News & Updates


CFA Society Chicago Launches Local Claritas Prep Program

CFA Society of Chicago is pleased to announce a local prep program for the new Claritas Investment Certificate. Classes begin on Sept. 4, 2013. CFA Chicago has worked with CFA Institute to develop a "live" prep program for the Claritas Investment Certificate. The "live" classroom experience is taught by local industry professionals and PhDs - and it will help students prepare for the exam.

Claritas Investment Certificate
CFA Chicago Claritas Prep Program
Register for the CFA Chicago Claritas Prep Program

 

CFA Chicago Members: Create Your Public Profile

CFA Chicago Members: Create Your Public Profile

Members have the ability to create a public profile and be listed in the "Find a Member" section of cfachicago.org. Creating a profile may help new clients contact you, inform recruiters of your areas of focus and help other members network with you.

  1. Click to create a profile.
  2. Sign in with your CFA Institute number and password (generally your last name all lowercase).
  3. Enter the info that you would like to have publicly listed.

 

Update Your Bios, Resumes, Websites and Social Media Sites with CFA Society Chicago

Update Your Bios, Resumes, Websites and Social Media Sites with CFA Society Chicago Please take the time to review how you have the society listed on your professional materials, such as your resume, corporate biography, LinkedIn profile, web page - and confirm that we are listed as CFA Society Chicago. The society has recently updated its brand and logo, so be sure that you have the most current reference on your materials.

 

CFA Chicago Launches Weekly NewsBrief

CFA Chicago knows you want to be the best in the financial field, and the best way to stay on top is to stay informed. With this in mind, we are proud to announce the CFA Society Chicago NewsBrief, an informative e-news brief that delivers the most relevant content to your inbox every Tuesday!

Working with our publisher, we aim to deliver current and compelling articles on locally relevant financial news along with updates from our society.

Subscribe today, it's free!

If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about how to feature your company in the CFA Society Chicago NewsBrief, please call 800-816-6710. You can also find more information through the Media Kit.

 

CFA Society Chicago is accepting applications for an Intern position

Full Job Description

 

Opportunity for Member Input on Single Fiduciary Duty for Investment Advice

Regulatory Alert
Opportunity for Member Input on Single Fiduciary Duty for Investment Advice

Dear CFA Institute Member,
The issue of creating a uniform fiduciary standard of conduct for investment advisers and broker-dealers has been hotly debated in recent years. The issue remains unresolved despite directives by the Dodd-Frank Act to review the issue, SEC studies, and reports to Congress.

The SEC recently took another step in advancing this proposal by requesting public input from industry members and other stakeholders about the potential impact of applying a uniform fiduciary standard of care to broker-dealers and investment advisers who provide advice to retail customers.

CFA Institute Member Surveys Support Single Standard of Care

In accordance with the CFA Institute Code of Ethics & Standards of Professional Conduct and in keeping with member survey results, our position is the following:

  • The vast majority of retail investors do not know or understand what standard of care they can expect from various financial services providers.
  • We support:
    1. adopting a single, definable, and enforceable standard of care
    2. establishing a consistent treatment of all individuals and firms that engage in similar activities
    3. applying such a standard when broker-dealers provide personalized investment advice to retail investors
    4. a "fiduciary" level standard that requires the duties of prudence, loyalty, and care for those who provide personalized investment advice

The SEC Wants Your Input
The SEC's latest effort to reach a conclusion on this controversial issue provides you an opportunity to have your voice heard by the SEC. While the SEC's release specifically asks for data and other information relating to the costs and benefits of alternative standards of conduct for service providers (including a uniform fiduciary standard), it also welcomes comments on regulatory harmonization of standards in general. The SEC's request comes after past court challenges led ultimately to other SEC regulatory initiatives being overturned.

We encourage you to make your views known on this important issue by 30 June.

For more information or to express additional views, please contact James Allen, CFA, at james.allen@cfainstitute.org or Linda Rittenhouse, JD, at linda.rittenhouse@cfainstitute.org.

Thank you for your interest.

 

CFA Society Chicago Names DePaul University Champion in the CFA Institute Research Challenge Local Level Competition

DePaul University team advances to Americas regional final in Toronto, March 20-21

The DePaul University team was selected as the winner of the CFA Institute Research Challenge, hosted by CFA Society Chicago on Feb. 20. The DePaul University team had the highest overall score, defeating teams from Illinois Institute of Technology, Loyola University Chicago, Northern Illinois University, Northwestern University, Saint Xavier University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Notre Dame.

The DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business team will compete in the CFA Institute Americas regional competition March 20-21 in Toronto. The winner of the regional competition will then vie for the global title April 10-13 in London.

DePaul team members, Deepika Bhandary, Tim Bloklander, Chris Howe, Nick Khalaieff and Meng Yu, worked with DePaul faculty advisor Sanjay Deshmukh, CFA and industry mentor Grady Burkett, CFA on their winning project. More

 

CFA Society Chicago Launches New Peer Program (Members Only)

CFA Chicago's Career Management Advisory Group has launched a new peer program, "The eMentor Program." This members-only program connects members via the CFA Chicago LinkedIn Group page.

How does it work?
Mentors post their profile online and determine who, how many mentees and how often they want to engage with a mentee. Mentees request mentors upon reviewing profiles of individuals whose background and qualifications meet their career goals and objectives. This new program benefits the organization, mentors and mentees by linking members with valuable knowledge and information to other members in need of such information. There is no set time commitment. Time commitments are set by the individuals involved.

Ready to participate in this new program? Here's how:

1. Logon to your personal LinkedIn account and join the "CFA Society Chicago - Members Only" group (if you aren't already a member).

2. Visit the LinkedIn eMentor Group (you must be a member of the CFA Society Chicago - Members Only group and click on the "More" tab to access the eMentor Program).

3. Members looking to serve as mentors should create a post/discussion on the LinkedIn eMentor Group.

4. Members looking to find a mentor should review the available mentor posts/discussions on the LinkedIn eMentor Group and respond directly to postings of interest.

If you are not currently a member of the CFA Chicago LinkedIn group, but are interested in serving as a mentor, please contact Nicole Harris, Director, Member Relations and Outreach for further details at nharris@cfachicago.org or (312) 251-1301.

On behalf of the Career Management Advisory Group, thank you in advance for your participation!

 

Global Media Coverage of Market Sentiment Survey

CFA Institute recently released the 2013 Global Market Sentiment Survey, which seeks input from CFA Institute members to gather data on key market and economic issues in the coming year. The annual survey-which comprised opinions from 6,783 CFA charterholders and members-found more optimism than last year about global economic growth heading into 2012. However, members say major work is needed to restore market integrity. Citing an overwhelming lack of trust, members think the primary fix is to encourage a culture of ethics inside financial firms. Several media outlets offered coverage of the survey, including the Wall Street Journal, Fox Business, Pensions & Investments, Bloomberg TV, and AsianInvestor.

 

Investment Profession More Optimistic about Global Economic Growth in 2013

Investment professionals worldwide are more optimistic than last year about global economic growth heading into the new year, according to the CFA Institute 2013 Global Market Sentiment Survey (PDF). A greater number of those surveyed (40%) believe the global economy will expand in 2013, a six point increase from last year's poll. However, CFA Institute members believe there is much work to be done to restore financial market integrity. Citing an overwhelming lack of trust in finance, members think the primary fix is to encourage a culture of ethics and integrity inside financial firms. The annual survey measured the opinion of 6,783 CFA charterholders and members; to review the complete report and survey results, visit www.cfainstitute.org/gmss. Full press release.

 

CFA Chicago Board Member Bruce Rauner Forms Exploratory Committee for Illinois Governor

Illinois business and civic leader Bruce Rauner officially announced that he is actively considering a run for Governor in 2014. Rauner, a Republican, filed papers with the Illinois State Board of Elections creating an exploratory campaign committee that will allow him to begin fully exploring a candidacy.

Rauner's initial effort will not be a formal or traditional campaign. After spending several months talking with local and national leaders in business, education reform, and politics, and crisscrossing the state attending Lincoln Day Dinners and other events, Rauner is now entering a more intense period of consideration of a potential candidacy. For the next 60 days, Rauner will significantly increase his events and meetings, while looking to make a final determination on a candidacy well in advance of the March, 2014 primary election. More

 

CFA Chicago Member Michelle Moreno, CFA, Elected President of Chicago Finance Exchange

Dresner Partners, a leading FINRA-registered, middle-market investment bank, is pleased to announce that Managing Director, Michelle Moreno, has been elected President of the Chicago Finance Exchange. More

 

Latest Edition of "Efficient Frontier" Now Online

Read the latest edition of "Efficient Frontier" for CFA Chicago news and event recaps.

 

CFA Exam Prep

Live Weekly Classes Start Jan. 17
CFA Chicago and Kaplan Schweser have formed a strategic partnership that gives candidates flexibility in their individual study programs and access to the latest technology in exam preparation.

Schweser's world-class instruction is presented by CFA charterholders and finance PhDs-the best personalized instruction in the business. This class is available to you live in Chicago or online from your home or office. More Info

 

Exam Results Update

December 2012 Level I CFA exam results will be emailed Tues., Jan. 22, 2013, after 9:00 am EDT.

 

Get a Jump on Your Level II CFA Studies with Schweser

You may not yet know your results from the December Level I CFA exam, but don't let it stop you from preparing for the June Level II exam. In an exclusive FREE offer, Kaplan Schweser has created a special study package that includes an online flipbook of SchweserNotes™ Level II, Book 1, the online Level II SchweserPro™ QBank, and the first Level II Online Class. These materials are available exclusively to December Level I CFA candidates until January 30, 2013. For more information or to register, visit www.startwithschweser.com

 

View photos from the 2012 Annual Dinner

View photos from the 26th Annual Dinner held on Nov. 7, 2012, at the Fairmont Hotel, featuring keynote speaker Erskine Bowles, former co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and former White House Chief of Staff and Jeffrey J. Diermeier, CFA, The Hortense Friedman, CFA, Award for Excellence recipient.

 

CFA Chicago and WSJ Online: Former White House Chief Optimistic on Deal to Prevent Fiscal Crisis

An article published on Nov. 8, featuring the CFA Chicago Annual Dinner and keynote speaker Erskine Bowles. More

By Ben Kesling
Erskine Bowles, the former Clinton administration chief of staff, voiced optimism that congressional leaders and President Barack Obama will be able to use the post-election environment to negotiate a deal to head off a looming fiscal crisis.

Mr. Bowles, who was co-head of the Obama administration's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and has become a leading advocate for addressing the budget deficit, said that he is "very encouraged" that the lame-duck Congress and the newly re-elected president will come up with a deal before the country reaches the so-called fiscal cliff, a series of sharp, automatic spending cuts and tax increases set for January.

"This is the best opportunity we've had in a long, long time" to do something about the deficit, he said in an interview Wednesday night after speaking to a group of financial analysts in Chicago.

Mr. Bowles acknowledged the risk that Tuesday's election, which also left control of Congress divided, could lead to continued gridlock. "I'm afraid that people on both sides will see this as a mandate to keep up ultrapartisan intransigence," he said in remarks to the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of Chicago.

But he said the fast-approaching deadline should push lawmakers and the country toward a bipartisan focus on the severity of the fiscal cliff. And he pointed to comments earlier Wednesday by House Speaker John Boehner that Republicans would be willing to accept "new revenue, under the right conditions" to get a bipartisan agreement.

"I was glad to see the speaker say today that he would support additional revenue as long as the president is willing to cut entitlement. programs," Mr. Bowles said in the interview.

Mr. Bowles has been named by some observers as a possible replacement for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who isn't expected to stay on for Mr. Obama's second term. Mr. Bowles on Wednesday brushed off that idea, saying "I don't expect to be asked. I'm not going to be asked." Source: WSJ Online More

 

CFA Chicago and NY Times: Now Touring, the Debt Duo, Simpson-Bowles

A follow up article published on Nov. 27, featuring CFA Chicago Annual Dinner Speaker Erskine Bowles. Chairman Keith Cardoza and the society are highlighted. Source: NY Times. More

 

Get Involved: Board of Directors and Leadership Opportunities

CFA Society Chicago needs you! This is your chance to help lead the society dedicated to meeting the professional needs of Chicago-area financial investment professionals. See below for details about Board nominations or the Advisory Group volunteer process.

Call for Nominations: Board of Directors
The CFA Society Chicago Governance and Nominating Committee is seeking nominations for individuals with leadership and management experience to serve on the 2013-2014 Board of Directors. The goal of this committee is to make the nomination process transparent and to increase the diversity and number of qualified applicants for the board. If you know someone who'd make a great leader - or if you're interested in serving, please review the nomination process and selection criteria and complete the nomination form. To be considered for the 2013-2014 Board of Directors, complete the nomination form before 5:00p.m. Friday, January 11, 2013.

Get Involved: Advisory Groups
There are countless opportunities available to get involved by signing up to be part of an Advisory Group. Most advisory groups meet on a monthly or bi-monthly basis and generally take place between 12-1 pm. Volunteers have the choice to join in person at the CFA Society Chicago office, or they can dial in via conference call. You can contribute by planning an event, securing a speaker, reporting for the society newsletter, and/or assisting with society services and programs. It is not mandatory for volunteers to attend or call into every meeting, but some participation by way of meeting attendance or idea contribution is requested. If you are interested in volunteering for any of the advisory groups, complete the registration form. Advisory Group members are accepted throughout the year.

As a Board member or Advisory Group member you will have the opportunity to contribute to advancing your profession, enhancing the value of the society, accessing up-to-date information about the challenges facing your industry, and exchanging ideas and perspectives with other leaders. On behalf of the society, I thank you for your consideration and look forward to your active support!

Sincerely,
Angela McKay, CAE
CEO & President

 

CFA Exam Prep - Live Weekly Classes start Jan. 17

CFA Chicago and Kaplan Schweser have formed a strategic partnership that gives candidates flexibility in their individual study programs and access to the latest technology in exam preparation.

Schweser's world-class instruction is presented by CFA charterholders and finance PhDs-the best personalized instruction in the business. This class is available to you live in Chicago or online from your home or office. More Info

 

Research Challenge Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available

Nov. 8, 2012 and Feb. 20, 2013
The CFA Institute Research Challenge offers students the unique opportunity to learn from leading industry experts and compete with peers from the world's top finance programs. This annual educational initiative promotes best practices in equity research among the next generation of analysts through hands-on mentoring and intensive training in company analysis and presentation skills. 2013 Research Challenge Sponsorship Brochure

 

Erskine Bowles to Address Chicago's Financial Leaders at CFA Society Chicago Annual Dinner

Erskine Bowles, former co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and former White House Chief of Staff, will be the keynote speaker at the CFA Society Chicago 26th Annual Dinner on Wed., Nov. 7 at Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park. With the Presidential election decided less than 24 hours prior, and as the architect of the Simpson Bowles agreement, Bowles is one of a select few with the insight and authority to candidly address the challenges and opportunities facing the next administration in addressing the financial struggle that our nation can no longer avoid. More

 

CFA Society Chicago Announces University Competition featuring AptarGroup, Inc

CFA Society Chicago announced today the nine Illinois and Indiana universities and business schools competing in the local level of the CFA Institute Research Challenge. Teams of three to five students representing each school will focus their equity research on AptarGroup, Inc (NYSE: ATR), a leading global supplier of a broad range of innovative dispensing systems for the beauty, personal care, home care, pharmaceutical, food and beverage markets. For more information about AptarGroup, visit www.aptar.com. More

 

Former CFA Institute President, Former CFA Chicago Board Member and 2012 Hortense Friedman, CFA, Award for Excellence Recipient Jeffrey Diermeier Named Chair of FAF Board of Trustees

Former CFA Institute President and CEO Jeffrey Diermeier has been elected chairman of the board of trustees of the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), succeeding John Brennan. Diermeier will serve a three-year term. He retired at the end of 2008 from his leadership position with the CFA Institute and joined the FAF trustees in 2009. He previously served as global chief investment officer at UBS Global Asset Management. More

 

CFA Chicago Board Member Bruce Rauner Retires from GTCR

Bruce Rauner, the civic-minded private equity executive who has been mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for Illinois governor, is retiring from GTCR, one of Chicago's biggest private equity firms, where he was managing director. He said he plans to spend more time on civic and philanthropic interests. More

 

Latest Edition of "Efficient Frontier" Now Online

Read the latest edition of "Efficient Frontier" for CFA Chicago news and event recaps.

 

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