About

“Looking Under the Hood” and Deep Dive Analysis of Companies

My first job out of school focused on researching distressed public companies. I spent my days sifting through reports and filings of public companies. About a year in, I joined an investment bank focusing on the lower middle market for two years. Afterwards, I worked in a family office (private asset management firms that serve ultra-high-net-worth individuals) focusing on alternative investments such as real estate and startups. It was an eye-opener into the venture capital space as we invested and helped a startup raise $10 million, which eventually grew over $100 million in revenue. I also got my CFA charter around this time. 

I then went back to the distressed space, joining a management consulting firm’s corporate restructuring arm. I worked through a variety of restructurings for public and private companies, some of which were very high profile cases.

My career has taught me how to think about investments. I learned how to read between the lines for details such as what makes an investment successful and what makes it fall apart, connecting financial statements to the big picture, and how public opinions can differ from what actually goes on behind the scenes. All of these factors have given me a unique perspective when managing my own finances and considering investment opportunities. 

However, I don’t think you need to have worked in the industry or be a CFA to be able to make good investments. I believe good common sense and a little bit of research can take anyone a long way. Sometimes it’s knowing where to look, sometimes it’s knowing how to think about things. And sometimes, it’s knowing not all investments are going to work out and that’s OK.

Experienced the Remote / Hybrid Work Model Before it was the Trend

I had a hybrid work model for my first job out of college, despite it not being widespread at that time. When I joined the family office, they had operations internationally and knowing how effectively communicate with people in different time zones was critical for the team stay in sync on projects. After I joined consulting, I learned that being able to work remote, or really anywhere, was actually a valuable skillset. Because of the fast-paced work environment and at times 100% travel requirements, I’d find myself working at various places. “Workplaces” ranged from home, the office, client sites, hotels, or even in the plane. Over the years, I developed various tips and tricks to make working remotely better for myself.

OK, it’s one thing to talk about finance experience, but is experience working remote even a thing!? I certainly think so. There are certain nuances that can make working remote more comfortable, efficient, and sustainable. These issues may have been historically overlooked because remote work was not widely adopted. But as more companies are adopting a remote or hybrid work model, there are now more discussions on how to set up a home workspace, best practices for remote meetings, how to build remote team morale, dealing with loneliness from working remote, and many other topics.

I hope readers that are in a remote work environment and digital nomads will find this blog helpful!