|  JUL 1994

James B. Stack, Big Sky Investor by Thom Hartle

Interview: James B. Stack, Big Sky Investor by Thom Hartle Thomas Wolfe was wrong: You can go home again. Frank Russell did it when he returned to Tacoma, WA, after he established his well-regarded investment firm in New York, and James Stack did it when he returned to Montana to begin his well-regarded investing newsletters. James B. Stack, president of InvesTech Research, publishes InvesTech Market Analyst and InvesTech Mutual Fund Advisory newsletters. Here, Stack describes how he combines economic, monetary and technical analysis and also shares his evaluation of the current market. Q: You're located in Whitefish, MT. That's a pretty unique place for a market analyst to be. A: That's true. You might not think of Whitefish as being the financial nerve center of the Pacific Northwest! I'm a native Montanan with an undergraduate degree in engineering and graduate study in business. I left Montana to join IBM research in Boulder, CO, after I finished my academic education. Q: When was that? A: That was in 1974. I left the position of project manager with IBM research in 1979 to start a financial research firm, with the intention of managing my own investment portfolio, which in turn led to providing financial services for the general investing public. I moved back to the Flathead Valley here in Montana, which is noted as being primarily a summer resort and premier ski resort. Q: Was that when you started InvesTech Research? A: Yes, I started InvesTech Research at that point. I started with only several employees. We're up to a research staff of nine today. Q: When did you start your newsletter, The InvesTech Market Analyst? A: We started publishing The InvesTech Market Analyst in 1983. We added The InvesTech Mutual Fund Advisory in 1986.

by Thom Hartle