About

What is Quality Asset Management (QAM)?

Quality Asset Management (QAM) is a Registered Investment Advisor with the State of California, located in La Jolla, California. QAM helps you obtain perpetual income that is expected to grow over time beyond inflation, for as long as you live and for future generations. QAM uses its three-component investment approach to maintain your peace of mind, while growing your means at an accelerating pace.

What can you expect from working with us?

  • A clear understanding of your plan and all decisions, with transparency.
  • Confidence that you keep taking the right actions for your lifelong goals.
  • Unbiased research, often leading to disproving of conventional wisdom. We are practical scientists.
  • Iron discipline in adhering to your plan.

How do you protect my interests?

We are an Independent Fee-Only Registered Investment Advisor. Our commitment to you:

  • We manage your money and our own money using the same principles. The owner of the company is just another client.
  • We put your best interest first – ahead of our own. We act as a fiduciary.
  • When selecting investments, we act as your agent, seeking the best investments at the best prices at all times.
  • We provide full and fair disclosure of all important facts, including a detailed explanations of all fees you pay.
  • We use qualified custodians as the safe-keeper of your investments under your name, limiting our access to trading and deduction of fees.

Who do you serve?

We focus on a limited number of clients that fit a specific profile, and substantially increase your chances for success. Please contact us if:

  • You are looking to sustain your wealth (as opposed to depleting it).
  • You live within your means.
  • You meet our minimum client size (see services).

Further screening is done when we talk.

Q&A with Gil Hanoch

Photo of Gil Hanoch
Gil Hanoch, Owner
Photography: Doron Hanoch
www.doronstudio.com

How did you start QAM?

After the 2000 recession, I looked for ways to grow my money without feeling like a gambler, chasing past returns, or worrying about tomorrow’s markets.  I came from the hi-tech industry, with a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Computer Science.  So I studied the behavior of stock and bond markets going back to 1927 as a scientist.  I was happy to get away from the typical instinct of buying recent winners, leading to buying high.  I found solid academic research as the basis for my own research, and developed a program that systematically increases both my short-term and long-term security.

After finding peace of mind in investing, friends urged me to offer this to others.  I didn’t see myself as a business person, but eventually became an investment advisor and started Quality Asset Management in 2004. I realized that people who spend a limited portion of their money each year, can achieve high security in good and bad times, while growing their financial security fast over the cycles.

I quickly realized that I prefer to help a few families and individuals achieve great success, rather than many clients moderately.  I became increasingly selective with the clients I accept, through a screening process plus a growing minimum (currently $4M).

This led to a positive snowball effect.  I became very close to the few clients I accepted, and was able to support them closely through the cycles.  I also continued my unbiased research to debunk many conventional wisdoms, and reached a number of breakthroughs with risk planning.  This worked out, with none of my clients getting into trouble through 2008, and with maintaining a client retention rate of 97%.  My passion continues to be a combination of helping people & optimizing investments.

Has it been a smooth ride?

I faced a number of obstacles along the way.  In 2004-2007, I enjoyed phenomenal returns, and had to be very strong at being selective with who I accepted as clients, in order to sustain the handholding & my continued research.

Then came 2008.  While I was conservative and my clients’ plans were prepared for 2008, some of my clients were scared.  I realized that the success of my clients was as dependent on psychology as it was on my investment decisions, and I had to be able to express everything I knew in the simplest terms.  I described a typical morning of brushing teeth, driving the car to work, and making a few phone calls, to show how we are dependent on companies (makers of toothbrushes, cars, and phone service) every day.

Then I related it to owning parts of these companies (stocks) in various industries and countries, to stay diversified at all times.  This helped realize that the world economies are not likely to all collapse with no recovery.  My clients understood the message, and were able to stay disciplined with their plans.  They avoided selling low and buying high.  They enjoyed the big gains that followed, leaving 2008 behind as a temporary event.

What do you do?

I help people get out of the rat race, and into lifelong peace-of-mind.  It starts with accepting clients that spend moderately relative to their investments.  I perform unbiased risk analyses, and with moderate spenders, I can create plans that allow for high growth.  This is done by owning profitable, small and low priced companies.  The investments are diversified in many ways: thousands of stocks in the various industries of many countries.  I have iron discipline combined with empathy, to carry my clients through the cycles.

When appropriate and desired by the clients, I employ sophisticated planning that leads to accelerated growth, all within the careful risk analysis.  My personal financial plan is just like the ones of my other clients  – my clients get to enjoy everything that is good for me.

Membership

Past Foundation Chair, Rotary Club of Menlo Park, California

Past President, Homeowner’s Association, Stanford Hills, Menlo Park, California