The Art of Vulture Investing: Adventures in Distressed Securities Management (Wiley Finance) - Hardcover

Schultze, George

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470872640 ISBN 13: 9780470872642

Publisher: Wiley, 2012

Synopsis

A detailed and compelling look at distressed securities investing in today’s market

In the corporate world, “vulture” investors in distressed securities serve the same cleanup function as vultures do in the natural world: they deal with failing companies, digest bad debt, and mop up after bankruptcies. Since this market’s structural and legal complexities create greater inefficiencies than in other investment fields, it’s a style of investing that can make money during both booms and busts. While recent economic carnage has made opportunities for vulture investors, more convoluted bankruptcies, conflicts of interest, and even government intervention have made this arena harder to negotiate.

Nobody understands this better than author George Schultze, founder of Schultze Asset Management. During his successful career as a vulture investor, he’s learned a number of lessons and developed an investment philosophy that has served him well. Now, in The Art of Vulture Investing, Schultze shares his valuable insights and experiences with you. Engaging and informative, this reliable guide offers a bird’s-eye into the opportunities and risks associated with vulture investing. And while it may not always be pretty, you’ll see exactly why this process is necessary for our economic ecosystem.

Throughout this book, Schultze explains the theory and strategy of vulture investing in clear and lively prose, illustrating each concept with examples from his own varied experience that show how the landscape has changed in recent years.

• Offers valuable information on distressed securities investing since the 2007-2009 financial crisis
• Examines the opportunities and dilemmas for modern vulture investors
• Includes in-depth case studies of high-profile bankruptcies, including those of Chrysler Automotive and Tropicana Casinos and Resorts

By its very nature, investing in distressed companies can be a complicated  and risky business. But once the dust settles, these investments can yield extraordinary profits. The Art of Vulture Investing puts this discipline in perspective and shows you how to excel at this difficult, yet rewarding, endeavor.

About this title

About the Author

George Schultze (Purchase, NY) has been an actively investing in distressed securities for over 14 years. He is Managing Member and Portfolio Manager of Schultze Asset Management, LLC, and?chairs the Schultze Research and Strategy Committees, making the final decision on all investments for the portfolio.? During and after graduate school he managed a family fund investing in distressed securities and special situations. From 1996-98, Mr. Schultze was a Senior Analyst at MD Sass investing a $1.3 billion portfolio. He honed his activist approach to investing with analysis and committee work for various investments including: Marvel Entertainment Group, MobileMedia Communications, Signet Jewelers, and CGE Ford Heights.? While in graduate school, he was employed at Fiduciary Partners, Mayer Brown & Platt, the Law Office of Grant Herrmann Schwartz & Klinger, and at Merrill Lynch.? At Fiduciary Partners, a $25 million fund-of-funds that invested in distressed hedge funds, he developed strong views on the types of distressed strategies that lead to consistent success. Mr. Schultze is a joint graduate of Columbia Business School and Columbia Law School, JD/MBA ('95/96).? He served as editor of certain articles in the Columbia Business Law Review and separately, founded the Columbia Law School Investment Club. Mr. Schultze earned a B.A. from Rutgers College where he graduated with a joint major in Economics/Political Science. Mr. Schultze is a frequent speaker at investment conferences such as the Harvard Business School Venture Capital & Private Equity Conference, the Wharton Business School Distressed Securities Forum, the Columbia Business School Investment Management Conference, the Beard Group Distressed Securities Forum and the Opal Financial Summit.? He has been interviewed by Bloomberg, FOX, and CNBC, as well as TheStreet.com, CNN, CNNfn, The Wall Street Journal, and The Daily Bankruptcy Review.

From the Back Cover

Praise for The Art of Vulture Investing

"Over the years, George Schultze has demonstrated considerable knowledge of distressed securities and value investing. He now shares his extensive overall experience in this very sector in a clear and understandable manner, which should be of considerable interest to any person interested in the subject."
Grant Stoddart, CEO, Sharp Performance USA, Inc.

"George's easy-to-read style compels the reader to learn more about the opportunities to invest in troubled companies. It's a good read for anyone interested in learning how to tackle the tough issues with a thoughtful and honest approach."
Ron S. Geffner, Partner, Sadis & Goldberg LLP

"Happy to see George has learned his lessons well."
Phil Smith, adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, Managing General Partner, Private Equity Partnership, and Vice Chairman of Spencer Trask & Co.

"This book offers a fascinating inside look into the specialized, and often misunderstood, world of distressed debt investing. The strategies and tactics that these investors use to create or realize value in distressed companies are memorably illustrated through one prominent investor's personal experiences blow-by-blow in some of the most challenging and controversial restructurings of the past decade. This is not investing for the faint of heart."
Professor Stuart C. Gilson, Steven R. Fenster Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School and author of Creating Value Through Corporate Restructuring: Case Studies in Bankruptcies, Buyouts, and Breakups

"A great inside account showing that vulture investors don't feed on carcasses, but resurrect failing businesses. They allocate capital more efficiently and often save and create jobs. Vultures in nature don't add value; vulture investors like George Schultze do."
Charles E. F. Millard, Head of Pension Relations at Citigroup; former director, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation

From the Inside Flap

In the corporate world, "vulture" investors in distressed securities serve the same cleanup function as vultures do in the natural world: they deal with failing companies, digest bad debt, and mop up after bankruptcies.

Since this market's structural and legal complexities create greater inefficiencies than in other investment fields, it's a style of investing that can make money during both booms and busts. While recent economic carnage has created opportunities for vulture investors, more convoluted bankruptcies, conflicts of interest, and even government intervention have made this arena harder to negotiate.

Nobody understands this better than author and founder of Schultze Asset Management, George Schultze. During his successful career as a vulture investor, he's learned a number of lessons and developed an investment philosophy that has served him well. Now, in The Art of Vulture Investing, Schultze shares his valuable insights and experiences with you. Engaging and informative, this reliable guide offers a bird's-eye view into the opportunities and risks associated with vulture investing. And while it may not always be pretty, you'll see exactly why this process is necessary for our economic ecosystem.

Throughout the book, Schultze discusses what it takes to make it in the world of distressed securities. You'll discover how to research and pick the right companies in which to invest, swoop in on the "fulcrum security" of a failing company, wait patiently while others may panic, recognize when to get out of a losing position, and much more. Along the way, you'll also become familiar with the various investment options that reorganizations present at different stages of the process. And in order to put the concepts covered into a real-world context, Schultze recounts many of his own experiences, which include such high-profile bankruptcies as Tropicana Casinos and Chrysler Automotive.

By its very nature, investing in distressed companies can be a complex and risky business. But once the dust settles, these investments can yield extraordinary profits. The Art of Vulture Investing puts this discipline in perspective and shows you how to excel at this difficult, yet rewarding, endeavor.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0470872640
• ISBN 13: 9780470872642
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224