The Client Strikes Back at Hedge Funds
The California Public Employees' Retirement System is no longer a fan of hedge funds. I never was. But our reasons aren't exactly the same. With $295 billion in assets, Calpers discovered the challenge of finding great hedge funds and not overwhelming them with size....
A Guide to Facebook Etiquette
Mr. Manners here. There’s a right way to post on Facebook and a wrong way. I’m here to spell them out. Not! Nobody has a monopoly on the PC way to use Facebook. Everybody has an opinion. And everybody has the right to say whatever the hell he or she wants to say....
The Lure of Wealth, Power and Glory
As my readers know, I spent much of my career in private wealth management with several of the iconic Wall Street brokerage firms. Now, in addition to my novels, I write a regular column for financial advisers who subscribe to the Wall Street Journal. I am...
Small Towns
What’s better than the idiosyncrasies of small towns? Mary and I live in South County, Rhode Island. I don't think you'll find it on a map. The real name is Washington County, but around here everybody just calls it “South.” Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a few days...
Authors on Main
Last Sunday I spoke at the Contemporary Theater in Wakefield, RI. My appearance was part of the Authors on Main series, one of the many local offerings that make South County a great place to live. Many thanks to everyone who joined me for the event.
Stirring Up a Potion for Referrals
"My business is all referrals." I hear this claim from financial advisers a lot, and I'm skeptical. My team managed over a billion dollars. We received our share of endorsements. But waiting for them was like watching grass grow. Think about it. There's plenty of...
Wealth Management’s Biggest Losers
It's time for the client's annual portfolio review--and time to take market share, the advisers think. They know the client, a wealthy family, spreads its assets around the Street. And their firm's results have been exceptional this year. So they bring out the...
Google It
These days I hear, "Google it," all the time. The expression sounds considerably more elegant than “I don’t have a f:^)ing clue.” Google is kind of like walkabout for the brain. It spells the end of bar bets. It feeds curiosity, whether intelligent or downright goofy...
Norb Vonnegut
The New York Times describes my novels as “money porn,” “a red-hot franchise,” and “glittery thrillers about fiscal malfeasance.” Through fiction I explore the dark side of money and the motivations of those who have it, want more, and will steamroll anybody who gets in their way.