I graduated from Colgate University with a B.A. in Economics in 1969 and have been in the investment industry for 41 years. I followed in the footsteps of my father and his first cousin, who started on Wall Street with Lehman Brothers in the 1930’s. My investment philosophy is an amalgam of what I learned from them.

From my father, I learned the trading side of the business. From his cousin, I learned the concept of buying assets at a discount, which lead to an investment philosophy grounded in buying assets. I do not focus on what the company, or analysts, say about the prospects of a company. What I want to know is that I am buying assets in the market for what I believe is less than their value.

For fourteen years I owned my own broker/dealer specializing in corporate bonds and preferred stocks. Meanwhile, I learned the value of buying bonds of distressed companies with solid assets. I call it the “Cooper Double Play.” You may receive a high current income on your principal while waiting for the bonds to hopefully increase in price.

I have been married for 43 years and have one son who works on Wall Street. In my spare time I play the piano and prior to moving to Arizona in 1994, I was an avid sailor.