Leading High-Net-Worth Investor Group TIGER 21 Arrives in Florida

PALM BEACH, FL (January 8, 2007) — Long among the country’s wealthiest regions, South Florida now welcomes the nation's premier peer-to-peer learning group for high net worth investors, TIGER 21.  New York-based TIGER 21 has just expanded into the Sunshine State, holding its first member meetings in Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Miami.

Founded in 1999 with six original members, TIGER 21 (The Investment Group for Enhanced Returns in the 21st Century) now counts 110 members nationally, representing more than $7 billion of combined investable assets. Individual members must have a minimum investible net worth of at least $10 million for membership. Late last year, three new chapters were added in California, serving Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. TIGER 21 is exploring further expansion into Texas, Arizona, Las Vegas and Seattle.

The new South Florida groups will follow TIGER 21’s successful model of pooling collective intelligence for the ultra-high net worth investors, who meet monthly to exchange investment ideas and share personal experiences on a broad range of issues. In addition to serving as a social networking and educational platform, TIGER 21 offers members access to investment opportunities, including private equity, real estate and hedge funds, as well as participation in a host of other alternative investments.

“Since our inception seven years ago, South Florida has been in our sights as an important market for membership – in fact, we have a number of current members who reside in Florida and make trips to our regular monthly meetings in New York,” said Tommy Gallagher, a TIGER 21 member and the organization’s CEO, who is a former Vice-Chairman of CIBC Oppenheimer.

“While Southern Florida does not lack for money management firms and financial advisors, TIGER 21 fills a need for a confidential and collegial setting where investors can receive unbiased and constructive advice on their portfolios from peers. We regularly bring in world-class investors and financial experts for presentations, where all presenters are on equal footing and members are under no pressure to buy anything. In fact, our members have often said that the ability to discuss opportunities with other members in a private setting following the presentations is one of the biggest benefits to TIGER 21 membership,” Mr. Gallagher added.

Leading TIGER 21’s charge into Florida is long-time private banker and finance veteran Charles W. Ranson, Jr., who has more than two decades working with high net worth banking clients. As former head of Chase Manhattan Private Bank operation in Florida, Mr. Ranson oversaw assets worth $5.5 billion. Prior to joining Chase in 1991, he worked in client management for several Wall Street firms, including Legg Mason, Oppenheimer, and Bank of America.  In 2004, he founded Integritas Advisors, an independent wealth management firm in Palm Beach. Mr. Ranson has served on the board of many of South Florida’s leading charitable organizations and continues to play an active role in the Palm Beach and Martin Counties Community Foundation.

“As a consequence of living in one of the most affluent enclaves in the world, wealthy investors in South Florida are continually bombarded by financial advisors and private banks hoping to land their business,” said Mr. Ranson.
“TIGER 21 provides a fresh perspective for successful entrepreneurs and private investors with a serious desire to enhance long-term wealth preservation and manage the challenging personal issues that go along with affluence. The ability to learn from others who share common experiences is a unique aspect of the TIGER 21 experience and can’t  be approximated by a professional who has something to gain personally,” Mr. Ranson added.

Mr. Ranson said the initial meetings will be held in Palm Beach at the Brazilian Court , in Boca Raton at the Boca Raton Resort Hotel and at Miami’s Mandarin Oriental hotel.

TIGER 21 members include successful entrepreneurs and business-owners, senior executives, Wall Street professionals and professional money managers.  TIGER 21 founder Michael Sonnenfeldt is a former Goldman Sachs banker and real estate developer, who now runs a private investment firm.  In addition to examining wealth issues and investment decisions, the group also marshals member investments in deal opportunities leveraging TIGER 21 world-class connections.

“TIGER 21 members understand that becoming a smarter investor is a lifelong learning process,” Mr. Sonnenfeldt explained.   “Through our meetings, we continually challenge our conventional assumptions, our investment choices and our strategic view of the financial world.  Members know they are getting honest and credible advice on wealth preservation from their peers, something they typically do not receive from even the most trusted financial advisor.”

One of the benefits of TIGER 21 is the access to leading financial experts. Some of the country’s most renowned financial writers, private equity investors, portfolio managers, and hedge fund principals regularly make presentations on a broad host of investment issues, including potential opportunities for well-vetted investments. The Florida groups will attract the same high-caliber presenters drawing on the depth of finance, money management, and lifestyle talent in South Florida.

TIGER 21 presenters have included Stephen Schwarzman, cofounder of Blackstone Group; David Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group; Alan “Ace” Greenberg, chairman of the executive committee for Bear Stearns; and best-selling financial writers, including Ron Chernow, James Stewart and James Surowiecki.   For a full list of TIGER 21 presenters, see www.tiger21.com.

TIGER 21 meetings consist of several distinct sessions, each designed to broaden members’ knowledge of investing and to show how world events and personal issues can impact investment portfolios.

Central to this model is the portfolio defense session held on a monthly basis, where one member is required to present their personal balance sheet, income statement and financial goals in context with the larger events in their lives for review and analysis by the group’s members. Members give advice based on their knowledge of the presenting member’s likes and propensities, a knowledge that is built upon through regular contact and discussion of issues with each other. The process can be extremely personal and sometimes confessional – members are encouraged to be as candid as possible about individual and family issues that might weigh heavily on their investment choices. Members who experience the portfolio defense say that TIGER 21 has no equivalent for getting to the core of their investment strategies.

“Our model for peer-based learning has no borders, but in the end nothing works like the intimate sharing of information that comes from a group meeting. We welcome our new Florida members and hope we can help them tackle some of the thornier issues surrounding extreme wealth, while gaining a new level of camaraderie with other investors who truly understand their station,” said Mr. Sonnenfeldt.
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About Tiger 21
TIGER 21 is the nation's premier peer-to-peer learning group for high net worth investors. Building on shared collective intelligence, TIGER 21 members seek to enhance investment returns while limiting their investment risks to acceptable levels. There are currently twelve TIGER 21 learning groups, representing 110 investors, with investable assets of more than $7 billion. Founded in New York, TIGER 21 has just established its first investor groups in California and South Florida.   For more, visit http://www.tiger21.com.