Fred earned his degree from Middlebury College, graduating in 1984. He began his investment career on the municipal bond trading desk at Mabon Nugent in New York City. In 1986, he returned to Denver as a Vice President for Boettcher and Company, trading municipal bonds for the firm. From 1988 through 1991, he traded, underwrote and sold municipal securities for Capital Markets Corporation as a Senior Vice President and Principal. He then spent four years as a First Vice President of Kirkpatrick Pettis, managing equity and bond portfolios on behalf of his clients before co-founding Northstar in 1995.

Fred is a current trustee of The Children's Hospital Foundation, The Women's Foundation, Kent Denver School, and The Colorado Zoological Trust. He is the current or past chairman of the investment committees of The Denver Foundation, Kent Denver School, The Women's Foundation, The Webb Waring Foundation, and The Colorado Zoological Trust.