- Ron Speaker is a Wall Street veteran with over 38 years of professional experience in the markets. He began his career as a summer intern working in the mail room of Janus Capital Group in 1986 during the company’s meteoric rise in the mutual fund industry. He grew into a successful securities analyst, achieved the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, and was mentored by two finance industry legends, Tom Bailey and Michael McGoldrick.
- As an analyst, he traveled around the country and the world visiting and researching potential investments for the firm. He later became the portfolio manager of several billion-dollar fixed income mutual funds that invested across the globe and spectrum of credit risk. During his 21-year career at Janus he achieved a lifetime performance ranking of the top 4% within his funds category.
- During his tenure at Janus, he had a front row seat to the major market moving events from the stock market crash of 1987, the credit and Latin American debt crisis of the early 1990’s, the Long-Term Capital bond market blow up, the 1997 Asian crisis, the Dot-Com bubble, the tragedy of 9/11, the Iraq war of 2003, the 2010 flash crash, and the 2008 great financial and housing crisis. These bouts of volatility and illiquidity were great teachers in his evolving investment education.
- After leaving Janus in 2007, Ron started his own investment firm, Equus Private Wealth, a boutique fixed income firm focused on tax-exempt municipal bonds. Equus became known as the authority on Colorado municipal bonds and a specialist at non-rated, higher yielding issues. He and his team developed financial models and boots on the ground research methods that were unique for municipal bond investors. His firm dealt directly with ultra high net worth individuals, and family offices for several billion dollar clients.
- During this period of his career, he successfully navigated the markets during the 2010-2012 housing recession, the 2020 Covid crisis and the 2022 rise in interest rates that delivered the worst bond market performance in over 40 years.
- With his vast working experience and knowledge passed down from his mentors, Ron is now focusing on sharing his experience and wisdom through “The Finance Camp” for teens that began in the summer of 2023, and the Aspen Women's Wealth which started in 2019. By sharing his knowledge with our youth, he is passing down the many lesson's he learned from his mentors and unique work experience.
- He is also the steward of his early mentors estate, and CEO of the Michael E. McGoldrick Charitable Family Foundation. You can learn more at www.memcf.org. This foundation is in its early phase of making grants to non-profits that alighn with Mr. McGoldrick's planned giving.
