KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
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Richard Bernstein Richard Bernstein is chief executive officer of Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC, a multimarket equity strategy subadvisor of Eaton Vance Management. Rich has over 30 years of experience on Wall Street, including most recently as chief investment strategist at Merrill Lynch & Co. Previously, he was affiliated with E.F. Hutton and Chase Econometrics/IDC. He was voted to Institutional Investor magazine's annual "All-American Research Team" 18 times, including 10 as the top-ranked analyst in his category. He was also twice named to Fortune magazine's "All-Star Analysts" and SmartMoney magazine's "Power 30." He is the author of Style Investing-Unique Insight into Equity Management, widely viewed as the seminal book on style-oriented investment strategies, and Navigate the Noise: Investing in the New Age of Media and Hype, profits from both of which are donated to charity. |
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James Grant Founder and Editor, Grant's Interest Rate Observer. James Grant, financial journalist and historian, is the founder and editor of Grant's Interest Rate Observer, a twice-monthly journal of the investment markets. Among his books is the newly published Mr. Speaker! The Life and Times of Thomas B. Reed, the Man Who Broke the Filibuster (Simon & Schuster). He is, in addition, the author of five books on finance and financial history: Bernard M. Baruch: The Adventures of a Wall Street Legend (Simon & Schuster, 1983), Money of the Mind (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1992), Minding Mr. Market (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1993) and The Trouble with Prosperity (Times Books, 1996), and Mr. Market Miscalculates (Axios Press, 2008). His John Adams: Party of One, a biography of the second president of the United States was published in March 2005 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. |
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Peter Schiff Peter Schiff is CEO of Euro Pacific Capital, Inc. and Euro Pacific Precious Metals, LLC. He is an internationally recognized economist specializing in the foreign equity, currency, and gold markets. Mr. Schiff frequently delivers lectures at major economic and investment conferences, and is quoted often in the print media, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, Barron's, BusinessWeek, Time, and Fortune. His broadcast credits include regular guest appearances on CNBC, FOX Business, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News Channel, as well as hosting a daily radio show, The Peter Schiff Show. Mr. Schiff is also the author of the several bestselling books, including: The Little Book of Bull Moves: Updated and Expanded, Crash Proof 2.0: How to Profit from the Economic Collapse, and the illustrated parable, How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes. His latest bestseller, The Real Crash: America's Coming Bankruptcy - How to Save Yourself and Your Country, was released in May. |
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Meredith Whitney Chief Executive Officer Meredith Whitney Advisory Group, LLC Hailed "The Oracle of Wall Street" by Bloomberg, Meredith Whitney has been ahead of the curve during America's largest credit crisis since the Great Depression. Whitney's rise to international prominence was triggered in October 2007 when she made one of the most controversial and highly publicized calls in Wall Street history. A Wall Street veteran of over 15 years, Whitney's career has been defined by her bold predictions which have garnered global attention. Named one of the world's 100 Most Influential People of 2009 by TIME Magazine, Whitney is widely recognized as "one of the most respected voices on Wall Street." Also one of Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, Whitney is a renowned expert in the finance industry and is frequently quoted in Fortune, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times and The New York Times. |
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Dr. Ed Yardeni President, Yardeni Research, Inc. Dr. Ed Yardeni is the President of Yardeni Research, Inc., a provider of independent global investment strategy research. Dr. Ed explores trends in the economy and financial markets that are vital to a broad spectrum of investment decision-makers. He was on Wall Street for 25 years as the Chief Economist of EF Hutton, Prudential Securities, and CJ Lawrence. He was also the Chief Investment Strategist of Deutsche Bank Securities. Regarded as one of the leading independent investment strategists in the business, Dr. Yardeni appears frequently on CNBC and is widely quoted in the financial press. He worked at the Federal Reserve in Washington, DC and in New York City, as well as the US Treasury. He holds a B.A. from Cornell and a PhD from Yale, where he studied under Nobel Laureate James Tobin. |
SPEAKERS
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361 Capital |
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Tom Florence Tom Florence is the CEO and an owner of 361 Capital. He is responsible for the general management of the firm. He has over 26 years of experience in the financial services industry having been exposed to all facets including investment management, sales and marketing, operations, and general business management. Mr. Florence began his career at Merrill Lynch in equity capital markets before moving on to investment management in the wealth management group. He then spent many years at Fidelity Investments where he was an officer in the Institutional Services Company. After Fidelity, Mr. Florence was a managing director at Morningstar, Inc. and on the six person executive management committee which had responsibility for general oversight of the company. While there, he founded and was president of Morningstar Investments Services, a registered investment advisor managing mutual fund portfolios for advisors and their clients. After Morningstar, Mr. Florence was an owner and a managing partner of Dividend Capital Group, a real estate investment management company. In addition, he was co-founder and president of Dividend Capital Investments, a registered investment advisor managing portfolios of real estate securities. Mr. Florence has been on the Board of Trustees at two mutual fund companies including the Janus Mutual Funds. He has been a frequent industry speaker and a guest lecturer at the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business. Mr. Florence holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from The Pennsylvania State University and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Kellogg Management Institute. |
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AlphaClone, LLC |
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Mazin Jadallah CEO, AlphaClone, LLC Mazin founded AlphaClone in 2008 with one simple purpose-empower the average investor by giving them intelligent, instant and transparent access to the investment ideas of hedge fund and institutional investors. Since its founding, AlphaClone has established itself as the pioneer research and investment firm for hedge fund position replication. Prior to founding AlphaClone, Mazin was a 12-year veteran of technology driven media businesses and has held several senior analyst and advisory roles at companies such as Time Warner Inc. and OpenTV Inc. He is a lifelong investor, a registered investment advisor representative (Series 65 Registration) and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Level 2 candidate. He holds an MBA with honors in Finance and Management from Rollins College and a BS in Industrial Engineering from Texas Tech University. For more information, visit www.alphaclone.com. |
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Altegris Investments |
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Chris Ricciardi, CAIA® Director, Strategic Relationships, Altegris Investments Chris Ricciardi has more than seven years of experience in the alternative investment arena and is an Alternative Investment Consultant for Strategic Relationships for Altegris Investments. Prior to joining Altegris, Chris co-founded Herron Capital Management (HCM), an NFA Introducing Broker and Commodity Trading Advisor. In his time as Senior Vice President and Managing Partner of HCM, he managed a team that provided Managed Futures expertise and global execution services to Broker Dealers and Registered Investment Advisors. Chris started his career with a division of Man Financial, where he served individual and institutional investors and constructed trading systems and risk management policies for clients trading in the global futures and options markets. Chris graduated from San Diego State University in 2005 with a BS in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Finance. |
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Kirk Strawn , CIMA, CFA Senior Vice President, National Director, Strategic Relationships, Altegris Investments Kirk Strawn has over 21 years of experience and is currently the National Director of Strategic Relationships for Altegris Investments. Previously, Kirk was responsible for the design, development and servicing of Man Investments national intermediary network, a position he held for more than eight years. Prior to Man Investments, Kirk was Managing Director of Institutional Marketing and Sales at ING Furman Selz Capital Management. At ING, he was responsible for raising capital for a variety of asset classes and managing the account executive team for the Separate Managed Account platforms serving broker-dealers. Kirk began his career at Lehman Brothers in New York, where he provided financial services to institutional accounts, hedge funds and private investors. Kirk graduated from George Washington University with BBA Major in Finance cum laude. He is a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) by the Investment Management Consulting Association and a CFA charterholder. |
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Auer Growth Fund |
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Robert Auer Robert Auer, Senior Portfolio Manager, Auer Growth Fund (AUERX) , from 1986-2007 Bob was a Vice President at Morgan Stanley. During that period his family employed an investing strategy he will share with you that turned $100,000 into over $30,000,000 without adding any funds. In 2007, they took those funds and launched an open ended mutual fund. Bob was also a lead stock market columnist for the IBJ, (Indianapolis Business Journal) responsible for a full page weekly column for 8 years from 1996 to 2004, with over 400 columns in print on many investment topics and lessons. Come learn how we compounded at over 25%. |
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DundeeWealth |
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Jason Gibbs, CFA Vice-President and Portfolio Manager GCIC US Ltd. Jason Gibbs became a member of GCIC's Equity Income team in 2002. Jason serves as lead portfolio manager of the Canadian Equity Income Strategy. Jason also has research responsibilities, as he conducts detailed financial analysis to find attractive opportunities in income trusts, dividend paying equity securities and companies focused on infrastructure investments. Jason joined GCIC in 2000 as a manager of fund valuation services. Prior to that role, he was a senior manager of fund valuation at Canada Trust and an auditor with Deloitte and Touche LLP. Jason received his Bachelor of Accounting from Brock University. He also holds the Chartered Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst designations. |
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Wayne G. LeSage, Jr., CFA Investment Strategy Group, DundeeWealth US Wayne LeSage is Director with DundeeWealth US, LP (DWUS). In his current role, Wayne leads the DWUS Investment Strategy Group. His team is responsible for manager research and analysis, portfolio analytics and subadviser oversight of the DundeeWealth Funds. The DWUS Investment Strategy Group also works in partnership with the firm's institutional clients on a variety of client service initiatives including asset allocation, performance reporting and risk management. Prior to joining DundeeWealth US in 2007, Wayne held the positions of Investment Officer (2006-2007) and Investment Associate (2004 - 2006) at Davidson Capital Management. He was an Assistant Portfolio Manager with Valley Forge Asset Management Corporation from 2002 - 2004, and a Financial Analyst with White & Case, LLP from 2001 - 2002. Wayne is a CFA Charterholder and earned an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School and a BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame. |
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Jennifer Stevenson Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Energy Jennifer Stevenson joined GCIC in 2010. Jennifer serves as a portfolio manager on the Energy Income Strategy. She brings more than 20 years of experience in the energy sector, most recently in the role of Managing Director, Portfolio Management at a Calgary-based investment management company where she was responsible for the identification and selection of oil and gas investment opportunities. In addition, Jennifer has a wealth of energy investment banking experience that includes senior positions with Dundee Capital Markets, Merrill Lynch/Midland Walwyn Capital Inc. and FirstEnergy Capital Corp. A well respected oil and gas professional, she began her career with positions at leading Canadian oil and gas producers as well as suppliers Amoco Canada and Petro-Canada. Jennifer has an Advanced Certificate in Petroleum Land Contract Administration, a Masters in Business Administration in Finance from the University of Alberta and a Bachelor's of Commerce degree in Marketing & Finance from the University of Calgary. |
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Eaton Vance Management |
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Scott H. Page, CFA Scott Page is a vice president of Eaton Vance Management, portfolio manager on Eaton Vance's bank loan team and head of the Bank Loan Investment group. Scott joined Eaton Vance in 1989 as a senior financial analyst in the bank loan group. He was promoted to co-portfolio manager in 1996. His previous experience includes the Dartmouth College Investment Office, as well as corporate finance and commercial lending at Citicorp and Chase Manhattan Bank. Scott earned a B.A. from Williams College in 1981 and an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Dartmouth College in 1987. He is a CFA charterholder and has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the LSTA (Loan Syndications and Trading Association). Scott's commentary has appeared in Bloomberg, Business Week, Dow Jones Investment Advisor, Forbes, Investor's Business Daily, Smart Money, Kiplinger's, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, and he has been featured on CNBC. |
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Evan Rourke, CFA Evan Rourke is a vice president of Eaton Vance Management and portfolio manager on Eaton Vance's tax-advantaged bond strategies team. Evan joined Eaton Vance in January 2009. Previously, he was a vice president in the tax-exempt fixed-income group of M.D. Sass in New York since 2007. Evan's career in the investment arena has spanned approximately 20 years, over which time he has held various positions, including senior vice president in charge of Banco Popular's municipal arbitrage account, municipal strategist and risk manager at Prudential Securities, municipal bond trader for Kidder, Peabody & Co. and Paine Webber, and president of Municipal Arbitrage Applications. Evan earned a B.A. in history from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and an online M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix. He is a CFA charterholder. |
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Equinox Fund Management |
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Dr. Ajay Dravid As a co-portfolio manager of Equinox Fund Management's mutual funds, Dr. Dravid is involved in day-to-day portfolio and risk management, as well as in developing and structuring new products. Prior to joining Equinox, he was a consultant and a member of the Executive Committee of The Frontier Fund. Dr. Dravid has more than 30 years of experience in industry, academia, and financial services. From 2004 to 2006, he was President of Saranac Capital Management, a separate entity spun out from Citigroup to manage more than $3 billion in hedge fund assets. From 1996 to 2004, he was a Director and then a Managing Director at Salomon Brothers and Citigroup, where he helped to build and manage the hedge fund business and platforms. He was a co-portfolio manager for the Multi-Strategy Arbitrage funds, a quantitative analyst for the Equity Long-Short funds, and the head of the Risk Committee. He was also involved in the structuring and marketing of funds and in client service. |
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Rufus Rankin Mr. Rankin works on the conception, development and implementation of new products and distribution strategies for investment products managed by Equinox Fund Management, a role that requires daily contact with and evaluation of CTAs, and other alternative investment managers. He is a co-portfolio manager of the firm's mutual funds. Prior to his current role, he performed sales for The Frontier Fund, held roles at SEI, and Morgan Stanley, and previously owned and operated a translation firm. Mr. Rankin holds a BA in Philosophy and a Masters in International Studies from North Carolina State University, and is currently ABD in the process of pursuing a Doctorate of Business Administration with a concentration in finance and a dissertation on statistical methods of creating more diversified multi-manager portfolios. |
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Euro Pacific Asset Management |
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Patrick B. Rien, CFA Patrick joined Euro Pacific Asset Management as a Senior Research Analyst in 2010 and was named Portfolio Manager in 2012. From 2004 through 2009, Patrick was employed by Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital where he was a Vice President in the equity research department, covering the U.S. telecommunications sector. Patrick completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Davis and holds an MBA/MA in international economic policy and business from American University in Washington D.C He is also a CFA Charterholder. |
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Federated |
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Roberto D. Sanchez-Dahl, CFA Roberto D. Sanchez-Dahl, CFA, Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Senior Investment Analyst is responsible for portfolio management and research in the emerging markets fixed income area. His previous association includes: Associate, Credit Department - Emerging Markets, Goldman Sachs & Co. He graduated with a B.S. from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico; M.B.A., Columbia University. Roberto joined Federated in 1997. He has 18 year of Investment Experience and has been managing the Federated Emerging Market Debt Fund since 2001. |
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Fidelity Investments |
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James Morrow James Morrow is a portfolio manager for Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMRCo), the investment advisor for Fidelity's family of mutual funds. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to more than 20 million individuals, institutions, and financial intermediaries. Mr. Morrow manages Fidelity Advisor Diversified Stock Fund, Fidelity and Fidelity Advisor Equity Income Fund, and Fidelity VIP Equity Income Portfolio. |
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Joe Wickwire Joe Wickwire is a portfolio manager and research analyst for Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMRCo), the investment advisor for Fidelity's family of mutual funds. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to more than 20 million individuals, institutions, and financial intermediaries. Mr. Wickwire manages Fidelity Global Commodity Stock Fund, Fidelity Advisor Global Commodity Stock Fund, Fidelity Select Gold Portfolio, and Fidelity Advisor Gold Fund. He assumed management responsibilities for Fidelity Select Gold Fund and Fidelity Advisor Gold Fund in August 2007, and Fidelity Global Commodity Stock Fund and Fidelity Advisor Global Commodity Stock Fund in March 2009. |
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Edward L. Yoon Edward ("Eddie") L. Yoon is a research analyst and portfolio manager for Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMRCo), the investment advisor for Fidelity's family of mutual funds. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to more than 20 million individuals, institutions, and financial intermediaries. Mr. Yoon is responsible for coverage of health care equipment and supplies stocks and serves as the health care sector leader. Mr. Yoon currently manages Fidelity Select Health Care Portfolio, Fidelity Advisor Health Care Fund, Fidelity VIP Health Care Portfolio, Fidelity Health Care Central Fund, and Fidelity Select Medical Equipment and Systems Portfolio. He also comanages Fidelity Stock Selector All Cap Fund, Fidelity Advisor Stock Selector All Cap Fund, and Fidelity Series Broad Market Opportunities Fund. |
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Fiduciary News |
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Christopher Carosa You may recognize Christopher Carosa as Chief Contributing Editor of FiduciaryNews.com, the popular news site that provides essential information, blunt commentary and practical examples for plan sponsors, individual trustees and professional fiduciaries. A prolific writer and engaging speaker, his latest book "Fiduciary Solutions: The Best Opportunity for 401k plan sponsors to monitor plan compliance, plan investments and share the fiduciary burden with experienced professionals" was published this past April by Pandamensional Solutions.
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F-Squared Investments |
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Bradford P. Campbell Bradford P. Campbell advises financial service providers and plan sponsors on ERISA Title I issues, including fiduciary conduct and prohibited transactions. A nationally-recognized figure in employer-sponsored retirement plans, Brad is the former Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employee Benefits and head of the Employee Benefits Security Administration. As ERISA's former "top cop" and primary federal regulator, he provides his clients at Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP with insight and knowledge across a broad range of ERISA-plan related issues. He also serves as an expert witness in ERISA litigation. Brad was listed as one of the 100 Most Influential Persons in Defined Contribution by 401kWire in 2011. |
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Howard Present Howard Present is Co-Founder, President and CEO of F-Squared Investments. Prior to F-Squared, Mr. Present was Managing Director and member of the Executive Committee at Evergreen Investments. He ran global product management and strategy, led the successful multi-billion dollar launch into closed end funds, and managed the Alternative Investments, Managed Accounts, VA, and 529 businesses. Before joining Evergreen, he was a Managing Director at Putnam Investments. Mr. Present earned a BS in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Emory University, where he was awarded the Robert W. Woodruff Fellowship for academic excellence. |
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Guggenheim Investments |
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Anthony Davidow, CIMA® Managing Director and Portfolio Strategist As managing director and portfolio strategist, Mr. Davidow's primary focus is to provide strategic viewpoints on financial markets for the firm's ETF business. In this role, he is also responsible for developing, marketing and positioning the firm's ETF strategy and training key sales personnel on the use of these products. Mr. Davidow joined the firm from IndexIQ, where he was executive vice president and head of distribution. He was responsible for building and managing IndexIQ's distribution business. He was responsible for creating content, gaining platform approvals and educating advisors about the role and use of their unique solutions. Previously, Mr. Davidow was managing director and director of sales and training for Morgan Stanley's Consulting Services Group (CSG). He was responsible for CSG's training programs, including the CSG University Program, conducted at the University of Chicago. He was also executive director and director of business development for Graystone Wealth Management and senior vice president and director for Morgan Stanley's Institutional Consulting Group. |
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Steven McClurg Portfolio Manager, Portfolio Construction Group Portfolio Manager, Portfolio Construction Group As a portfolio manager and a member of the Portfolio Construction Group for Guggenheim Investments, Steven McClurg is responsible for portfolio construction and strategy for fixed-income intermediary funds as well as for selecting non-U.S. corporate, sovereign and emerging market debt to implement the firm's core fixed-income strategy. Mr. McClurg has held several roles at Guggenheim Investments, including in sovereign debt analysis and eurobond trading. BACKGROUND Before joining Guggenheim Investments, he managed strategic investments and new product launches for multi-national firms for more than 10 years. Mr. McClurg has an MBA and an M.S. from Pepperdine University, where he also has served as an adjunct professor for four years. |
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James Pass Managing Director Municipals Jim Pass joined Guggenheim Investments in 2009 and is responsible for the research, development, implementation and portfolio management of its strategy involving municipal obligations, which include tax-exempt bonds, Build America Bonds, taxable bonds and tax credit bonds. During his tenure at Guggenheim Investments, he has been invited to speak about municipal investment strategies by various organizations, including Bloomberg, The Bond Buyer, the National Association of State Treasurers and the National Federation of Municipal Analysts. Previously, Mr. Pass was a Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets where he managed the Firm's Midwest Region. He has been involved in the municipal sector since 1986 and has been involved in both fixed and variable rate financing in excess of $20 billion. Mr. Pass earned a B.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. |
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Harbor Funds |
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Raymond F. Condon Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager Prior to joining Shenkman Capital in 2003, Mr. Condon held management positions focusing on research, origination, and sales & trading at ABN AMRO Rothschild, ING-Barings, Alex Brown, Tucker Anthony, Smith Barney, and Lehman Brothers. Mr. Condon earned his BA at St. John's University and his MBA from Fordham University.
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Whitney Cox Portfolio Manager, Emerging Markets Debt Ms. Cox has 11 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Stone Harbor, Ms. Cox served as a consultant in the Sustainable Development Group at the World Bank in Bogota. Previously, she served as a Vice President for Emerging Markets Fixed Income Sales at J.P. Morgan. Additionally, she served as a Vice President for Emerging Markets Fixed Income Sales at HSBC, and as a High Grade Credit Sales Associate at Lehman Brothers. Ms. Cox received a BA in Economics from Columbia University and an MA in International Economics and International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. |
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Horizon Kinetics |
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Murray Stahl Chairman, Chief Investment Officer, Co-Founder Murray is Chairman of the Board of Horizon Kinetics and was a co-founder of the Firm. He has over thirty years of investing experience and is responsible for overseeing the Horizon Kinetics Research Team. Murray also serves as Chairman of the Firm's Investment Committee, which is responsible for all portfolio management decisions. Previously, Murray spent 16 years at Bankers Trust Company (1978-1994) as a senior portfolio manager and research analyst. As a senior fund manager, he was responsible for investing the Utility Mutual Fund, along with three of the bank's Common Trust Funds: The Special Opportunity Fund, The Utility Fund, and The Tangible Assets Fund. He was also a member of the Equity Strategy Group and the Investment Strategy Group, which established asset allocation guidelines for the Private Bank. By 1994, Murray managed approximately $600 million in trust and fund assets and was deeply involved in new product development. Murray received a BA and MA from Brooklyn College and an MBA from Pace University. |
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Hotchkis and Wiley |
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Patrick Meegan In his role as portfolio manager, Mr. Meegan plays an integral role in the investment research review and decision-making process as well as provides expertise and insight into the financial and healthcare sectors. He coordinates the day-to-day management of all Capital Income portfolios. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Meegan was an audit manager at Arthur Andersen and specialized in financial statement audits and advising clients on SEC reporting issues. Mr. Meegan, a Certified Public Accountant (inactive), received his BA in Business Administration with honors from California State University, Fullerton and his MBA with honors from The Anderson School at the University of California, Los Angeles. |
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Isenberg School of Management
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Thomas Schneeweis Ph.D Thomas Schneeweis Ph.D. is the Michael and Cheryl Philipp Professor of Finance and Director of the Center for International Securities and Derivatives Markets at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He is the Founding Editor of The Journal of Alternative Investment and is co-founder of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association and the Institute for Global Asset and Risk Management. He has published more than 100 articles in the area of investment and asset management. He has presented at major conferences globally, has been quoted in major financial press, and spoken on many financial news programs. He has been credited in part for the creation of asset allocation breakthroughs such as portable alpha and the development of hedge fund replication concepts. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, M.A. from University of Wisconsin, and a B.A. from St. John's University. |
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Janus |
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Cody Farmer, CFA Cody Farmer is Vice President/Client Portfolio Manager on the investment team at Janus Capital Group. Working closely with the portfolio managers and analysts, Mr. Farmer represents the firm's Janus-managed fixed income and asset allocation strategies to clients and prospective clients. Prior to joining Janus, Mr. Farmer served as Director of the structured products group for Nuveen Investments where he provided specialist level support to the firm's advisor clientele regarding exchange traded structured products. Prior to that, he held roles with Bank of America, first as a senior research associate and then as a private bank associate portfolio manager. |
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Jensen Investment Management |
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Eric H. Schoenstein Eric H. Schoenstein - Principal, joined the firm in 2002. Eric heads the fundamental research conducted across the investment team. Eric spent nearly fourteen years with Arthur Andersen LLP, as a Senior Audit Manager, providing a wide variety of services to clients of all sizes in both the public and private sectors. His career included time spent in Chicago and Budapest, Hungary, as well as his primary location in Portland, Oregon. He earned a B.S. in Business Administration, with a focus in Accounting, from Oregon State University. |
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Litman Gregory Asset Management |
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Chris Sawyer, CFA Chris Sawyer, CFA, covers equity, fixed income, and alternative investment managers as a Senior Research Analyst at Litman Gregory Asset Management. Prior to joining Litman Gregory, he was a portfolio manager at First Command Financial Services. Chris earned undergraduate degrees in Finance and Accounting from Texas Christian University. |
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Merk Investments |
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Axel Merk Axel Merk, President of Merk Investments, Manager of the Merk Funds, is an authority on currencies and a pioneer in using strategic currency investing for diversification and down-side protection. Merk is an expert on the global economy, macro trends, monetary policy, and the implications to the U.S. Dollar and investing. |
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Munder Capital Management |
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John Evers, CFA Senior Portfolio Manager John is co-manager of Munder's international small-cap equity strategy and, lead manager of the emerging markets equity strategy. He joined Munder in 2007 with significant international portfolio management experience and has been managing international small-cap assets for institutional and mutual fund investors for over 14 years. In 1998, John joined Standish, Ayer and Wood (which was eventually acquired by Mellon) where he worked with six other members of what eventually became Munder's international equity team. John holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Maine and an M.S. in finance from Boston College. |
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OppenheimerFunds |
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John Corcoran Investment Director - Alternative Asset Classes John works with the OppenheimerFunds Alternatives Group articulating their investment policy, strategy and performance to existing and prospective clients. Prior to joining the firm, John was a Portfolio Manager and Senior Equity Analyst with Noble Partners' Long/Short Fund. In addition, he has held senior investment management positions at Brevan Howard Asset Management, Fortis Investments, Harbor Capital Management, CIBC World Markets and Stephens Inc. Before transitioning to investment management, John practiced law at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He holds an M.B.A. from Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from Boston University School of Law and an A.B. from Harvard College. |
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Nick Henry Product Manager- Oppenheimer Rochester Municipal Bond Funds Nick Henry joined OppenheimerFunds in February, 2002 and has served in various roles including Sales and Product Management. Since 2007, Mr. Henry has been a member of the Rochester Division which is responsible for the municipal bond fund lineup for OppenheimerFunds. Mr. Henry has been in the industry since 1998, with prior stops at Prudential Securities, JP Morgan Investment Managers and Lipper Analytics between Denver, CO and New York City. Mr. Henry graduated with a B.A. from Connecticut College in 1997. |
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Kenneth Herold Kenneth Herold is a Product Manager at OppenheimerFunds, Inc. specializing in taxable fixed income products. He is responsible promoting and communicating investment strategy and insight for the taxable fixed income investment teams in addition to portfolio analysis and product development. Mr. Herold has over a decade of investment experience working in the financial services industry. Prior to his career at OppenheimerFunds, Mr. Herold worked as a Product Manager for GW&K Investment Management. He previously worked for Fidelity Investments. Mr. Herold holds a B.A. in Business Management from Stonehill College and an M.B.A. with a concentration in Business Strategy and Analysis from Boston University. |
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The Options Industry Council |
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Eric Cott As Director, Financial Advisor Education, of The Options Industry Council, Eric Cott endeavors to help advisors and their firms use options more effectively. Mr. Cott is responsible for expanding OIC's outreach to financial advisors. Additionally, he participates in conference panel discussions, presents advisor-oriented educational seminars. |
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PEAR TREE/Polaris |
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Bernard R. Horn |
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Sumanta Biswas Sumanta Biswas, CFA, serves as the firm's Vice President and Assistant Portfolio Manager. A partner within the firm, Mr. Biswas, is responsible for fundamental analysis of potential investment opportunities around the globe. Since joining the firm in 2002, he has worked in conjunction with lead portfolio manager in all aspects of managing the portfolios' investments. Mr. Biswas received a master's degree in finance from Boston College, and an MBA from Calcutta University in India. Prior to joining Polaris, Mr. Biswas worked at as a research analyst at Delta Partners and an officer of the Securities and Exchange Board of India. |
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Permanent Portfolio Family of Funds, Inc. |
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Michael J. Cuggino Michael J. Cuggino has served as the President and Portfolio Manager of Permanent Portfolio Family of Funds, Inc., a San Francisco-based family of no-load, open-end mutual funds, specializing in asset allocation and tax-efficient investment strategies since his investment advisory firm, Pacific Heights Asset Management, LLC, began managing the Fund on May 1, 2003. Mr. Cuggino has served as a director of the Fund since 1998, its Chairman of the Board and President since 2003 and its Secretary since 2006. From 1993 through 2007, Mr. Cuggino served as the Fund's Treasurer. |
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Sierra Investment Management, Inc. |
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Frank Barbera, CMT Executive Vice President, Sierra Investment Management, Inc. Frank Barbera, CMT, is the Executive Vice President at Sierra Investment Management and also Co-Portfolio Manager at Sierra Core Retirement Fund and the new Sierra Strategic Income Fund. Sierra and its affiliates currently manage over $1.5 billion in assets. For the past decade, Mr. Barbera was a Senior Portfolio Manager for Caruso USA Affiliated LLC, in Los Angeles, where he ultimately managed $1.5 billion. He developed a wide range of technical market indicators and trend-following techniques which were profiled in the 2006 book, "Master Traders: Strategies for Superior Returns from Today's Top Traders." The tools illustrated in the book were considered pioneering work in the field of sector trading. Mr. Barbera holds a Series 65 license and a Chartered Market Technician. |
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Stone Harbor |
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David Oliver, CFA Emerging Markets Debt, Portfolio Manager Mr. Oliver has 25 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Stone Harbor, Mr. Oliver served as a Managing Director for Sales and Trading in Emerging Markets Debt at Citigroup Global Markets. He is a member of the CFA Institute and the New York Society of Securities Analysts. He attained a BA from Northwestern University, MA from the University of Delaware, and MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College |
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Symetra |
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Andrew Olig Andrew Olig, RVP, Sr. Investment Specialist-Registered Investment Products currently manages the New England territory for Symetra covering all channels. Andrew started his financial services career at Putnam Investments, worked at The Hartford as Regional Vice President of mutual funds for 8+ years-partnering with Independent and FI advisors in MA, RI and CT. Andrew also served on the mutual fund advisory council while at The Hartford as a top wholesaler. Andrew received his B.A in Business from Central College in Pella, IA. |
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Wellesley Investment Advisors, Inc. |
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Bill Feingold, Portfolio Manager Bill Feingold joined Wellesley Investment Advisors, Inc. in July 2012 as Portfolio Manager based in Wellesley's New York City office. Bill's previous roles include managing director and convertible strategist at BTIG, convertible trader with Goldman Sachs, head of U.S. convertible research with Lehman Brothers and portfolio manager with Clinton Group and FrontPoint Partners. Bill received an MBA in finance with distinction from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in economics, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Yale University. He has also taught at Yale. Bill recently published (via Financial Times Press) his second book, Beating the Indexes: Investing in Convertible Bonds to Improve Performance and Reduce Risk. Bill describes Beating the Indexes as a "narrative textbook on convertibles." |
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Greg Miller, CPA CEO, Co-Founder & Co-Chief Investment Officer For over 20 years, Wellesley Investment Advisors, Inc. has specialized in managing convertible bonds for high net worth individuals, retirement plans, institutions, RIAs, and other investment professionals throughout the country. As Co-Chief Investment Officer, Greg directs the absolute return-seeking strategy of the firm which manages over $1 billion in convertible bonds. Greg has been profiled in various investment and prominent financial publications, including Institutional Investor, Investment Advisor Magazine, Barron's and Bloomberg/BusinessWeek. Greg was recently rated a Top 100 Independent Financial Advisor by Barron's. Greg has been a guest speaker at various investment conferences including TD Ameritrade Institutional Conferences, Family Office Conferences, and Barron's Conferences. |
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Michael D. Miller, Co-Chief Investment Officer Michael Miller is a Co-Chief Investment Officer and a Co-Portfolio Manager for the Miller Convertible Fund. He is responsible for heading up a six person investment team consisting of CPAs, MBAs, and CFAs and oversees the firm's convertible research, product development and portfolio holdings. Previously, Michael was employed as a senior analyst with Convergent Wealth, a multi-billion dollar firm specializing in wealth management to the ultra-affluent. Michael received his Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration from The American University Kogod School of Business in Washington, DC., where he specialized in finance. He is currently a candidate for a Master's degree in Business Administration at Babson College. |
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William Blair |
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Edwin Denson, Ph.D. Edwin Denson is a member of the Dynamic Allocation Strategies Team. Prior to joining William Blair & Company in 2011, he was a member of Singer Partners' investment team with special focus on market strategy. Edwin is the former Head of Asset Allocation, Global Investment Solutions at UBS Global Asset Management with overall responsibility for the asset allocation strategy of multi-asset portfolios. Prior to heading Asset Allocation at UBS Global Asset Management, Edwin was a Senior Asset Allocation Analyst at the firm with responsibility for setting asset allocation strategy for a number of multi-asset portfolios and developing the asset allocation investment process. |
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Christopher Walvoord Christopher Walvoord is a member of the William Blair Fund of Funds Investment Committee. He conducts manager research and strategy evaluation and is responsible for portfolio construction. Prior to joining William Blair in April 2011, Christopher was a principal of Guidance Capital. Prior to joining Guidance Capital in August 2002, he was Director of Hedge Fund Investments at The Northern Trust Company. At Northern Christopher oversaw all aspects of the investment process for the firm's fund of hedge funds program. He previously served as a portfolio manager for the firm's structured short duration credit portfolios. Prior to joining Northern Trust in August 1996, Christopher was an associate in John Nuveen and Company's Capital Markets Group where he modeled municipal derivative transactions for investment banking clients. |
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