

Investor's Corner
Tesla shareholder sells home to load up on stock, and it’s already paying off
Tesla shareholders are a rare breed, sometimes putting almost everything, and we mean everything, on the line in hopes of striking it big and making major waves in their own portfolios.
Jason DeBolt is one of those shareholders.
DeBolt, a shareholder since March 26, 2013, sold his home and bought around 10,000 shares. The additional 10,000 shares supplemented the 38,000 he already owned.
He began buying the 10,000 additional shares slowly over the last several weeks on margin, or using a loan from a brokerage to buy more shares, in the $128-139 range before the company’s most recent Earnings Call.
As of Thursday, he was up $250,000 on his most recent investment using funds from the sale of his home. “Closed out margin today with house proceeds. Have cash. Feeling good,” he Tweeted.
Sold my house and bought around 10,000 $TSLA shares. Own 48,000 shares now.
Purchased all shares slowly over last few weeks before earnings on margin in $128-139 range. Up $250k on these shares already. Closed out margin today with house proceeds. Have cash. Feeling good.$TSLA pic.twitter.com/aIW7m8d9FJ
— Jason DeBolt ⚡️ (@jasondebolt) January 26, 2023
In an exclusive interview with Teslarati, DeBolt shared his inspiration for the bold move. He noted that Tesla’s attractive stock price was what inspired him.
“Mainly, the attractive Tesla stock price is what drove me,” DeBolt detailed. “It was just too cheap to ignore. Tesla’s stock price had dropped 76 percent from an all-time high of $415 to $101 in a little over a year. During this period, Tesla grew revenue by 51 percent, doubled its net income, rolled out FSD to tens of thousands of people, and began ramping up Megapack production at Lathrop.”
The developments Tesla made over the past year were too good to ignore for DeBolt, even as some speculated that CEO Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter had caused the spiraling of the stock price.
“Many Tesla investors blamed Elon’s behavior for having a role in the drop, but I was trying to find a way to get cash to buy more shares. Selling my house was the obvious answer,” DeBolt said. I didn’t wait to receive the proceeds from my house sale and used a margin loan to accumulate 9,500 Tesla shares before earnings, resulting in a $400,000 gain two days after Tesla earnings on those shares alone. I currently hold 48,000 Tesla shares.”
His investments enabled him to retire from his day job as a software engineer on January 7th, 2021, at the age of 39.
DeBolt’s journey with Tesla shares began long before that. DeBolt has supported Tesla since he saw the Roadster in 2009 and the early Model S prototype at the San Mateo Maker Faire.
“I ordered a Model S in 2011 and took delivery in 2013. I purchased thousands of shares for about $2 a share after seeing the Fremont factory and driving my Model S for the first time,” DeBolt said. “I continued buying shares when nobody wanted the stock. It was obvious to me that Tesla was going to disrupt the entire automotive and oil industries back then because EVs are fundamentally superior to gas vehicles in every way, and there were no serious competitors to Tesla back then. This is true today as well.”
After selling his home, DeBolt rented a new place near the beach in Los Angeles, California.
Today I’m retiring from the corporate world at age 39.
Not selling any shares for the foreseeable future. $TSLA pic.twitter.com/wCDZJlPdoX
— Jason DeBolt ⚡️ (@jasondebolt) January 7, 2021
“There’s a bit more freedom. The last two years of retirement have been amazing. Still, I’m starting to look for something to build and do with my time, so I’m exploring areas such as machine learning, finance, and philosophy in addition to my ongoing Tesla research. My life is pretty dope, and I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing. I try to stay physically fit. I’m quite fortunate.”
Disclosure: Johnna is a $TSLA shareholder and believes in Tesla’s mission.
Your feedback is welcome. If you have any comments or concerns or see a typo, you can email me at johnna@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter at @JohnnaCrider1.
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Investor's Corner
Tesla welcomes Chipotle President Jack Hartung to its Board of Directors
Tesla announced the addition of its new director in a post on social media platform X.

Tesla has welcomed Chipotle president Jack Hartung to its Board of Directors. Hartung will officially start his tenure at the electric vehicle maker on June 1, 2025.
Tesla announced the addition of its new director in a post on social media platform X.
Jack Hartung’s Role
With Hartung’s addition, the Tesla Board will now have nine members. It’s been a while since the company added a new director. Prior to Hartung, the last addition to the Tesla Board was Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia back in 2022. As noted in a Reuters report, Hartung will serve on the Tesla Board’s audit committee. He will also retire from his position as president and chief strategy officer at Chipotle, and transition into a senior advisor’s role at the restaurant chain, next month.
Hartung has had a long career in the Mexican grill, joining Chipotle in 2002. He held several positions in the company, most recently serving as Chipotle’s President and Chief Strategy Officer. Tesla highlighted Hartung’s accomplishments in a post on its official account on X.
“Over the past 20+ years under Jack’s financial leadership, Chipotle has seen significant growth with over 3,700 restaurants today across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Jack was named ‘CFO of the Year’ by Orange County Business Journal and Best CFO in the restaurant category by Institutional Investor,” Tesla wrote in its post on X.
Tesla Board and Musk
Tesla is a controversial company with a controversial CEO, so it is no surprise that the Board of Directors tend to get flak as well. Two weeks ago, for example, Tesla Board Chair Robyn Denholm slammed The Wall Street Journal for publishing an article alleging that company directors had considered a search for a potential successor to Elon Musk. Denholm herself has also been criticized for offloading her TSLA shares.
More recently, news emerged suggesting that the Tesla Board of Directors had formed a special committee aimed at exploring a new pay package for CEO Elon Musk. The committee is reportedly comprised of Tesla board Chair Robyn Denholm and independent director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, and they would be exploring alternative compensation methods for Musk’s contributions to the company.
Investor's Corner
Rivian stock rises as analysts boost price targets post Q1 earnings
Rivian impressed with smaller-than-expected losses & strong revenue, pushing analysts to raise price targets.

Rivian stock is gaining traction as Wall Street analysts raise price targets following the electric vehicle (EV) maker’s first-quarter earnings report. Despite a dip after the announcement, optimism surrounds Rivian’s cost control and upcoming lower-priced cars.
Last week, Rivian reported a better-than-expected Q1 gross profit, surpassing Wall Street’s forecasts with adjusted losses of $0.48 per share against expectations of $0.92 per share. The company also reported a revenue of $1.24 billion compared to the $1.01 billion anticipated.
However, the EV automaker cut its 2025 delivery forecast and capital spending due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. It explained that it is “not immune to the impacts of the global trade and economic environment.” RIVN stock dropped nearly 6% post-earnings, closing at $12.72 per share.
Wall Street remains upbeat about Rivian, citing progress toward launching lower-priced vehicles in 2026 and effective cost management. On Monday, Stifel analyst Stephen Gengaro raised his RIVN price target to $18 from $16, maintaining a “Buy” rating. He highlighted Rivian’s “solid progress” toward key milestones.
Conversely, Bernstein’s Daniel Roeska gave RIVN a “Sell” rating. However, Roeska also lifted his Rivian price target to $7.05 from $6.10, acknowledging “better” Q1 results. He warned that profitability remains distant and hinges on multiple product launches by the decade’s end.
Overall, Wall Street’s average price target for RIVN climbed from $14.18 to $14.31, a modest 13-cent increase reflecting positive sentiment. About one-third of analysts covering Rivian rate it a Buy, compared to the S&P 500’s average Buy-rating ratio of 55%.
On Monday, Rivian stock rose 2.7% to $14.64, slightly trailing the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average, which gained 3.3% and 2.8%, respectively. The uptick may also stem from broader market gains tied to news of a temporary U.S.-China tariff suspension.
As Rivian navigates trade challenges and scales production at its Illinois factory, its Q1 performance and analyst support signal resilience. With lower-priced EVs on the horizon, Rivian’s strategic moves could bolster its position in the competitive EV market, offering investors cautious optimism for long-term growth.
Investor's Corner
Tesla (TSLA) poised to hit $1 trillion valuation again amid reports of Trump China deal
TSLA stock was up about 8% at $322.56 per share on Monday’s premarket.

Tesla shares (NASDAQ:TSLA) are on a tear on Monday’s premarket amidst reports that the United States and China have agreed to significantly roll back tariffs on each other’s goods for an initial 90-day period.
As of writing, the premarket price of TSLA shares suggests that the electric vehicle maker might end Monday with a $1 trillion valuation once more.
Tesla and China
TSLA stock was up about 8% at $322.56 per share on Monday’s premarket. As noted in a report from Barron’s, these prices suggest that the company could achieve a trillion-dollar valuation again, a level not seen since late February. Similar to Tesla, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were also up 2.8% and 2.1%, respectively, on Monday’s premarket.
The United States and China’s decision to roll back its tariffs would likely be appreciated by CEO Elon Musk. Despite working for the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and despite Tesla being least affected by the Trump administration’s tariffs due to its strong domestic supply chains in the United States, China, and Europe, Musk has noted that he is a supporter of non-predatory tariffs.
The United States and China’s Agreement
In a joint statement from the United States and China posted on the White House’s official website, the two countries agreed to lower reciprocal tariffs on each other by 115% for 90 days. This means that the United States will temporarily lower its overall tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, as noted in an ABC 12 report. China, on the other hand, will also lower its tariffs on American goods from 125% to 10%.
The talks were led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, as per the joint statement. Bessent shared his thoughts about the matter in a comment in Geneva. “The consensus from both delegations is neither side wants to be decoupled, and what have occurred with these very high tariffs … was an equivalent of an embargo, and neither side wants that. We do want trade. We want more balance in trade. And I think both sides are committed to achieving that,” he said.
A spokesperson from China’s Commerce Ministry also shared a statement about the matter. As per the spokesperson, the deal was an “important step by both sides to resolve differences through equal-footing dialogue and consultation, laying the groundwork and creating conditions for further bridging gaps and deepening cooperation.”
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