Welcome

A little bit about me and what I'm doing here

Here you will find what I hope to be reasonably quick reads concerning goings-on in the markets and how they are affected by the economy and politics.

I am an investor, a perpetual student of economics and history. I am also a great lover of fine wines, tend to dance excessively (particularly while cooking), possess an excessive adoration of dogs, and have an endless desire to find the humor in life. I am a founding partner of Calit Advisors and have also co-authored the book Cocktail Investing.

My career and my insatiable desire to learn have led me to a life of steady international travel. From this, I have developed three home bases:

• Sunny San Diego, California

• Not nearly so sunny Dublin, Ireland

• Indescribably beautiful Lake Como, Italy (of George Clooney fame)

My unique background gives me a breadth of experience in building and restructuring companies. I’ve worked with companies ranging from early-stage disruptive tech to evolving into industry leaders, and I have worked with some destined for failure. This gives me invaluable insight into identifying those industries, companies, and management teams poised for success and those more likely to struggle.

I have worked in a wide range of financial market roles, from designing and coding the data systems that power some of the largest asset management firms in the world to building my own M&A advisory firm, supporting both domestic and European clients. These experiences, combined with my lifelong love of economic theory and history, give me a unique perspective that allows me to question the consensus Wall Street view constantly.

I attended Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna College, earning degrees in Mathematics and Economics and later an MBA in Finance from the Anderson School at UCLA. However, I must say that the best education has come from having life kick the pudding out of me when I least expected it. The best lessons have come from falling flat on my face and having to get back up again and try.

My favorite place in the world is the Paro valley in Bhutan. Bhutan is a tiny little kingdom in the Himalayan Mountains, wedged between India and China. It is the only country whose official religion is Buddhism and whose most important metric is the Gross National Happiness. I’m a lover of the free markets with a definite leaning toward Austrian economics and in a deep love affair with the United States Constitution. But I have a special place in my heart for Bhutan, a land where people understand what is truly important. They have no concept of consumerism, of needing this car, those shoes, or that piece of clothing to make you OK. Instead, there is a gentleness there, a culture that takes a breath between listening and speaking to digest what has been said, a courtesy and compassionate view of all living things. For someone like me who always has a million things going on in her head, going and going and going, Bhutan is a magical escape and a hint at another way of living that I try to bring into my soul.

I’m a voracious reader and a confirmed geek, so I tend to pour through many financial, economics, and physics books and periodicals. Clearly, I’m not a healthy person. Friends have suggested therapy.

I am also currently working on writing my first thriller novel and having an absolute blast doing it.