Mike Uhl

When I was five, I decided to become a footballer. 15 years later, after a stint at a football boarding school and later as a GDR junior national player, having come a long way, I had to bury my dream. An injury forced me to give up football, and my world collapsed. But soon, a new one opened up.

Germany reunited. I finished my A-levels, became a banker and from then on, everything happened very quickly. I soon became a branch manager before getting drafted into the air force as part of the compulsory military service. Ten months later, I was allowed to take off my uniform and put on my suit once again. I started advising my bank's top clients while others made my appointments for me.

I moved up the ranks, as they say. But I started feeling less like an adviser who helps clients secure their assets and more like a lottery ticket seller. I realised that I had become part of a system that accepted – and indeed cemented – an irresolvable conflict of interest at the core of its business: What was best for the bank was not best for my clients.

Quite the opposite, as it turned out: What was good for the bank was a disaster for my clients.

So I handed in my notice, and then I noticed: My resignation triggered an avalanche of further resignations. From one day to the next, the management board, colleagues and friends alike started ghosting me.

In the blink of an eye, the highly respected young banker had turned into a troublemaker to be shunned.

So I moved to another city. Without any baggage, I set out to find two things: my own clients and the know-how of the best financial experts in the world or, to be precise: The best solutions for private investors.

My quest turned into a decade-long marathon involving countless train and aeroplane trips and more than 5.000 consultations. What I noticed over the years, time and again: It was my clients’ behaviour, rather than the markets', that determined their financial success.

I am convinced that successful investment strategies are always about achieving goals. All unsuccessful investors, in turn, have one thing in common: They react to what is happening in the markets on a day-to-day basis. That's why it is important to keep a firm eye on one's goals and not to be daunted by them, not to deviate from them, not to sway with the wind.

Today, I share my experience with my clients and support them in making smart financial decisions to protect their assets. My Priority: To stand by your side when the markets hit a zone of turbulence.