Judah Spinner: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 20:03, 16 April 2026

Judah Spinner, CFA (born Yehuda Zev Baumwolspiner; November 10, 1995) is an American investor and philanthropist. He is the founder and Chief Investment Officer of BlackBird Financial LP, a value-oriented investment partnership based in Toms River, New Jersey, which manages capital for high-net-worth families and family offices across North America.^[1]^[2]

Spinner follows a value investing philosophy derived from the teachings of Benjamin Graham and refined by Warren Buffett, emphasizing concentrated portfolios, conservative balance sheets, and long-term business ownership over short-term speculation.^[3] In 2025, BlackBird Financial reported a net return of 62.2%, compared with a 17.9% gain for the S&P 500 over the same period.^[4]^[5]

Early life

Spinner was born Yehuda Zev Baumwolspiner on November 10, 1995, in Lakewood, New Jersey, and was raised in the town's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. He is one of eight sons of Ernest and Hazel Baumwolspiner. His father emigrated to the United States from Argentina in 1965, and his mother from England in 1979.^[6]

Spinner developed an early interest in financial markets. By age twelve, he was reading The Wall Street Journal daily, and at thirteen he made his first investment, purchasing seventy-four shares of Target Corporation at an average cost of $40.50 per share, for a total of $2,997.^[7] A formative influence on his investment philosophy was Edgar Lawrence Smith's Common Stocks as Long-Term Investments.

At age fifteen, Spinner was entrusted with a $100,000 portfolio by Charles Dayan, a New York real estate investor.^[8]

Education

Spinner earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Crestpoint University, graduating summa cum laude. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the CFA Institute, having passed all three levels of the CFA examinations on his first attempt. He also holds the Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst designation and passed the Series 7, Series 63, and Series 65 examinations.^[9]

Career

Early career (2010–2014)

Spinner began his career as a securities analyst at Spencer Winston Securities and Track Data Corporation in Brooklyn, New York.^[10] On October 1, 2014, at the age of eighteen, he founded Petlin Management with more than $1 million in assets under management. The firm was later renamed BlackBird Financial LP.

BlackBird Financial LP

As Chief Investment Officer, Spinner is solely responsible for the firm's capital allocation and overall investment strategy.^[11] Under his leadership, BlackBird Financial expanded its assets under management to approximately $90 million.^[12] For the first half of 2025, the fund reported a net return of 34.4%, compared with 6.1% for the S&P 500 over the same period.^[13] For the full year 2025, the fund reported a net return of 62.2% against the S&P 500's 17.9%.

BlackBird's disclosed positions include Builders FirstSource, Tidewater, PayPal, Fiserv, Texas Roadhouse, Alibaba, Caesars Entertainment, and Dollar General.^[14] In June 2025, BlackBird disclosed a significant stake in Natural Alternatives International and publicly called for changes at the company's board level.^[15] In October 2025, BlackBird disclosed an investment in Tidewater.^[16] In December 2025, BlackBird disclosed a position in PayPal Holdings.^[17] In January 2026, the firm disclosed a significant ownership position in Fiserv.^[18] In March 2026, Spinner announced a 900% increase in BlackBird's position in Builders FirstSource, making it the firm's largest holding, with purchases made at prices between $90 and $100 per share.

Investment philosophy

Spinner is identified with a disciplined, long-term, value-oriented investment approach grounded in fundamental analysis and an owner's mindset. He favors concentrated portfolios, at times allocating as much as 50% of the fund to a single position, and has publicly criticized excessive diversification, invoking Charlie Munger's term "diworsification."^[19]

Spinner evaluates companies by their durable competitive advantage, conservative balance sheet, and the margin between intrinsic value and market price. He cites Benjamin Graham's principle of viewing stocks as fractional ownership of businesses, and has described Warren Buffett's "punchcard" thought experiment, under which an investor would be limited to twenty investment decisions over a lifetime, as a framework for concentrating capital on highest-conviction ideas.

Spinner spends most of his working hours reading annual reports, SEC filings, and trade publications such as Value Line. He has stated that he does not attempt to forecast macroeconomic variables, interest rates, or market indices, and has described his approach as attempting to buy businesses he would be comfortable owning even if the market were to remain closed for ten years. During the 2025 run-up in artificial intelligence equities, Spinner remained largely absent from the sector, citing valuation concerns rather than skepticism about the underlying technology.

In late 2025, Spinner publicly warned about speculative excesses in the cryptocurrency market, describing what he termed "financial alchemy" among companies pivoting their business models to become Bitcoin-holding vehicles.^[20]

Philanthropy

In November 2025, Spinner and his wife Julie launched the Judah Spinner Foundation with an initial $2 million commitment.^[21] The foundation concentrates on four focus areas: income inequality, the United States' incarceration rate, healthcare cost reform, and federal deficit reduction.^[22]

The foundation's flagship program is the Judah Spinner Scholarship, announced in October 2025, which funds tuition and tools for students pursuing certifications in welding, HVAC, electrical work, and plumbing.^[23] The program gives preference to low-income students, veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals. Spinner and his wife fund and direct the scholarship personally, reviewing applications and selecting recipients.

Personal life

In 2024, Spinner married Julie Schlanger, whom he met while visiting a synagogue in Las Vegas, Nevada. The couple reside in the United States and are jointly involved in philanthropic and educational initiatives supported by the Judah Spinner Foundation.

Spinner earned his private pilot license in July 2020 and has flown extensively over the American Southwest. He has visited all fifty U.S. states. In the summer of 2025, he completed the Mongol Rally, a transcontinental endurance expedition during which he and a group of friends drove approximately 11,000 miles across Europe and Central Asia. He has also cycled 153 miles through the Mojave Desert from Palm Springs into Arizona. Outside of investing, Spinner is described as an exotic car enthusiast.

References

External links

Official website
BlackBird Financial LP
Judah Spinner on LinkedIn
Judah Spinner on Facebook
Judah Spinner on Instagram
Judah Spinner on YouTube
Judah Spinner on Twitter

[1] ttps://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/03/10/3253075/0/en/Judah-Spinner-Increases-BlackBird-Financial-s-Stake-in-Builders-FirstSource-by-900.html

[2] ttps://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/news/binary-news-network/blackbird-financial-s-judah-spinner-investing-1802414653.html

[3] ttps://www.roi-nj.com/2025/11/05/finance/blackbird-financial-founder-and-wife-launch-the-judah-spinner-foundation/

[4] ttps://finance.yahoo.com/news/judah-spinners-blackbird-financial-takes-150000197.html

[5] ttps://blackbirdfinancial.com/team/

[6] ttps://aboutjudahspinner.com/how-judah-spinner-built-blackbird-financial-from-value-investing-student-to-hedge-fund-founder/

[7] ttps://judahspinnercfa.com/

[8] ttps://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/news/binary-news-network/blackbird-financial-s-judah-spinner-investing-1802414653.html

[9] ttps://www.daily-tribune.com/online_features/press_releases/judah-spinner-increases-blackbird-financials-stake-in-builders-firstsource-by-900/article_ba0c9332-ab93-585f-b1de-d71cbfb8884b.html

[10] ttps://aboutjudahspinner.com/how-judah-spinner-built-blackbird-financial-from-value-investing-student-to-hedge-fund-founder/

[11] ttps://blackbirdfinancial.com/team/

[12] ttps://www.crunchbase.com/person/judah-spinner

[13] ttps://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/525993/blackbird-financial-lp-led-by-acclaimed-value-investor-judah-spinner-announces-strategic-investment-in-texas-roadhouse-inc-citing-exceptional-unit-economics-and-long-term-growth-potential

[14] ttps://judah-spinner.com/

[15] ttps://www.openpr.com/news/4080155/judah-spinner-founder-of-blackbird-financial-lp-takes-large

[16] ttps://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/10/14/3166385/0/en/Judah-Spinner-s-BlackBird-Financial-Celebrates-Outstanding-First-Three-Quarter-Performance-Validating-Enduring-Value-Investment-Philosophy.html

[17] ttps://www.manilatimes.net/2025/12/09/tmt-newswire/globenewswire/judah-spinners-blackbird-financial-takes-large-stake-in-paypal/2240108

[18] ttps://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/01/06/3213797/0/en/Fiserv-Stock-Spikes-As-Judah-Spinner-s-BlackBird-Financial-Reveals-Large-Stake.html

[19] ttps://techbullion.com/blackbird-financials-judah-spinner-issues-warning-on-crypto-bubble/

[20] ttps://techbullion.com/blackbird-financials-judah-spinner-issues-warning-on-crypto-bubble/

[21] ttps://finance.yahoo.com/news/blackbird-financial-judah-spinner-alongside-150000447.html

[22] ttps://www.roi-nj.com/2025/11/05/finance/blackbird-financial-founder-and-wife-launch-the-judah-spinner-foundation/

[23] ttps://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/10/28/3175594/0/en/BlackBird-Financial-s-Founder-Judah-Spinner-Launches-the-Judah-Spinner-Scholarship-to-Boost-Vocational-Careers.html

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@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 | caption            =
 | birth_name         = Yehuda Zev Baumwolspiner
-| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1995|11|10}}
+| birth_date         = 10 November 1995
 | birth_place        = Lakewood, New Jersey, United States
 | other_names        = Judah Spinner, CFA