Growing his money to have more time with his family

Finance exec says returns from investments give people more time to do the things they love

- Sue-Ann Tan

Maximising wealth is not about getting rich for finance executive Brian Arcese, but allowing him to maximise time with his family.

Designing an investment portfolio that can generate enough income over time means that Mr Arcese can devote more time to his loved ones, including two boys aged five and seven.

"A main investment goal is to arrive at a point where income generated from investments replaces the need for earned income from a traditional job, achieving financial freedom to live comfortably while prioritising family and personal fulfilment," he adds.

Mr Arcese, 46, is a multi-asset and global equity fund manager at Foord Asset Management in Singapore, where he also leads the firm's business development efforts in the region.

The firm started over 40 years ago and has grown to US$5 billion (S$6.7 billion) in assets under management with clients located across Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia.

But for Mr Arcese, investing isn't all about making money and getting rich and famous: "Despite being an investor, money isn't my main motivator.

"While having money helps reduce friction in many aspects of life, money alone does not make anyone happy."

Instead, investments and the returns earned provide people with more time to do the things they love, such as learning, travelling and spending quality time with friends and family, he says.

"I am driven to pursue this line of work because not only do I get to pursue my passion of investing for myself, but I also empower our clients to live their best retired lives by freeing up their time with efficient financial management."

Mr Arcese has a bachelor's degree in economics from Middlebury College in the US and earned the chartered financial analyst designation in 2004.

He started out as an equity analyst at a boutique asset manager outside Philadelphia, before moving to investment giant BlackRock. He joined Foord about a decade ago.