INVESTMENTS

 

BAD INVESTMENT

 

One client came to Wales with an established career.  In looking at the client’s assets, there were two investments that did not look “right.”  Upon investigation, Wales discovered that the client had not invested in a building, as he thought, but he had actually bought the building and the business in it.  How can that happen?  Two reasons.  First, the offering letter was not clear, probably intentionally so, but the details were in the very lengthy final contract.  Second, the client was not skilled in reading offering letters and contracts and he did not have someone to consult with.  What he had bought was an awful business, and he had paid so much for it that there was no way for him to earn his investment back, much less make a profit.

 

Wales’ solution:  Wales managed the business for three years, improving its efficiency and reducing the operating losses and making it look less bad.  The business was then sold to a similar company at a loss, but much less a loss than he would have suffered without help.

 

Lesson:  Have advisors who can help you read and interpret contracts before signing them.

 

WORSE INVESTMENT

 

The second investment was in land in a second home community in the mountains of western North Carolina.  There were over 130 investors in this project and the funds raised exceeded $150 million.  Wales’ client had $3 million at risk.  Wales found several legal issues in the contract and began an in depth investigation.  After substantial work, Wales uncovered a massive fraud, what was then the fifth largest real estate fraud in US history.  All investors lost all the money.  Six people went to prison.  The FBI traced the remaining $145 million to a country in South America with which the US does not have an extradition agreement.

 

Lesson:  Have a trusted advisor to consult before you invest. 

 

 

CAREER

 

Wales was introduced to an up-and-coming artist who was working on her career with as much energy and dedication as possible.  But, her efforts were not focused and her resources were being spread too thinly to make an impact in any one area.  Hard work was not yielding the desired results.

 

The artist and Wales created a strategic plan that had measurable objectives and well thought out and costed strategies to achieve those objectives.  The plan helped secure a top manager, and within months, her career started to move.  She took the plan to a major corporation that sponsored artists, and they gave her the first all cash endorsement they had given to a female artist, acknowledging that the plan gave them confidence that she knew what she was doing.

 

Lesson: Regardless of how much resource you have to invest in your career, you will be best served with a written, measurable plan.

 

 

 

 

PERSONAL LIFE

 

 

STALKER

 

An entertainment client was being stalked, and not in a good way.  Police were involved, but they could not guarantee safety.

 

Wales established a trust, and served as trustee, to purchase a different home away from the former house, but in a name that no one would associate with the client.  All taxes and utilities and other public records were in the name of either the trust or Wales so the client could not be found.  Eventually the stalker gave up and went away.

 

Lesson:   Creative thinking can solve many problems.

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