Name: FOOLISH
Author: Gil Baumgarten

About the Book

Wall Street brokerage firms won’t be happy about this book. That’s because brokerage firms have built their businesses on profiting in the shadows, and they surely don’t want the lights to come on. After 25 years on Wall Street and another 10 years as a fee-only fiduciary RIA, Gil Baumgarten knows all the brokerage tactics that make your portfolio inefficient and put you at a disadvantage. He also understands the common, self-destructive tendencies that make every investor vulnerable to brokerage firm schemes. FOOLI$H pulls no punches. This book is your inside look at the complicated brokerage ecosystem and the realities of investor behavior. You’ll discover the staggering differences between brokerage and advisory systems and walk away with actionable advice to help you stay on guard. Most importantly, you’ll take an introspective look at your investing style and learn how to walk away from the FOOLI$H routes investors so often take.

Praise

“FOOLISH puts a magnifying glass to the issues that have driven clients like me and advisors like Gil out of the brokerage world. Investors who are truly focused on the long term would be wise to follow the path Gil lays out. His perspective, especially when applied to investment strategy over a lifetime, is sure to not only reduce heartache and frustration but also generate superior returns.”

— Mike Walen, former COO, Cabot Oil and Gas

“This priceless assembly of observations and remedies will save you years of agony and disappointment with your investments. Read this and follow this playbook.”

— Dudley Oldham, retired Senior Partner, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP

“The range of outcomes from activities involving risk is much wider than anyone wants to admit, and the results can be significantly better and significantly worse than we want to believe. But throughout my years as an investor, I have come to believe that our performance in the midst of risk is the result of our actions and behaviors in the bad times as opposed to the good times. That's what this book hit home for me. The ideas reiterated, again and again, show that consistency and a commonsense approach to investing are what will position investors to succeed.”

— Randy Limbacher, former COO, Burlington Resources

About Gil Baumgarten

Gil Baumgarten, one of the nation's top financial advisors, is the Founder and President of Segment Wealth Management, an RIA financial advisory firm. Since its inception in 2010, Segment Wealth Management has grown to a top-10 firm in Houston, as recognized by the Houston Business Journal, with over a billion dollars in client assets under advisement. Gil is also a nine-time recipient of the Top 1,200 Financial Advisors distinction and has been ranked among the 50 best advisors in Texas by Barron's. Distinctions aside, Gil's affinity for precision and detail reveals itself in his daily life as well. He is an avid outdoorsman, award-winning woodworker, and attentive family man, friend, and colleague.