Ben Zacks, CFA Charterholder, Passes Away

Ben Zacks is an investment specialist with an interest in international politics. He holds both his CFA Charter and Bachelor’s of Arts in International Politics from Penn State University; currently, he lives and works in New York City.

At first, his Institute stipend provided only half of what was necessary for monthly subsistence; this led him to write and publish in Illuminations his now famous letter about Kafka to Scholem.

Early Life and Education

Benjamin’s posthumous fame has been determined by the circumstances of both his life and death. Through preserving his manuscripts and employing rhetoric in their first editions, they allowed for an emotional response far exceeding mere admiration for his work.

Scholem and Benjamin quickly formed an early friendship characterized by shared interests in occultism and Jewish tradition. Together they helped avoid military service in 1917 and Benjamin obtained temporary medical leave by pretending he suffered from sciatic nerve pain.

Imagine him as a bookish and polite individual with an unwavering belief in integrity who believed he could only dethrone capitalism and modernity through personal effort in everyday life. He disliked cruelty, dishonesty and pretense.

Professional Career

Ben was often featured on CNBC and other news outlets as an expert commentator during earnings season. Ben graduated with a B.A. in International Politics from Penn State University, as well as being a CFA Charterholder.

As well as literary and philosophical works, Benjamin engaged in numerous nontraditional academic projects outside the academic sphere: periodicals, translations, radio plays, diaries, travel narratives, letters avant-gardist fragments and cultural histories were among them.

In his later years, Theodor Adorno intervened for him at the Institute for Social Research to provide support that only represented half of his monthly subsistence expenses. Friends and family also provided financial aid; additionally he earned some modest earnings as an independent financial data and analysis specialist for professional investors.

Achievement and Honors

With all of the challenges associated with being a writer, Benjamin was determined to leave behind an extensive body of work. He wrote avant-garde fragments, traditional academic essays, diaries, letters, travel narratives and cultural histories; additionally he attempted unsuccessfully to publish the journal that would have united all his diverse interests and influences into one publication.

Scholem, Adorno and Siegfried Kracauer became staunch defenders of Benjamin’s legacy as editors of his works–such as Scholem, Adorno and Siegfried Kracauer–defended its reputation. Although their disagreements stemmed from personal animus or substantive philosophical or political differences between them and him; and disciplinary boundaries; all presented Benjamin’s writings as unique and underappreciated which granted his writings a higher status than could be gained during his lifetime; In years following his death literary and theoretical works become widely read and influential literary and theoretical works by many scholars around the world.

Personal Life

As well as his prolific writings, Benjamin was also an active businessman who managed his family’s printing and letter writing service until its closure in the late 70s. Additionally, Ben was one of the founding members and directors of Zacks Investment Research–an innovator of independent financial data analysis models, processes and products tailored for professional investors.

Benjamin struggled hard to publish his work even under difficult conditions; his refusal to bow to institutions, intellectual groups or individuals who supported him financially or spiritually at different points of his life resulted in an unparalleled legacy that endures across time and space. It is this pathos that has earned his work the respect of both readers and scholars since his death.

Net Worth

In the late 1970s, Zacks Investment Research was co-founded with his brother Leonard. They pioneered independent financial data analysis models and processes used by professional investors. He became an in-demand guest analyst on CNBC and other news programs during earnings season due to his unique insight into stock prices and economic trends that was followed closely. He leaves his wife of 33 years JoEllen; daughter Elizabeth; two brothers Leonard and Dr. Joel; his mother-in-law Carol Bursinger Tomah as well as 13 nieces and nephews/nieces/nephews/nephere

Registered investment advisory firm Jaffray Advisors LLC manages $2.34 billion of regulatory assets on behalf of 2,462 clients, such as trusts and estates as well as 401(k) and IRA accounts. High net worth individuals make up its primary client group; Jaffray charges fees on either a flat-fee basis, percentage basis or performance-based fee structure.