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 [...]
“Liberation Day” marked death of era of globalization Mickey Kim / April 18, 2025 The following is an excerpt from Kirr, Marbach & Co.’s first quarter client letter, available here. On April 3, 1948, President Harry Truman signed the Economic Assistance Act, better known as the Marshall [...]
Wall Street predictions are worthless, so here’s mine Mickey Kim / January 24, 2025 The following is an excerpt from Kirr, Marbach & Co.’s fourth quarter client letter, available here. Just like in 2023 (and almost all years, for that matter), the stock market in 2024 defied the [...]
MicroStrategy’s ‘Infinite Money Glitch’ an illusion Mickey Kim and Roger Lee / December 20, 2024 During his first term, former President Trump was openly skeptical of cryptocurrency, but went “all-in” on crypto during the campaign, dubbing himself the “Crypto President” and his sons launching World Liberty Financial, a [...]
Stock market booming, but beware of tax pitfalls Mickey Kim / November 22, 2024 Can you remember how you felt two years ago? Hard to believe now, but it was a very dark time for the U.S. financial markets as the Federal Reserve’s crusade against inflation resulted in [...]
Harris, Trump both live in economic ‘fantasyland’ Mickey Kim / October 25, 2024 Close your eyes and imagine you have a credit card with no spending limit and no requirement to ever pay the balance. Further, foundational “laws” of economics like supply and demand can be repealed on [...]
People fret about elections, the stock market doesn’t Mickey Kim / September 27, 2024 I don’t know what a “normal” election is anymore, but the 2024 race for the White House has been particularly volatile due to a series of extremely low-probability events. In just the past several weeks [...]
McD’s ‘$5 Meal Deal’ an un-happy economic indicator Mickey Kim and Roger Lee / August 30, 2024 Everywhere you turn, from television to billboards to social media, your senses are bombarded by a cacophony of “value deals” from fast-food and casual dining chains. Restaurant traffic and profits are down, [...]
Will “Boomer Candy” give your portfolio cavities? Mickey Kim and Roger Lee / August 2, 2024 Say you’re retired or soon to be. You know stocks outperform bonds over long periods of time, but with significant short-term volatility. Would you be interested in an investment product that allows [...]
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Associate Director of Client Service |
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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. |
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Associate Director of Client Service |
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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. |
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Roger Lee, CFA, CPA
Senior Research Analyst |
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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. |
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Collin Foster, CFA
Research Analyst and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager |
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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. |
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Mickey Kim, CFA
Managing Partner, Chief Operating/Compliance Officer |
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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. |
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Mark D. Foster, CFA
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Managing Partner, Chief Investment Officer, Portfolio Manager |
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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. |
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Matt Kirr
Partner, Director of Client Service |
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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. |
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Darrell H. “Kip” Wright, CFA
Partner, Portfolio Manager, Senior Research Analyst |
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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. |
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Colin King, CFA
Senior Research Analyst |
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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. |
