Charles founded ValueWorks, LLC with the goal to broaden availability of his conceptual value investing discipline in the retail and institutional investor communities. Charles leads investment research and portfolio management at ValueWorks and has final authority for all investment decisions.
Charles’ philosophy of value investing was born at the regional brokerage Gruntal & Co. During his tenure in Gruntal’s Research Department beginning in 1986, Charles honed skills covering risk arbitrage, the banking industry, and special situations. He notably spearheaded the addition of high yield bonds and distressed securities to the department’s coverage. In 1994, Charles joined Sterling Advisors, an investment advisory unit of Gruntal & Co.; he became Chief Investment Officer of Sterling the following year. In 1999 Charles merged this internal investment practice into the independent advisory firm M&R Capital. As Chief Investment Officer of M&R Charles began branding the composites he brought over from Sterling under a ValueWorks banner, laying the ground for establishing ValueWorks as a fully independent firm in October of 2001.
Charles received his Bachelor’s degree in History from Vassar College and pursued graduate studies in Economics at New York University. He received his CFA designation in 1989 and is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts. Charles has been featured in prominent print and broadcast financial media throughout his career. He is a lifelong New Yorker and an avid traveler.