The world of investing can seem like a giant maze. Fisher Investments has developed several informational and educational guides tackling a variety of investing topics.
Personal Wealth Management / Expert Commentary
A Continual Push For Better
Hear from founder, Ken Fisher, about why our company has always looked to take new paths over its history
In 1979, Ken Fisher founded Fisher Asset Management, LLC ("FAM") and began managing discretionary assets with a fundamental belief in capitalism and free capital markets. We start with the simple notion that supply and demand are the sole determinants of securities pricing. In addition, we believe capital markets are relatively efficient discounters of all widely known information.
Thus, to add value through active management, one must identify information not widely known or interpret widely known information differently—and correctly—from other market participants. Throughout its history, FAM has continuously developed ways to look at capital markets differently.
Ken Fisher's theoretical work in the 1970s popularised the use of the Price-to-Sales Ratio and detailed its relevance as a tool for investment analysis. This tool was used to help manage small cap value portfolios for institutional investors.
In the mid-1980s, FAM contributed to the recognition of distinct investment styles. These advancements as the foundation for a new series of broad mandate strategies, including Global Total Return, US Total Return and Foreign Equity. Vice Chairman & Co-Chief Investment Officer, Jeff Silk, joined the firm in 1983.
In the mid-1990s, Fisher Investments began offering separate portfolio management directly to high net worth individuals under our Private Client Group. In 1997, CEO Damian Ornani joined the firm. In early 2000, Fisher Investments expanded its service offerings into Canada and the United Kingdom. In 2007, FAM entered into a joint venture partnership (now a wholly owned subsidiary of FAM), Grüner Fisher Investments GmbH, which offers its services to investors in Germany. In 2012, Fisher Investments Europe (a subsidiary of FAM) began conducting business in other European countries. Today, FAM and its affiliates operate in 16 offices across 16 countries—and serve over 210,000 clients globally.*
In addition, FAM has dedicated significant resources to the emerging field of behavioral finance to better understand not just the tools of finance, but also how investors use these tools. FAM research has led them to develop practical applications of behavioral finance in portfolio management process.
FAM research has been showcased in numerous financial journals, including the Financial Analysts Journal and The Journal of Portfolio Management. In 1984, Ken began writing the “Portfolio Strategy” column for Forbes magazine. He also has been writing a weekly column for Germany's Focus Money since 2009 and has contributed to several UK publications as well. In addition, four of Ken's more recent books—Debunkery (2010), How to Smell a Rat: The Five Signs of Financial Fraud (2009), The Ten Roads to Riches (2008) and The Only Three Questions That Count (2006)—were named New York Times bestsellers.
*As of 30/09/2026. Includes FAM and its affiliates.
Transcript
Ken Fisher:
I'm a little always afraid of us having complacency, because then we become the thing that, at a future date, the world should, if you will end up, popular current vernacular phraseology that I never heard when I was young and don't actually much care for, get disrupted by a new world if we're complacent.
But if we keep focus on trying to do never-yet-done things, that'll never happen. And it's that which I keep coming back to over time, as the part that drives me that I get excited about.
Fisher Investments Ireland Limited is a private limited company incorporated in Ireland and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Fisher Investments is the trading name used by Fisher Investments Ireland Limited, and by its branches in Spain and Italy. Fisher Investments Ireland Limited and its trading name Fisher Investments are registered with the Companies Registration Office in Ireland under numbers 623847 and 772424. In Ireland, Fisher Investments' registered address is: 24-26 City Quay, 3rd floor, Dublin Docklands, Dublin, D02 NY19, Ireland.
In Spain, Fisher Investments is domiciled at Calle Velázquez, 34, 6th floor, 28001 Madrid, (Spain), with Tax Identification Number W0074497I, and is registered with the Commercial Registry of Madrid (Volume 39501, Sheet 110, Inscription 1, Page M-701327) and in the official records of the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores ("CNMV") (No. 126).
In Italy, Fisher Investments is registered under no. 182 on the “Elenco delle Imprese di Investimento autorizzate in altri Stati UE con succursale in Italia” kept by the Commissione Nazionale per le Societá e la Borsa ("Consob"), and is registered with the Registro delle Imprese di Milano (Registration Number and Fiscal Code: 97838750152; VAT Number: 02903080345; REA Number: MI-2726610).
With respect to its discretionary portfolio management services, Fisher Investments partially outsources aspects of the day-to-day portfolio management and trading functions to its affiliates. In particular, day-to-day portfolio strategy decision-making will be conducted by Fisher Asset Management, LLC ("FAM") and trading functions may be carried out by various affiliates. FAM is the parent company of Fisher Investments and such affiliates and is established in the USA (Delaware Secretary of State number 3936233) and regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC# 801-29362).
The protections of the Irish regulatory regime, including the Investor Compensation Scheme ("ICS"), apply to the activities of Fisher Investments. The ICS pays 90% of net loss up to a maximum of €20,000 in certain circumstances when an investment firm authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland goes out of business. However, such protections do not apply in relation to the services of FAM, affiliates of Fisher Investments, any custodian or bank located outside of Ireland, or to the extent a client’s assets are invested in non-Irish funds or ETFs.
This information constitutes the general views of the Fisher group of companies and do not take into account individual financial situations, needs or objectives and should not be regarded as personalised investment, legal or tax advice or a reflection of client performance. No assurances are made that Fisher group of companies will continue to hold these views, which may change at any time based on new information, analysis or reconsideration. Nothing herein is intended to be a recommendation or forecast of market conditions. Rather, it is intended to illustrate a point. Current and future markets may differ significantly from those illustrated here. In addition, no assurances are made regarding the accuracy of any assumptions made in any illustrations herein.
Not all past forecasts were, nor future forecasts may be, as accurate as others. There can be no assurances that investment returns from a particular strategy or allocation will exceed returns from another strategy or allocation.
Investing in financial markets involves a risk of loss and there is no guarantee that all or any invested capital will be repaid. Past performance neither guarantees nor reliably indicates future performance. The value of investments and the income from them will fluctuate with world financial markets and international currency exchange rates.
