Outdoorsy and adventurous, Phil completed college then served three and a half years in the U.S. Army as a Green Beret. Returning from the Vietnam War, Phil worked as a river rafting guide in the Grand Canyon for several years. Living out of a sleeping bag, Phil subsisted at the poverty level, surviving off his seasonal income from guiding.

Then one day in 1980, Phil's life changed forever. Guiding trustees from the educational program "Outward Bound" down the nastiest rapid on the Colorado River, Phil made split-second decisions that saved them from a whitewater disaster. A grateful and financially astute client returned the favor by taking him under his wing and teaching him investment strategies based on Warren Buffett's famous first rule of investing: Don't lose money. An apt pupil, Town began to apply those principles to various long-term investment opportunities that came his way.

In 2006, Phil successfully captured his financial strategy in his first book, Rule #1, creating an instant New York Times best seller. With his friendly, common sense approach, Phil gave readers a guide to stock trading that nearly any investor, new or veteran, could readily apply.

Written to highlight the benefits of being a small investor, Phil's book demonstrates why he believes that individuals, especially mutual fund investors, should take control of their own investment portfolios. As Phil explains, "The truth is that by investing in large mutual funds, investors are giving away the benefits of being small and nimble and are pinning their hopes on a hopelessly underperforming institution." However, by analyzing the future earnings growth of a business and calculating its value, Phil shows how investors have the potential to buy quality businesses below their retail values and thus have the opportunity to create long-term wealth.

Phil has taken the techniques and methods discussed in his book and created the Rule #1 workshop, which provides live instruction on how to find and analyze long-term investment opportunities. Students are shown the key elements needed to determine if a company is what Phil describes as a "wonderful business," one that has a sustainable competitive advantage and growth prospects, are run by an honest management team, and that can be purchased at a significant discount to its intrinsic or retail value. Students are also introduced to tools that can be effectively used to scan the market for investment opportunities and to make informed and appropriate evaluations of potential investment candidates.

Speaking Engagements

Phil Town addresses more than 500,000 people annually and has shared the stage with such noted public figures as Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, General Colin Powell, master motivator Zig Ziglar, and "America's Mayor" Rudy Giuliani. Phil is a regular guest on CNBC's "The Millionaire Inside," alongside fellow wealth experts like David Bach, Barbara Corcoran and Loral Langemeier, and frequently appears on as an investment expert on both MSNBC and CNBC.

For information on Phil Town's speaking availability: call 404-446-9506 or email