If you could design from scratch your ideal investment advisor, what would they look like? Here is my list:
Someone who is Responsible and Trustworthy
Trusting someone else with your hard-earned money is as natural as writing with your other hand. Even though I adhere strictly to SEC, FINRA, DFI regulations and the fiduciary standard, I don’t take it for granted that we must earn your trust every single day. My motto is “Do the right thing, even when no one is looking,” and I strive to never let my clients doubt.
Someone who understands Business
Let me ask a simple question: how can someone advise you to “invest” in a company’s stocks or bonds, if they don’t have the executive, real-world business experience in strategy, financial, and people management to base their risk and opportunities analysis upon? That would be like giving the General Manager job of the Seattle Seahawks to a Sports talkshow host who has never played or coached professionally. Hands-on experience counts, especially when it is something as important as your financial well-being.
Someone who understands Technology
The world is dynamic and ever-evolving, as new technologies are introduced to the world daily. Quickly grasping the impact and value of these innovations to businesses, consumers, and governments is invaluable. Whether evaluating the future of blockchain technology, quantum computing, or Car-T cell therapy, having a fundamental understanding of the science and business, are critical for determining the potential risks and returns.
Someone who understands the World
The iPhone is designed in California, but manufactured in China by a Taiwanese company, using Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, European, American, and Korean components, for delivery to every corner of the planet. The supply and value chain is inter-connected and global, each affecting the other in choreographed chaos. The Ivory Tower assumes that a business can operate in a rational, strategic, and controlled manner, but the reality is that local culture, laws, and taxes skew what is “rational.” Visiting Tokyo is no substitute for living in Japan, making local friends, paying their taxes, buying food and shelter, or going to the local hospital. By understanding a culture, we can filter the signal from the noise, and distill out the true risks, trends, and opportunities in our busy, connected world.
Someone who loves his Craft
It’s hard to become a world-class pianist, if you don’t love music. It takes talent, passion, curiosity, and the pride to fall down, get back up, and do better. A true craftsman is easy to identify in a crowd; just ask her a philosophical question about her passion and its future, and watch her eyes light up.
Someone who survived and thrived from the 2008 Financial Crisis
Trees don’t grow to the sky. Neither do markets always go up. Knowing what to do in a crisis, is the difference between financial well-being, and financial disaster. Having an advisor who is battle-tested in the worst financial crisis of the 21st century (so far), is just a good idea.
who is robin?
Robin Lin speaks 4.2 languages (including Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese), and has spent over 14 years overseas, living and working in the US, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and the Netherlands. Robin was previously a Wealth Advisor at UBS, serving ultra-high net worth clients, and has more than 13 years of top-tier experience with financial planning and investment management. Prior to his investment career, Robin spent 4 years with Philips Consumer Electronics as a Global Product Manager, responsible for $100MM+ products, as well as 4 years as the co-founder and CEO of Chippo Technologies, a tech start-up company in the consumer RFID field.
Robin earned his MBA from Keio University (Japan), has a BS double major in Biology and Psychology from Tufts University (MA), and is a certified Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP). Robin currently serves on the Board of One World Now! (an accredited after-school language and leadership program for under-served youths), and is an active member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Robin was previously a Charter Member of the Seattle Chapter of Keiretsu Forum (Angel investor forum), and a Fellow at the World Affairs Council.
Robin, a self-described investment geek, is passionate about technology and the Big Picture, and is well-versed in geopolitics, product management, and cross-cultural business.
When not philosophizing on investing, Robin loves spending time with his amazing wife and young boy/girl twins, fine dining and imbibing, travel, and dreaming up new products and businesses. He also dabbles in illustration, plays guitar, and enjoys racket sports, golf, and being on the water.