Welcome to the family (business!)
Welcome to the family (business!)
By Jim Claire, Managing Partner, Double Eagle Partners LLC
Every family has a story. Ours just happened to have begun on Wall Street.
In 1958, after being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army, my father, Frank “Buddy” Claire, stepped into the financial world for the very first time. His first job was in the back office at Kidder Peabody & Company — hardly glamorous, but absolutely foundational. Dad started at Wall Street’s bottom rung, processing paper tickets, reconciling trades, and learning the mechanics of how markets and securities settlement actually function. It wasn’t long before he worked his way onto a corporate bond trading desk, and by 1978 he had done something remarkable:
He started his own bond brokerage firm — Brounoff, Claire & Company.
For two boys growing up on Long Island, that firm became our first summer jobs, our training ground, and our introduction to the industry that would shape our lives. In the summer of 1981, at the ages of 16 and 17, my brother Eddie and I began our Wall Street careers exactly the way Dad did:
In the back office.
We were “Runners” — literally running trade confirmations, securities, and settlement paperwork all over lower Manhattan. No cell phones. No email. Just two teenagers sprinting between banks, clearing firms, and trading desks with envelopes full of bond tickets. It was chaotic, exhausting, and absolutely exhilarating.
We didn’t know it then, but those summers were the beginning of a lifelong journey.
The Path Forward — and the Path Apart
After college, Eddie and I each set off on our own Wall Street adventures.
I joined the training program at Bear Stearns, beginning what would become a 40‑year career across ten different firms, countless market cycles, and more than a few unforgettable moments — including surviving 9/11 at Ground Zero, navigating the dot‑com bubble, the Global Financial Crisis, COVID‑19, and everything in between.
Eddie headed to the Midwest, building a successful career in Minneapolis with Piper Jaffrey & Co before returning to New York to join Lehman Brothers doing fixed income sales with institutional and third-party dealer clients. We both assumed that one day we’d return to Brounoff, Claire & Company and help Dad grow the family bond business.
But Wall Street had other plans.
In the 1990’s, electronic trading swept through the bond markets, replacing voice brokers like Brounoff, Claire & Co. with computer screens and algorithms. The bond brokerage model — once the beating heart of fixed‑income trading — went the way of the buggy‑whip manufacturer. Eventually, Brounoff, Claire & Company closed their doors.
Dad had built something extraordinary, but the industry had changed.
And so did we.
Coming Full Circle
Fast‑forward to 2022 — my 36th year on Wall Street — when I decided to start my own firm, Double Eagle Partners. In many ways, it felt like stepping into Dad’s shoes. The excitement, the fear, the responsibility, the pride — all of it came rushing back.
Building Double Eagle has been one of the most fulfilling chapters of my career. We’ve grown steadily, expanded our client base, trademarked our D.I.C.E.™ strategy, and built a reputation for concierge asset management rooted in discipline, diversification, and deeply personal service.
And now, four years later, something extraordinary is happening.
My brother Eddie is joining Double Eagle Partners as our new Head of Business Development.
After 45 years, Eddie and I are back working together — not as teenagers running trade tickets around Wall Street, but as seasoned professionals building a family business for the next generation.
It’s funny how life works. It’s amazing how careers evolve. And it’s meaningful — deeply meaningful — to come full circle.
Why This Matters — For You, For Us, For the Future
Double Eagle Partners has always been about partnership — with our clients, with our families, and with each other. Adding Eddie to the firm strengthens all three.
He brings:
- Decades of institutional experience
- A deep understanding of markets and client needs
- A natural ability to build relationships
- A shared history and shared values
- And the same work ethic Dad instilled in both of us
Eddie will lead our business development efforts, helping grow our assets under management, expand our reach, and ensure that every client receives the high‑touch, bespoke service that defines Double Eagle Partners.
This is not just a personnel addition. It’s a generational moment. It’s the continuation of a family legacy.
A Family Business — Built on Experience, Discipline, and Resilience
If you’ve been reading my investor letters for any length of time, you know that I believe deeply in the power of experience. Markets change. Technology changes. Headlines change. But the principles that matter — discipline, diversification, risk management, and long‑term thinking — do not.
Our D.I.C.E.™ strategy exists because I’ve lived through enough cycles to know that no single asset class, sector, or theme can carry you forever. The world rotates. Leadership shifts. Trends fade. But a well‑built, well‑balanced, well‑monitored portfolio endures.
Adding Eddie strengthens our ability to deliver that discipline.
It also reinforces something I’ve said many times:
All risk is personal.
Your goals, your timeline, your family, your fears, your dreams — that’s the real risk profile. And now, with Eddie joining the firm, Double Eagle Partners becomes even more capable of serving those personal needs with care, clarity, and consistency.
Looking Ahead — Together
It’s remarkable to think that two kids who started as lowly runners on Wall Street are now building a modern investment advisory firm together.
Dad would be proud. Mom is thrilled. And Eddie and I are energized for what comes next.
Double Eagle Partners is growing — thoughtfully, intentionally, and with the same values that have guided our family for nearly seven decades in this industry.
We are honored to have you as part of that journey.
Thank you for your trust. Thank you for your partnership. And thank you for allowing our family to help guide yours.
Here’s to the next chapter — and to building it together.
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Written by Jim Claire