors worldwide.
Bill O’Neill’s Books
The Model Book of Greatest Stock Market Winners
How to Make Money in Stocks – A Winning System in Good Times Or Bad, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-161413-3 (4th ed., May 18, 2009)
The How to Make Money in Stocks Complete Investing System: Your Ultimate Guide to Winning in Good Times and Bad, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 978-0-07-175211-4 (1 edition, August 10, 2010)
24 Essential Lessons for Investment Success, learn the most Important Investment Techniques from the Founder of Investor’s Business Daily, McGraw-Hill (2000), ISBN 0-07-136033-6
The Successful Investor: What 80 Million People Need to Know to Invest Profitably and Avoid Big Losses, 2003, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-142959-X
How to Make Money Selling Stocks Short, co-author with Gil Morales, Wiley (December 24, 2004), ISBN 0-471-71049-0
Business Leaders and Success, 55 Top Business Leaders and How They Achieved Greatness”, 2004, McGraw-Hill ISBN 0-07-142680-9
How to Make Money in Stocks: Desk Diary 2005, Wiley; Spiral edition (September 6, 2004), ISBN 978-0-471-68053-6
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (by Edwin Lefèvre), William J. O’Neil (Foreword), Wiley; Illustrate edition (September 2004), ISBN 0-471-67876-7
How to Make Money in Stocks – A Winning System in Good Times Or Bad, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 978-0-07-161413-9 (4th ed., May 18, 2009)
The How to Make Money in Stocks Complete Investing System: Your Ultimate Guide to Winning in Good Times and Bad by William J O’Neil (Paperback August 10, 2010)
Bill o Neill investment offers research using its unique stock analysis method, the O’Neil Methodology (OM), which uncovers stocks with the most potential to generate alpha.
Mr. O’Neil published his findings in several volumes of his Model Book of Greatest Stock Winners, which aggregates fact-based evidence on more than 1,000 winning stocks all the way back to the 1880s. Market cycle aftermarket cycle, we see that the characteristics and movements of past winning stocks still define the big winners of today.