BIO: Kimberly Flynn, CFA, is a founder and Managing Director of XA Investments, responsible for all product and business development activities.
STORY: Kimberly put all her $2,000 savings into a single telecom-dedicated mutual fund at the peak of telecom valuations and saw it go down to 30 cents on the dollar.
LEARNING: Don’t put all your savings into a single idea. Be diversified, especially when dealing with active manager selection. Know yourself and your risk tolerance.
“You’ve got to feel comfortable making investment decisions, and if you’re not, get advice from somebody who can give you the right guidance.”
Kimberly Flynn
Guest profile
Kimberly Flynn, CFA, is a founder and Managing Director of XA Investments, where she is responsible for all product and business development activities. XA Investments has a proprietary closed-end platform and a consulting practice to assist clients with developing US and UK-registered closed-end funds. Previously, Kim was Senior Vice President and Head of Product Development for Nuveen Investments’ Global Structured Products Group.
Kim received her MBA degree from Harvard University and her BBA in Finance and Business Economics, summa cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame in 1999. Kim earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Chicago.
Kim was recently selected to serve on the Notre Dame Wall Street leadership committee. She also serves as secretary of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Women’s board executive committee and on the advisory board of Youth Guidance’s Becoming A Man program. She is an active member of the Harvard Club of New York City and the University Club of Chicago, where she serves on the Finance Committee.
Worst investment ever
Kimberly made a $2,000 investment into an Invesco telecom-dedicated mutual fund at the peak of telecom valuations. This was in 1999, and very quickly rode it down to 30 cents on the dollar. Kimberly was assured that the telecom sector would be hot based on the research she was doing at the time at Morgan Stanley. This was Kimberly’s first investment after graduating college.
Lessons learned
- Be diversified, especially when dealing with active manager selection.
- Know yourself and your risk tolerance.
- You’ve got to feel comfortable making investment decisions, and if you’re not, get advice from somebody who can give you the proper guidance.
Andrew’s takeaways
- Set a long-term plan and methodically contribute to it.
- Find your investment style and follow it.
Actionable advice
Take 80% of the amount you plan to invest and put it into a diversified portfolio. Then, take 20% of it and buy a telecom or crypto fund because experimentation is sometimes helpful. If you lose 20% of your investment, you can recover.
Kimberly’s recommendations
If you’re working in the financial space, Kimberly recommends checking out resources on her website, XA Investments, to learn more about alternatives. She also recommends reading The Economist or The Financial Times to gain a global perspective.
No.1 goal for the next 12 months
Kimberly’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to launch new products and take on new prospective consulting clients so she can grow her business.
Parting words
“Stay positive. Even if you make a mistake, you can always start again and take on a new challenge or a new investment opportunity.”
Kimberly Flynn
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