Invest in Optimism: A Conversation With Keith Fitz-Gerald

If you’re as much a consumer of financial news as I am, chances are very good you’ve seen Keith Fitz-Gerald as a regular contributor on Fox Business, CNBC and elsewhere. That, or read his invaluable market commentary online.

Nothing beats catching him in person, though, and I highly advise you do so if you get the opportunity.

Part investment guru, part motivational speaker, Keith manages to make you feel as if you can conquer the world… and have a great time doing it. I’ve had the privilege of seeing him present a number of times before—most recently at Money Map Press’ Black Diamond Conference in Delray Beach, Florida—and I’m always in awe not just of his depth of market knowledge but also the amount of energy he brings to the table.

The longtime writer of the popular Money Map Report and High Velocity Profits newsletters, Keith was gracious enough to chat one-on-one with me recently. Below are highlights from our conversation, during which we touched on a number of topics ranging from portfolio construction to the similarities between investing and the martial arts.

You have a unique story about how you first got interested in investing. If I remember, it began with your grandmother.

Thanks for remembering! We all called her Mimi. She was widowed at a very young age and turned a small life insurance settlement into everything she needed to live out the rest of her life and then some. She became a global investor long before that term even existed. When I turned 15, Mimi didn’t give me the usual books or sweaters other teenagers might have received. Instead, she got me subscriptions toValue Line and Forbes, and every Sunday afternoon we would meet over martinis and ham sandwiches to talk about the markets.

Mimi wanted me to understand that the world was much bigger than my garage. Our discussions weren’t necessarily about investing, but about the companies, products and services that were changing the world I would inherit. We talked about how and why that mattered and, of course, how to invest in markets that would change dramatically during my investing lifetime.

She often used to say “Get out there and see it.” Mimi traveled all over the world as a means of vetting her investments and that’s a habit I’ve kept up to this day. Eventually, Mimi got so good at translating what she saw into investment ideas that the Merrill Lynch brokers she worked with used to call her and ask for her thoughts.

Mimi was an exceptionally bright and astute observer of the world around her. Yet, at the same time, she was a very humble person. I miss her today but have no doubt she’s out there watching the markets carefully and looking, as she always did, ahead for cues as to what’s next.

Hopefully, those are traits that I’ve picked up. I am a big believer in “boots on the ground” when it comes to exploring potential investments. I’ve traveled widely all over the planet over the past 36 years, often on my motorcycle with my wife. I want to see the world around me so I can accurately ascertain where the best opportunities are because there is no proxy for firsthand knowledge.