Joshua Kennon is a Managing Director of
Kennon-Green & Co., a private asset management firm specializing in global value investing for affluent and high net worth individuals, families, and institutions. Nothing in this article or on this site, which is Mr. Kennon's personal blog, is intended to be, nor should it be construed as, investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell a security or securities. Investing can result in losses, sometimes significant losses. Prior to taking any action involving your finances or portfolio, you should consult with your own qualified professional advisor(s), such as an investment advisor, tax specialist, and/or attorney, who can help you consider your unique needs, circumstances, risk tolerance, and other relevant factors.
Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, the James Irvine Chair in Urban and Regional Planning and a professor of public policy at the University of Southern California, recently published a book called, “The Sum of Small Things: A Theory of the Aspirational Class”. It looks at how affluent and upper class individuals and families are now engaging in a different type of consumption that effectively strengthens their own advantages, making upward mobility more difficult for those who don’t understand the codes or values of the group.
It’s been roughly seven months since I’ve been present or active on the site in any meaningful sense. There are largely two reasons for this. Firstly, as you can probably imagine, nearly every waking moment of our lives has been consumed by the launch of our global asset management firm, Kennon-Green & Co. This included spending a couple of weeks in Southern California looking for office space.
In recent months, I’ve found myself reflecting upon what I consider to be one of the most important and moral documents written in the history of civilization, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”. It comes up at the most unexpected of times; something in the back of my mind that makes…
Aaron and I love everything about Christmas – the Christmas decorations, the baking, the Christmas carols, picking out gifts for other people. It’s magical. No matter how busy we are, there will always be time for friends and family, holiday movies, and hot cocoa.
If life were like Civilization V, this is the point in which King Sejong the Great would be getting the message from President Obama, “My people are buying your blue jeans and listening to your music.” The Kennon-Green household has given into the 한류. First, though, we need to back up so you have some context.
Some things are noted for their rarity. The return of Halley’s comet. The Chicago Cubs winning the World Series. Joshua Kennon and Aaron Green buying a car. After years and years of discussing our search for our next car, the bargain we had been waiting for finally presented itself.
Epiphany moments are powerful things that can change the way you manage your life, the direction of your career, or how you look at the world.
As many of you noticed, Aaron and I went radio silent more than a month ago. This was entirely due to the fact that we are spending nearly every waking moment in the final stages of establishing Kennon-Green & Co., the asset management firm that we hope to have open within the next sixty to ninety days if all goes as planned.
Mondelez International, maker of Cadbury Chocolate and Oreo Cookies, has launched a takeover bid for The Hershey Company. Long-term owners should not be happy about it.
I’ve avoided speaking about the Brexit situation because I ultimately believe that it is not my place to tell British citizens how their country should be run even though I am a stakeholder in their success. While there are what I could consider extraordinarily high probabilities that the decision to leave the European Union will lead to lower GDP, the fact remains that GDP isn’t everything. Money, and the economy, exists to serve a civilization.
