Daily Journal (DJCO) Risk Analysis

As of September 30, 2025, the Company held marketable securities worth approximately $493.0 million, with a cumulative unrealized gain of $353.9 million for financial statement purposes.  While this portfolio has enabled the Company to borrow on favorable terms for acquisitions and to better compete for case management software opportunities that are usually limited to "large" firms, it is unusual for a public company to invest a significant amount of its available cash in the marketable securities of other public companies.  The value of these securities could decline, which would adversely affect net income and shareholders' equity. As of September 30, 2025, the Company's holdings of marketable securities were concentrated in just six companies. Accordingly, a significant decline in the market value of one or more of the Company's holdings may not be offset by hypothetically better performance of other holdings. This concentration of risk may result in a pronounced effect on net income and shareholders' equity.

Worthwhile new technologies capitalize on eliminating old inefficiencies. Just as the emergence and maturation of the Internet and smartphone technologies had profound implications across many industries, AI has the potential to significantly change key factors related to the Traditional Business, Journal Technologies, and companies in the Company's holdings of marketable securities. For the Traditional Business, there may be new and additional opportunities to automate or reduce the cost of content creation and doing business, or allow monetization of existing and/or historic content in new ways. Likewise, AI may negatively impact the business in ways that will prove difficult to circumvent. For Journal Technologies, use of AI may fundamentally alter or automate key customer workflows over time, obviating the need for its technology. AI will likely also create new and better ways for customers to achieve their mandates, of which the Company is positioning to play a valuable role. The Company is allocating resources to pursue these opportunities, through in-house engineering, and may also do so through partnerships, or mergers and acquisitions. Whether it will be successful is uncertain. The process and approach to engineering software itself may change in notable ways, and this could impact the underlying business model of Journal Technologies. Monitoring potential impacts of AI on companies in the marketable securities portfolio will also require ongoing attention. Mitigating risk and capitalizing on potential opportunity requires active engagement. The Company's challenge is to find and exploit opportunities to ensure change precipitated by AI provides tailwinds and not headwinds, and to do so in a way that is neither too slow, nor premature.

Journal Technologies' software processes and stores customer information in the conduct of its business, including in some cases by utilizing cloud-based systems supplied by third-party vendors.  Despite our efforts to maintain up-to-date security controls, it is possible that our system could be improperly used to access or misappropriate customer systems or information, including personally identifiable or other confidential information.  A material security breach of this nature could harm our reputation, cause us to lose current and potential customers, require us to allocate more resources to information security, or subject us or our customers to liability, resulting in increased costs, loss of revenue, or both.  The Traditional Business also operates certain websites that process and, in certain cases, store customer information.  Our insurance may not cover all of the costs that we may incur as a result of a material security breach.

Journal Technologies' success depends on the continued improvement of its products, and the costs to update and upgrade those products consistently represent a large portion of Journal Technologies' expenses. There are many uncertainties in the process of courts and other justice agencies migrating to newer case management systems, including whether Journal Technologies' versions of these systems will find general acceptance and whether the modification of such systems can be done in a cost-effective manner. Under the relevant accounting guidance, the costs to update and upgrade Journal Technologies' products are generally expensed as incurred and will impact earnings at least through the foreseeable future. The Company continues to invest in the development of new and next-generation technology as part of its broader product strategy. Likewise, investment is required to improve existing technology to simplify the process of configuring, managing and updating systems (and related obligations including documentation, user experience improvements, and more). These investments are being made to both improve win rates and maximize the efficiency of building and deploying customer systems. The intention is to improve profitability, but if foundational development is not done effectively, it may not yield the expected competitive advantages or intended efficiencies.

Disruptions that affect long-standing customer relationships can have negative reputational implications for Journal Technologies and can affect its earnings.

Charles T. Munger, the legendary investor of Berkshire Hathaway fame, was a director of the Company for many decades, and long managed the Company's holdings of marketable securities. Mr. Munger passed away on November 28, 2023. Although the Board has been working to ensure that the portfolio remains well-managed, it's impossible to ever replace Mr. Munger. Given the loss of Mr. Munger, the Company does not expect the future financial performance of its marketable securities portfolio to rival its past performance. Henceforth, the Company expects to manage and harvest its marketable securities portfolio primarily to support the further development of Journal Technologies and its business. The Company does not anticipate initiating new investments in public common stocks unrelated to its core businesses.

After personnel costs, postage and paper costs are typically the Traditional Business next two largest expenses.  An adequate supply of newsprint and other paper is important to the operations of the Traditional Business.  The Company currently does not have a contract with any paper supplier, and in the past, shortages of newsprint sometimes resulted in higher prices.  Recently, there have been consolidations of newsprint suppliers, and paper prices may fluctuate substantially in the future or otherwise be affected by tariffs and/or changes to trade agreements. The Traditional Business uses the U.S. Postal Service for distribution of a majority of its newspapers and products. Postal rates are dependent on the operating efficiency of the U.S. Postal Service and on legislative mandates imposed upon the U.S. Postal Service. During the past several years, postal rates have increased. Postal rates and fees may increase more in the future. Further, we may not be able to pass on increases in paper and postage costs to our customers.

From time to time, the legislatures in California and Arizona (and elsewhere) have considered and/or implemented various proposals that would result in the elimination or reduction of the amount of public notice advertising in printed newspapers required by statute. These proposals typically focus on the availability of alternative means of providing public notices, such as via the Internet. Some proposals also question the need for public notices at all. As noted above, some of these proposals have already become law. To the extent more of these proposals are adopted, particularly in California and Arizona, they could materially adversely affect the revenues of the Traditional Business. In September 2023, the California legislature passed a bill (AB542) effective January 1, 2024 that set in motion a decline in legal advertising revenue of approximately $14,000 during fiscal year 2024 by reducing the number of required publication days in a newspaper for self-service storage facility lien sales.  Another bill (AB721) relative to school budget hearing notices was also passed in September 2023. Effective January 1, 2027, these notices are to be moved to posting on the school district's website in lieu of being published in a newspaper. In addition, if the adjudication, which is what gives publishers the legal ability to publish public notice advertising, of one or more of the Company's newspapers were challenged and revoked, those newspapers would no longer be eligible to publish public notice advertising, and it could materially affect the revenues of the Traditional Business.

In the summer of 2025, a third-party investment adviser sent a series of letters to the Company alleging-incorrectly-that we should be capitalizing rather than expensing Journal Technologies' software development costs. This third party resurfaced with even more letters in December 2025 and has threatened, among other things, to initiate a proxy contest to replace members of the Board unless we engage with him and enter into a "cooperation agreement."  Responding to third parties like this can be costly and time-consuming, may divert the attention of management and our Board from executing on our strategy, and could require us to incur significant legal, advisory, and other professional fees. A public fight could also create uncertainty among our employees and customers, harm our reputation, disrupt our operations, and increase volatility in our stock price. Any of these factors could materially adversely affect our business and financial results, even if the underlying accounting allegations have no merit.

At times, the Company may hold marketable securities denominated in currencies other than the United States Dollar.  When it does, the Company may be at risk for significant fluctuations in the applicable foreign currency exchange rates, which would affect the profitability of such marketable securities.