The Investors First Podcast

Our guest today is Ben Savage. Ben manages Clocktower Technology Ventures and is responsible for all of Clocktower Group’s private market activities.   Our conversation covers the state of venture capital today, where fintech sits within the venture space, the convergence of public and private markets, and the importance of trust within financial services.   Our co-hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA, and Colby Donovan. Please enjoy the episode.    CFA Orlando is hosting JP Morgan’s Dr. David Kelly for the 2022 Forecast Dinner on February 23rd at the Alfond Inn by Rollins College. Click here for more information and to register.  Please note – you do not need to be a member of CFA Orlando or have the CFA designation to attend the event.   Please enjoy our episode with Clocktower Technology Ventures’ Ben Savage.   Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our guest today is Jason Zweig. Jason has been a Columnist for the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) since 2008, writing the Intelligent Investor Column. Jason is on a short list of people globally that advocate for individual investors on a weekly basis and is somebody that embodies the spirit of The Investors First Podcast (putting investors first). Before joining the WSJ, Jason held positions with Money Magazine (Senior Writer) and Forbes (Mutual Funds Editor), while also serving as a guest columnist for Time magazine and cnn.com. He is author of Your Money and Your Brain, is editor of the revised edition of Benjamin Graham’s The Intelligent Investor and his most recent book is The Devil’s Financial Dictionary. In today’s episode, we start with Jason’s beginnings on a farm in upstate New York. We then compare traders vs. investors and discuss the gamification of investing, time on device (TOD; a term casinos often use as a measure of success), and the boredom market hypothesis (BMH; doing nothing). Jason then discusses how we can improve as an investor emotionally, the lone thing we can often control. We later discuss why investors don’t incorporate human capital in their investment portfolio, demand for ESG, the importance of writing in plain English for investors, and the illusion of “conflict-free” financial advice. Last, we cover heroes in investing and the financial literacy industrial complex. Our hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA and Chris Cannon, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter and LinkedIn.   We invite you to join CFA Society Orlando on February 23rd for our 2022 Annual Forecast Dinner. our dinner's featured speaker, Dr. David Kelly, CFA, Chief Global Strategist and Head of Global Market Insights Strategy Team with J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Please note, you do not need to be a CFA charterholder or be a member of the society to attend. To learn more, click here. 

Our guest today is Eric Sim. The header on his LinkedIn profile shows a banker, lecturer, speaker and writer, but he is actually much more. Eric is a proponent of the portfolio career, a topic for which he has become a thought leader and the most followed CFA charter holder globally with almost 3 million followers on LinkedIn. Based in Singapore, Eric reached the pinnacle of his career as a Managing director at UBS Investment Bank. He quickly realized that he could offer the world much more than being an investment banker and left his position at UBS. From there, he embarked on the portfolio career, founding the Institute of life, becoming a professor, a prominent speaker and now a global thought leader teaching others how to have a portfolio career of their own. In today’s episode, we start with Eric’s personal journey, how small actions can lead to big returns and the relevance of personal branding for anyone at any stage in their career. We then dive into details and tactics of personal branding, followed by a discussion on the three sources of capital (financial, human, and social) and the outsized returns that can be generated by investing in social capital. Our hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA and Marina Hayes, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Our guest today is Drew Dickson, founder of Albert Bridge Capital and CIO of the Alpha Europe funds. Our conversation today focuses on Drew’s application of behavioral finance and fundamental analysis. We start with his time at the University of Chicago and learning from people like Merton Miller, Gene Fama and Richard Thaler, and then hear how he applies those behavioral principles when analyzing the market today. We talk about the valuation differences between the US and Europe, and then specifically the differences between value and growth in both regions, and get his thoughts on some of the speculation we’re seeing in the market today. As we wind down, we talk about some of Drew’s posts about the intersection of investing and sports. We cover James Harden & the paradox of skill and Rick Barry and being willing to look different. Our co-hosts today are Frank Garcia, CFA, and Colby Donovan. Please enjoy the episode.  Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL   Resources: Drew’s Writing James Harden and Alpha Bill Sharpe and Hank Aaron Rick Barry and Lewis Carroll A Memo to Investors Should Europe Be Cheap   Malcolm Gladwell’s Podcast on Rick Barry: The Big Man Can’t Shoot

Our guest today is Anthony Zhang, co-founder and CEO of Vinovest, the first of its kind investment platform where individual investors of all kinds can own fine wine (investment grade). He dropped out of the University of Southern California at the age of 20 when he was selected for the prestigious Thiel Fellowship, a two-year program that provides entrepreneurs under 23 a $100K grant to pursue their startups. Other companies he has held leadership or board positions include RateMyInvestor, Blockfolio, JOANY & JoyRun. He is also an active angel investor (portfolio holdings listed on LinkedIn profile). In today’s episode, we begin with discussing Anthony’s background as a serial entrepreneur, starting with the Thiel Fellowship, his pitch to Mark Cuban, and what led him to dropping out of USC. We quickly move to the life changing accident that Anthony experienced, including his painful rehab and his incredible return to save his company. We then discuss how his interest in wine led him to starting Vinovest. Then we get into the case for investing in wine, beta exposure and how you can generate alpha buying and selling wine. We also compare investing in wine vs. whiskey, storage, and most importantly, what success will look like for a Vinovest investor (performance vs. the U.S. stock market). Last, we discuss fundraising for a startup, his heavy hitter investors and the future of his company. Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA, Co-Founder of the Investors First Podcast and former President of CFA Society Orlando. Please enjoy the episode. Follow the Investors First Podcast & CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Our guest today is Eric Clarke, Chief Executive Officer for Orion Advisor Solutions (Orion). Eric is shaping the future of advice delivery with the organization's brand entities (fintech and investment management solutions), which include Orion Advisor Tech, Orion Portfolio Solutions, CLS Investments and Brinker Capital Investments. Eric is a thought leader in the industry, writing numerous articles, as well as receiving multiple awards, most recently receiving the Investment News's Icon & Innovators Award in 2019. Eric holds a B.S. in Accounting from BYU and a MBA from Utah. In today's episode, we start with Eric's passion for entrepreneurship, the origin of Orion and what he is most excited about regarding industry consolidation and recent Orion acquisitions. We then discuss the future of the wealth management industry, including fee compression, private equity in the wealth management space & what advisors should be discussing (and are afraid to discuss). Our local hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA and Chris Cannon, CFA, both board members and former Presidents of CFA Society Orlando. Please enjoy the episode. Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Our guest today is Cliff Asness, Founder, Managing Principal and Chief Investment Officer at AQR Capital Management. He has authored articles on financial topics in almost every major financial publication and his awards are too many to list. He received his Ph.D. from University of Chicago while learning under Nobel Laureate Gene Fama. Notably, his bio states that “he still feels guilty trying to beat the market” after all these years because of his work with Gene. In today’s episode, we start with Cliff’s education background and how his father’s aim for diversification in education paid off for him. We then pivot to the Avengers and discuss the heir apparent to Captain America, before quickly diving into a variety of topics, ranging from his work under Gene Fama at University of Chicago, momentum investing, and then pulling the goalie in hockey. Then we discuss whether size is a factor, if price to book is a good value measure, his take on ESG investing, expected returns and much more. Our local host today is Steve Curley, CFA, board member and a former President of CFA Society Orlando. Please enjoy the episode. Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Our guest for this episode, is Bill Kelly, CEO of the CAIA Association, a position he has held since 2014. Previously, Bill was the CEO of Boston Partners and one of the seven founding partners of Boston Partners Asset Management.  He is a tireless advocate for shareholder protection and investor education and a frequent industry speaker, writer, and commentator on alternative investment topics around the world. In this episode, we explore the specialization of credentialing in the investment industry,  the relevance of the chartered alternative investment designation (known as CAIA), the stackable program available to CFA charterholders, and the prospect of broadening investor access to alternatives to meet individual retirement needs.

Gerard O’Reilly serves as Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP and has been with Dimensional since 2004. Since joining the firm, Gerard has been instrumental in the evolution of Dimensional’s systematic approach to creating and implementing investment solutions. He is Co-Chair of the firm’s Investment Research Committee and a member of the Investment Committee, which oversees portfolio and account management. Prior to joining Dimensional, Gerard obtained his PhD in aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology. He holds a Master of Science degree in high performance computing from Trinity College Dublin in his native country of Ireland. In today's episode, Gerard shares his journey to DFA and what makes DFA unique. We spend some time discussing the pros and cons of index funds, DFA’s recent launch of ETFs and conversion of Mutual Funds into ETFs, and their upcoming launch of SMAs. We also discuss expected returns, the need to account for the unexpected, and the longer-term viability of the size, value, and profitability premiums, along with the discipline needed to capture these premiums over time. Our local co-hosts today are Frank Garcia, CFA, president of the CFA Society of Orlando, and Steve Curley, CFA, board member and former president of the CFA Society Orlando. Please enjoy the episode. Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL  

Our guest today is Jerry Parker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chesapeake Capital and long-time trend-follower.   In this episode we start by going back to Jerry’s days as a “Turtle Trader” under Richard Dennis and the lessons he learned from the experience. We walk through some of the keys to trend-following, what 2020 looked like from his point of view, and the benefits of a rules based approach. In a world of Dogecoin and meme stocks, Jerry provides a rational perspective on the markets.   Our local co-hosts today are Chris Cannon, CFA, and Colby Donovan, both of which are board members of CFA Orlando. Please enjoy the episode.  Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL