I graduated Waikato University 1979 with a Bachelor of Management Studies. I was employed for four years as a research economist at Tasman Pulp & Paper with responsibility for investment analysis and financial modelling. I attended numerous finance and financial modelling programmes. I left Tasman Pulp & Paper in 1984 with Neil Craig to form the partnership of Craig & Co.

I had responsibility for the group investment strategy and research until 1991 when I formed Craig & Co Private Asset Management – providing high quality investment advice to individuals. In 1985 I passed the exams to become a Member of the NZ Society of Investment Professionals. Since 1996 I have written a regular column for the Personal Finance section of the NZ Herald, and more recently the National Business Review.

Below is a brief summary of my education and experience:

• I have a four year management studies degree from Waikato University covering accounting, economics, law etc.

• I worked as an Economist doing investment analysis for Tasman Pulp and Paper from 1980 – 84 primarily writing discounted cash flow models which required analysis of the capital markets to determine appropriate discount rates.

• I was awarded a certificate in investment analysis after doing a one year course organised by the University of Otago to gain admission into the NZ Society of Investment Analysts in 1986.

• I was an original 50% shareholder, joint founder and research manager of Craig & Co from 1984 – 2000.

• I was a Member of the NZ Stock Exchange from 1987 – 2000 and only resigned my membership in 2000 as a result of selling my 25% shareholding in Craig & Co to ABN Amro.

• I am a fee based adviser and don’t use commission based products except for new issues from the odd A rated corporate bond. These are rebated to the client.

We advise on just over $1.1 billion for retail investors and I have worked in the industry for almost 40 years, have never had a formal complaint made about me, have never been sued by a client or threatened with legal action, have never bought finance company debentures and wrote about the dangers of finance company debentures and CDO’s in the Herald many times a number of years before they imploded.

I have been writing a two weekly column on personal finance related matters for the NZ Herald and the National Business Review, more or less continually since 1996. As part of this job I regularly make contact with leading academics and practitioners who publish research on personal finance related matters such as Andrew Low of MIT, Robert Arnott, Clifford Asness, Philip Coggan of the Economist Magazine, Tim Bond from Barclays Capital in London, Andrew Smithers of Smithers & Co and the late David Swensen to name a few. I regularly report on the actions of overseas regulators including the SEC and the FCA.

As far as keeping up with current thinking and professional development I read the following: The London Financial Times six days a week, the US Financial Analysts Journal, the Economist Magazine, the US Journal of Finance, the Wharton Real Estate Review from the University of Pennsylvania, the CFA Institute magazine, Journal of Finance, Journal of Portfolio Management etc etc. I also get daily research from Craigs Investment Partners and various other stockbroking firms around the world. I also communicate regularly with the three London Business School Professors, Dimson Marsh and Staunton and they send me their annual Global Investment Returns Yearbook. I am on Twitter - @brentsheather.