

Alex Shahidi and Damien Bisserier – Uncorrelated Return and Balanced Risk at Evoke-ARIS (Capital Allocators, EP.179)
Mar 1, 2021
Alex Shahidi and Damien Bisserier, Co-CIOs of Evoke Wealth and ARIS Consulting, share their journey from major brokerage firms to founding their own $19 billion advisory. They discuss their innovative strategy for uncorrelated returns across markets, emphasizing risk parity and the influence of human behavior in investment decisions. The duo delves into the complexities of hedge fund strategies, the importance of structured manager relationships, and their personal insights on balancing caution with risk in both life and investing.
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Early Career Challenges
- Alex Shahidi started at Merrill Lynch during the internet bubble.
- He learned the importance of protecting capital after the market fell 50%.
Uncorrelated Returns
- Owning diverse, uncorrelated return streams is mathematically the best way to achieve attractive returns with low risk.
- This approach leads to portfolios that look quite different from traditional ones.
Bridgewater Connection
- Damien Bisserier worked at Bridgewater for nine years, covering large institutional investors.
- Ray Dalio recognized Alex Shahidi's common sense and suggested hiring him.