founded the firm in 1979, incorporated in 1986, then served as CEO until July 2016, when he was succeeded by long-time Fisher Investments employee Damian Ornani. Fisher remains active as the firm's executive chairman and co-chief investment officer. As of December 2019, Fisher Investments and its subsidiaries manage over $100 billion in assets for individual investors and institutional investors around the world. The firm maintains four principal business units: Fisher Investments Institutional Group, Fisher Investments Private Client Group, Fisher Investments 401 Solutions Group and Fisher Investments International Group. The firm incorporated Fisher Investments Europe Limited in 1999 with its headquarters in London. Later it expanded the firm's US operations by opening offices in Vancouver, Washington and Plano, Texas. In 2005, the firm was reorganized as a Delaware limited liability company. The firm also entered into a joint venture in Germany to offer investment services as Grüner Fisher Investments GmbH, which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Fisher Investments. In late 2011, Ken Fisher opened Fisher Investments' new headquarters on the 120-acre Fisher Creek campus in Camas, Washington. Over the next three years, Fisher Investments expanded its Pacific Northwest activities by constructing two additional buildings on the Fisher Creek campus. Fisher Investments has since opened international offices, including locations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Dubai, and Australia.
Corporate culture
According to a 2019 Bloomberg article based on interviews with Fisher Investing employees, some of whom spoke anonymously, the company's workers are held to vague targets and some employees contend there is a culture of fear and stress. The pressure on those employed in what are described as Fisher's boiler rooms is said to be particularly intense. In late 2019 Fisher came under fire for sexualized comments, losing billions as customers withdrew funds in protest.
Funds
Fisher Investment's fees are some of the highest in the industry. For private clients fees range from 1% to 1.5%. Fisher Global Return - Although the fund's performance is mixed, it has slightly outperformed the MSCI World benchmark by 0.5% per annum in recent years. Purisima Total Return Fund - Liquidated in 2016 due to underperformance.
Ratings and awards
For six consecutive years the firm was recognized as one of the top 300 US-based Registered Investment Advisors in the Financial Times' Top 300 list. The survey ranks money managers with at least $300 million total assets under management. In 2016, Fisher Investments ranked #164 on the Pensions and Investments/Towers Watson list of the World's 500 largest money managers. Grüner Fisher Investments was rated "Best Employer in the Financial Sector" in 2015 by the German investment magazine, Cash.Online, and again in 2016 by the magazine Das Investment. The honor is based on a survey of employees across 115 different companies, ranked on 13 individual factors including career opportunities, work climate and atmosphere. Fisher Investments Europe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fisher Investments, was recognized by ADVFN as Wealth Manager of the Year in its International Financial Awards, announced March 8, 2016. The awards aim to recognize and celebrate best of breed products and services from across the financial industry, both nationally and internationally.
