Gunther, Max, 1926-1998

Max Gunther (June 28, 1927 – June 28, 1998) was an Anglo-American journalist and writer. He was the author of 26 books, including his investment best-seller, The Zurich Axioms. Born in England, Gunther moved to the United States aged 11 after his father, Franz Heinrich (Frank Henry) became the manager of the New York branch of a leading Swiss bank, Schweizerischer Bankverein (Swiss Bank Corporation or SBC). In 1998, the bank was merged with Union Bank of Switzerland to form UBS, the second largest wealth management organisation in the world and the second largest bank in Europe. Gunther's book, The Zurich Axioms is largely based on his father's trading advice. Gunther graduated from Princeton University in 1949 and served in the United States Army from 1950 to 1951. He worked at Business Week magazine from 1951 to 1955 and during the following two years he was the contributing editor for Time Magazine. He also contributed to Playboy, True, Reader's Digest, TV Guide, McCall's, and Saturday Evening Post. He lived most of his adult life in Ridgefield, Connecticut. He died on his birthday, at the age of 71.