The linkages between FMR, Fidelity and the Johnsons’ personal investment vehicles are reflected in the flow of personnel. Of 38 people identified on LinkedIn as employees of their Salem, New Hampshire-based family office, Crosby, at least 13 had previously worked at Fidelity Investments.
The social media site also indicates that five Crosby staffers manage the family’s art. Ned III has amassed an extensive collection of 19th and 20th century paintings, furniture and Asian art. His Brookfield Arts Foundation, whose purpose is to loan works to museums, had an asset value of $282.6 million at the end of 2018, tax filings show.
Rare Interview
The interconnectedness of various family entities is also evident in Florida, where Beth Johnson, Abby’s younger sister, runs Louisburg Farm, a training facility for show-jumping horses that’s named for an idyllic block in Boston’s Beacon Hill. Two employees — one at Fidelity and another at the Johnsons’ family office — executed deeds for the purchase of the Palm Beach-area farmland in 2001.
Regardless of how their family office investments fare, odds are you won’t hear about it from a Johnson.
In 2017, Abby sat for a rare interview on Bloomberg Television with Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein. She’s warm, dryly funny and engaging. Until, that is, Rubenstein asks what it’s like to have her name next to a number on a wealth ranking. She grimaces, laughs awkwardly, then bats the air as if to push away the question.
“People want to speculate about things,” she said. “But I don’t think that reflects anything about who you are or how you live your life or what you do.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.