Getting up to speed.
How the Auer Growth Fund got its start.
A man with a plan.
The most impactful lunch meeting that Bryan Auer ever had took place in 1988, but he remembers it like it was yesterday. The man he was meeting with told him something that he would never forget, and something that would shape Auer’s future.
“He looked at me and said, ‘Bryan, there are three reasons businesses fail,’” recalls Auer. “’1). They have NO plan, 2). The plan they have doesn’t work, or 3). They have a plan that would work, but they aren’t disciplined enough to work the plan.’ I’ll never forget that.”
Let’s rewind to the early 60s when Bryan Auer started actively trading in the market. “In the beginning, I tried my hand at everything – stocks, bonds, puts, calls – but I was not making much money,” says Auer. “And it was because I had no plan. Although I didn’t know I needed one at the time.”
Over the next few decades, Auer continued his hobby of trading, but kept his day job. One of the things he learned about trading was that the most important tool an investor can have is immediate, accurate news and information about the companies in which you’re considering investing.
“I was driving to work one day, and a story came on the radio about an Indianapolis-based company announcing a secondary offering,” explains Auer. “And I got to wondering – they’re seeking another round of funding, yet another company, which was founded at the same time, was already worth billions? Why did one company become worth so much more than the other over the same time period? And then it hit me – growth was the answer.”
The following week, Auer had that memorable lunch meeting, and knew immediately that he now had a plan – focus on buying only companies that show GROWTH.
In 1988, Auer and his son Bob invested $100,000 in 100 stocks that showed both value and growth – sales up 20%, earnings up 25%, etc. He established the rule that he would sell any equity the minute they stop their growth, announce something negative, or double in value. That’s right, he would sell any stock that doubled in value, regardless of whether it was still doing well or not.
Our Founder
Bryan L. Auer
Portfolio Analyst
Bryan Auer serves as an analyst for SBAuer Funds LLC. Bryan developed the stock selection screening process that has been used since the fund’s inception.
Bryan began as a private investor in the 60s and in 1987, he became a client of Robert Auer at Morgan Stanley. During that time, he developed the discipline and process that underlies the Auer Growth Fund, which were employed exclusively on the Bryan Auer accounts.
Bryan is married and has two sons, Bob and Paul.
Working the plan.
By 2007, with relatively little additional capital added, the Auers’ investment account was worth millions. They had a plan that worked. And they were working it faithfully.
Their initial investment had grown to a level where the Auers felt confident about using the strategy to establish a mutual fund. Thus, in 2008, the Auer Growth Fund was launched.
“This was the birth of our process,” says Auer. “We look for growth stocks that are undervalued. Current news is the key. We scour the news every day and essentially buy every one that meets our criteria. Which is usually only about 100 companies. If we were any more stringent, we wouldn’t have anything to buy.”
As the Auer Growth Fund’s core team continues working their plan, Bryan Auer remembers back to that one eventful lunch meeting.
“All we needed was a plan. And boy, have we got one.”