Financial Planning Investment Advisor

Hello, thank you for taking the time to read my site.

When I began practice in the mid 1990s we were just entering the final run of a great secular bull market in common stocks.  It was a great time to invest.  However, by late 1998 some of the great voices of finance started to warn us.  Jim Rogers, appearing on CNBC for the last time before a three year drive around the world, told us the American stock market was entering bubble territory.  His advice, look outside the United States for investments and buy commodities.  From 2000 to 2002 Rogers was proven right, as we felt the strains of irrational exuberance and a large stock market crash came, which was followed by huge inflation in commodities, including oil and gold, by the middle of the decade. 

From 2003 to 2007 the stock bubble reflated back to its previous highs on the back of massive monetary expansion, household and national debts, and an expanding class of complicated investments called derivatives.  Warren Buffet commented that we were "selling the farm to live high on the hog" and creating "financial weapons of mass destruction."  We now find ourselves post another large crash and facing economic challenges not seen in generations.  We are in fact by all reasonable measurements over a decade into a secular bear market in common stocks and an economic period that history might look at as a depression. 

Recently, due to fears of losing money in the stock market, many investors have been pumping their savings into a new bubble in fixed income.  When interest rates rise as inflation fears gradually play out over time, we are likely to see another layer of wealth destroyed for middle class investors and institutional investors alike.  The financial issues and social side effects if that happens could be extremely difficult for the nation to deal with.  From what I see, only the possibility that the United States becomes an energy exporter by the end of the decade is it likely we protect our freedom and our country from the types of problems currently being seen in Europe.  Thankfully, we appear to be on that path.

As I strive to help people secure their personal freedom, I look to the world's greatest investors for guideposts to the pathway towards that freedom.  Over my career, I have developed the greatest level of respect for a group of investors who have been consistently in front of developing trends.  Their investment approaches and their methods of reducing risk while maintaining opportunities for strong investment returns are my strongest influences in managing your portfolio, not the sales driven financial industry.  It is the lead of people like Warren Buffett, Jim Rogers, Marc Faber, Bill Gross, Julian Robertson, George Soros and other independent minds that I follow.

I include many Socially Responsible Investments (SRI) in portfolios for ethical reasons and because I believe these investments offer a massive opportunity over the coming decades.  Investing in cleaner energy, water resources, sustainable agriculture and global healthcare appear to promise returns that could outpace the broader markets by substantial margins.  These growth trends are at the heart of not only my investment portfolios, but those of the greatest investors.

At the foundation of every financial plan is risk management and insurance.  As Buffett and others point out, only by protecting what you have today, can you successfully build for tomorrow.  If you are well insured, great.  If not, I can help you.

My clients and those who attend my workshops will share that I clearly love what I do and that I am genuinely trying to help people.  I work to bring a level of service to the broader investor community that too often has been reserved by the financial industry for only the extremely wealthy, well connected and certain large institutional investors.  At my workshops I strive to funnel down and explain the overwhelming universe of economic and financial information in an easy to understand and actionable way.  I invite you to attend one of my quarterly financial workshops, I believe you will be happy you attend.

If you have a small group of friends, family or co-workers who would like to spend 30-45 minutes with me some morning discussing the financial issues important to you, please contact me to arrange "Coffee with Kirk."  These informal sessions are designed as a brief introduction followed by a question & answer session when you can ask about the issues at the top of your list. 

Please read my monthly letters, trade notes and articles in the news.  Also, feel free to browse and use my links page to find helpful resources.

I am accepting clients who are serious about their financial future.  By virtue of you making it to this site and reading this far, I suspect you are one of those people.  I invite you to get in contact with me so we can discuss what a working relationship would be like.  Whomever you decide to work with, I wish you the best.

Your seeking freedom adviser.

Cordially,

Kirk Spano