Have you ever wondered what thoughts are running in the mind of a professional investor?
The successful ones tread the road less traveled, or oftentimes do not take the conventional path at all.
In other words, they have their own mindset and oddities, but private fund managers – as we can call them – can help their clients reach their financial goals. In most cases, they are low-profile individuals specializing in this type of business.
Intimate and tailored financial approach
Though not as high-flying and flamboyant as their larger, mass-market rivals, private fund managers are meticulous and circumspect in nature so as to protect the interests of their clients. They are big-picture thinkers with creative and resourceful minds springing from an open mind and intuition – perceiving things in a non-emotionally charged way.
I recently sat down with someone who was previously looking for ways to best allocate her assets previously acquired from selling her properties. Let’s just call her Samantha for the purposes of this article privacy – who has seen the success and power of effective wealth management in action, as she has enlisted the help of a rather reclusive private investor who has achieved a great level of success in managing people’s money. Secretive and intimate in approaches, this private investor manages the wealth of fellow ultra high net worth individuals and family offices.
From nothing to investment prodigy?
James Richman is a rather shy, introverted, geek type who is good with computers and patterns due to his high functioning autism called Asperger’s syndrome, the private investor uses his skills to grow his and others’ wealth.
Seeing their money grow used to be something once enjoyed only by the elite. Nowadays, the new crop of investors and traders employ very smart investment strategies that create great returns while supporting companies and individuals who try to make the world a better place through sustainable efforts such as climate change initiatives, anti-poverty campaigns, and philanthropic ventures.
Richman had strong influences growing up. His mother has a strong background in psychology and his father was in the technology realm, specifically programming. These had effects on his cognitive and social abilities and had some influence in his chosen profession.
The Latvian-born private investor who grew up in a small town called Smarde in the Tukums region has already spent a large part his life turning around the finances of all of his closest friends and connections.
He left his family home at an early age, got married at a young age, and experienced marital collapse which resulted in his homelessness and a life on streets for a while. He also experienced losing his daughter due to the faulty healthcare system in his country.
Anything he ever had was literally gone, so he knows what it’s like to “lose everything” and start something from nothing.
James incidentally, has Asperger syndrome – a form of high functioning autism that has become common among investors and entrepreneurs. There are speculations that Bill Gates has it and even investor Bill Gross swears that he’s a better investor because of it.
His talents that have emerged from this syndrome make him adept with programming and financial, economical and price patterns, eventually using his gift to help others grow their wealth. His condition has helped him notice patterns that greatly helped him with his trading and investing – helping his clients grow their generational wealth.
Samantha was introduced to James after she found out that he has been making other people’s money grow to the tune of billions of dollars, all as an offshoot of over a decade of his professional investing experience so far.
The hunt for a reliable wealth manager
Samantha is a single mom who used to scrape by and worked odd jobs to survive. Armed with enough savings from her previous job as an administrative clerk, she was able to pool her savings together to buy a house. She told me that part of the proceeds from the said properties sale is what she used to eventually look for a suitable “wealth manager”.
Knowing that she could not really invest in the stock market herself – mainly because of limited financial knowledge and little time to learn the ropes of investing while working, she started looking around for a trustworthy, talented and financially savvy investor.
A business relationship is formed
However, hedge funds are notorious for being “elitist” and expensive. Most hedge fund managers even charge at least 2 percent management fee just by keeping people’s money with them. That is even when they make a loss.
Deep inside she knew there was no way a single mom like her could realistically invest and have a “passive income” through these systems. Things started to turn around when Samantha was introduced to James.
The problem was, James is known to work mainly with institutional investors. Knowing that using her existing connection to his private find was her best shot Samantha managed to convince James to take her as a client and albeit his initial reluctance. She entrusted James with her savings for the past five years, confident that he can make great returns.
Determined to learn more about the man whom she just entrusted her savings to, Samantha told me that she eventually learned that James – who grew up in post-Soviet country Latvia, left formal schooling at the age of around 15.
He was repeatedly told growing up that he will never amount to anything, which only strengthened his resolve to make something out of his life, especially when he left home already between the ages of 16 and 17.
After leaving home, he was at one point homeless and barely had anything on his pocket. On top of that, he also sadly lost his daughter. He did persevere and survived. The same drive has helped him understand that the world is never “fair”, but one has to work smart enough to get access to resources usually only available to the cream of the crop.
James always saw the world differently. Since his childhood years, he had a knack for noticing patterns everywhere, and he could use it to almost predict the future. He later on learned that such gift would play a big role as he gravitated to the world of finance and investments.
Access to the private investment fund
The private investment fund that James handles is more intimate, somewhat boutique in nature, and works well with people who want to preserve their wealth across many generations (i.e generational wealth).
James also has his own money in the fund, so it is in his best interest to make sure it succeeds. He literally has vested interest and so he makes sure it succeeds. He is known to work mainly with private individuals and families within the high net worth range, as well as other qualified investors. His fund does not necessarily solicit from retail investors.
Another upside of the private fund is there are no notorious elements or criminality involved; money laundering is not part of the equation. James’ close friends and other people he has helped usually compare him to the great Warren Buffett. But James Richman is probably better.
