Financial and Investment Advisors to Families
In a financial world where clients have become mere account numbers, and the new emphasis rests on mass-marketing investment products and gathering “Assets Under Management,” we continue to deliver the attentive personal service of a knowledgeable and dedicated family advisor.
We believe that we are better investors because of our heritage as advisors to families and the long-term perspective it requires, and we are better family advisors because we possess the deep understanding and experience of real-life, active investing.
SOMETIMES, IT IS ALL WORTH IT!
April 13, 2022
In past writings, I have occasionally been critical of family scions of the third generation, often calling them the “cursed generation” and implying that they are the ones most likely to waste or lose the fortunes accumulated and preserved by their ancestors. This is not specific to my clientele or to any culture: the equivalent of the American saying “From shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” exists in practically every language and country, as I pointed out in my book Luck Is Not Enough.
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Investigators and Statisticians
January 31, 2022
I have recently been exposed to the work of what is called a “forensic accountant.” These specialists analyze financial information to investigate fraud or embezzlement. Their job is to reconstruct the entire succession of actions that led to the suspected misdeeds. I was frankly amazed at what one can uncover by assembling a puzzle of disparate and often incomplete information and trying to reconstruct the process leading to the final result.
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Against Our Nature
May 18, 2022
I walked into a snake pit. It was among the more memorable moments of the last two years. On one of our early pandemic hikes in the Appalachian Mountains, my wife Megan and I found six rattlesnakes basking in the sun. They blended in so well, and we were blinded by the sun. Despite that, it only took my brain an instant to register a snake-looking shape, and my body froze, my heart started pounding, and my breathing sped up. It was a true fight or flight, a life or death moment. A million years of evolutionary conditioning jolted me away from imminent danger into safety. It’s part of our nature. Yet, in investing, we have to go against our nature and deeply ingrained instincts, time after time. Why is that? Let me explain.
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The True Cost of Things
April 28, 2022
I was on a video call last week. We were using someone’s else link, and 40 minutes into our conversation, we were cut off. My host realized that his free video calling plan only allows limited use per call. I know he upgraded to a paid plan since, but that experience reminded me of a more significant phenomenon. We are quickly learning the true cost of many services we use, and it has important consequences for how we invest. Let me explain.
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