The State of the Illinois Budget
There was little joy in this Holiday Season discussion of the fiscal outlook for the state of Illinois. The state’s expenses have exceeded revenues since 2001 and ratings on Illinois debt have been falling for thirty years, driven by a growing pension debt (Note:...
The Future of Oil & Gas
On November 24, 2020, CFA Society Chicago hosted a virtual event addressing the road ahead for the energy commodities, the firms involved, and how that translates into future opportunities. Tim Flannery, CFA, CPA, managing partner at Copia Capital, moderated the panel...
Capital Markets Series: Private Debt
The development of the market for private debt (or private credit) was the subject of the third installment in the four-part series on capital markets hosted by CFA Society Chicago’s Education Advisory Group on November 18, 2020. The private credit market has grown...
Capital Markets Series: Private Market
Another large crowd assembled over Zoom for the second installment of CFA Society Chicago’s Capital Market Series on October 20, 2020, covering Private Allocations. The panel discussion featured Harisha Koneru Haigh, CFA, managing director of Private Investments and...
Distinguished Speaker Series: Anthony Scaramucci, Skybridge Capital
Over 300 CFA Society Chicago members and investment professionals gathered virtually on October 15, 2020, for the latest event in the Distinguished Speaker Series. The featured “Distinguished Speaker” was hedge fund manager Anthony Scaramucci. Perhaps best known to a...
Capital Markets Series: Public Allocations
On October 7, 2020, a resilient crowd gathered via Zoom to listen in on the first installment of CFA Society Chicago’s four-part Capital Market Series, focusing on public markets. The event was a panel discussion featuring Bob Browne, CFA, executive vice president and...
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...
Distinguished Speaker Series: Liz Ann Sonders, Charles Schwab
A crowd of over 200 signed in for a “virtual fireside conversation” with Liz Ann Sonders on September 22, 2020. Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab, covered a range of topics within the context of the environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic...
CFA Societies Chicago & Boston Trivia Night
Fifteen members of the CFA Societies in Boston and Chicago gathered in virtual form on September 17, 2020, for the first ever joint trivia night. Hosted by the Social Events Advisory Group of CFA Society Chicago, the event was planned jointly by the staffs of the two...
Distinguished Speaker Series: Suni Harford, UBS Asset Management
On August 19, 2020, members of CFA Society Chicago, among others, gathered on Zoom to listen on a discussion about the Future of the Asset Management Business between Suni Harford, President of UBS Asset Management, and CFA Society Chicago’s own Thomas Digenan, CFA,...
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...
Distinguished Speaker Series: Roy Swan, Ford Foundation
On July 16, 2020, members of CFA Society Chicago, among others, gathered on Zoom to hear Roy Swan, director of Mission Investments at the Ford Foundation, speak about the Ford Foundation’s Mission Investments strategy as well as Mission Investments broadly. Swan...
Investment Trends Through A Diverse Lens
How to create a more equitable, inclusive environment for employees and clients was the topic of a recent virtual panel discussion hosted by CFA Society Chicago’s CFA Women’s Network on July 14, 2020. Originally planned to help celebrate Women’s History Month in...
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...
Distinguished Speaker Series: Cathie Wood, ARK Invest
On June 8th CFA Society Chicago’s Distinguished Speaker Series Advisory Group welcomed Cathie Wood, CIO/CEO of ARK Investment Management, to provide her thoughts and insights on the impact of rapidly changing market dynamics, breakthrough innovations, and the...
Fixed Income Management—Navigating Risks to Bond Markets from COVID-19
On June 10, 2020, CFA Institute hosted a webinar entitled “Fixed Income Management—Navigating Risks to Bond Markets from COVID-19.” Christopher Vincent, CFA, president and chief executive officer of CFA Society Chicago, was the moderator and welcomed the attendees to...
Distinguished Speaker Series: Kristina Hooper, Invesco
Kristina Hooper, CFP®, CAIA®, CIMA, CHFC®, chief global market strategist at Invesco, joined CFA Society Chicago on June 2, 2020, for a webinar on the economic outlook for the coming months, including various scenarios given fiscal, monetary and public health policy...
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...
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...
Equity Market Outlook: Gina Martin Adams, CMT, CFA
As the pandemic rages on, the equity market continues to be turbulent and possibly disconnected from economic reality. On May 20, 2020, the CFA Society Chicago Women’s Network hosted an event featuring Gina Martin Adams, CFA, CMT, chief equity strategist with...
POWER Series: President Loretta J. Mester
On May 12, 2020, CFA Society Chicago’s CFA Women’t Network hosted Loretta J. Mester, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, for its POWER Series webinar. President Mester began with opening remarks and then participated in a Q&A session...
Managing Wealth Through A Pandemic
Insights from the Front Line CFA Society Chicago’s Women’s Network hosted a virtual discussion on Managing Wealth Through a Pandemic on May 7, 2020. Panelist included Jenifer Aronson, CFA, managing partner of Mosaic Fi, Sunitha Thomas, CFA, senior vice president and...
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...