What Is a Direct Investment?

North Carolina resident Thomas “Tom” Finke is an investment executive and graduate of the University of Virginia and Duke University. Currently, Thomas Finke serves as chairman and CEO of Barings, LLC, an investment management firm with over $275 billion in assets under management and more than 1,700 employees in 17 countries.

Barings is a part of the MassMutual Financial Group that provides services in five core investment markets: global fixed-income, equities, real estate, multi-asset, and alternative investments, with the latter including direct investments.

A direct investment involves acquiring a large enough ownership share of a corporation to obtain control over it. These investments can be accomplished by securing a majority share of a company's ownership or acquiring a large enough minority share to hold controlling interest in a firm. An investor holds a majority share when they have greater than 50 percent of a corporation’s stock, while a minority share indicates ownership of less than 50 percent of company equity. 

Direct investments can also refer to investment in foreign companies. At Barings, direct investment services focus on the acquisition of a controlling interest in real assets and private equity businesses in four sectors: capital assets, infrastructure, intangible assets, and natural resources.

Myths and Facts About Bass Fishing

Prior to assuming his current role as the CEO and chairman of Barings LLC, Thomas “Tom” Finke maintained a position as the founder of $3.6 billion high-yield loan manager First Union Institutional Debt Management. Outside of his nearly 30-year career in the finance sector, Thomas Finke enjoys the pursuit of hobbies like fishing.

According to a survey conducted by the Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration Program, the United States’ most popular freshwater gamefish is the bass. In their popularity, bass have generated many myths among fishermen about the right conditions in which to catch them, some of which have merit and some of which are not rooted in facts.

For example, it is a common misconception that bass won’t feed and therefore cannot be caught when water temperature turns cold and drops below 50 degrees. While cold water does affect the rate of a bass’ metabolism, the fish does not go dormant in cold water. Bass in cold water will feed less often, but many fisherman still have luck catching them under these circumstances using the right lure and technique. 

One myth about bass fishing that rings true is the concept that the bigger the bait, the bigger the bass a fisherman is likely to catch. The average size of a bass is likely to increase with the size of a lure that a fisherman uses, and sizeable big mouth bass are prone to attacking larger bait, at times even larger than they are capable of consuming. One study conducted by the University of Arizona showed that, of the prey presented to them, adult bass attacked bait fish much larger than predicted, even to the point of choking on them.

Milken Institute Offers Discussion Forums Series

Thomas “Tom” Finke leads Barings LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina, as chairman and CEO. Thomas Finke has been a contributor to the Milken Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes collaborative solutions to increase global prosperity. The Milken Institute hosts a variety of events through platforms such as the Milken Institute Forums. 

Milken Institute Forums showcase some of the most intriguing policymakers, entertainers, athletes, authors, and industry authorities and explore a broad spectrum of topics. Structured to engage participants and encourage audience interaction, events range from author and book discussion to health care reform debates and economic forecasts. In addition, the Milken Institute’s Washington, DC, office holds regular briefings for Milken Institute-Georgetown University Capitol Hill. 

Some past forums have included California's Innovation-Based Economy: A Regional Perspective on the Bay Area and Silicon Valley and Between Debt and the Devil: Money, Credit and Fixing Global Finance.

To learn more about upcoming events through the Milken Institute Forum, visit www.milkeninstitute.org/events/forums.

Thomas Finke - At the Mint Museum

Thomas Finke at the Mint Museum.

Tom Finke, CEO, Babson Capital

Global Economic Development, Commercial Real Estate, Foreign Investment are just some of the topics. Panelists Ben Haskew, President, Greenville Chamber of Commerce and John Paul Galles, Publisher, Greater Charlotte Biz join the conversation.

GCTV - Credits Markets Thomas Finke