Andrew Tobias (born April 20, 1947) is an American journalist, author and columnist, whose main body of work is on investment, but who has also written on politics, insurance and other topics. He is also the current treasurer of the Democratic National Committee.
Tobias graduated from Harvard University in 1968 with a degree (B.A.) in Slavic languages. In 1972, he obtained his Masters of Business Administration degree from Harvard as well. However, during his schooling, he worked writing articles for New York Magazine, and after graduation became a contributing editor .
He is the author of several books. Among his titles on investment are The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need , The Only Other Investment Guide You'll Ever Need , My Vast Fortune , Money Angles , Managing Your Money and The Funny Money Game . Despite his writing and successful investing on his own behalf, he does not appear to have ever been employed in the investment industry. He parlayed his writings and advice into success in the software industry as well with his Andrew Tobias's Managing Your Money financial application, which was ultimately eclipsed by Quicken.
Tobias has written on other topics with books such as Getting By on $100,000 a Year , a general indictment on conspicuous consumption; Auto Insurance Alert , a book on insurance reform ; Kids Say Don't Smoke on the efforts of tobacco companies to sell cigarettes to younger consumers (which was also published in Russian); and The Best Little Boy in the World (1973) on his own early struggles with his sexuality. Originally published under the pseudonym "John Reid", the 1998 reprinting of Best Little Boy appeared with his real name and picture and coincided with the release of another biographical work, The Best Little Boy In The World Grows Up (1999).
Despite his belief in the investment market, he has been a strong opponent of Republican efforts to reduce taxes and goverment spending. His columns in 2004 were generally directed at the economic policies of President George W. Bush.
He became a controversial figure in a fight over a ballot initiative to convert California's auto insurance system into a no-fault system which would be paid for through gasoline taxes instead of premiums . He faced fire from insurance groups who feared the loss of business and profits, from anti-tax persons who objected to financing the scheme through gasoline taxes, and from consumer groups who felt that the elimination of the fault provisions would work in favour of insurance company profits instead of consumer savings and preferred other forms of insurance reform. However, it should be pointed out in his defense that although he wrote a book on the topic, he has admitted the idea was not original with him. In fact, at least two Canadian provinces have similar public insurance schemes.
A member of the board of directors of the Human Rights Campaign, Andrew is partnered with fashion designer Charles Nolan.
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