Distinguished Speaker Series: Orlando Bravo

On March 10, 2022, CFA Society Chicago’s Distinguished Speaker Series Advisory Group welcomed Orlando Bravo at the University Club, and via livestream, for a discussion of the role of private equity in the software industry. Bravo is Founder and Managing Partner of...

Capital Markets Series: Cryptocurrency – Institutionalization or just another fad?

Cryptocurrency represents the most volatile asset that comprises the capital markets in 2021. Price swings of greater than 10% in one week are common. At times it seems as though price action is driven primarily by the tweets of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla who has added...

Distinguished Speaker Series: Ted Merz, CFA, Bloomberg

On December 1, 2020, CFA Society Chicago hosted another virtual meeting of its Distinguished Speaker Series featuring Ted Merz, CFA, Bloomberg’s Global Head of News Products. Merz oversees search and display for news and social media content on the Bloomberg...

The Impact of the Fed on the Corporate Bond ETF Market

In early March the financial markets were struggling with the impact of the pandemic on the economy. On March 23, 2020, the Federal Reserve Board (“Fed”) took the unprecedented action of announcing that it would directly purchase corporate debt and corporate bond...

The Path to Recovery in a Covid-19 World

The Covid-19 pandemic has inflicted a serious wound on the US economy. It will necessitate that a choice be made between a continued shelter-in-place lockdown and the re-opening of economic activity. There is little doubt that shelter-in-place has slowed the spread of...

Distinguished Speaker Series: Alec Litowitz, Magnetar Capital

Dude, Where’s My Alpha? CFA Society Chicago’s Distinguished Speaker Series hosted Alec Litowitz at the W City Center for a discussion of the history of asset management and its evolution with respect to the hedge fund industry. Litowitz has been managing assets for...

Vault Series: CFRA

On July 17th CFA Society Chicago gathered in the Vault Room at 33 North LaSalle to hear Sam Stovall of CFRA give his assessment of the current equity market and what can be expected for the second half of 2019. Stovall is chief investment strategist of US Equity...

Private Equity: Should You Invest and How?

The challenges of investing in private equity were addressed at a recent event held at 300 N. Wacker and hosted by CFA Society Chicago’s Education Advisory Group. There are numerous issues that arise when making the decision to invest in the asset class. One of the...

CFA Society Chicago 32nd Annual Dinner

The CFA Society Chicago Annual Dinner was an event devoted to honoring the 148 new CFA charterholders and the recipient of the Hortense Friedman, CFA, Award for Excellence.  The evening also featured Heather Brilliant, CFA, past chairman of CFA Society Chicago and...

Vault Series: James D. Shilling, DePaul Department of Real Estate

The Evolution of Modern Real Estate and its Role in a Multi-Asset Portfolio CFA Society Chicago gathered in the Vault at 33 North LaSalle to hear Professor James Shilling from the DePaul Department of Real Estate discuss the evolution of commercial real estate and its...

Starting Your Own RIA Firm (Part 3): Infrastructure and Regulatory Requirements

The final event of this three-part series was to explore the infrastructure and regulatory requirements new RIA’s need to satisfy. The two previous events focused on the initial personal challenges of starting your own firm and the marketing and business development...

Starting Your Own RIA Firm (Part 2): Tips for Marketing and Business Development

Many talented professionals some day dream of having their own business. In the financial industry this usually means being the trusted advisor and investor on behalf of individuals and institutions. On October 4, CFA Society Chicago and its Professional Development...

Water’s Impact on Investing

On September 26th, CFA Society Chicago hosted a panel discussion in the Vault Room at 33 North LaSalle on the implications of the worldwide scarcity of potable water. The panel was focused on how this water scarcity may affect future investing. The lack of usable...

Vault Series: Doug Ramsey, CFA, CMT, The Leuthold Group, LLC

Playing the Market Melt-Up The CFA Society Chicago gathered in the Vault Room at 33 North LaSalle to hear Doug Ramsey, CFA of Leuthold Weeden Capital Management discuss the likely future direction of the equity market. Ramsey is the CIO of The Leuthold Group and...

Distinguished Speaker Series: Richard Driehaus, Driehaus Capital Management LLC

The Distinguished Speaker Series hosted Richard H. Driehaus at the Metropolitan Club Oak Room on March 1st, 2017. Mr. Driehaus is founder, chief investment officer and chairman of Driehaus Capital Management LLC. In 2000 he was named to Barron’s “All-Century” team...

Starting Your Own RIA Firm

Many talented professionals some day dream of having their own business. In the financial industry this usually means being the trusted advisor and investor on behalf of individuals and small businesses. The CFA Society Chicago and its Professional Development...

Preserving Alpha through Successful Execution

Alpha is the ability to generate superior risk-adjusted returns compared to the return of an appropriate index. The purpose of most equity trades for managed portfolios is to hopefully create alpha for that portfolio. The hidden costs of not obtaining the best...

Distinguished Speaker Series: Jeffrey W. Ubben, ValueAct Capital

Come so far…now the slog CFA Society Chicago’s Distinguished Speaker Series hosted Jeffrey W. Ubben at the University Club. Mr. Ubben is Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer at ValueAct Capital. Prior to founding ValueAct, Mr. Ubben was a...

Distinguished Speaker Series: Liz Ann Sonders, Charles Schwab & Co, Inc

The Distinguished Speaker Series recently welcomed Liz Ann Sonders at the Metropolitan Club in the Willis Tower.  Ms. Sonders is currently Chair of the Investment Committee at Windhaven Management Inc., and is Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Strategist of...

CFA Society Chicago Company Presentation: AstraZeneca

The prospect of curing or even “containing” cancer has proven to be an elusive goal. One company that has recently joined the battle against this disease is AstraZeneca, a UK based Biopharmaceutical Company. On June 6th, CFA Society Chicago hosted a presentation by...

CFA Society Chicago Book Club: While America Aged: How Pension Debts Ruined General Motors, Stopped the NYC Subways, Bankrupted San Diego, and Looms as the Next Financial Crisis by Roger Lowenstein

The specter of unfunded pension liabilities haunts many of our major cities and a large number of public companies. This is especially true in the city of Chicago as public unions continue to threaten to strike over benefits and unfunded pension liabilities. We...

Distinguished Speakers Series: John Rogers, Jr.

On February 10th CFA Chicago’s Distinguished Speaker Series advisory group hosted John Rogers, Jr., Chairman, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Ariel Investments, the largest minority run investment firm in the US. A question and answer format was used, with Kerry...

Corporate Tax Evasion or Avoidance?

On December 16th, CFA Society Chicago hosted a timely panel discussion focused on US corporate tax policy and how it compared to the tax policies of other nations.  The current policy motivates US companies to move profits to overseas subsidiaries where corporate...

State of the Unions: The EU and the US in the 21st Century

On September 9th, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and CFA Society Chicago partnered together to welcome Mr. Van Overtveldt, Minister of Finance of Belgium since 2014.  He is an economist, journalist and writer based in Brussels. He has authored several books...

Becoming a Values-Based Leader

CFA Chicago’s Distinguished Speaker Series recently hosted Harry Kraemer, an executive partner with Madison Dearborn Partners and Clinical Professor of Strategy at Northwestern University. Former Chairman and CEO of Baxter International Inc., Mr. Kraemer is author of...

Distinguished Speaker Series: Kathleen Gaffney, CFA, Co-Director of Diversified Fixed Income, Eaton Vance

The Distinguished Speaker Series featured Kathleen Gaffney, CFA, and Co-Director at Eaton Vance who focuses on fixed income. Eaton Vance is one of the oldest and most distinguished investment management firms in the United States.  Gaffney warned that the “end of the...

A Balancing Act: Career Management and Searching for a New Role

On Dec. 9 the University Club in downtown Chicago was the venue for this event geared toward job seekers in the investment profession hosted by CFA Chicago and the Career Management Advisory Group. The panel members and moderator consisted of: Panelists: Katie Banks...

CFA Chicago Annual Dinner: 28th Annual Dinner

CFA Society Chicago celebrated a class of 140 new charterholders during the CFA Chicago 28th Annual Dinner held at the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom. The festivities commenced at 5 p.m. with networking and drinks. Prior to the start of dinner, entertainment was provided by...

Claritas Prep Program

Claritas is a Latin word which in English denotes clarity or brightness. The CFA Institute began the Claritas Investment Certificate as a global education program designed to give a clear understanding of the essentials of the investment industry. This program is...

Distinguished Speaker Series: Rick Rieder, Managing Director, BlackRock

The Distinguished Speaker Series hosted Rick Rieder whose other duties include Chief Investment Officer of Fundamental Fixed Income for BlackRock and Chairman of the BlackRock Investment Council. BlackRock is the largest asset management firm, now managing over $4.3...