David Tweed is an Australian businessman who conducts a business of offering to buy securities at either below market value, or at a price that is above market value but via installments. Paying in installments can disadvantage the seller due to the time value of money. Tweed's business practices are controversial in some quarters and his success has attracted criticism from the media and the Australian financial regulator ASIC. The Federal government has introduced legislation to regulate Tweed's activities. Early and personal life Born as David Tschernitz, he is the son of Austrian migrants. He was born and raised in the inner Melbourne suburb of Footscray, Victoria. He was educated at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School and graduated from RMIT with a degree in accounting. Tweed's first and only job was as a "runner" then "floor trader" and then adviser for brokerage firm, McKinley Wilson, and according to Peter MacLaren (Dec'd), his former boss, he changed his surname to Tweed after he was promoted to the trading room. It transpired that Tweed had assumed the same name as a former business journalist and later sharemarket analyst who had an extended working stay in Europe. His original house doubled as his office and was in Roden Street, West Melbourne, however he has since moved into the Melbourne CBD. According to the Herald Sun, Tweed lived in a de facto relationship with Donna Newman for 22 years before they married on 23 June 2018, in Las Vegas; they also have three children together. The Sun also alleges that "Mr Tweed has been ostracised by his family, who have begged him to stop his unscrupulous behaviour" but is defended by Ms Newman's father Dennis, who has said that, "If people have got shares and they have no idea what to do with them, then maybe they are better off without them. Let people who can look after them look after them. I know that sounds very callous but . . . he's not breaking any laws." Investment strategy In Australia, there is a high proportion of share ownership by less sophisticated investors. This is a by-product of the demutualisation and other corporate actions in the last 20 years in Australia. Companies such as Insurance Australia Group Limited (IAG) and AMP Limited (AMP), AXA, Tower, IOOF, OFM Investments, Aevum have demutualised and in the process given shares to the former (mutual) policyholders. Tweed set