I’m an eternal optimist, and while my family and friends, especially my wife, Kate, may joke about it, this mindset has been instrumental in shaping my long-term approach to life and investing.
My passion for investing began thanks to my grandmother, Gloria, who first sparked my interest as a teenager. From then on, I devoured every investment book I could find. I vividly remember the impact The Intelligent Investor had on me, and by high school, I was the kid who rushed home to watch market coverage instead of sports highlights.
After earning my degree from the University of Kentucky, I served four years as an Air Force Officer. I learned quickly that in dynamic environments, plans never survive contact with reality. But plans are still necessary - the planning process improves the planner, something I haven't forgotten.
When my service commitment ended, Kate and I came back to Kentucky to build a life with deeper roots. I worked in the bourbon industry for several years before finally accepting what had been obvious for a long time: I was going to spend my life studying markets. So I did. After learning at a regional firm, I founded Vermillion Private Wealth in 2020. Turns out I'm constitutionally unemployable. I wanted to build something that made sense on my own terms.
Outside of finance, I read constantly: philosophy, history, science, psychology, music theory, anything that sharpens my understanding of how people make decisions. Insights from those fields show up everywhere in my work. Markets are complex systems driven by human behavior, and if all you study is finance, you’ll misunderstand both. I also play tennis, listen to jazz and classical music (you might enjoy my curated playlist), and learn from my lovely daughter, who keeps any delusions of control firmly in check.
If you want a better sense of how I think about life, liberty, systems, and other ideas, my writing lives at jamesvermillion.com. Essays, reflections, and the occasional story or poem.
All testimonials have been provided by current clients. No client was compensated for providing these testimonials. Vermillion Private Wealth gained each clients permission to publish their testimonial. Outcomes are personal and specific for each client and one client’s results do not guarantee identical outcomes in the future for another client. The testimonials shown have been selected from among all client feedback.
Anchored in principles.
Positive-sum relationships
In game theory, a positive sum occurs when the needs and desires of all concerned are satisfied - win-win. At VPW, I foster relationships that are beneficial and rewarding to clients and advisors.
Avoid self-deception
Physicist Richard Feynman once said, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.” Continuously seeking the truth is paramount in my quest to help my clients.
Act with fairness, & justice
Justice is one of the four Stoic cardinal principles and is paramount to living a life well lived (and operating a successful business).
Be directionally right
Turn-by-turn directions are great unless going to the wrong destination. We can’t always be right, but we can work hard to be directionally right as often as possible.
Help clients own the upside
It’s fashionable to be pessimistic, but I understand the underlying trends are positive. I keep that in mind and help clients own the upside of progress and innovation.