So Far, So Good

An engaging if cursory memoir from Neuberger, who at age 94 is still going strong in the challenging worlds of finance and philanthropy. Following a comfortable childhood in New York City, Neuberger (who was orphaned at 13) dropped out of college to work as a fabrics buyer at B. Airman, a carriage-trade retailer. A young man of independent means, he subsequently settled in Paris, where his tennis skills and interest in the fine arts ensured him an active social life. He returned to Manhattan in 1929, just months before the stock market crash, and joined a brokerage house called Halle & Stieglitz. Despite hard times on Wall Street and Main Street, Neuberger prospered in his chosen career and managed to preserve the capital that had been left to him. By now married with children, Neuberger (in partnership with Robert B. Berman) opened his own firm in 1940. Nearly six decades later, the firm occupies a secure niche in the ultracompetitive securities business, largely on the strength of its co-founder's skills at value investing, and can claim credit for creating one of the industry's first no-load mutual funds (Guardian). During the late 1940s, Neuberger began to buy the works of contemporary painters (Milton Avery, Stuart Davis, Peter Hurd, et al.). The quality and quantity of his acquisitions led Nelson Rockefeller (then governor of New York) to build him an eponymous museum on the state university's new campus in Purchase in return for his collection. Complete with tips on achieving longevity, financial security, and emotional satisfaction, an elder statesman's look back in obvious pleasure, albeit no great depth, on a fulfilling life. (Kirkus Reviews)