I have an un-blemished career of 47 years in the Wealth Management business.
I started my career in 1975 at the age of 18 in the UK. After passing my professional exams “Institute of Bankers – Trustee diploma”, I worked as a Trust officer for the leading Cayman Islands Trust Company for several years before accepting a similar title in Switzerland in 1985. In 1995 I joined Coutts & Co in Switzerland as a Private Banker.
In 2015 the Wealth Management business of Coutts & Co in Switzerland was bought by Union Bancaire Privée, UBP SA, one of the four leading private banks in Switzerland.
I continued to work as a Managing Director in the Wealth Management division of UBP until I retired in 2022.
I am an active investor in all major asset classes, especially global equities. On a daily basis I am trawling through company balance sheets, reports and recommendations, and using several financial tools to help me identify and invest in quoted companies offering attractive risk and reward features. True gems are difficult to find, but if you look long and hard enough, eventually you will find them. I could quote countless examples of “Gems” I have found over the last 48 years. As an example I get very excited when I find companies with a profitable business, no debt, and holding more cash on their balance sheet than their market cap (Yes that’s for real). There are plenty of interesting asset plays – situations where valuable corporate assets are not yet recognised by the market. Every year brings some kind of crisis. Some sector of the stock market will be heavily out of favour. I often find bargains in the least loved part of the market.
In addition to equities I invest in Private Equity, Precious Metals, Crypto-currencies, Property, Art, and I am open to all kinds of tangible assets.
Of course, I have cash and bonds, but frankly the interest rates don’t do justice to the rate of fiat inflation. The post-Bretton Woods monetary system is drawing towards the end-game. The levels of government indebtedness continues to increase faster than GDP. This won’t continue forever. Sooner or later something will break. When that happens, fiat-denominated assets, like cash and bonds, are likely to be the biggest losers. I don’t want to be one of the bag-holders, hence my preference to hold more tangible assets.
Despite being retired, I am in daily discussions with wealthy, and not so wealthy, individuals on topics encompassing residency, taxes, family structures, risk and compliance and of course wealth management and investing.
