FISHER, Philip A(rthur) 1907-2004

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born September 8, 1907, in San Francisco, CA; died March 11, 2004, in San Mateo, CA. Economist, businessman, and author. Fisher was best known as an investment counselor and author of influential, bestselling books on how to invest wisely in the stock market. He studied economics at Stanford University, where he earned his A.B. in 1927 and continued on to graduate study for another year. Not long after this, in 1931, he founded his own investment counseling firm, Fisher & Co., in San Francisco, a company he continued to run until his retirement in 1999. His work was interrupted only by World War II, during which he served as a captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Fisher's first book, Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits (1958; revised edition, 1960), was a bestseller and is still in print. His advice to research companies thoroughly and hold on to quality stocks as long as possible to get the best return was influential to many investors, including billionaire Warren E. Buffett, who credited Fisher as one of his inspirations. Fisher was also the author of Paths to Wealth through Common Stocks (1960), Conservative Investors Sleep Well (1975), Developing an Investment Philosophy (1980), and Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits, and Other Writings (1996).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, April 22, 2004, Section 3, p. 13.

Forbes, April 26, 2004, p. 142.

Los Angeles Times, April 21, 2004, p. B13.

New York Times, April 19, 2004, p. A23.

ONLINE

Mercury News,http://www.mercurynews.com/ (April 20, 2004).