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  Since 2009, I've been writing about work and wealth creation on my blogs. Even after selling CEO.CA in 2021, my passion for business history and storytelling remains strong, and I want to continue the journey with you. That's why I'm excited to announce the launch of my new free Substack newsletter, The Big Score ! By subscribing, you'll receive the latest posts straight to your inbox. I'll only be publishing content that truly inspires me, and that I believe will be valuable to you. So while it may not be frequent, you can rest assured that it will be worth your time. My ultimate goal is to build a library of stories that I can use to teach the next generation of entrepreneurs. And who knows, maybe I'll even pitch the occasional exciting idea or two. So, if you're ready to join me on this exciting journey, I invite you to subscribe today . Let's continue to succeed and inspire each other. Tommy Humphreys

Virgin gold discovery to $1.1B takeout in 9 mos MYSTERY investor earns $154M windfall, a 50,000% return The incredible Arequipa Resources story: In 1993, Katie McLeod was suddenly let go from Yorkton Securities after 8 yrs. That Christmas, she made cookies for her family to save on gifts, unaware of the incredible change of fortune awaiting her. At a Santiago party before her dismissal, Katie, then 32, met the famed 64-year-old mining engineer, Dave Lowell. They bonded over rocks—Katie's dad was a notable Canadian miner, & she specialised in mining stocks at Yorkton. Dave, who had discovered 11 mines already, began exploring Peru after it elected a pro-biz president in 1990. With the help of local geologists, he staked 137K ha. of land & embraced failure, knowing only a few prospects would become mines. In an unexpected ‘92 twist, Dave partnered with an anonymous investor matching his funds. Needing more capital in ‘93, Katie and him agreed to form Arequipa Resources (AQP),...

A lifelong quest for hidden treasure led Dave Lowell to become the most successful mine finder in history. At the tender age of 7, Lowell became enchanted with the world of mining at his father's camp.He dreamed of becoming a mining engineer and spent the next 85 years passionately pursuing his goal, even after netting millions from his discoveries. Lowell's secret to finding mines was to increase the target size. He studied mineral signatures around orebodies, searching for patterns and ratios. This led to the development of a framework that expanded the target area for common copper deposits by 10X, enabling him to zero in on rich ores like Escondida, the world's largest copper mine. Embracing failure, Lowell learned that only 3 in 1000 prospects become mines. Frantically, he turned over projects, operating with frugality and agility. He surveyed areas of interest from the air and returned by horse or helicopter to collect samples. Lowell funded his education by collectin...

DallE photo Back in June '16, I invested a meager $10k in a gold explorer. My friend vouched for it, and I got 66,667 shares @ 15cents and 66,667 warrants to buy additional shares for 3 years @ 20 cents. Six months later, I sold the shares for a 13 dollar loss, but the warrants stayed with me, like a free rollercoaster ride. Money was tight, and the market cruel. Breaking even felt like a win. Life went on, and in Mar '18, the stock soared to 55 cents. I sold my warrants, pocketing $22.8k for a home. Life was sweet. But fate had other plans. The company expanded, drilling more and acquiring land. Boom! A goldmine found in August '18 – 16.35m of 26.91 g/t Au. The stock began an ascent to $29 by 2022.  That company? Great Bear Resources $GBR.V I missed the golden ride, but my $10k COULD have turned into $3.867M. Lessons learned: Know your treasure. Trust your friends. Stick around for the party. Mining's a game of chance, but with focus, connections, and an open mind, you...

This is the amazing story of how a tiny junior stock achieved a 27000% return, soaring from $0.10 to $27 in just 3 years. The company became so popular that a founder was even approached for autographs in Germany apparently. But only a few yrs before, the founders were so drained from mining that they relinquished control of a company with $25M in the bank. In the late 1980s, Ian McDonald, a stockbroker from Toronto, & Kerry Knoll, a reporter for Northern Miner, decided to try their luck in the mining industry. Despite setbacks, they eventually succeeded in building gold mines in Canada & Nicaragua. After narrowly surviving the late ‘90s mining downturn, McDonald & Knoll controlled a $2 million company called Patent Enforcement & Royalties Ltd or PEARL. In late ‘04, they invested $400K into it at $0.10 per share. PEARL quickly paid $75K to acquire Davidson, an undeveloped molybdenum deposit near Smithers, BC first discovered in 1944 with high-grade potential. PEARL also...

How Jimmy Pattison played the stock market to build a conglomerate and took it private when the market soured. Plus, getting caught up with the Hunt brothers. He's often called Canada's Warren Buffett. Jimmy Pattison's $16B (Forbes) empire employs 50,000 people. His incredible story includes becoming sole shareholder, and at 94, he still tap dances to work. At the age of 39, Jimmy was a burgeoning car dealer and owner of two local radio stations when he made a bold move in the stock market. He acquired a 20% stake in Neon Products through a hostile takeover in 1967, and rebranded the company as Neonex International. Capitalizing on the late '60s stock market boom, Neonex went on a buying spree, acquiring 18 other companies in just 18 months. The market was ecstatic, and the company's stock price reached $45 per share the following year. But the bubble burst in 1970, and Neonex's stock plummeted to 80 cents. Even as the company struggled to regain its footing thr...

Thomas J. "Tommy" Humphreys (un)Original ideas on success and peace of mind Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings... Do as I say, not as I do! I wish you all the success in the world and just slightly less than my own It’s the obsessing that makes us successful, and it’s the obsessing that makes us miserable Pessimism is like a bad neighbourhood we need to escape from, but keeps sucking us back in To gain status, be the critic. To gain wealth, be the criticized Wealth Wealth is in your head All new ventures bring fortune, some in gold, others in wisdom The journey to prosperity starts with a strong and unwavering commitment to succeed Wealth is created in starting new ventures and reputations are earned in finishing them The most important skill for wealth creation is not hard work. The most important skill for wealth creation is pattern recognition. Work harder if this does not come easily to you He who helps the rich shall gain wealth, but he who helps the poor shall find ...

Billionaire mining and energy magnate Lukas Lundin died in Geneva yesterday after a courageous 2 year brain cancer battle. Lundin was a larger than life entrepreneur and adventure seeker. He synthesized information about commodities and markets, built best-in-class management teams and created immense wealth for stakeholders through frontier exploration and development. He wanted to be remembered as a company builder who was fun to work with. To say that Lukas was either was an understatement. “I have a fantastic life,” he said in a February interview . “…a nice family and it's just taking advantage of it as best I can and charge ahead. That's my advice to all people - do not think too much, just do it." He earned a reputation as a fearless leader in the treacherous field of global resource development — especially in jurisdictions others were fleeing— and is known for sticking with projects for the long-term. The Lundin Group had huge wins under Lukas’s leadership. Most r...

Mum asked me to caddy in the final round of the Ladies Club Championships at Capilano Golf & Country Club today. It didn’t go as planned. What happened next was a rollercoaster of emotions and a critical life lesson. Capilano is a storied 84 year old private course in West Vancouver's British Properties. My grandfather Reg joined in 1966 and we Humphreys have been grateful members since. Each year at the Ladies Championship event, the club's best women golfers of all ages compete for the lowest combined score over two days.  Shanny (we call our beloved mum by her first name) is in her 67th year, and has been a golf-freak since she picked up the game 25 years ago.  When my parents split in the late 1990s, Shan's first call was to Capilano which confirmed she could keep her application in progress despite no longer being married to a member. My siblings and I caught her obsession by osmosis. Golf is the thing we do together. These days, Shan is a considered a super senior...

Also: Frank’s Devastating Hyperinflation Experience, Building Gold Majors With Ian Telfer and The Famous Treasure Chest He Restored. China is “like a black hole where the gold goes in and never comes out,” says Frank Giustra, a major player in the mining industry and founder of Lionsgate Entertainment. As the largest producer and importer, Giustra believes China is under-reporting their gold reserves. “My guess is they are preparing themselves, as Russia is, to exit the US dollar system… to one where gold plays a role.” In an exclusive series of interviews with CEO.CA taped over a couple of days, Giustra says war in Europe is accelerating a bifurcation of the monetary system. Countries representing ~80% of the world’s population refused to condemn Russia for its Ukraine invasion despite pressure from the West. Meanwhile, global central banks have been selling dollars to stockpile gold. “Currency is being debased and inflation is out of control,” he says. Giustra believes CPI is manipul...

His story is everyone’s dream. Carson Seabolt was a commercial fisherman who clawed out of bankruptcy to build a $50 million fortune in the stock market before age 40. A fearless investor and entrepreneur, Carson makes concentrated bets on the highest-risk companies. The results have been extraordinary, such as: • Co-founding K92 Mining, a $2 billion gold producer from an initial $2 million investment • Raising $43 million from billionaire @Chamath Palihapitiya, one of the world’s most recognized investors, for a medical technology company Carson is involved in, from a cold email • Befriending and betting big on billionaire mining legend Robert Friedland, who helped Carson double his fortune On Carson’s outrageous Instagram channel, he shares a stream of consciousness about life and markets that is like a Kardashian version of CNBC. Today is Carson’s 42nd birthday. On this day 8 years ago he received the call that changed his life. Now, he shares his incredible life story ...

Repost from 2018 on the news Richard is selling his Cactus stake after 34 years. Congrats, Richard! Richard Jaffray Richard Jaffray was living in a used Dodge Dart with a roommate when he first moved to Vancouver from Ontario soon after high school. He worked as a server to save money to open his first restaurant. Today, nearly thirty years later, Richard has created nearly thirty of the highest grossing restaurants in Canada under the Cactus Club Cafe brand. In an industry known for many failures (roughly two thirds of new restaurants will go out of business within three years), the success of Cactus Club has put enormous pressure on other Canadian restaurants to raise their standards. I know Richard through friends and have been enjoying his restaurant since I was a kid. He is an inspiring founder who is kind to everyone he comes into contact with.  Here are 10 lessons for entrepreneurs from Cactus Club CEO Richard Jaffray, updated from his 2015 BCBusiness Top 100 Interview : 1. ...

In 1990, one man incredibly owned 49% of Newmont, the world’s largest gold mining company. He was one of the wealthiest and most charismatic capitalists who ever lived. This is Sir Jimmy Goldsmith’s unbelievable story: Jimmy Goldsmith was born into a family of prosperous outsiders. His ancestors took refuge from religious persecution at the turn of the 16th century in the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt, Germany. Forbidden from marrying outside the ghetto, members of the Goldsmith family and the famous Rothchild family intermarried and went on to build European banking dynasties. By the early 1900’s the Goldsmith family was based at a plush estate in the UK called Cavenham.   Jimmy’s father Frank became a conservative MP from 1910 until 1918. Ostracised in England during WWI due to his family’s German origin, he accepted a foreign posting during the war and later settled in France where he became a prominent hotelier and father of two boys. Jimmy Goldsmith was born in Paris in 1933 with...

April 22, 2022 - Tommy Humphreys on the Evolution of CEO.CA - Mining Stock Daily ( Link ) Sep 3, 2020 - Making and Keeping Millions from Mining Stocks with Tommy Humphreys (Mining Stock Education) May 25, 2020 - Behind Success Episode #1: Tommy Humphreys, Founder of CEO.ca (Matthew Nelson): Dec 3, 2019 - $5-$10 Million Companies Can Easily Become $50 Million (Daily Gold's Tenbagger Podcast): Nov 13, 2019 - For Investors in this Bull Market, 100 Baggers are Possible (Palisade Radio): Jan 13, 2017 - Date Your Mining Stocks, Don't Marry Them (Kitco News)

Robert Friedland shakes the hands of workers at the Kamoa Kakula mine in Feb 2014. Tommy Humphreys photo He’s the most celebrated mining entrepreneur alive but 40 years ago, Robert Friedland arrived in Vancouver, aged 34, with no contacts nor experience in mining. “You might say I literally entered the mining industry on my hands and knees,” Friedland told author Michael Caldwell. Crawling into an abandoned gold mine in Southern Oregon he was permanently bitten by the mining bug. “From that day on, I really knew what I wanted to do–had to do.” In mid 1982 Friedland floated Galactic Resources on the Vancouver Stock Exchange at 50 cents per share with no properties nor management. The stock hit $13.25 by 1984. For Galactic’s flagship asset, Friedland negotiated to acquire a 100 year old mining site in Colorado from ASARCO for $7 million before financing was in place. “The thing about Robert is he likes to see things finalized before he goes on to something else,” said Dr. William Bird, a...