Dakota Live! Podcast

John Tassone is the Director of Investments for Forbes Family Trust. Forbes Family Trust is a multi-family office serving institutions and single-family offices as an outsourced investment advisor. The firm represents over 250 families and 50 institutions globally. John is senior member of the investment team responsible for manager due diligence and monitoring of both public and private investments, as well as asset allocation, portfolio construction, and risk management for client families. John takes the Dakota Live! team in this special edition episode through Forbes Family Trust’s approach to asset allocation, the firm’s manager research and underwriting process, and what a potential client partnership looks like with their firm. Join us as we come to better understand Forbes Family Trust and their allocation to various asset classes and investment strategies.  

Doug MacBean, Deputy Chief Investment Officer of the California Institute of Technology’s Investment Office (Caltech) joins us at Dakota Live! to share the ingredients from his career and how he approaches his role as an endowment allocator. Like any good recipe, Doug shares the steps to help us better understand his team’s approach to asset allocation and underwriting process as it relates to investment manager research and selection. Sit down for this insightful and informative conversations with one of the industry’s leading investors.

Raz Der-Tavitian, Chief Investment Officer with SLK Private Wealth joins us at Dakota Live! to share his experience as CIO of an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA). SLK Private Wealth is a $1.6 billion RIA based in Los Angeles. Raz walks us through the investment opportunities he and his colleagues are currently evaluating and how to work with SLK as an asset management partner. Raz takes us from his work with Wilshire, leading their hedge fund and liquid alternatives research efforts to his role today as CIO of a newly launched wealth advisor. Along the way, Raz goes deeper into his underwriting process as it relates to investment manager research and selection. Join us in this wide ranging and informative discussion.

Ryan Hicke, Chief Executive Officer of SEI joins us at Dakota Live! to share his journey from intern to the company's CEO. Throughout our conversation, Ryan shares the lessons he's learned from his nearly twenty-five years with SEI and how overcoming his insecurities took him to the highest levels of the company while remaining anchored in what's most important to SEI's culture. SEI is a publicly traded financial services firm delivering technology and investment solutions that connect the financial services industry.  As of December 31, 2022, SEI manages, advises, or administers approximately $1.2 trillion in assets including US$815 billion in assets under administration and US$399 billion in assets under management. Join us as Ryan describes what characteristics SEI looks for in asset management partners and how to think about your business as it relates to your capital. 

Jennifer DeSisto, Chief Investment Officer of Anchor Capital Advisors joins us at Dakota Live! to take us through her experience from portfolio manager to asset allocator and what she has learned over the years to help her build multi-asset portfolios on behalf of her clients. Jennifer's responsibilities as CIO include manager selection, asset allocation, business management, and product development for Anchor’s $8.5 billion in assets under management. Anchor Capital is a Boston-based Registered Investment Advisor, managing approximately $5.5 billion with external managers across all asset classes, and an additional $3 billion in fundamental, in-house value-based equity and fixed income strategies. Founded in 1983, Anchor Capital is the 10th largest independent investment adviser in Massachusetts.  Tune in to this informative and wide-ranging discussion from employing a founder's mentality to asset allocation and manager research to the importance of increasing diversity in the asset management industry.

Chris Winiarz, Chief Investment Officer of Stable Asset Management shares his journey from the endowment to the family office model through his role today as CIO of an investment firm focused on building strategic partnerships with top performing emerging managers. Chris takes our audience through what Stable looks for in investment partners when considering an allocation. Stable Asset Management backs top performing investment talent to build next generation asset management firms. Stable oversees over $3 billion in assets under management with over $12 billion of aggregate assets across Stable Partnerships. Stable is among the most experienced and largest strategic partners in the asset management space with offices in New York and London. Since its inception Stable has built 27 strategic partnerships across the liquidity spectrum. The Dakota Live! Podcast was excited to host Chris in our Philadelphia studios and learn more about his experience in investing alongside early-stage investment managers. 

William “Bill” Kennedy is the CEO and Chief Investment Officer of RiskBridge Advisors. RiskBridge serves as an Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) firm providing discretionary investment management, custom research solutions, and investment guidance and implementation. RiskBridge primarily serves non-profit endowments and foundations, pensions, financial institutions, family offices, and ultrahigh-net-worth individuals. Bill takes the Dakota Live! team in this special edition episode through RiskBridge’s approach to risk management, the firm’s manager research and underwriting process, and what a potential client partnership looks like with their firm. Join us as we come to better understand RiskBridge and their allocation to various asset classes and investment strategies.   

Will Beck of Wilshire is a Senior Vice President and member of Wilshire’s Traditional Manager Research Group where he focuses on fixed income strategies. After the fastest U.S. Federal Reserve tightening cycle on record, fixed income markets are the focus of asset allocation conversations across the investment landscape. Join us as Will takes us through the current fixed income environment and where he and his colleagues at Wilshire are finding opportunity. In addition to Will’s responsibilities in identifying, researching, and monitoring fixed income managers, Will is also a rotating member of the Wilshire Investment Committee. He is also a portfolio manager on Wilshire’s active fixed income products and a senior member of the consulting team for the firm’s clients. Will has been with Wilshire for more than 13 years, covering more than 100 unique strategies and representing more than $50 billion of client assets. The Dakota Live! Podcast was thrilled to discuss the fixed income markets with veteran allocator, Will Beck in this timely and informative conversation.

Aoifinn Devitt, Chief Investment Officer at Moneta, and founder and creator of The Fiftyfaces Podcast tells us her story from corporate law to being named the first female Chief Investment Officer of the Moneta Group, a US-based RIA with over $30 bn in investments.  Aoifinn is a true modern day renaissance woman, achieving success across multiple disciplines from education to investments to long-distance running, all while creating a central resource of innovative and creative content with her podcast platform. Watch and listen to this insightful and inspiring episode as Aoifinn shares the work she has done with institutional investors for over 20 years, as a consultant and an advisor, across the US, Europe, and Asia. It’s Women’s History Month, and the Dakota Live! Podcast was thrilled to celebrate the vital role of women in American history and in the financial services industry with Aoifinn Devitt.  

Mark Steed, Chief Investment Officer for the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System shares his journey from an intern to the Plan’s CIO. The Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System provides a uniform, consistent and equitable statewide retirement program for Arizona’s public safety personnel. PSPRS provides retirement benefits and programs to nearly 60,000 active members, retired members and surviving beneficiaries, and to more than 300 employer groups (municipalities, agencies, and districts) throughout the state. Mark has played an instrumental role in transforming the Plan’s $17 billion in investments from a traditional, stock-heavy portfolio to a modern, highly diversified set of investments built to withstand market volatility while delivering significant returns. Mark shares his approach to manager sourcing, due diligence, selection, and how he and his team consider asset allocation decisions. Watch and listen to this special episode where Mark shares his personal and professional mission that helps him think differently about the investment industry.