The Investors First Podcast

Our guests today are David Lau and Wade Pfau. These two individuals have been collaborating for quite some time to solve retirement income puzzles for investors. David has been doing it with DPL, bridging the gap between low cost insurance and Fee Only wealth management firms. On the other hand, Wade has been approaching retirement solutions from the academic lens with rigorous research.    In today’s episode, we discuss the potential blind spot in Fee-Only wealth management firms as it relates to insurance and annuities, whether insurance and investments should be comingled and the concept of the outsourced Chief Insurance Officer. We break down the cost of certain products and discuss the puzzles that David and Wade are trying to solve for retirees seeking stable income sources. We also discuss if Ken Fisher is a fiduciary, what products should exist that don’t currently exist, recreating your grandparents pension with lower cost products and whether long term care insurance products are cost efficient for retirees.    Wade will receive the award as the most resilient guest of the Investors First Podcast, as he was kind enough to join us while on a trip in Japan and even experienced two earthquakes while recording the episode.    Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA. Please enjoy the episode.   Follow CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL   Social Media:   LinkedIn Post (and Facebook): New episode w/ David Lau, DPL & Dr. Wade Pfau, RISA, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA.    *Breaking down a commission free insurance product *The challenges of market volatility and homemade dividends in retirement *Credit risk associated w/ the implicit guarantee in insurance products *Is Ken Fisher a fiduciary?   Enjoy!   Twitter Post: New episode w/ David Lau & Dr. Wade Pfau, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA. We break down commission free insurance products for Fee-Only Advisors, the challenges of homemade dividends for retirees with total return approaches, whether Ken Fisher is a fiduciary and the concept of the Outsourced Chief Insurance Officer.   https://www.dplfp.com https://risaprofile.com https://retirementresearcher.com/ https://www.mcleanam.com/ https://www.theamericancollege.edu/our-people/faculty/wade-pfau

In today’s episode, we host Wes Gray, CEO of Alpha Architect. Founded in 2010, Alpha Architect is a research focused quant firm that put themselves on the map offering value and momentum factor exposures, but it doesn’t stop there. Wes and his group have evolved to offer advanced tax strategies in the form of ETF’s, separately managed accounts (SMA’s), and ETF white-labeled services. Wes has an incredible bio that starts with humble beginnings growing up on a ranch. He later becomes a Captain in the US Marine Corps followed by earning his MBA & PhD studying under Nobel Prize Winner Eugene Fama at the University of Chicago.    This episode is centered around investments and tax minimization, starting with why Wes moved to Puerto Rico a few years ago. We discuss his bio and his mission for Alpha Architect & ETF Architect. We focus the rest of the episode on tax efficiency for asset owners, starting with white labeling ETF’s, creative conversions to ETF’s, whether direct indexing is currently oversold, post ESOP investment strategies, box spreads as an alternative to T-Bills and more.    Hosting today’s episode is myself Steve Curley, CFA & guest host Frank Garcia, CFA.    Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.   Social Media:   LinkedIn Post (and Facebook): New episode w/ Wes Gray, CEO of Alpha Architect, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA & Frank Garcia, CFA.    *PR Act 60 (Preferred Tax Status for Puerto Rico Residents) *Bio/Mission if Alpha Architect & ETF Architect *White labeling ETF’s & creative ETF conversions *Direct indexing, oversold? *Box spreads as an alternative to T-Bills *Post ESOP investment strategies   Enjoy! Insert link here   Twitter Post: New episode w/ Wes Gray, CEO of Alpha Architect & ETF Architect. We discuss everything tax, from PR Act 60, to his firm’s mission & focus on tax efficient investments, white labeling ETF’s, creative ETF conversions, direct indexing being oversold, box spreads instead of T-Bills & more.    Show Notes:  Alpha Architect: https://alphaarchitect.com/about ETF Architect: https://etfarchitect.com/ Box spreads: https://alphaarchitect.com/2023/05/box-spreads-an-alternative-to-treasury-bills/ March for the Fallen: https://alphaarchitect.com/mftf/ Democratize Quant: https://alphaarchitect.com/democratizequant/ How to Start an ETF: https://alphaarchitect.com/2021/11/how-to-start-an-etf-resources-and-faq/

Today we host Jan van Eck for the second time on the Investors First Podcast. Jan is the CEO of VanEck, a global asset manager with over $57 billion in assets under management, including ETF’s, mutual funds, SMA’s, UCITS and more. Since our first recording with Jan in April 2020, Jan took the initiative to create a financial history course at VanEck during the pandemic. Jan is a brilliant investment professional with a passion for financial history. Beyond VanEck’s work as a pioneer in the asset management business, we wanted to highlight the great work he is doing (beyond managing money) in this episode.    In today’s episode, we speak about Jan’s financial history curriculum, railroads as the first internet of the United States, the philosophical debate continuing between Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians, the concentration of power with ETF’s (and politicization of ESG), predicting the future and much more.    Our host today are Steve Curley, CFA & today’s guest host is Chris Cannon, CFA (Chief Investment Officer, FirsTrust).   Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Our guest today are Rick Bookstaber and Govinda Quish, co-founders at Fabric Risk, which provides factor-based risk management applications for investment advisors, consultants and family offices. This is the second time we have hosted Rick on our podcast, with this time focused on the current state of banking and the risks of contagion, as well as other risks in public and private markets. We encourage you to listen to our prior episode with Rick to learn more about his background or visit fabricrisk.com to learn more about their professional backgrounds. Hosting today’s episode is Steve Curley, CFA, co-founder of The Investors First Podcast & former President of CFA Orlando. Please enjoy the episode. Follow CFA Society of Orlando on LinkedIn & Twitter @CFAOrlandoFL. You can find every past episode of the The Investors First Podcast at investorsfirstpodcast.com.

Our guests today are Dan Rasmussen and Bob Elliott. This is the first time both Dan and Bob have shared a podcast stage and they did not disappoint. In today’s episode, we discuss Dan and Bob’s time at Bain Capital and Bridgewater and how that experience led to founding their respective firms. We then discuss the idea of return smoothing in venture capital, whether active management has an edge in this market environment, is alpha just beta waiting to be discovered, the flaws of private market indices, and much more. Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. BIO's: Dan is the Founder of Verdad, which is an independent research driven global asset management firm seeking to replicate private equity exposure in public markets. Prior to Verdad, Dan spent time at Bain Capital Private Equity and Bridgewater Associates. In 2017, Dan was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Dan earned an AB from Harvard College and a MBA from Stanford. Bob is Co-Founder, CEO and CIO of Unlimited Funds, which uses machine learning to create low cost ETF’s to replicate the returns of classic hedge fund strategies. Prior to Unlimited, Bob was at Bridgewater Associates, where he served on Bridgewater’s investment committee, led Ray Dalio’s personal research team and authored hundreds of Bridgewater’s widely read Daily Observations. Bob holds a BA in History and Science from Harvard. Follow CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our guest today is Jeffrey Sherman, Deputy CIO of DoubleLine, which manages over $100 billion.  Jeffrey oversees and administers DoubleLine’s Investment Management sub-committee coordinating and implementing policies and processes across the investment teams. He also serves as lead portfolio manager for multi-sector and derivative-based strategies. In today’s episode, Jeffrey shares how he views the investment landscape as we kick off a new year. He touches on inflation, interest rates, and whether or not he expects a Fed pivot. He also shares where he sees opportunity in the market today, specifically in the credit markets. Our co-hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA, and Colby Donovan, CFA. Please enjoy the episode.  Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our guest today is Mark Brewer, President and CEO of the Central Florida Foundation. Mark frequently advises private and corporate foundation grantmakers across the region and plays a public policy advisory role on strategy and advisory boards around the state of Florida.   Our conversation on this Giving Tuesday focuses on the role philanthropy in society, best practices on how to be strategic about causes you choose to support, and the major areas of need in Central Florida today.   Our co-hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA, and Colby Donovan. Please enjoy the episode.    Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our guests today are David Berns & Mike Taylor. David Berns is Chief Investment Officer & Co-Founder of Simplify Asset Management, which is focused on creating hedge fund and structured product strategies in a liquid, transparent, tax-efficient and low cost vehicle (ETF’s). David has a PhD in Physics from MIT in the field of Quantum Computation. Mike Taylor is Portfolio Manager for the health care strategy at Simplify, which is one of the most unique strategies in the investment management industry, with all net profits donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. He has spent the last two decades managing hedge fund strategies at funds including Millennium, Citadel and Diamondback Capital. Mike holds advanced degrees in Science and Business from the Johns Hopkins University and the William E. Simon School of Business. In today’s episode, we discuss how Simplify was created and how the idea for their health care strategy came together. We then discuss Mike’s hedge fund career, how managing a long only health care ETF differs from hedge fund investing and much more. We recorded this episode in October for breast cancer awareness month and we wanted to highlight the great work Simplify is doing with Susan G. Komen, using finance as a cause for good. This is the first 100% pro bono ETF, with all net profits donated for the benefit of Susan G. Komen Foundation. Our hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA, past President of CFA Society Orlando and co-founder of the Investors First Podcast, and Javier Perez, CFA, also a past President of CFA Society Orlando & Director at Skyview Investment Advisors. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Dr. Snaith is the Director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Forecasting and a nationally recognized economist in the field of business and economic forecasting. An award-winning forecaster, researcher and professor, Snaith applies academic expertise to solve real-world problems. He has served as a consultant for local governments and multi-national corporations such as Compaq, Dell and IBM.  Snaith holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Pennsylvania State University. Snaith frequently is interviewed in national and regional media and is a sought-after speaker. He has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, The Economist and CNNMoney.com and has appeared on CNBC, Fox Business Network and Business News Network, based in Toronto. Sean correctly called the end of the great financial crisis in June 2009. Prior to that, Snaith was named by Bloomberg News as one of the nation's most accurate forecasters in 2008. In 2007, he was named California’s most accurate forecaster by the Western Blue Chip Consensus Forecast. In this episode, we will talk about the Fed, inflation, and discuss how we are headed for a pasta-bowl recession. We focus the rest of the episode on the state of Florida and potential headwinds to growth such as rising housing costs, supply chain shortages, labor market shortages, and high overall inflation. Last, we discuss ways the state of Florida (and particularly Central Florida) can best position itself for future growth. Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA, prior President of CFA Society Orlando, current board member & co-founder of The Investors First Podcast. Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Our guest today is Zach Conway, Founder and CEO of Seeds Investor. Seeds Investor is a new wealth technology platform designed to empower advisors to better understand investors and deliver the personalized portfolios that align. In addition to Seeds, Zach is a Managing Director with the Conway Wealth Group, a private advisory firm based in Parsippany, New Jersey. Prior to the Conway Group, Zach served as Editorial Manager at Standard & Poor’s. Zach is a contributor to Forbes, Founder of the Leader Board and Co-Founder of the Life & Health Network. Zach earned his bachelors degree from Gettysburg College. In today’s episode, we discuss current headwinds in ESG, actor Adrian Grenier’s involvement with Seeds Investor, tailored portfolios with values based investing and eliminating Fund/ETF wrappers from client conversations with direct investing. Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA, board member & past President of CFA Society Orlando, as well as co-founder of the Investors First Podcast. Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.