Episode 267: Jai Jacob: The Journey towards an Individualized Portfolio, with a side of Jazz

Jai Jacob has had a 25+ year career at Lazard Asset Management where he headed up the Quantitative, Alternatives and Multi-Asset Investment Group which oversaw c. $35 bn in AUM.  He is a member of the Board of Trustees of The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, New York, and plays the electric guitar. 

We hear about his upbringing in Montreal, how he changed his major in college and ended up somewhat accidentally in finance and the serendipitous twists and turns that saw him develop a multi-asset competence.  Some of this came from his original back office experience, and we tie together the skillsets that both front and back office roles require.

Pivoting then to discussing the multi-asset approach today, we discuss the individualization of investing – and how imprinting the personality of an institution (or an individual) on their investment portfolio is just a broader societal trend of customizing everything. We discuss the implications of this for portfolio construction, risk and how investment products are delivered. 

We move then to discuss some of Jai’s many other interests – in particular Jazz, and his musical passion.  We talk about the evolution of this art form, where it sits in society today, and what we can learn from the perfection of a jazz solo. You can read more about the National Jazz Museum in Harlem on their website here: https://jmih.org/

This episode is supported by PIMCO, a global leader in active fixed income with deep expertise across public and private markets. PIMCO invests their clients’ capital in income and credit opportunities that span the liquidity spectrum, leveraging their decades of experience navigating complex debt markets. Their flexible capital base and deep relationships with issuers have helped them become one of the world’s largest providers of traditional and alternative investment solutions and a valued financing partner. Visit pimco.com to learn more.

PIMCO as a general matter provides services to qualified institutions, financial intermediaries and institutional investors. Individual investors should contact their own financial professional to determine the most appropriate investment options for their financial situation. PIMCO is a trademark of Allianz Asset Management of America LLC in the United States and throughout the world.