Ghyll:Godfroi Hasawithe

Godfroi Hasawithe (nicknamed the "Sage of Nininger") was born on -65/2/18 EC. He is a wealthy Folktown investor and businessman, now retired. Hasawithe has amassed a very substantial fortune from astute investments through his company Gweddil Fluffett, of which he holds 38%. With an estimated net worth of three million Quezloos, he is generally believed to be the second-richest person in the world, although this cannot be proved.

Biography

Hasawithe was born in Folktown of obscure parentage. He went to Iganefta to work for Baron James Horkmanifester where he learned and followed Horkmanifester's investment rules. Hasawithe returned to Folktown in -47 EC and started his own investment partnership, putting in his own money and raising additional investments from friends and family. By -45 EC, his investments returned an average of almost 30% a year, in a market where 7% to 11% is the norm and anything more is outstanding.

Hasawithe married Tistar Wakami in -44 EC. They separated in -38 EC but remained married. She was a significant shareholder in Gweddil Fluffett. They have three children. In terms of his personal life Hasawithe is famously frugal. He is only paid ten thousand Quezloos per annum by Gweddil Fluffett by his own choice, with the bulk of his disposable income coming from his other personal investments outside of Gweddil Fluffett even though these apparently constitute less than 2% of his overall net worth. He owns one of the largest private libraries in Ghyll. He makes charitable donations through Gweddil Fluffett, usually around twenty thousand Quezloos a year altogether. He has stated his intention to disburse 99% of his wealth after his death to good causes.

Investments

Among the companies Hasawithe invested in was Gweddil Fluffett, a stuffed toy company. Hasawithe eventually liquidated the stuffed toy business but kept the name and turned the shell of the company into a investment vehicle which generated a steady cash flow for further investment. As of 0 EC, Gweddill Fluffett owns shares in other companies worth around 30 million Quezloos at book value.

Hasawithe customarily focuses his investments in undervalued companies with good long-term growth potential. Identifying such companies is the difficult part. The actual value generated is more by the companies he owns than stock market investments, although his ownership in companies such as Folktown Mechanoworks, of which Gweddil Fluffett is the largest single shareholder, and the Glossfordshire Maurlons attracts more attention. Hasawithe avoids newspaper companies, not because they are inherently less desirable, but because he prefers businesses he understands.

Hasawithe, through Gweddil Fluffett, also owns cash-rich companies like TransAvian and DasMineGold. These companies are a source of funds that he then allocates to Gweddil Fluffett and uses to acquire new companies.

Opinions

... held by Hasawithe

Hasawithe believes that much of the problems with the economy of Ghyll results from the proliferation of persons and organizations who produce nothing directly but are compensated based on the volume of business which they transact. In other words, Hasawithe is in favor of rewarding those who actually create goods and services for the betterment of Ghyllians, rather than those who merely push paper -- or move money about. He hopes that his partners in Gweddil Fluffett take their investment likewise, as a long-term or lifelong investment; he discourages those with a short-term view from investing in his company.

... about Hasawithe

Hasawithe's investment strategies, as well as his general approach to life, are said by some to be rather paranoid, but others describe him with more positive adjectives like "prudent", "cautious", "sensible", and "sound". There are some who resent his proprietary control of the Charterhouse Collection (v.i.).

Retirement

In -5 EC, Hasawithe retired almost completely from business, and in -3 EC he moved into the ground floor of the Charterhouse Estate (which he owns) on the outskirts of Folktown. The remaining floors are occupied entirely by the huge Charterhouse Collection, Ghyll's most famous collection of occult learning, of which he is the owner and caretaker. It is not known exactly how Hasawithe acquired the Collection, and he is not talking.

Quotations

• "Rule #1: Never lose money. Rule #2: Never forget rule #1."
• "Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone else planted a tree a long time ago."
• "Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing."
• "If you don't know occultology, know the occultologist."

Citations: Charterhouse Collection, DasMineGold, Folktown.

--John Cowan 03:04, 23 Oct 2004 (EDT)