It's Not All about Money: Memoirs of a Private Banker
In his memoir, Hans J. Baer reveals the drive and emotions behind one of the most distinguished careers in swiss banking in the twentieth century. During his almost sixty-year career as manager of the Julius Baer Group, he helped develop it into one of the largest independent wealth managers in Switzerland. When scandal involving the dormant accounts of Jews murdered in the Third Reich rocked the staid and secretive swiss banking community, Baer brought his leadership and negotiation skills...
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In his memoir, Hans J. Baer reveals the drive and emotions behind one of the most distinguished careers in swiss banking in the twentieth century. During his almost sixty-year career as manager of the Julius Baer Group, he helped develop it into one of the largest independent wealth managers in Switzerland. When scandal involving the dormant accounts of Jews murdered in the Third Reich rocked the staid and secretive swiss banking community, Baer brought his leadership and negotiation skills to the table, ultimately helping to form the Volcker Commission.It's Not All About the Money is the extraordinary story of a high-finance insider. As the title suggests, more than even his prominent career, his devotion to music, art, and philanthropy have been central to Baer's life. He relates his interactions with the Shah of Iran, his friendship with Carnegie Hall savior Isaac Stern, and other luminaries of art and science. Baer shares his intriguing story with humor and humility. Publishers Weekly In this surprisingly warm and wise memoir, banker and first-time author Baer recounts his privileged but accomplished life, taking readers from Zurich to New York and back again, with stops around the globe. Following his father's death at the end of 1940, Baer's mother took him and his siblings to America, where he attended private schools, fell in love with New York and, ultimately, made the difficult decision to return to Zurich to follow in his father's footsteps at the family banking firm, the Julius Baer Group. Highly knowledgeable regarding shifting political and economic climates worldwide, Baer's perspective-on everything from banking to the 9/11 attacks to music and friendships-is clear-eyed and intriguing, especially his honest account of the banking world's reaction to the World Jewish Congress's attempts to win back the assets of Holocaust victims. Though an unremitting cascade of names may frustrate, Baer's account is a smart, personal look at the international challenges of the post-war world, as well as a life lived well through philanthropy, the arts and rich relationships, with a motivational streak that should connect even with those who don't have a successful Swiss financial institution on their side. 32 pages of b&w photos. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Acknowledgments xiiiIntroduction: From Pearl Harbor to Ground Zero 1The United States at War (1941): No cuffs on shirts and trousers 5A Family History (1890-1941): The oldest son is always called Julius 9In the U.S.A. (1941): Saddle sore, athlete's foot, and poison ivy 29Horace Mann School (1941-44): A green tie saved my Latin grade 38Life at Lehigh: You should become a diplomat 43A Swiss Interlude: I love Europe 54Poor Georg Solti: I was sure I wouldn't see him again 59Return to New York: Brown Brothers Harriman and New York (1948-50; 1968) 68After My Studies: The lack of alternatives concentrates the mind 82Intermezzo in Israel: Nordmann's most expensive night 90Weizmann Institute of Science and Princeton Institute for Advanced Study (1947-52): Beautiful minds 106Bank and Family: One-third for each son 116Corporate Governance and the Working Day (1950-95): The day has twenty-four hours... 124Ilse Baer-Kaelin (1952-2002): The room waiter in bed 135The Bank Julius Baer: The Years before Going Public (1946-74): Let him run. We all started out small 143On the Way to Going Public (1970-81): Our charming disorganization 173Real Estate (1952-89): Bieri's simple and functional building 182In the Age of It (1966-95): It's easier to follow the crowd 190Baer Custodian Corporation (1940-84): Foreign affairs 196The Euro Market (1957-85): Siegmund Warburg's ingenious idea 217Berenberg-Gossler (1968-88): Sauerkraut and sausage 230Alpbach: The ABCs of banking (1965-80) 237World Bank: Brothels don't serve fried eggs 246Secondary Banking Crisis (1967-74): Like at the court of a medieval king 250Herstatt (1974): If you know the names of the players, the game is over 265The Mutual Fund Business (1959-71): Miniskirts promoted the fund business 272Mexico (1955-82): Sovereign countries don't go bankrupt 278Banco Ambrosiano/UBS Participation (1972-82): You can't run the church on Hail Marys 283Business in Japan (1977-92): Asleep on the desk 297Swiss American Chamber of Commerce (1973-78): I won't ride in a Mercedes 306Sabbatical at Oxford (1975): They are so innocent, and we are so decadent 311Thanks to Galbraith at Harvard (1978-79): Leave me alone, I'm Swiss 319From the Swiss Banking School to the SFI (1986-2005): Not enough crazies in Switzerland 323Musical Reminiscences: Goldberg's shirt and my bicycle 329Artists I Have Known (1935-2000): A dead mouse in the red wine 342Tonhalle (1977-91): When music is the food of love 360The Chilled Piano (1982-88): You're all so nice so I'll let you all in 384The Organ War (1984-88): Farewell from the organ for a nun's chapel 396Festival Weeks (1987-99): Radetzky in a cloud of sound 404Anti-Semitism (1943-2002): Nothing learned and nothing forgotten 409Dormant Accounts (1995-2002): Fit and proper 417Quo Vadis?: Metamorphosis of success 461Genealogy of the Baer Family 467Photograph Credits 473Bear and Ulrich Family Trees 474Index 483
\ Publishers WeeklyIn this surprisingly warm and wise memoir, banker and first-time author Baer recounts his privileged but accomplished life, taking readers from Zurich to New York and back again, with stops around the globe. Following his father's death at the end of 1940, Baer's mother took him and his siblings to America, where he attended private schools, fell in love with New York and, ultimately, made the difficult decision to return to Zurich to follow in his father's footsteps at the family banking firm, the Julius Baer Group. Highly knowledgeable regarding shifting political and economic climates worldwide, Baer's perspective-on everything from banking to the 9/11 attacks to music and friendships-is clear-eyed and intriguing, especially his honest account of the banking world's reaction to the World Jewish Congress's attempts to win back the assets of Holocaust victims. Though an unremitting cascade of names may frustrate, Baer's account is a smart, personal look at the international challenges of the post-war world, as well as a life lived well through philanthropy, the arts and rich relationships, with a motivational streak that should connect even with those who don't have a successful Swiss financial institution on their side. 32 pages of b&w photos. \ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.\ \
