Who Is David Gardner?

By Lyle Daly – Updated Sep 16, 2025 at 12:08 PM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

David Gardner co-founded The Motley Fool, now a major investment advice platform.
He focuses on "Rule Breaker" investing, targeting companies poised to disrupt markets.
David's past recommendations, like Nvidia and Amazon, significantly outperformed the S&P 500.

David Gardner and his brother Tom used their investing knowledge to launch The Motley Fool, which started as a print newsletter they wrote from a backyard shed. It now provides advice that reaches millions of investors every month. Let's take a look at David's current role at The Motley Fool, some of his best stock picks over the years, and the investment strategies that led to his success.

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A photo of David Gardner. — Image source: The Motley Fool.

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I try to find excellence, buy excellence, and add to excellence over time. I sell mediocrity. That's how I invest.
David Gardner

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If you want a deep dive into his thinking, David Gardner published Rule Breaker Investing: How to Pick the Best Stocks of the Future and Build Lasting Wealth in 2025. He has also co-authored several books on investing and personal finance with his brother Tom, including:

The Motley Fool Investment Guide: How the Fool Beats Wall Street's Wise Men and How You Can Too (first published in 1996, third edition published in 2017)
The Motley Fool: You Have More Than You Think -- The Foolish Guide to Personal Finance (first published in 1998, second edition published in 2001)
The Motley Fool's Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: The Foolish Guide to Picking Stocks (published in 2000)
The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens: 8 Steps to Having More Money Than Your Parents Ever Dreamed Of (published in 2002)
The Motley Fool's Money After 40: Building Wealth for a Better Life (published in 2004)

In addition to sharing his investing knowledge, David Gardner has had an impact on regulations in the financial industry. He testified before Congress in 1998 regarding excessive mutual fund fees and the lack of transparency regarding those fees.

Gardner and The Motley Fool played an especially important role in the passage of Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg FD) by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Former SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt said in 2001 that two-thirds of the letters about the regulation came from The Motley Fool's readers and that without them, the regulation wouldn't have passed.

Related investing topics

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Who Is Tom Gardner?

Learn about Tom Gardner, CEO and co-founder of The Motley Fool, and his strategies for choosing long-term investments.

Who Is Cathie Wood?

Cathie Wood is the founder of Ark Invest. She aims to invest in companies with the potential for disruptive innovation.

Who Is Peter Lynch?

Peter Lynch is often regarded as the most successful mutual fund manager ever due to his time overseeing Fidelity's Magellan Fund.

Who Is John "Jack" Bogle?

John Bogle, founder of Vanguard Group, revolutionized investing with low-cost, broad-market index funds.

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About the Author

Lyle Daly is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering information technology and cryptocurrency. Lyle has been a contributor at the financial services company since 2018. His work has been featured on USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, Fox Business, and Nasdaq. Before joining The Motley Fool, he wrote for financial brands including Intuit.

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@LyleDaly

Lyle Daly has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Netflix, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.