Skin in the Game

Actions speak louder than words. We often observe the logical and emotional arguments companies and organisations make – but how they act is much more revealing.

According to The Black Swan author Nassim Nicholas Taleb it’s important for those who seek our favour to have Skin in the game, the title of his most recent book. In it he states why we should never listen to people who explain rather than do, and he asserts that “We should never trust anyone who doesn’t have skin in the game”.

Anyone who has read Taleb before will be familiar with his combative style. Yet his central conviction carries some weight. It feels intuitively correct: as individuals we naturally have more faith in those who are invested in some way in what they do. With this context in mind, we ask why some of Netwealth’s leading team have ‘skin in the game’ and have chosen to invest with the company.

Charlotte Ransom Founder and CEO Like many people, I have long-term financial goals for myself and my family. Before setting up Netwealth, I had reviewed the wealth management market to see who could provide us with the service we were looking for. None of the traditional wealth managers were able to offer the right mix of a modern, transparent and professional service, particularly when taking cost into account. Netwealth directly answers our needs and I can confidently assess progress against our long-term goals.

Thomas Salter Founder and COO I am very aware of the importance of investing for my future but, like many people, I often struggle to dedicate the time to my personal finances. Investing should be kept relatively simple and clear but too many providers make it far more complicated – and expensive – than it should be. This was one of the reasons we set up Netwealth – to provide a professionally managed service doing the simple things well.

Matt Conradi Senior Client Adviser While we can’t control such factors as our life expectancy, inflation and market performance when we invest there are certain things we can influence. Investing with Netwealth allows me to fully take advantage of these factors – such as minimising fees, being well diversified and making use of various tax wrappers. It all makes a big difference over time.

Rachel Willox Head of Operations and Client Service Investing is not just important for me, but also my wider family and those I care about. Therefore, the Netwealth Network is very helpful as it allows up to seven people I know to benefit from professional money management (while still choosing their own goals and keeping their money separate) – but with greatly reduced costs. It’s not just perfect for children to join, but parents and friends, too.

Iain Barnes Head of Portfolio Management We like to think our investment approach stands up to scrutiny – building sensible portfolios in a diversified and efficient way. Our clients often ask if we ‘eat our own cooking’, and I’m pleased to say that all members of the Netwealth investment team are happy clients, accruing the higher returns from our low fees.

Please remember that when investing your capital is at risk.