ðɪ ˌɔːɹɡɐnᵻzˈeɪʃən wʌz fˈaʊndᵻd ɪn sˌæn fɹænsˈɪskoʊ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi tˈuː baɪ dˈʌbəljˌuː. dˈɑːnəld flˈɛtʃɚ, ɐn ɐtˈɜːni, ænd vˈæn dˈaɪn dˈɑːdʒ, ɐn ɪnvˈɛstmənt kˈaʊnsəlɚ.
The organization was founded in San Francisco in 1942 by W. Donald Fletcher, an attorney, and Van Duyn Dodge, an investment counselor.