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Capricorn Investment Group Review

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This review was produced by SmartAsset based on publicly available information. The named firm and its financial professionals have not reviewed, approved, or endorsed this review and are not responsible for its accuracy. Review content is produced by SmartAsset independently of any business relationships that might exist between SmartAsset and the named firm and its financial professionals, and firms and financial professionals having business relationships with SmartAsset receive no special treatment or consideration in SmartAsset’s reviews. This page contains links to SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool, which may or may not match you with the firm mentioned in this review or its financial professionals.

Seeking long-term, risk-adjusted returns from companies focused on sustainability, Capricorn Investment Group is a financial advisor firm that manages the investments of Jeff Skoll - the first president of eBay who reportedly netted $2 billion from being an early shareholder - and his social-change-oriented organizations. The firm has offices in Palo Alto, California, and New York City. 

In addition to Skoll and his organizations, Capricorn Investment works with other high-net-worth and institutional clients.

Capricorn Investment Group Background

Capricorn Investment was established in 2007 to manage the investments of Skoll’s family office, Capricorn Management, LLC. The firm works in conjunction with Capricorn Advisers, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary.  

Skoll is the principal owner through a revocable trust. Employees Ion Yadigaroglu, William Orum, Eric Techel and Dipender Saluja also have stakes.

Capricorn Investment Group Types of Clients and Minimum Account Sizes

As noted earlier, the firm’s anchor client is Jeff Skoll and his organizations. The firm also works with other high-net-worth clients who are “qualified purchasers” as defined by the Investment Company Act of 1940. Technically, the advisory also serves pooled investment vehicles, which it manages on behalf of wealthy clients, trust accounts and charitable organizations.

The firm does not have any set investment minimums, though generally to be a “qualified purchaser,” you must have at least $5 million in investments.

Services Offered by Capricorn Investment Group 

Through limited partnerships and other investment entities, Capricorn Investment manages single investor private funds on behalf of its clients. It also offers discretionary and non-discretionary advisory services to Skoll, his tax-exempt organizations and other wealthy clients.  

Capricorn Investment Group Investing Philosophy

Capricorn Investment takes a mission-aligned approach to investing, seeking strong returns while empowering entrepreneurs who are working on sustainability solutions. It uses a long-term strategy to identify investments across all asset classes, globally. 

The firm states that it believes that “achieving superior investment returns does not preclude a principled investment approach, meaning that Capricorn’s people, processes and underlying investments seek to be of uncompromising quality, aligned with the interests of its clients, ethical, fair, long-term oriented and not directly harmful to our world or people.”

Fees Under Capricorn Investment Group

Capricorn Investment’s advisory and performance-based fees are listed in its fund offering documents and advisory contracts. It does not publish them.

What to Watch Out For

Capricorn Investment works with very wealthy individuals. Also, the firm does not offer financial planning. So if you’re a small investor or you’re seeking personal financial advice, this firm will likely not be a good fit. 

Capricorn Investment had no legal or disciplinary actions in the past 10 years to disclose in its most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Opening an Account With Capricorn Investment Group

To contact Capricorn Investment, send an email to info@capricornllc.com. Alternately, you can call its New York office at (646) 289-3030 or its Palo Alto office at (650) 331-8800.

All information is accurate as of the writing of this article. 

Tips for Finding a Financial Advisor 

  • Don’t have millions to invest? Use SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool. Simply answer questions about your financial situation and preferences, and the program will match you with up to three suitable advisors in your area.
  • Ask how advisor candidates get paid. Those who receive sales commissions from third parties on top of advisory fees from clients will likely have more conflicts of interests than those who only get fees. That said, if any advisors say they are fiduciaries, that means they will put your interests before theirs or their firm’s. 

How Long $1mm Lasts in Retirement

SmartAsset's interactive map highlights places where $1 million will last the longest in retirement. Zoom between states and the national map to see the top spots in each region. Also, scroll over any city to learn about the cost of living in retirement for that location.

Least
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Rank City Housing Expenses Food Expenses Healthcare Expenses Utilities Expenses Transportation Expenses

Methodology We analyzed data on average expenditures for seniors, cost of living and investment returns to determine how many years of retirement a $1 million nest egg would cover in cities across America.

First, we looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the average annual expenditures of seniors. We then applied cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research to adjust those national average spending levels based on the costs of each expense category (housing, food, healthcare, utilities, transportation and other) in each city. Using this data, SmartAsset calculated the average cost of living for retirees in the largest U.S. cities.

We assumed the $1 million would grow at a real return (interest minus inflation) of 2%. Then, we divided $1 million by the sum of each of those annual numbers to determine how long $1 million would cover retirement expenses in each of the cities in our study. Cities where $1 million lasted the longest ranked the highest in the study.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Council for Community and Economic Research