Information Overload: Stock Picking at a Small Wealth Management Company

In the wealth management industry it is the job of the portfolio managers to do research on the financial instruments that may be purchased for their clients. This case study follows a portfolio manager whose specialty is to look for new instruments to invest in, specifically stocks. Four main guiding questions were used to frame the research. Firstly, what sources does the manager consult? How does he encourage ideas to strike him? Does he follow a set pattern? And finally, how does the manager sort out a thread of information to follow? Less formal ways in which information was shared in the company’s office were also studied. This knowledge was documented through the creation of a layout of the office upon which observations were made.