Max Osbon Joins Osbon Capital Management

With enthusiasm and pride I am announcing that Max Osbon is joining Osbon Capital Management, effective immediately.  Actually, Max has been active in projects for our company since he was a 19 year-old math and finance double major at Santa Clara University.  That’s when his work first got my attention – it was very fast and very right.

Now he’s 25, a former Bloomberg salesman covering Goldman Sachs, and writer and world traveler.

No layups

What will Max be doing at Osbon Capital?  Not the easy stuff. His focus will be on operations and finance, assuring that we maintain best-in-class standards with our providers, vendors, independent contractors and clients. That’s COO work. He’ll also be responsible the inflow and outflow of revenue and payments at Osbon Capital, which in a larger firm would make him a CFO.  Both acronyms are too big for a small firm like ours but the tasks remain the same. Max will continue as an analyst, researching and addressing specific questions with the goal of providing insight from information.

With Max focusing on analysis and operational efficiency, I have more time to dedicate to client service and individual investment strategy.

Why now?

Max is moving to Boston in May. It’s an ideal time for him to be helping out at Osbon Capital, although he has been contributing to the family firm for some time.   You would have already seen his work in several recent articles, including Four Flavors of Risk, Getting Ahead by Not Falling Behind, and last week’s piece, It’s Always Something, but Rarely Everything.

The NexGen advantage

There are significant advantages to involving a next generation family member in our business.  Simply stated the advantages are: continuity, clarity and skin-in-the-game.  Max owns a small portion of Osbon Capital, as does his younger sister.  Ownership keeps you focused.  Owners have a lot at stake.  With Max joining the firm I am simply expanding on what I outlined in What’s Best For the Client, starting with the owner-operator culture.

Also, as I have seen firsthand, younger people have a different perspective, and multiple viewpoints are valuable in staying humble and curious in the investment management business.  It’s very funny to witness your own son, for example, get smarter and faster than you in certain ways, and I think it is a big positive all around.

What to expect

As I said before in Lifetime Employment, I plan to operate Osbon Capital for as long as I can, so I don’t anticipate any material changes anytime soon.  Sole discretion for investment management stays in my hands.  You may not even notice much of a difference at Osbon Capital. On the other hand, I hope you do.  I hope Max gets a chance to meet you, or perhaps you will get a telephone call or email from him.  I hope you are, as I am, impressed with Max.  He’s a good guy to have on the team.