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Leland Faust founded CSI Capital Management. He was chief investment officer from 1978 through 2011 and managed over $1.5 billion for the company and was chief investment officer of a highly rated mutual fund. Since 1978 he and his firm have represented over one hundred NFL, NBA and MLB all stars, as well as many Grammy and Academy award winners.

Early life and education

Faust was born in Los Angeles California in 1946. In 1968 he graduated from the University California, Berkeley with a bachelor of arts degree. He completed an Economics major with distinction in the honors program and great distinction in general scholarship. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1967. He was a member of both the varsity swimming and water polo teams. In recognition of his success in both academics and athletic competition, he was a recipient of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship

In 1971 he graduated cum laude from the Harvard Law School with a JD degree. While at Harvard he instructed a class in United States income taxation as part of the International Tax Program.

Career

Faust began his career as a tax attorney and later became certified as a tax specialist by the California State Board of Legal Specialization.

In 1978 he founded CSI Capital Management, a registered investment advisor. He served as the head of the investment committee for 33 years (1978 – 2011) and managed portfolios for high net worth businessman, athletes, entertainers, foundations, family trusts and retirement plans. His clients included more than 100 Academy, Tony, and Grammy award winners, NBA and Major League Baseball All-Stars and NFL Pro Bowl players. For his work in the financial services industry he was named from 2007 through 2010 (every year he was eligible for selection) by Barron’s to its annual list of the Top 100 Independent Investment Advisors in the US. For his work with professional athletes he was named by The Sporting News to its annual list of The 100 Most Powerful People in the Sports Industry (one of only two investment advisors ever selected for that list).

In 2011 CSI Capital Management sold its business and responsibility for managing approximately $1.7 billion to SunTrust Bank.

CSI Equity Fund

At CSI Capital Management, Faust was the senior portfolio manager for the publicly traded CSI Equity Fund. This fund was recognized as a top-performing equity fund. As soon as this fund was eligible, MorningStar awarded it five stars. It maintained either a four star or a five-star rating throughout the rest of his life (1998 – 2010). For his work in managing this fund Faust was named by Barron’s to its list of the Top 100 Mutual Fund Managers. Over the 13 year life of this fund, it outperformed the S&P 500 index by approximately 30%.

Publications and Speaking Engagements

Throughout his career, Faust has published materials relating to his legal, investment counseling, and sports businesses. Early in his career, he lectured frequently for the California Continuing Education of the Bar, a division of the State Bar of California. He has also spoken extensively on financial and investment topics. He has taught or lectured at the University California Berkeley, the University San Francisco, the Commonwealth Club of California, the Harvard Law School (as part of its distinguished alumni speakers program) and numerous other venues.

Faust is co-author of Personal Tax Planning for Professionals and Owners of Small Businesses (Continuing Education of the Bar – California, Publisher). He has also been a contributor of opinion pieces for the The San Francisco Chronicle and The Huffington Post, among others. He has been featured in articles and interviews with The San Francisco Chronicle, Barron’s, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He has been a frequent contributor on both radio and television to NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, Bloomberg, and others.

Interests/Personal

He is a lifetime competitive athlete. At the University California, Berkeley he was a member of the nationally ranked water polo team and the swimming team, where he was captain and a school record holder. As an open water swimmer, he set a record for the Golden Gate Swim. He was also a two-time age group winner in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Twice USA Triathlon named him to its All-American teams.

Married (1969) Susan Faust (University of California, Berkeley, AB; Simmons College, Library Science, MLS; California State University, San Francisco, M.Ed.) Sons: (1975) Aaron Faust (University of California, Berkeley, AB; Georgetown University School of Law, JD) and (1979) Jeremy Faust (Williams College, AB; University of California, Davis, MA; Mount Sinai School of Medicine, MS, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, MD)

Community Support

Faust has served on many nonprofit boards to support his community. These include:

  1. Maccabi USA – providing opportunites for Jewish athletes and sponsoring the US team for the Maccabiah Games (The Jewish Olympics)
  2. Alive and Free – providing support for non-violence education and college scholarships for inner city youth
  3. American Sports Institute – using sports to improve academic performance
  4. The Giving Back Fund – providing support for charitable activities by athletes and entertainers
  5. Planet Hope – providing services and education for the homeless
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