Growing Rich - Arabictrader.com

KIRK KAZANJIAN
look over. He also wrote the weekly insurance letter for my father for
almost three years and learned the discipline of getting things down
on paper, meeting deadlines, and focusing on companies rather than
on big trends.” Later, when Davis started the Davis Financial Fund,
Chris became its manager.
Chris was named co-portfolio manager of Davis New York Venture
and Selected American in 1995, before being promoted to portfolio
manager two years later at the age of 32. “I was 32 when I started
the fund,” Shelby points out. “I figured if he was going to generate
a 28-year record as I had done, it was time for him to take charge.
He earned this promotion with great performance. He had been sole
portfolio manager of the Davis Financial Fund for three years and
received a five-star rating from Morningstar. Besides, we’re really
alter egos.” When Davis promoted Chris, he also promoted himself to
chief investment officer, although he has never liked official titles. “I
like to say I’m now the coach, developing the game plan and calling
in some plays, while Chris is the quarterback,” he adds. “It’s like
having a 60-year-old brain running with 30-year-old legs.” The
transition allows Shelby to focus on strategy and in-depth company
research, instead of spending time attending committee meetings.
“Andrew and Chris are slightly different,” he notes. “Andrew’s a
year older and more quantitative, while Chris is more qualitative.
Both are great at communicating ideas and have learned each other’s
skills. Andrew likes to meet with the managements of his real estate
holdings. Chris has a broader canvas in managing our growth and
income funds, but he also loves talking to managements. I’ve brought
in a team of analysts to help them out. And I’m still in there coaching
and calling companies, too. After all, picking stocks is my favorite
sport.”
SHELBY’S SECOND FAMILY
Shelby was divorced from his first wife after 18 years of marriage,
probably because he spent so much time building the business. Two
years later, he tied the knot with one of his firm’s portfolio assistants,
Gale Lansing. They have been married for more than two decades
and have three children, Lansing, 19, Alida, 17, and Edith, 12, all of
whom spend much of the year in boarding schools. Lansing works at
his father’s office during summer vacations and writes those $100
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