Chief Investment Officer
Larry Light, Markets Editor, June 16, 2020
Chief Investment Officer and Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Katz, shares his thoughts on why office buildings, currently empty as a health risk, will one day be full again.
Also called “densification,” this arrangement ran into a quagmire with the onset of the pandemic. Suddenly, the idea of sharing air with office mates within reach seemed insane. These days, “density is a bad word,” said Stuart Katz, CEO and CIO of Robertson Stephens Wealth Management.
Amid widespread government-ordered shutdowns, office workers found themselves doing their jobs at home, using keyboards and screens. Imagine if the pandemic had occurred in 1980 instead of 2020: White-collar work would have simply ceased. But now, with Zoom and other teleconferencing technologies, with almost universal broadband, remote work is very do-able.
A big question exists about whether people are more productive at home these days. If you have children, taking care of them plus handling home schooling can eat into work. For others, though, remote working removes distractions. Further, the time and stress of commuting vanishes. After the US Patent and Trademark Office allowed patent examiners to work from home in 2012, their productivity rose 4.4%, a Harvard Business School study found.
Whether that successful experiment can be copied elsewhere or not, a largescale return of workers to offices—provided that they’re safe—has logic to it.
Many people love the camaraderie of an office, and also the chance to get away from the house. Face-to-face interactions, often impromptu, are indeed the crucibles of creativity. “An informal, unscheduled meeting is hard to replicate in the virtual world,” Katz said. Hiring and mentoring also function better in person, pro-office folks say.
Read the full article here.
Robertson Stephens paid no fee to obtain recognition but has paid licensing fees to reference its appearances on the Newsweek, USA Today, and FA Magazine rankings lists. See Awards Disclosures
Questions
How Does Robertson Stephens Manage Investments?
We build personalized portfolios based on your specific situation, including your risk tolerance, tax sensitivity, liquidity needs, and values. We use a disciplined approach that balances long-term growth strategies with short-term opportunities when they make sense. We continuously monitor your investments and adjust as needed, drawing on institutional-quality research and due diligence.
What Is Robertson Stephens’ Investment Philosophy?
Our investment philosophy focuses on protecting and growing your wealth through a disciplined, diversified approach that’s tailored to your specific situation — your risk tolerance, tax needs, and values. We blend long-term strategic investing with tactical opportunities when they make sense, using both public and private markets where appropriate.
Is Robertson Stephens Fee-Only, Fee-Based, or Commission-Based?
We work on a fee-based model, which means our compensation is tied to the assets we manage for you rather than commissions on products we sell. This aligns our interests with yours — when your portfolio grows, we do better too. The specific fee structure varies by client based on your situation and needs.
