Ken Fisher is the Founder, Executive Chairman and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Fisher Investments. His prestigious Forbes “Portfolio Strategy” column ran from 1984 through 2016, making Ken the longest continuously running columnist in the magazine’s history. Ken has appeared on Investment Advisor’s list of 30 most influential people. Ken founded Fisher Investments in 1979. Fisher Investments manages investment portfolios for high net worth individuals, as well as large corporation accounts, pension plans, foundations and endowments throughout the world. It has offices in Camas, Washington and Woodside and San Mateo, California; a branch office in the Dubai International Financial Centre; subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia; and a joint venture in Germany.
The Ken Fisher Philosophy
Ken Fisher’s philosophy is based on his belief in capitalism and free markets. As the author of 11 books, 4 of which were New York Times best-sellers, Ken’s first concern is how to best serve his clients. Ken has a knack for challenging widely accepted beliefs through data. He is also a firm believer in behavioral finance, a concept that utilizes psychology-based theories to explain anomalies in the stock market.
The Beginning
Ken Fisher was born November 29, 1950, in San Francisco. His father, Phil, was a successful stock investor and author of the book Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits. Published in 1958, the book has never been out of print. Phil founded his money management company, Fisher & Co., in 1931. Phil developed the “grape vine” tool, an investing approach to help provide insight into the firm’s investment merits. While it may have seemed Ken was groomed for a life as a financial analyst, he initially chose a different path. Ken attended Humboldt State University and began by studying forestry. He later changed majors and graduated in 1972 with an economics degree. He never lost his love of nature and forestry, however. In 2007, Humboldt State University recognized Ken with its Distinguished Alumni Award for not only his contributions to the financial world, but also his contributions to the ongoing study of redwood ecology. After graduating, Ken spent a short stint at his father’s firm before setting forth on his own.
Fisher Investments Founder
With $250 in his pocket Ken Fisher founded Fisher Investments in 1979 as a sole proprietorship. Initially, Fisher Investments managed money for institutional investors. Under Ken’s expertise and visionary style, however, it wasn’t long before the firm grew, and today the firm manages portfolios for over 175 institutions*. In 1995, Ken and Fisher Investments launched the Private Client Group serving high net worth investors. Fisher Investments now manages assets for more than 50,000 individual investors* in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Fisher Investments Europe was formed in 2000 and serves the needs of investors in Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands. In 2003, Ken Fisher began a collaboration with German money manager Thomas Grüner that ultimately led to the creation of Grüner Fisher Investments.
Research Innovator and Investment Guru
Ken Fisher is a research innovator who has previously written on behavioral finance. He is the author of a host of academic articles, including “A Behavioral Framework for Time Diversification” for the Financial Analysts Journal. He has also written for the Journal of Investing, Journal of Portfolio Management, Journal of Behavioral Finance, Journal of Financial Research andJournal of Wealth Management.
Financial Columnist
Ken Fisher’s “Portfolio Strategy” column for Forbes ran from 1984 through 2016, making him the longest continually running columnist in the magazine’s 90+ year history. Ken now writes weekly columns for USA Today and Germany’s Focus Money, a bi-weekly column for Italy’s Il Sore 24 Ore and monthly columns for the UK’s Financial Times, Denmark’s Børsen, and the Netherlands’ De Telegraaf.
Bestselling Author
Four of Ken Fisher’s books have appeared on The New York Times Best Sellers List. They are, The Only Three Questions That Count, The Ten Roads to Riches, How to Smell a Rat: Five Signs of Financial Fraud and Debunkery: Learn It, Do It and Profit From It. His most recent book is Beat the Crowd.
Personal Interests and Philanthropy
Ken Fisher grew up in San Mateo, California, near 19th century redwood logging camps. His love for the giant redwoods and the logging culture is a passion that earned him recognition as one of the world’s leading experts on logging history. He has documented more than 35 long-abandoned mill sites and has thousands of artifacts from the time period, including double iron oxen shoes, old radio batteries and an ebony-handled knife. Ken presented Humboldt State University with a $3.5 million endowment in 2006 for the Kenneth L. Fisher Chair in Redwood Forest Ecology. The endowment supports ecological research and provides graduate student, lab and field equipment support. The current chair is Stephen Sillett, a respected biologist. Ken and his wife, Sherrilyn, have three adult sons. Together, Ken and Sherrilyn support several programs and initiatives that impact the community. Donations include $500,000 to the San Mateo Public Library Foundation for the construction of the Kenneth and Sherrilyn Fisher Journalism Center, as well as a gift of $7.5 million to fund the Sherrilyn and Ken Fisher for Environmental Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University. The couple also created the Fisher Center Discovery Program, supporting projects related to clinical or translational research in the field of environmental infectious diseases. Whether it’s guiding investment strategies, directing long-term strategic options or documenting a deserted logging camp, mill site or trapping cabin, Ken Fisher brings a passion to everything he does. As he said in an interview with Inc. Magazine’s Kevin Daum, he believes that people become wealthy because they follow “a dream they are passionate about.” *As of 7/1/2018