Memory Techniques

Approximately 140 CFA Society Chicago members met by Zoom on September 14, 2021, to learn how to use mental training techniques to improve memory and retention. The instructor was Paul Nowak, founder of IRIS Reading, LLC, who has presented to CFA Society Chicago in...

Speaking in a Virtual World

Virtual meetings have been synonymous with the pandemic and given that they are convenient, cost effective and allow unique opportunities to connect, it is likely they will have a role in our post-pandemic world. As professionals, we need to continue to master new...

LinkedIn Strategies

On Tuesday, October 13, 2020, CFA Society Chicago hosted a webinar entitled LinkedIn Strategies. Jeff Feeney, CFA, moderated the discussion with guest speaker Kathleen O’Holleran, vice president and consultant at Lee Hecht Harrison, Inc. O’Holleran started the webinar...

Chicago Investment Professionals Job Outlook

CFA Society Chicago members gathered in virtual form on September 10th to hear insights on the job market for charterholders across the country as well as specifically in Chicago. The event took the form of a panel discussion featuring retained recruiters from two...

Speed Reading for Business Professionals

On Tuesday, August 4, Paul Nowak, founder of Iris Reading LLC, presented a webinar: “Speed Reading for Business Professionals” to CFA Society Chicago members. The 90-minute session covered practical techniques to read faster, remember more and boost...

Job Search Strategies: Your 2020 Career – Becoming a VictOR rather than a VictIM

Up-to-date advice and tips on conducting a job search were the subject of the CFA Society Chicago’s recent virtual presentation for members. Hosted by the Society’s Professional Development Advisory Group, this was the latest event specifically targeted at members in...

Time Management: Locking Down Goals

How to use our time most efficiently was the subject of a presentation to the CFA Society Chicago on May 14, 2020, by Tom Lemanski of Chicago Executive Coaching. The subject matter was especially “timely”, coming while many people are confined to home by the Covid-19...

Distinguished Speaker Series: Bob Browne, CFA, Northern Trust

“Let my hindsight, be your foresight” Bob Browne, CFA Over 110 members of CFA Society Chicago gathered at the JW Marriott on December 10, 2019, to hear Robert (Bob) Browne, CFA, EVP and CIO of Northern Trust, prognosticate on his firm’s capital market assumptions...

Distinguished Speaker Series: Curt Bailey, Related Midwest

Curt Bailey, president for Related Midwest, was the presenter at CFA Society Chicago’s last Distinguished Speaker Series luncheon on November 20th. Related is one of the nation’s largest property development firms and Bailey’s talk introduced the firm and gave an...

Transition Techniques

How to make a transition from a back-office, support role to a decision-making role in investment management was the topic of discussion on November 18th for a panel with real experiences in making just such a career move. Moderated by Eric Schweitzer, vice president...

Mental Skills: Get Your Head in the Game

How to control and increase one’s mental skills was the topic that drew a capacity crowd for the latest installment of CFA Society Chicago’s Vault Series on August 20. The featured speaker was Jim Gary, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with 52 years’...

EQ vs IQ

Ask yourself – Am I intelligent? Yes. No. When I get enough sleep. All of these? Ask yourself again, am I emotionally intelligent? In general people respond in the positive to both of these questions – ‘of course I am intelligent’ (think about overconfidence). While...

Storytelling: A Critical Brand Building Skill for Leaders

CFA Society Chicago hosted a storytelling event on May 14th at the Global Conference Center. The purpose of this program was to help society members claim their value using stories as a tool to highlight leadership and communication skills. Storytelling is a big...

Present Like a Pro

In the third installment of a continuing series on communication, Scott Wentworth addressed members of CFA Society Chicago on how to make good business presentations on April 4th.  The capacity crowd of 90 in the Vault at 33 North LaSalle Street spoke to the...

The New Networking

How should one define networking? It could be described as simply an exchange of information and services. But, according to Sameer Somal, a better definition that could lead to a very successful career could be “finding ways to give to others”.  “You have one of...

Tips and Tricks for Negotiating for Yourself

“So much of life is a negotiation – so even if you’re not in business, you have opportunities to practice all around you.” – Kevin O’Leary When we think of negotiations, we tend to restrict our thinking to business situations like deals,...

Launch Your Search

The CFA Society Chicago Professional Development Advisory Group hosted the Launch Your Search program over the course of 4 weekly sessions in September and October. Over thirty participants gathered to develop or enhance the skills necessary to successfully navigate a...

Moving Beyond LinkedIn 101

Many within the business field have heard of LinkedIn as the professional business social media platform that business users use to connect with one another. After all, Microsoft’s $26.2 billion acquisition in June of 2016 made for quite the headline and further...

Transition Techniques

Eric Schweitzer, vice president, global outplacement and executive coaching consultancy at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. lead a panel discussion about employment transition on Tuesday, August 7 for members of the CFA Society Chicago. In addition to leading...

Taking Control of Your Career

The CFA Women’s Network at CFA Society Chicago kicked off their series Taking it to the Next Level: Empowering Tools for Women in Finance aimed at events that optimize career development and advancement for women in the financial services area. The first event in the...

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...

Charterholder Jobs of the Future

Where can CFA charterholders look for career opportunities outside of traditional roles like research analyst or portfolio manager? That was the focus of the Jobs of the Future event sponsored by CFA Society Chicago’s Professional Development Advisory Group on April...

Industry Roundtables

On February 28th, CFA Society Chicago hosted its Industry Roundtables event at the Standard Club. This event was an opportunity for members to join in-depth discussions with leading investment professionals and colleagues in a small group setting. Tables hosts covered...

How to Improve your Quarterly Investor Newsletters

Do you ever feel stressed out when it’s time to work on your investor newsletter or other client communications? Do you wonder if investors understand the key points and theses you want to drive home?  If you answered “yes” to one or both of these questions, you are...

Industry Roundtables

On September 12th, CFA Society Chicago hosted its Industry Roundtables event at The Chicago Club. There were ten tables that focused on different sectors of the investment industry and participants chose three topics they wanted to learn more about. Each round lasted...

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...

How CFA Charterholders Can Become Investment-Grade Writers

CFA charterholders are by de facto investment writers; Writing is the primary way of communicating investment ideas and we are judged by the quality of our ideas in written format. Bad writing can be a major career risk and it is a skill that we should focus on. There...

Four Tips to Launch a Successful Finance Career

If you’re just beginning your career in finance, you might feel your career path is defined; head down, work hard, and eventually the real career choices will present themselves down the road. This is of course true to an extent – the finance industry certainly...

Big Ideas: Evolving Trends and Skills on the Minds of Investment Professionals

What is happening to the investment industry? Where are we heading? How can I keep up? And, more often, how can I stay ahead of the curve? I attended more than 100 events for CFA Society Chicago in the last year, and nearly every time I find that small talk between...

Executive Presence and Leadership Principles

Did you know it takes only four seconds to form an initial impression and 30 seconds to completely form a first impression? More shocking, 70% of workers are actively disengaged or not engaged per a 2012 Gallup survey. These statistics are not encouraging. On March...

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...

The Art of Negotiating Compensation: Getting Paid What You Are Worth

Laurel Bellows is the Managing Partner of her namesake, boutique firm, The Bellows Law Group, P.C. whose practice areas include Executive Compensation, Business Consultation, Business Litigation, Employment Law & Human Resources, and Personal Legal Services....

Building My Brand: Soft Skills for Success

What is the difference between our social selves and professional selves and why would it ever be bad to be social? What do we need to be successful financially and professionally? Melissa Ford, a business and life coach helped us develop an outer focus leading to...

Creating a Stronger Career by Building Your Personal Brand

Managing a brand comes down to two main points: How do others talk about you? And even more importantly: How do you talk about yourself? Executive coach and Make the Leap! Coaching founder, Curt Wang, brought powerful insight into how financial professionals can learn...