Our History
Benchmark Advisory Services was born out of our long experience in observing the failure of Markets to predict certain historical illusions - events, in hindsight, that should have been very obvious to an observer without any prejudice. Some of the events that kindled our spirits include:
- Why did the world have 4-decade long cold war when even a tourist visiting the former USSR would have confirmed that it was a basket-case of an economy?
- Why did the Nasdaq go to 5000+ on the basis of absurd valuation-by-click theories and even the Fed Governor was praising the technology revolution and the "New Economy"? Why did we fail to recognize the mania in spite of the rich history of such disasters?
- Why did the then academic community take 200 years to reject the "Flat Earth Theory" in spite conclusive scientific evidence indicating otherwise?
In studying the above, we tracked a pattern that is common to human behavior that makes us miss such blindingly obvious events. Even today, there are a plenty of illustrations such as:
- Why do business schools the World over continue to teach the "Efficient Market Hypothesis" after overwhelming evidence to the contrary?
- Why do we all place faith in fiat currencies when this system of "Paper Money" has repeatedly failed for centuries?
- Why is the US treated as a Superpower today when for all practical purposes its economy resembles that of a Mexico or a Brazil?
Our passion to get to the bottom of such issues started us on a journey that leads us to study the Oracles of history. Starting from Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Malthus and Benjamin Graham…. to our own living legends. In particular, we wish to express deep gratitude to the following gentlemen who have shown us the World as it really works.
- Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger - for their timeless advice on work, life & basic finance.
- Jim Rogers - for showing that the economy is better understood in the streets rather than in the library.
- Austrian Economists: Ludwig Von Mises, Murray Rothbard and Friedrich Hayek - for explaining complex Macroeconomics through simple Human Actions.
Our journey has just begun in 2006... & in forming "Benchmark Advisory Services", we have taken the first baby steps.