The Origins of Asset Management from 1700 to 1960

Download or read book The Origins of Asset Management from 1700 to 1960 written by Nigel Edward Morecroft and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-04-22 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the origins and development of the asset management profession in Britain as a distinct activity within financial services, independent of banks and stockbrokers. Specifically, it identifies the main individuals and institutions after 1868 who established the profession. The book draws a distinction between banks (short-term deposit-taking) and asset management (an investment service with longer-term objectives). It explains why some banks fail but asset management businesses generally do not. It argues that asset management has been socially useful and has had a beneficial impact on the development of securities markets by offering choices to savers as an alternative to banks, improving the efficiency of capital allocation, re-cycling excess savings productively and enabling a range of investors - from institutions to individuals - to benefit from thoughtful, long-term investing.