Finance, Philanthropy, Investments, and Autism
Welcome to my site. I have been in the investment and corporate finance and legal business working 24/7, 365 days a year since I was 25 years old. After graduating from Georgetown Law School cum laude and on the law journal, I began my career as an attorney with the law firms of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy and thereafter with Skadden Arps Meagher & Flom. Subsequently I joined Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation as a Partner and Director of Mergers and Acquisitions. Upon the sale of First Boston to Credit Suisse, I cashed in my chips and left to form my own investment and hedge fund ultimately called LRG Capital Group. In March of 2011, without admitting or denying guilt I entered into a consent order with the SEC relating to the use of proceeds in one of the investments in one of my hedge funds. Pursuant to the agreement with the SEC, I cannot actively participate in the securities industry for 5 years. Agreeing to settle was one of the most difficult decisions in my life but in the long run it was the best decision for my family, friends, business associates, companies and employees. The silver lining, in terms of my settlement, is that finally after 28 years of ridiculous hours managing various funds and investments around the clock, I finally will be able to pursue my other interests that I felt I never had time for. Although I will keep my various interests in LRG Capital Group and its subsidiaries, my interests will be passive and day to day management will be handled by people way more competent than me. I will continue my active positions as Vice Chairman of Session Ex, a tech company focused toward social workflow and as chairman of Om Records, a San Francisco based lifestyle and record company. I intend to continue to write about investment and economic and fiscal policy and will continue to do so on this blog.
Despite a frantic schedule, I have done my best over the last several years to get involved with various causes and organizations within my community. Now that I have stepped back from LRG Capital, I will turn my attention to my philanthropic foundation which is focused on Autism and other organizations supporting children. I am the father of a 13 year old Autistic boy and dealing with his issues and problems has been extraordinary. While I had the means for doctors, specialists, private schools, tutors, speech therapists, behavioral therapists, intervention programs and so on, I cannot even imagine what’s it’s like to have to raise an autistic child if you don’t have the financial means to do so. Autism is a devastating diagnosis that affects an estimated 1.5 million individuals in the US. This statistic alone shows that Autism is a serious disorder that has had a major effect on the fabric of our society. It is my personal experience, as well as the experience of those I have met along the way, that has inspired me to get involved. With my time, I will continue to work with Autism Speaks but have also set up a pilot program called Autism Mentors. Autism Mentors works with schools that teach autistic kids and various businesses to employ autistic kids in various jobs and pay them the going wage for that job. The goal is both to teach the kids real world skills, which will provide them with the ability to function and to live on their own in the future. The rates of success so far in the pilot program have been outstanding and I now will have the time to focus on formalizing and expanding the program.
Additionally I will be able to continue one of my favorite hobbies and passions which is to cook. At age 18, I moved to Paris and went to cooking school and I have been cooking ever since. I’ve been working with a few partners and we will be opening our first restaurant called Mama Charlottes in San Francisco.