The Independent Thinking Newsletter

It Pays to Think Independently

Most people spend their time reacting to headlines, forecasts, and opinions.

Few step back to examine how businesses actually work, how capital is truly created or destroyed, and why intelligent people repeatedly make the same business and financial mistakes…

Welcome to The Independent Thinking Newsletter, where businessman, financier, and author Marcelo Marini sets aside time from his demanding professional schedule to write to his readers—pulling back the curtain on the business and financial world to share reflections and insights on business, finance, and independent thinking.

Drawing on more than a decade of uninterrupted writing on these subjects, Marcelo Marini examines the realities behind companies, capital, and decision-making. In these pages, he highlights costly mistakes made by individuals and organizations, uncovers overlooked opportunities, and explores how the business and financial world actually works.

Each week, the newsletter publishes a letter on business, finance, and independent thinking. A monthly edition provides in-depth Strategic Letters, available exclusively to Private subscribers.

Read by business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors globally, its audience includes millionaires and billionaires, global music figures, hedge fund managers, high-net-worth individuals and ultra-net-worth individuals, bankers, founders of global banks and conglomerates, and senior executives across industries.

About the Author

Marcelo Marini is a businessman, financier, and author. He brings a strong record of strategic and operational excellence, deep sector knowledge, and international experience across the industries in which he operates.

We bring expertise in business management, corporate finance, advanced financial statement and business performance analysis, value creation, capital structure and dividend policy, financing and investment decisions, risk, return and capital budgeting, financial planning, cash management, mergers and acquisitions, advanced valuation techniques, restructuring, and governance issues related to agency problems, complex legal conflicts, financial distress, debt management, and leverage.

For over a decade, his weekly writings have reached readers across more than 15 countries. Now, this is the only place where his work is published.

Problems, and Opportunities

Over the past ten years, this newsletter has presented strategic perspectives that often anticipated trends in business, finance, behavior, and markets.

Here, you will find problems and opportunities many business owners and investors have yet to recognize—costly errors that erode capital, weaken businesses, and compromise decision-making.

As a longtime reader and friend of this newsletter often says:
“Mr. Marini is always 10–15 years ahead.”

Reader Voices

“Notorious knowledge in the field, inspiring, awesome.” — Executive
“Rational and surgical.” — Entrepreneur
“For over ten years, Marcelo has been my main reference in matters related to business and finance.” — Entrepreneur
“Disciple of W. Buffett, B. Graham & M. Marini (not necessarily in this order).” — Entrepreneur, Investor
“A little weekend reading: Marcelo Marini wrote about the difference between investors thinking for themselves versus just blindly following the crowd” — The Berkshire Beat

Editorial Notes

Please note that if an article appears in another language, we kindly ask the reader to “Translate” using their browser, as some articles from 2015–2020 are being remounted from our original Diaries. Since the original Marcelo Marini’s Diary moved to Substack, now The Independent Thinking is the only place where he shares his thoughts.

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Editorial Approach

The publication does not provide investment advisory, portfolio management, or security recommendations. Its focus is on understanding businesses, financial dynamics, and decision frameworks to avoid large operational and capital allocation mistakes, prevent capital erosion, and cultivate independent judgment. We are not here to tell you what to do, but to help you question assumptions—and think independently.