If you’ve ever invested even a dollar, then you know what it is like to see that dollar potentially lost. Investing is a game where many players end up as losers, and people like John Hailer have worked hard to change how these outcomes are rolled out. John Hailer is now operating as the Chairman of the Diffractive Managers Group for the Boston-based firm 1251 Capital Group.

As an investor and expert in portfolio construction, John Hailer has been instrumental in helping to guide investors of all stripes toward their hopeful outcomes. While this goal is simple enough to outline, the execution of it is another concept entirely.

Let’s explore Hailer’s work with Natixis as well as his future with the DIffractive Managers Group to understand his perspective better.

Building Resiliency in Portfolio Construction

John Hailer attended Beloit College, where he secured his B.A. in History and Government. Since graduating from school, Hailer has worked at such pivotal financial institutions as Natixis, Fidelity, and now Diffractive Managers Group. Throughout his career, Hailer has focused on preparation and education as the foundation of what he’s attempting to accomplish.

Hailer says of his work with Natixis, “The goal is to get some good solid returns but to do it in a way where you’re not risking your life, you’re not risking your livelihood.”

To help clients pursue such a financial goal, Hailer would help to introduce the Durable Portfolio Construction Research Center to expand the organization into the consulting space radically. What Hailer did differently in this situation was exceptional: he offered consultation services through the DPCRC for free.

Hailer said of his Research Center, “At the time, I took some grief over it because companies need to run on financials. The idea that we were going to give away a free service, particularly one that would recommend competing funds, was controversial.”

Overcoming Obstacles and Economic Downturns

The collapse of tech stocks in the early aughts would change the focus from making major gains to surviving hurdles along the way. Hailer said of this moment, “The market crash allowed us to get in front of researchers and gatekeepers and say, ‘Look, we have a different way to approach this.”

Through his work with the DPCRC, Hailer helped to engineer a product-agnostic approach to consultations. This allowed his workers and his future clients to work in a less sales-oriented environment. John Hailer, formerly of Natixis, added, “We’re providing a service, helping brokers and institutions make better decisions for their portfolios and their investors.”