Philip Fisher
Born 1907 · Age 118
American investor and author; pioneer of growth investing and proponent of long-term, 'scuttlebutt' research. Founder of Fisher & Co. and author of Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in San Francisco, California
Philip Arthur Fisher was born in San Francisco, California.
Early schooling (approx.)
Attended primary/secondary schooling in California (no specific schools/dates provided in sources; included to reflect early education period).
Graduated Stanford University (Bachelor's in Economics) (approx.)
Sources state Fisher graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in economics; the sources do not give a year. Year is estimated based on subsequent GSB attendance and age.
Enrolled and dropped out of Stanford Graduate School of Business
Fisher dropped out of the newly created Stanford Graduate School of Business to take a job as a securities analyst.
Began career as securities analyst at Anglo-London Bank (San Francisco)
Left Stanford GSB in 1928 to work as a securities analyst with the Anglo-London Bank in San Francisco, marking the start of his investment career.
Short stint at a stock exchange firm
After Anglo-London Bank, Fisher switched to a stock exchange firm for a short time (sources mention the move but do not detail dates; year is approximate).
Began managing Fisher & Co. (start of long tenure)
Started managing the affairs of Fisher & Co., a role he would continue for nearly seven decades.
Founded Fisher & Co.
Fisher founded his own money management company, Fisher & Co., and began managing client assets directly.
Established selective client base and private practice
From early in Fisher & Co.'s history he was known as a private person, selective about clients and giving few interviews — a business practice that shaped his firm's profile.
Longest-held notable investment: Motorola (held until death)
Fisher's purchase of Motorola in 1955 became his most famous investment; he retained the holding until his death in 2004 (approximately 49 years).
Purchased Motorola stock (signature investment)
Bought shares of Motorola when it was still primarily a radio manufacturer; he held Motorola stock from 1955 until his death in 2004.
Became widely known/public figure
Following the book's publication, Fisher's popularity and influence rose sharply; he became a reference point for growth investors.
Advocated buy-and-hold / 'sell almost never' philosophy
In his book and practice, Fisher urged long-term investing and famously said the best time to sell a stock was 'almost never.'
Published Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits
Released his seminal investment book 'Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits', dramatically raising his public profile and popularizing growth investing and the 'scuttlebutt' research method.
Popularized the '15 Points' and 'scuttlebutt' research
Through 'Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits', Fisher introduced his '15 Points to Look for in a Common Stock' and the scuttlebutt method; these became central to growth investing practice.
Published Paths to Wealth Through Common Stocks
Authored 'Paths to Wealth Through Common Stocks' (Prentice-Hall, cited 1960 in sources).
Revised edition of Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits (Dec 1960)
A revised edition of his most famous book was released in December 1960.
Published Conservative Investors Sleep Well
Published 'Conservative Investors Sleep Well' (Harper & Row), continuing to publish investment guidance.
Son Kenneth Fisher founded Fisher Investments
Philip's son, Ken Fisher, established Fisher Investments. This was a major family-and-industry milestone mentioned in sources.
Continued to practice long-term growth investing
Throughout the 1980s Fisher continued running Fisher & Co. and championing growth investing and scuttlebutt research.
Published Developing an Investment Philosophy (monograph)
Authored the monograph 'Developing an Investment Philosophy' for The Financial Analysts Research Foundation (1980).
Retired from managing Fisher & Co.
Retired from active management of Fisher & Co. at age 91 (sources say retirement in 1999).
Morningstar recognizes Fisher as 'one of the great investors of all time'
Morningstar published a profile calling Fisher 'one of the great investors of all time' (source dated Dec 1, 2003).
Obituaries and tributes published (NYT, Forbes, Forbes by son)
Major publications including The New York Times and Forbes published obituaries and retrospectives on Fisher's life and influence.
Died in San Francisco, California
Philip A. Fisher died on March 11, 2004 in San Francisco at age 96.
Fisher Investments (son's firm) partners with Grüner in Germany
Fisher Investments (founded by his son Ken) partnered with Grüner in 2007 — included because sources about Philip reference the evolution of the Fisher family investment legacy.
Fisher Investments Europe expansion (mentioned in sources)
By 2012, Fisher Investments Europe had expanded abroad (13 offices across eight countries and ~140,000 clients globally); included as part of family/company legacy described in sources.
John Train commentary on Buffett's Fisher influence (published)
John Train published commentary noting Warren Buffett was influenced ~15% by Philip Fisher (article cited Oct 13, 2014). This reflects Fisher's enduring intellectual legacy.
'Scuttlebutt' technique remains influential
Fisher's scuttlebutt ('business grapevine') research approach continued to be cited and used by prominent investors (Ted Weschler, Todd Combs) and mentioned by Buffett in 2018.
Warren Buffett praises Common Stocks at Berkshire meeting
At the 2018 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, Warren Buffett called Fisher's Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits a 'very, very good book' and endorsed the scuttlebutt technique used by Berkshire managers.
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