By: Robert Swift
What a special week this has been. The TCI Foundation began its first official series of investing classes on Tuesday. Thanks largely to an article in the Arizona Daily Star (read further for a link to the article), interest has been very high. While classes through April are now full, we will not forget you as we expand the class availability and eventually get you in a class. In the meantime, this educational blog is one way we want to remain in touch.
It feels like a great start to a long-time vision of mine. It is time for everyone to have access to experienced, professional, and unbiased financial education and investing advice…..regardless of age or income.
Let me give you a little history on how I got to this point. I started in 1983 as a traditional stockbroker. Most of my training as a stockbroker was not in the area of financial expertise but how to sell different products to people for a commission. While it was still possible to treat people well, it became evident as I did some study and research on my own that client results improved greatly when they did one of two things. Either they invest on their own and eliminate all the costs and conflicts of the stockbroker model or they find a trusted advisor who is not paid by commission but by a very transparent fee.
So, I quit the traditional stockbroker job in January of 1990 and began my own company, The Conservative Investor. The goal then was to educate anybody in a class called “Why and How to Invest on Your Own.” The classes grew very quickly and over those first 5 years, my partner and I probably gave over 600 different classes to a whole lot of people…young, old, with money, with a little money, etc.
It was at that point that people liked the idea of investing on their own but preferred it if I would do it for them. TCI Wealth Advisors grew from that premise to where we are today….one of the largest fee-only, independent wealth managers in the country.
I now find myself with the time and resources necessary to put my “dream” into action….and it feels full circle.
Finally, I would like to share the 5-10 year goal of the TCI Foundation with you. It is simply to be recognized within the entire community as the go-to place for learning solid financial and investing principles with no agenda. We also hope to become the teachers’ teacher as we aim to place a required curriculum into the high schools.
Laura and I look forward to meeting you, teaching you, and possibly advising you through the years. Hopefully, the values that you receive from us will cause you to be an “awareness” ambassador for the TCI Foundation over the years.