“People who invest make money for themselves; people who speculate make money for their brokers.”

Purpose

"It is of enormous dollar-and-cents importance to evaluate objectively the accomplishments of the fellow who is actually handling your money - even if it's you."

-Warren Buffett, Partnership Letter, January 18, 1965

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It's an inescapable reality that right now we are all entrusting someone to manage our money. While that person might be a professional advisor, most often it's ourselves or a spouse. And everyday that someone is either growing, holding, or losing what we've worked hard to obtain.

As Mr. Buffett notes, this is a critical responsibility that demands a clear measuring stick to assess performance. When evaluating ourselves, a helpful exercise is to step out of our bodies for a moment and ask, "If I weren't me, would I hire me to manage my money?" Or, "If I were my own client, could I confidently explain the choices that I'm making?"

It's also a fact that we are predictably irrational, perhaps nowhere more obviously than in our treatment of money. A profound and growing body of research in behavioral economics has exposed us for who we really are when left to our own devices: emotional and frequently self-contradictory decision makers.

I believe that the primary role of any advisor worth his fee is to direct clients' decisions and behaviors towards proven wealth building and preserving practices that can be sustained for a lifetime.

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The secrets to wealth accumulation are not secrets at all, but well-known maxims: grow your earnings, spend less than you make, avoid debt and unnecessary taxes, and to buy at rational prices assets that are materially certain to grow at a rate greater than inflation over the long term. 

The real secret, however, is in mastering ourselves. Sticking to wealth building practices is difficult, particularly in the face of uncertainty. Our firm's philosophy and services are designed to help clients do just that.

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David Clark

Founding Partner