Jason M. Kiss, CFA

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Jason M. Kiss, CFA

Senior Portfolio Manager, Director of Research

With international investments emerging as an increasingly attractive option in a balanced portfolio, it's nice to have a professional like Jason Kiss on your team. A native of Toronto, Jason has both studied and worked overseas. He found the exposure to different cultures to be fascinating and informative, and what he learned while abroad he continues to apply to his work at Barlett.
"You obviously learn other cultures, but where it really becomes helpful is that you see how various cultures have different ways of approaching and solving problems and that certainly makes you value different viewpoints," says Jason, who studied in Italy as part of his MBA program and then later taught English in Japan.
As Bartlett's Director of Research, Jason works with the firm's team of investment analysts to ensure that all the viewpoints are fully considered and all data is carefully analyzed for investment potential. Jason believes this power of collective wisdom and the firm's commitment to continually seeking new ideas and opportunities are significant strengths that Bartlett offers its clients.
"Working abroad forces you to become more confident and self-sufficient, and it certainly stretches your comfort zone," he says. "We at Bartlett must always look to step outside our comfort zone and entertain new ideas as financial technologies and markets continue to change. Certainly something we've seen over the past five years is a growing recognition that international investing holds another set of opportunities."

Into Investing, Onto Cincinnati

Jason initially considered becoming an English Literature Professor while at the University of Western Ontario, but he found himself fascinated with the field of financial management when seeking his MBA at Clemson University.
"When I did my MBA, the areas that interested me most were the corporate finance and investment courses," he says. "So, when I finished, I talked to a few people who were already in the business of managing money and realized very quickly that it was a Registered Investment Advisor that I wanted to work for, not a broker, so that narrowed my job search focus."
An accounting position at Toronto Dominion Bank soon led to positions working for an Index Fund Manager and an Active Fixed Income Manager the bank owned. It was actually a career opportunity with Procter & Gamble for Jason's wife Jennifer that brought him to Cincinnati and Bartlett in 1999.
"Procter & Gamble offered her the Charmin brand manager role in Cincinnati and even though we knew nothing about the city other than WKRP, we decided to try it," says Jason. "It turned out to be a great decision for us because we've loved the city from day one."

Investment Values

Jason believes that a big part of Bartlett's role as investment counselors is helping clients take emotion out of the equation while emphasizing the "big picture" basics. "At the end of 2002, we had three bad years in the stock market and it was pretty painful to continue to hold stocks," he says. "We really had to reinforce to our clients that the stock market was not going to zero, and I believe we earned our fees for many years and perhaps decades by keeping our clients within the boundaries of their regular allocation of stocks and convincing them not to sell all their stock holdings and buy bonds. It really all comes down to getting emotions out of it and embracing a consistent investment philosophy. You can't fall in love with a company just because it has a great income statement, for example, and simply conclude that translates into an attractive stock to hold. Instead, you have to look at the current price and decide if there is still enough upside in it to continue holding the stock."

Jason M. Kiss: At a Glance

Title: Senior Portfolio Manager, Director of Research

Education & Certifications: Chartered Financial Analyst; BA, English Literature, Western Ontario University; MBA Clemson University

Volunteer Activities

· Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (Board Member)
· Cincinnati Area Senior Services (President of the Board)

Personal: Married to wife Jennifer; two children: Madeline and Malcolm