Investors caught between AI utopia and AI doom loop Mickey Kim / March 27, 2026 Hollywood has long been fascinated by artificial intelligence (AI), portraying it as a miraculously powerful force--for good and evil. I have a special affinity for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator, who explained how Cyberdyne Systems’ [...]
High concentration and low persistence: a toxic combination for investors Mickey Kim / February 27, 2026 What if I told you just 10 companies in the S&P 500 now account for nearly 40% of what millions of Americans consider their “diversified” retirement portfolio? Most people think of the [...]
“Roaring ‘20s” rhyme a dire warning for investors Mickey Kim / January 2, 2026 Mark Twain famously said, “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Andrew Ross Sorkin’s vivid new book, 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History—and How It Shattered a Nation, strikes an [...]
Buffett’s “farewell” an instant Thanksgiving classic Mickey Kim / November 28, 2025 When Warren Buffett pens his final shareholder letter, the world pays attention. For nearly six decades, his annual messages have been a masterclass in financial strategy, a blend of homespun wisdom and intellectual honesty that has [...]
Investors snatch defeat from jaws of victory, yet again Mickey Kim / October 3, 2025 History shows that, when it comes to investing, individuals are often their own worst enemies. As a result, the returns realized by investors—known as 'investor returns'—consistently and significantly lag behind the actual [...]
Danger, private funds salivating over your 401(k) Mickey Kim / August 29, 2025 Beware, Wall Street’s private equity, private credit and “alternative asset” (including cryptocurrencies and other digital “assets”) managers are more determined than ever to get a cut of the trillions stashed away in America’s 401(k) plans. [...]
Could 300 year-old British law sink U.S. sports betting? Mickey Kim / August 8, 2025 The possible impact of Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulation of Kalshi sports prediction contracts—and the shadow of the Statute of Anne—on the U.S. gaming industry is a story of legal nuance, regulatory [...]
Like roller coasters? You loved Q2 stock market! Mickey Kim / July 11, 2025 The following is an excerpt from Kirr, Marbach & Co.’s second quarter client letter, available here. After the S&P 500 Index (S&P 500) closed at an all-time high (ATH) on February 19 (its 60th [...]
Moody’s downgrade cautions looming U.S. debt calamity Mickey Kim / June 13, 2025 In a famous exchange from Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, one friend asks “how did you go bankrupt?” to which the friend replies, “two ways, gradually and then suddenly.” During a “fireside chat” hosted by [...]
‘My Man Mitch’ still epitome of servant leadership Mickey Kim / May 16, 2025 Kirr, Marbach (KM) was fortunate to have former Indiana Governor and Purdue University President Mitch Daniels as featured speaker at its 50th Anniversary Celebration. Governor Daniels (20-years after he took the oath of office [...]
 |
Associate Director of Client Service |
|
Current Board Member and Vice President of Sans Souci. Past president of Sans Souci and Columbus Young Professionals. Finance Mentor for Turning Point’s Dance Marathon. Leadership Bartholomew County – 2014 and Coalition for Collaborative Learning – 2015. Zach was previously a Credit Analyst and Commercial Lender for MainSource Bank and, most recently, Financial Advisor for Raymond James. Zach joined KM in 2018. |
 |
Associate Director of Client Service |
|
Current member of Heritage Fund Bartholomew County Grants Committee and First Presbyterian Preschool Policy Board. Before joining KM in 2018, Maggie was a financial analyst at Cummins, Inc. |
 |
Roger Lee, CFA, CPA
Senior Research Analyst |
|
Roger joined KM as a Senior Research Analyst in 2016. Prior to joining KM, he sharpened his research skills while on the investment teams of Pacific View Asset Management, the Artisan Partners Global Equity Fund, and Tradewinds Global Investors, a subsidiary of Nuveen Investments. He began his career in assurance services at Ernst & Young. Roger has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York since 2010. |
 |
Collin Foster, CFA
Research Analyst and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager |
|
Collin joined KM as an Equity Analyst in 2015. Prior to joining KM, he worked as a credit analyst and credit manager at MainSource Bank. |
 |
Mickey Kim, CFA
Managing Partner, Chief Operating/Compliance Officer |
|
Mickey was Senior Research Analyst at Driehaus Capital Management, a Chicago investment management firm, from 1982 to 1985. Mickey joined KM in 1986 and has been the firm’s Chief Operating Officer since 1996 and Chief Compliance Officer since 2004. |
 |
Mark D. Foster, CFA
View Profile
Managing Partner, Chief Investment Officer, Portfolio Manager |
|
Mark was formerly associated with American Fletcher National Bank (now JP Morgan Chase, Indiana, NA) as a research analyst from 1980 to 1982 and with Merchants National Bank as a portfolio manager/research analyst from 1982 to 1984. From 1984 to 1987 he was associated with Merchants Investment Counseling Inc. as Director of Equity Strategy, directly responsible for managing approximately $200 million of equity assets. Mark joined KM in 1987 and has been the firm’s Chief Investment Officer since 1997. |
 |
Matt Kirr
Partner, Director of Client Service |
|
Current Board Member of Heritage Fund Bartholomew County and Foundation for Youth. Past president of Foundation for Youth, the Day Nursery Foundation Board, and past vice-chairman of the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Indiana. Matt was previously a Vice President and Private Banker for Bank One, N.A. and, most recently, McDonald Financial Group. Matt joined KM in 2005. |
 |
Darrell H. “Kip” Wright, CFA
Partner, Portfolio Manager, Senior Research Analyst |
|
Kip was a Trust Investment Manager for various banks in Iowa from 1982 through 1995, most recently with Brenton Bank, N.A., with responsibilities of overall strategy and equity selection. Kip joined KM in 1995 and is a portfolio manager and senior research analyst. |
 |
Colin King, CFA
Senior Research Analyst |
|
Colin joined KM as an Equity Analyst in 2012. Prior to joining KM, he worked in assurance services with Ernst & Young and in business valuation with Blue & Co., both CPA firms. Colin has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Indiana since 2012. |
