At Wealthfront, we believe in putting our clients’ interests first. The trust and confidence our clients place in our service is the primary reason we’re now the largest and fastest-growing software-based financial advisor. Our success allows us to attract incredibly talented people from the investment and technology worlds, which in turn enables us to continually improve the service we offer to clients.
We’re honored to announce today that Charley Ellis, founder of Greenwich Associates, the leading research-based strategy consulting firm to the financial services industry, has joined Wealthfront as a member of our advisory board. Charley has written 16 books on individual investing, including the classic Winning the Loser’s Game.
It’s hard to find someone in the investment industry whose advice and counsel is more respected than Charley’s. We feel extremely fortunate to have him on our investment advisory board.
Dedicated to Investment Management and Education
Charley joins Wealthfront after a career of over 50 years advising many of the world’s leading investment management and securities firms. Charley chaired the CFA Institute, served on the faculty of Harvard Business School and the Yale School of Management, and chaired the investment committee at Yale University. Yale, led by its Chief Investment Officer, David Swensen, is viewed by many as the best large diversified portfolio manager in the world. Charley also served on the Vanguard Group board of directors for almost a decade.
Among Charley’s books is The Elements of Investing. Co-authored with Wealthfront’s Chief Investment Officer Burt Malkiel, it is considered one of the simplest, clearest books about investing ever written.
The Importance of Trust and Character
Charley’s tireless advocacy for the principle of putting the interests of clients first makes him a perfect fit for Wealthfront’s culture and business.
“The secret to success in selecting an investment manager is to recognize that choosing a manager is a lot like marrying. Too many investors are “dating” managers, and as a result, are quite unintentionally asking for trouble,” he says. “In choosing a spouse, the most important factor is trust, and the secret to trust is character.”
Over 200 Years of Experience
Charley joins the Wealthfront investment advisory board, which is led by Burt, and includes Paul Pfleiderer, Meir Statman, Larry Cohen, Qian Liu, Andy Rachleff and Jeff Rosenberger. Together, they have over 200 years of experience in the industry, and, among them, over 20 published books.
“I’ve been advising investment managers for over half a century, focusing on the importance of putting the client first and offering them the best possible financial advice at the lowest possible costs,” Charley says. “I’m excited about working with Wealthfront because I believe everyone deserves access to sophisticated management and Wealthfront’s software-based approach appears to be the only way to accomplish that goal.”
Welcome to the team, Charley. We’re excited to build the next-generation financial advisor together.