We are excited to welcome a friend of the show, Brent Sullivan of The Tax Alpha Insider. We discuss all things Tax Alpha as the investment puzzle is different when it comes to taxable investors. I have been fortunate to have known Brent since the very beginnings of his Tax Alpha Insider Newsletter, a highly successful, focused publication in the wealth management space. I often say that he could become the Michael Kitces of Tax Alpha. Brent is also behind the first Tax Alpha Conference, Basis Northwest, in Seattle on May 28th and 29th, which I will be attending.

Brent has an interesting career background, both corporate and entrepreneurial. As mentioned before, he is the Founder of The Tax Alpha Insider, as well as the Basis Northwest Conference. He was also a Software Engineer at Parametric, who is the godfather of direct indexing. Before that, he worked in Investment Banking and Asset Management. Brent holds a Masters of Engineering from Cornell University (Financial Engineering/Statistics), as well as a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of California, Riverside.

In this episode, we discuss all things Tax Alpha, as this is our first interview with Brent. We talk about the reasons he decided to launch this, why Tax Alpha is important now, and how this is one of the best times in history to be a taxable investor with all of the tools available. We discuss everything from householding/asset location, to direct indexing, to tax-aware long-short, buffer ETF's, 351 exchanges, advisor launched ETF's, assets that shouldn't be used for taxable investors, collars/variable prepaid forward contracts, heartbeat trades/ETF share classes, box loans, tax alpha as a volatility buffer, trader funds, etc. We also discuss the impact of AI on advisors and taxable investing, as well as taking the other side, why not just pay the taxes and keep things simple.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Co-Managing Principal, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon, CFA (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust).
Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com

Learn more:
https://www.taxalphainsider.com/
https://www.basisconf.com/

We are excited to welcome Joe Davis for this episode, currently Vanguard's Global Chief Economist and Global Head of the Investment Strategy Group. Many of you likely know various iterations of the Vanguard story, but most of the professionals I know do not know how big a research team they have.  Joe has a big influence on the company because he is also chairs the firm's Strategic Asset Allocation Committee. Ok, that was exhausting listing all of his titles, he is a busy person. Before that, he was still busy; he earned his M.A. and Ph.D at Duke University and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School of U Penn. Joe is a frequent keynote speaker and currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Portfolio Management and the Journal of Fixed Income.

In this episode, we are all over the place (which is normal), ranging from Vanguard's 50+ year history as a disruptor, to how many CFA charter holders are at Vanguard now (hint: a lot), their vast and under the radar research group, new CEO Salim Ramji, patents that Vanguard created in ETF space, the breakdown of active vs. passive funds in their lineup (which surprises many) and Joe's new book on AI. This was a great segue into the markets, with the impact of AI, Fed independence being potentially disrupted, a new multi-polar world, expected returns, potential market scenarios, and more.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Co-Managing Principal, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon, CFA (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust).

Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com

For our third episode of year six of the podcast, we welcome Herb Greenberg to the Investors First Podcast. Herb's career is incredible, with time as a journalist at major news outlets ranging from the Chicago Tribune and San Francisco Chronicle, to the WSJ, and also time at The Street and CNBC. It should be noted that he was born and raised in Florida and attended the University of Miami. Herb's energy and curiosity are up there with anyone we have interviewed in the history of this podcast.
In today's episode, we cover a wide range of topics, starting with Herb's successful career as a journalist, how he developed a niche in covering red flags on individual companies, how to use his intel to help mitigate risk, and what are his top red flags today, along with much more.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder/Co-Managing Principal, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-hostChris Cannon (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust)

Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com

Show Notes:

· Substack: https://substack.com/@herbgreenberg
· Site: herbgreenberg.com

For our second episode of year six of the podcast, we welcome my friend John Bowman to the podcast. I can't say enough positive things about what John is doing with the CAIA Association (as well as his predecessor Bill Kelly), both of whom put investors first, which is what this podcast is all about. John stepped in as CEO at the beginning of 2025 and we thought it would be great to hear his vision for where alternative investing is headed over the next decade. John is a speaker, writer, commentator and frequently keynoting industry conferences and has been featured in the WSJ, NYT, Pension and Investments, Financial Advisor, CNBC and more. John earned a BS in Business Administration from Mary Washington College and is a CFA charter holder, which is how we have known John for so long.

In this episode, we discuss past CEO Bill Kelly, miles traveled over the past year, the future of CAIA, liquidity budgets for investors and how to size an allocation to alternatives, the private/public convergence, tokenization of private assets, and more.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder & Co-Managing Principal of 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host  Kevin Laake, CFA, CAIA (Team Lead at Mariner Institutional). Both of us are past Presidents of CFA Society Orlando. It is worth noting that Kevin serves as a Chapter Executive for CAIA Florida, which is why I thought he would be great as a co-host for this episode.

Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com

Show Notes:

· From Vision to Action: CAIA's CEO on Shaping Tomorrow's Industry (https://caia.org/blog/2025/01/14/vision-action-caias-ceo-shaping-tomorrows-industry)
· Capital Decanted Podcast (https://caia.org/capital-decanted-podcast)
· Caia.org
· CFA stackable program (https://caia.org/stackable)

To kick off year six of the Investors First Podcast, today's guest is Tom Lee. Tom is the Managing Partner and Head of Research at Fundstrat Global Advisors, with over 25 years of experience in equity research. Formerly J.P. Morgan's Chief Equity Strategist, he is a top-ranked strategist and you will frequently find him on CNBC. Lee holds a BS in Economics from the Wharton School and is a CFA charter holder.

In this episode, we discuss where the S&P 500 will end up in 2025 and areas of the market Tom likes in 2025. Tom discusses bitcoin and how it should be valued relative to gold. We talk about AI and its impact on the market, but more importantly, the importance of ethics as it relates to AI. We also discuss DOGE (which hasn't been discussed since Truman in the 40's), why more basketball players should shoot free throws underhand, and how he developed the granny shots strategy.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Co-Managing Principal at 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Drew Papke, CFA (Director, Private Bank Investments at Fifth Third Bank).

Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com

Show Notes:

· FundSrat: https://fundstrat.com
· Complimentary Research: fsinsight.com
· Granny Shots: https://fsinsight.com/members/stock-lists/?category=granny-shots-stock-list
· Book rec: The Coming Wave (By: Mustafa Suleyman)

Today's guest is Rob Arnott, Founder and Chairman of Research Affiliates, where he actively contributes to research, portfolio management, product innovation, business strategy, and client relations. He co-manages several funds, including the PIMCO All Asset and RAE™ funds. Throughout his career, Rob has challenged conventional financial wisdom and pioneered strategies such as tactical asset allocation, global tactical asset allocation, tax-advantaged equity management, and the Fundamental Index™ approach.


Before founding Research Affiliates in 2002, Rob was chair of First Quadrant, LP, global equity strategist at Salomon Brothers, and CEO of TSA Capital Management. He has published over 150 articles and won numerous awards, including eight Graham and Dodd Scrolls awarded annually by the CFA Institute. Rob also received the 2013 William F. Sharpe Indexing Lifetime Achievement Award. Rob holds a summa cum laude BS in economics, applied mathematics, and computer science from UC Santa Barbara. (Note: bio condensed by ChatGPT).
In this episode, Rob gets us current since he last visited us in Orlando last February, with everything from market returns to the returns impact pre and post-election. We officially welcome Rob as a Florida resident, we discuss the beginning of Research Affiliates, along with indexes dumping stocks and the contrarian launch of his new ETF, NIXT, expected returns, AI and its impact on white-collar professionals, and more.


Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Javier Perez, CFA (Director, BlackPoint Capital), both of us are Past Presidents of CFA Orlando.


Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com


Show Notes:
Link: Expected Returns Interactive Tool
Research Affiliates: https://www.researchaffiliates.com/
NIXT ETF: https://nixtetf.com/etf/

Today's guest is Marko Papic, Marko leads BCA Research's BCA Access and developed GeoMacro Research, the first discretionary macro-geopolitical investment strategy in finance. He connects clients with a broad expert network and custom research, having founded BCA's Geopolitical Strategy service. His book, Geopolitical Alpha, presents a framework for predicting investment outcomes. Previously, Marko was a Partner and Chief Strategist at Clocktower Group, advising institutional investors. His work is included in the CAIA curriculum and The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Geopolitics. Starting as a Senior Analyst at Stratfor, he has lectured at Stanford and Georgetown. Marko holds advanced degrees from the University of Texas and UBC.

This is the second time we have had the privilege of hosting Marko, almost 4 years ago on the button. Marko is no doubt one of our favorite guests in the history of this podcast.

In this episode, we cover the U.S. election, who will win and what America's foreign policy will look like for Trump or Harris. We discuss the powerful American consumer driven economy, how to position your portfolio, the untapped equity in American's homes, and getting us current on the last 4 years since the last time Marko joined us.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust)

Links:

https://www.bcaresearch.com

https://www.bcaresearch.com/marketing/geomacro

https://www.bcaresearch.com/marketing/report/gmac/what-geomacro/100026

Please enjoy the episode.

Today's guest is Jeremy Schwartz, CFA, Global Chief Investment Officer at WisdomTree. Before Jeremy started at WisdomTree in 2005, he was a head research assistant for Professor Jeremy Siegel and became his co-author on the sixth edition of the book Stocks for the Long Run. He received his B.S. in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and hosts the Wharton Business Radio program Behind the Markets on SiriusXM 132. Jeremy is a CFA charter holder and is a member of CFA Society Philadelphia.

In this episode, we start by covering Jeremy's charter holder story. We discuss how he first met Professor Jeremy Siegel while at U Penn and the amazing partnership they have had over the last couple of decades. We also dived into currency hedging in equity markets, the calculus behind launching a new ETF, his podcast and more.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust)

Please enjoy the episode. 

In this episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Michael Mauboussin, Michael is a highly respected figure in finance, celebrated for his deep insights into decision-making, behavioral economics, and investing. Michael is currently the Head of Consilient Research at Counterpoint Global (part of Morgan Stanley Investment Management).  He also serves as an adjunct professor of finance teaching Security Analysis at Columbia Business School (since 1993), teaching essentially the same class that Ben Graham started teaching in 1920. Michael is chairman emeritus of the board of trustees of the Santa Fe Institute, a leading center for multi-disciplinary research in complex systems theory. Mauboussin is best known for his influential books like "The Success Equation" and "Think Twice," which explore critical concepts such as the interplay of skill and luck in business and the power of counterintuitive thinking, which we will touch on in this episode. 

In today's episode, we cover a wide range of topics, including the ongoing public vs. private equity discussion, luck vs. skill as skill increases, stock market concentration, buybacks, valuation and advice for aspiring investment professionals. 

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust)

Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com

Today we host Ali Hamed, a Co-Founder and Partner at CoVenture and a prominent figure in venture capital and alternative investments. With a background in finance and technology, Ali brings strategic insights to early-stage investing. Hamed's track record of success and commitment to fostering entrepreneurship make him a key player in shaping the startup ecosystem. (concise bio courtesy of ChatGPT).

In today's episode, we start with Ali's origin story, starting with his time as a baseball player and agriculture major at Cornell, and what led to him eventually saying the internet was his major in college (which you will see on his LinkedIn profile). I have witnessed Ali's differentiated view on investing in person and have enjoyed listening to his firm's approach, which in some cases, they are 1 of 1 in their space. We discuss whether it is better to have capital or a good investment idea first, the democratization of private market investing, funding YouTube creators, and more.  

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust)

Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Today we host Dr. Meir Statman, somebody who was extremely productive during the pandemic, which included completing his new book A Wealth of Well Being. For those familiar with his behavioral finance research, Meir needs no introduction. For the rest of you listening, Meir has devoted his entire career to behavioral finance and making better investment decisions. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to host Meir for an event before the pandemic, but this is the first time he has been on our podcast.

Meir received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and his B.A. and M.B.A. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It is worth noting that his research has been published in countless reputable academic journals and has been supported by the CFA Institute Reserarch Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA). 

In today's episode, we cover the different measures of wealth in a person's life and the case for diversification across the various measures of wealth one can have (financial, social, cultural, among others). We also discuss human capital as a measure of wealth, optimal vs. sensible portfolio management, overspending vs. underspending, self-actualization, and more.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & guest host Frank Garcia, CFA (Founder, Frankly Finances). 

Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn. 

Social Media:

LinkedIn Post (and Facebook):

New episode w/ Dr. Meir Statman, Professor of Finance at Santa Clara University, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA & Frank Garcia, CFA

*Various measures of wealth a person can have

*The healing power of multiple forms of wealth

*Human capital as a measure of wealth

*Optimal vs. sensible portfolio management

*Overspending vs. underspending

*Self-Actualization

Enjoy! Insert link here

Twitter Post:

New episode w/ Dr. Meir Statman, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA & Frank Garcia, CFA. We discuss personal wealth beyond the numbers (well-being) with the authority on the topic.

Show Notes: 

Santa Clara University: https://www.scu.edu/business/finance/faculty/statman/

New book: A Wealth of Well-Being

Office Hours with Professor Meir Statman: A Crash Course in Behavioral Finance

To kick off year 7 of the Investors First Podcast, we interviewed Rick Rieder of BlackRock, currently Chief Investment Officer of Global Fixed Income, Head of the Fundamental Fixed Income business, and Head of the Global Allocation Investment Team. After earning a BBA in Finance from Emory University and later an MBA from The Wharton School. He started his career as an Analyst at SunTrust, briefly joining E.F. Hutton's training program, and then spending nearly two decades at Lehman Brothers trading before joining BlackRock.

In this episode, we start where his interest in finance began with analyzing sports outcomes and probabilities—sometimes betting lunch money to test his thinking. We cover everything in this episode, from Rick's start as a credit analyst at SunTrust, to a lengthy stay at Lehman Brothers, and then joining BlackRock post GFC. We discussed the team/resources he manages, his investment approach with a heavy emphasis on risk management, and the ability of his strategy to go anywhere to find yield. We discussed gambling vs. investing, the impact of new technologies, AI, and opportunity abroad in fixed income markets, along with much more.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Co-Managing Principal, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon, CFA (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust).
Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com

Learn more:
https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/insights/blackrock-investment-institute/publications/outlook

Our guest today is Sion Evans, CFA, Senior Investment Manager at VenCap, one of the longest-established investment management and advisory firms active in the VC industry today. They've made over 500 commitments to venture capital funds in the US, Europe, China and India. 

In today's episode, Sion gives a masterclass on what the data says about venture capital. We spend a lot of time on the importance of capturing the fund returners, why power laws drive venture returns, and what the global VC & startup landscape looks like today. 

Our co-hosts today are Frank Garcia, CFA, and myself, Colby Donovan, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. 

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our returning guest today is Vikram Mansharamani, a global trend-watcher who shows people how to anticipate the future, manage risk and spot opportunities.

In today's episode, Vikram updates us on what's been a busy three years since he first came on the podcast. We discuss his senatorial campaign in New Hampshire, his unfortunate split at Harvard, and then get into his new book, The Making of a Generalist. He gives a brief overview of the book and then apply his generalist lens to talk about his annual blog post that shares global developments he's keeping an eye on over the next five years. We touch on immigration, the space economy, AI, tensions between US & China, and more. 

Be sure to check out the show notes for all the related links we discuss in the episode.

Our co-hosts today are Chris Cannon, CFA, and myself, Colby Donovan, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. 

Resources

24 Global Developments to Watch Over the Next Five Years

Purchase his book, The Making of a Generalist: An Independent Thinker Finds Unconventional Success in an Uncertain World

Read the intro to his book

Drill, Baby, Drill!

The Kai Guy Show

Vikram's Recommendations

Grant by Ron Chernow

Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything Hardcover

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

1984 by George Orwell

Grid Down, Power Up

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Today we host Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital Management. For most of us in the investment community, Howard needs no introduction. He is somebody we have looked forward to hosting for quite some time and I couldn't think of anybody better to kick off year five of the Investors First Podcast. We could go on and on about his track record, whether it be his time at the University of Pennsylvania or the University of Chicago, his firm's investment performance, or his various professional achievements, but we must note that Howard is a fellow CFA charter holder (circa 1975). 

In today's episode, we cover the various phases of Howard's career. We then discuss the beginning of his time in high-yield debt and how the shift to a risk-return framework for fiduciaries forever changed the investing profession. We also discussed his famous memos and his important thoughts on the Sea Change we are currently experiencing in markets and much more. We are truly grateful for the time Howard offered and he was everything we expected and then some. 

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & guest host Chris Cannon, CFA (Chief Investment Officer, FirsTrust). 

Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Our guest today is Adam Nash, the co-founder & CEO of Daffy.org, a modern platform and community for charitable giving that allows you to sign up for your donor-advised fund. Adam has served as an executive, angel investor, and advisor to some of the most successful technology companies to come out of Silicon Valley, including Dropbox, LinkedIn, eBay, and Apple. Adam also served as President & CEO of Wealthfront. 

In today's episode, Adam explains why his time at Wealthfront gave him the idea to launch Daffy (which stands for donor-advised fund for you). We walk through the ins and outs of a donor-advised fund, how Daffy manages to offer it at a cost that makes Vanguard 13x more expensive, and why this can be a great tool for year-end tax planning.

Listeners get an extra $25 for charity when they join Daffy. Get started for free here. 

Our co-hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA, and myself, Colby Donovan, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. 

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Today we host Professor Aswath Damodaran, where we speak about how Aswath gained his love for teaching and how it led to him becoming an expert in valuation. The episode quickly veered into a sharp critique of the shortcomings of ESG investing. We also discuss market efficiency as it relates to active vs. passive investing, his story approach to individual companies, the future of education, career advice for finance professionals and more. 

Our hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA & guest host Chris Cannon, CFA (Chief Investment Officer, FirsTrust).

Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Social Media:

LinkedIn Post (and Facebook):

New episode w/ Aswath Damodaran, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA & Chris Cannon, CFA.

*Aswath's love for teaching and how it led to him becoming an expert in valuation

*A sharp critique of ESG investing

*Market efficiency

*His story approach to individual companies

*Future of education and career advice for finance professionals

Enjoy! Insert link here

Twitter Post:

New episode w/ Aswath Damodaran, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA & Chris Cannon, CFA. We discuss his love for teaching, his story approach for individual companies, a sharp critique of ESG investing and more.

Show Notes: 

• NYU Homepage: https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/
• Writing: https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar
• Data: https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar
• Tools: https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar
• Musings on Markets blog: https://aswathdamodaran.substack.com/
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLvnJL8htRR1T9cbSccaoVw

Today we host Phil Hayes, The ESOP Guy, where we speak about how Phil went from banker to Managing Partner of a large regional accounting firm (as a non-CPA) to now becoming an expert in ESOP's.  

In today's episode, we speak about exit strategies in general, where ESOP's fit, the mechanics of ESOP transactions and the tax advantages of this structure. We then bounce around and discuss everything all at once ranging from 1042 exchanges with qualified replacement property, to whether this is a good deal for BOTH the owners and the employees and much more.  

Our hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA & guest host Chris Cannon, CFA (Chief Investment Officer, FirsTrust).

Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Social Media:

LinkedIn Post (and Facebook):

New episode w/ Phil Hayes, Partner at Berman Hopkins, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA & Chris Cannon, CFA.

*Journey from banker to Managing Partner of Regional accounting firm to ESOP expert

*The ESOP Guy podcast

*Exit strategies and where ESOP's fit for business owners

*Tax advantages

*1042 qualified replacement property

*Is this a good deal for BOTH seller and employees? 

Enjoy! Insert link here

Twitter Post:

New episode w/ Phil Hayes, Partner at Berman Hopkins, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA & Chris Cannon, CFA. We discuss the ESOP Guy podcast, goodness of fit for business owners, tax advantages, 1042 qualified replacement property, and whether this a good deal for all parties involved. 

Show Notes: 

https://www.journeytoanesop.com

https://www.bermanhopkins.com/

https://www.esopassociation.org/resources

https://www.nceo.org/find-your-resource

https://www.esop.org

Our guest today is Peter Atwater, President of Financial Insyghts and an adjunct professor at William & Mary and the University of Delaware. He studies the impact of changing confidence on consumer decision-making, using his research to advise investors, business leaders, and policymakers. In 2023, he released the book, The Confidence Map: Charting a Path from Chaos to Clarity. 

In today's episode, Peter walks through some of the key topics in the world today, including the dominance of U.S. stocks, the rise of grifters in the past few years, why he coined the term K-Shape Recovery in 2020. Everything Peter discusses is through the lens of the decision-making framework laid out in his recent book, which is the best writing about the way feelings of confidence and vulnerability relate to the markets at any given time. 

Our co-hosts today are Chris Cannon, CFA, and myself, Colby Donovan, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. 

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our guest today is Orlando's own fantasy football expert, KC Joyner. KC used to work for ESPN and now runs his own website called The Football Scientist. We've had lots of amazing podcast guests since we started in March 2020, but since last year's episode with KC was the second most downloaded episode of any episode we've had, we had to invite him back on.  

In today's episode, KC explains how another past podcast guest Peter Zeihan's geopolitical framework applies to fantasy football. We cover a range of topics to get you prepped for your draft, and KC was kind enough to give our listeners a discount to his draft guide, so visit www.thefootballscientist.com and use the code CFA for a discount on his draft guide and season-long packages. 

Our co-hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA, and myself, Colby Donovan, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. 

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our guest today is Cameron Dawson, Chief Investment Officer of NewEdge Wealth. Cameron is a Florida native, Rollins college graduate and former board member of the CFA Society of Orlando. 

In today's episode, Cameron talks about her overall view of the markets. She touches on value, emerging markets, alternatives, and why she's keeping a close eye on the Bank of Japan going forward. 

Our co-hosts today are Chris Cannon, CFA, and myself, Colby Donovan, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. 

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our guests today are David Lau and Wade Pfau. These two individuals have been collaborating for quite some time to solve retirement income puzzles for investors. David has been doing it with DPL, bridging the gap between low cost insurance and Fee Only wealth management firms. On the other hand, Wade has been approaching retirement solutions from the academic lens with rigorous research. 

In today's episode, we discuss the potential blind spot in Fee-Only wealth management firms as it relates to insurance and annuities, whether insurance and investments should be comingled and the concept of the outsourced Chief Insurance Officer. We break down the cost of certain products and discuss the puzzles that David and Wade are trying to solve for retirees seeking stable income sources. We also discuss if Ken Fisher is a fiduciary, what products should exist that don't currently exist, recreating your grandparents pension with lower cost products and whether long term care insurance products are cost efficient for retirees. 

Wade will receive the award as the most resilient guest of the Investors First Podcast, as he was kind enough to join us while on a trip in Japan and even experienced two earthquakes while recording the episode. 

Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA. Please enjoy the episode.

Follow CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Social Media:

LinkedIn Post (and Facebook):

New episode w/ David Lau, DPL & Dr. Wade Pfau, RISA, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA. 

*Breaking down a commission free insurance product

*The challenges of market volatility and homemade dividends in retirement

*Credit risk associated w/ the implicit guarantee in insurance products

*Is Ken Fisher a fiduciary?

Enjoy!

Twitter Post:

New episode w/ David Lau & Dr. Wade Pfau, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA. We break down commission free insurance products for Fee-Only Advisors, the challenges of homemade dividends for retirees with total return approaches, whether Ken Fisher is a fiduciary and the concept of the Outsourced Chief Insurance Officer.

https://www.dplfp.com

https://risaprofile.com

https://retirementresearcher.com/

https://www.mcleanam.com/

https://www.theamericancollege.edu/our-people/faculty/wade-pfau

Kevin Shea is a Director/Senior Equity Strategist at BNY Mellon, where he focuses on individual security analysis, market structure, and emerging technologies—most notably artificial intelligence. Raised in a blue-collar household in Boston, Kevin learned the value of investing early and carried that discipline through Penn State University and into his professional life. He earned the CFA charter while beginning his career at Merrill Lynch Investment Management, eventually joining BNY Mellon's Equity Advisory Group, a team dedicated to helping wealth clients navigate complex equity markets and fast-moving innovation cycles.

In this episode, Kevin joins Steve Curley and co-host Dan Fasciano to break down the state of AI, technology leadership, and the increasing concentration within U.S. equity markets. He explains why today's mega-cap technology firms continue to dominate—highlighting advantages in data scale, free-cash-flow margins, and unparalleled AI investment. The discussion explores whether we are in an "AI bubble," how current valuations compare to the late-1990s dot-com era, and the unprecedented capital-expenditure supercycle underway as companies race to build data-center infrastructure. Kevin also offers a global lens—comparing U.S. and Chinese capabilities, semiconductor constraints, and the geopolitical factors shaping the AI race.

The conversation then pivots to how AI is transforming the investment-research process itself. Kevin walks through the tools BNY Mellon and industry analysts increasingly rely on—from ChatGPT and internal models like "Eliza" to AlphaSense, Sentieo, and Claude—and how these systems enable teams to process far more information than ever before. He also discusses how AI-driven productivity may help address demographic and inflation challenges over the long run. The episode closes with a memorable perspective on work ethic, drawing parallels between success in investing and Kobe Bryant's "Mamba mentality," emphasizing that excellence is built on consistent, behind-the-scenes effort.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Co-Managing Principal at 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Dan Fasciano, CFA (Principal at GW&K Investment Management)

Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com

In today's episode, we host Wes Gray, CEO of Alpha Architect. Founded in 2010, Alpha Architect is a research focused quant firm that put themselves on the map offering value and momentum factor exposures, but it doesn't stop there. Wes and his group have evolved to offer advanced tax strategies in the form of ETF's, separately managed accounts (SMA's), and ETF white-labeled services. Wes has an incredible bio that starts with humble beginnings growing up on a ranch. He later becomes a Captain in the US Marine Corps followed by earning his MBA & PhD studying under Nobel Prize Winner Eugene Fama at the University of Chicago. 

This episode is centered around investments and tax minimization, starting with why Wes moved to Puerto Rico a few years ago. We discuss his bio and his mission for Alpha Architect & ETF Architect. We focus the rest of the episode on tax efficiency for asset owners, starting with white labeling ETF's, creative conversions to ETF's, whether direct indexing is currently oversold, post ESOP investment strategies, box spreads as an alternative to T-Bills and more. 

Hosting today's episode is myself Steve Curley, CFA & guest host Frank Garcia, CFA. 

Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Social Media:

LinkedIn Post (and Facebook):

New episode w/ Wes Gray, CEO of Alpha Architect, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA & Frank Garcia, CFA. 

*PR Act 60 (Preferred Tax Status for Puerto Rico Residents)

*Bio/Mission if Alpha Architect & ETF Architect

*White labeling ETF's & creative ETF conversions

*Direct indexing, oversold?

*Box spreads as an alternative to T-Bills

*Post ESOP investment strategies

Enjoy! Insert link here

Twitter Post:

New episode w/ Wes Gray, CEO of Alpha Architect & ETF Architect. We discuss everything tax, from PR Act 60, to his firm's mission & focus on tax efficient investments, white labeling ETF's, creative ETF conversions, direct indexing being oversold, box spreads instead of T-Bills & more. 

Show Notes: 

Alpha Architect: https://alphaarchitect.com/about

ETF Architect: https://etfarchitect.com/

Box spreads: https://alphaarchitect.com/2023/05/box-spreads-an-alternative-to-treasury-bills/

March for the Fallen: https://alphaarchitect.com/mftf/

Democratize Quant: https://alphaarchitect.com/democratizequant/

How to Start an ETF: https://alphaarchitect.com/2021/11/how-to-start-an-etf-resources-and-faq/

Today we host Jan van Eck for the second time on the Investors First Podcast. Jan is the CEO of VanEck, a global asset manager with over $57 billion in assets under management, including ETF's, mutual funds, SMA's, UCITS and more. Since our first recording with Jan in April 2020, Jan took the initiative to create a financial history course at VanEck during the pandemic. Jan is a brilliant investment professional with a passion for financial history. Beyond VanEck's work as a pioneer in the asset management business, we wanted to highlight the great work he is doing (beyond managing money) in this episode. 

In today's episode, we speak about Jan's financial history curriculum, railroads as the first internet of the United States, the philosophical debate continuing between Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians, the concentration of power with ETF's (and politicization of ESG), predicting the future and much more. 

Our host today are Steve Curley, CFA & today's guest host is Chris Cannon, CFA (Chief Investment Officer, FirsTrust).

Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Our guest today are Rick Bookstaber and Govinda Quish, co-founders at Fabric Risk, which provides factor-based risk management applications for investment advisors, consultants and family offices. This is the second time we have hosted Rick on our podcast, with this time focused on the current state of banking and the risks of contagion, as well as other risks in public and private markets. We encourage you to listen to our prior episode with Rick to learn more about his background or visit fabricrisk.com to learn more about their professional backgrounds.

Hosting today's episode is Steve Curley, CFA, co-founder of The Investors First Podcast & former President of CFA Orlando. Please enjoy the episode.

Follow CFA Society of Orlando on LinkedIn & Twitter @CFAOrlandoFL. You can find every past episode of the The Investors First Podcast at investorsfirstpodcast.com.

Our guests today are Dan Rasmussen and Bob Elliott. This is the first time both Dan and Bob have shared a podcast stage and they did not disappoint.

In today's episode, we discuss Dan and Bob's time at Bain Capital and Bridgewater and how that experience led to founding their respective firms. We then discuss the idea of return smoothing in venture capital, whether active management has an edge in this market environment, is alpha just beta waiting to be discovered, the flaws of private market indices, and much more.

Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA. Please enjoy the episode.

BIO's:

Dan is the Founder of Verdad, which is an independent research driven global asset management firm seeking to replicate private equity exposure in public markets. Prior to Verdad, Dan spent time at Bain Capital Private Equity and Bridgewater Associates. In 2017, Dan was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Dan earned an AB from Harvard College and a MBA from Stanford.

Bob is Co-Founder, CEO and CIO of Unlimited Funds, which uses machine learning to create low cost ETF's to replicate the returns of classic hedge fund strategies. Prior to Unlimited, Bob was at Bridgewater Associates, where he served on Bridgewater's investment committee, led Ray Dalio's personal research team and authored hundreds of Bridgewater's widely read Daily Observations. Bob holds a BA in History and Science from Harvard.

Follow CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our guest today is Jeffrey Sherman, Deputy CIO of DoubleLine, which manages over $100 billion.  Jeffrey oversees and administers DoubleLine's Investment Management sub-committee coordinating and implementing policies and processes across the investment teams. He also serves as lead portfolio manager for multi-sector and derivative-based strategies.

In today's episode, Jeffrey shares how he views the investment landscape as we kick off a new year. He touches on inflation, interest rates, and whether or not he expects a Fed pivot. He also shares where he sees opportunity in the market today, specifically in the credit markets.

Our co-hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA, and Colby Donovan, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. 

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our guest today is Mark Brewer, President and CEO of the Central Florida Foundation. Mark frequently advises private and corporate foundation grantmakers across the region and plays a public policy advisory role on strategy and advisory boards around the state of Florida.

Our conversation on this Giving Tuesday focuses on the role philanthropy in society, best practices on how to be strategic about causes you choose to support, and the major areas of need in Central Florida today.

Our co-hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA, and Colby Donovan. Please enjoy the episode. 

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our guests today are David Berns & Mike Taylor.

David Berns is Chief Investment Officer & Co-Founder of Simplify Asset Management, which is focused on creating hedge fund and structured product strategies in a liquid, transparent, tax-efficient and low cost vehicle (ETF's). David has a PhD in Physics from MIT in the field of Quantum Computation.

Mike Taylor is Portfolio Manager for the health care strategy at Simplify, which is one of the most unique strategies in the investment management industry, with all net profits donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. He has spent the last two decades managing hedge fund strategies at funds including Millennium, Citadel and Diamondback Capital. Mike holds advanced degrees in Science and Business from the Johns Hopkins University and the William E. Simon School of Business.

In today's episode, we discuss how Simplify was created and how the idea for their health care strategy came together. We then discuss Mike's hedge fund career, how managing a long only health care ETF differs from hedge fund investing and much more.

We recorded this episode in October for breast cancer awareness month and we wanted to highlight the great work Simplify is doing with Susan G. Komen, using finance as a cause for good. This is the first 100% pro bono ETF, with all net profits donated for the benefit of Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Our hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA, past President of CFA Society Orlando and co-founder of the Investors First Podcast, and Javier Perez, CFA, also a past President of CFA Society Orlando & Director at Skyview Investment Advisors.

Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Dr. Snaith is the Director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Economic Forecasting and a nationally recognized economist in the field of business and economic forecasting.

An award-winning forecaster, researcher and professor, Snaith applies academic expertise to solve real-world problems. He has served as a consultant for local governments and multi-national corporations such as Compaq, Dell and IBM.  Snaith holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Pennsylvania State University.

Snaith frequently is interviewed in national and regional media and is a sought-after speaker. He has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, The Economist and CNNMoney.com and has appeared on CNBC, Fox Business Network and Business News Network, based in Toronto.

Sean correctly called the end of the great financial crisis in June 2009. Prior to that, Snaith was named by Bloomberg News as one of the nation's most accurate forecasters in 2008. In 2007, he was named California's most accurate forecaster by the Western Blue Chip Consensus Forecast.

In this episode, we will talk about the Fed, inflation, and discuss how we are headed for a pasta-bowl recession. We focus the rest of the episode on the state of Florida and potential headwinds to growth such as rising housing costs, supply chain shortages, labor market shortages, and high overall inflation. Last, we discuss ways the state of Florida (and particularly Central Florida) can best position itself for future growth.

Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA, prior President of CFA Society Orlando, current board member & co-founder of The Investors First Podcast. Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Our guest today is Zach Conway, Founder and CEO of Seeds Investor. Seeds Investor is a new wealth technology platform designed to empower advisors to better understand investors and deliver the personalized portfolios that align.

In addition to Seeds, Zach is a Managing Director with the Conway Wealth Group, a private advisory firm based in Parsippany, New Jersey. Prior to the Conway Group, Zach served as Editorial Manager at Standard & Poor's. Zach is a contributor to Forbes, Founder of the Leader Board and Co-Founder of the Life & Health Network. Zach earned his bachelors degree from Gettysburg College.

In today's episode, we discuss current headwinds in ESG, actor Adrian Grenier's involvement with Seeds Investor, tailored portfolios with values based investing and eliminating Fund/ETF wrappers from client conversations with direct investing.

Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA, board member & past President of CFA Society Orlando, as well as co-founder of the Investors First Podcast. Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Our guest today is Zach Conway, Founder and CEO of Seeds Investor. Seeds Investor is a new wealth technology platform designed to empower advisors to better understand investors and deliver the personalized portfolios that align.

In addition to Seeds, Zach is a Managing Director with the Conway Wealth Group, a private advisory firm based in Parsippany, New Jersey. Prior to the Conway Group, Zach served as Editorial Manager at Standard & Poor's. Zach is a contributor to Forbes, Founder of the Leader Board and Co-Founder of the Life & Health Network. Zach earned his bachelors degree from Gettysburg College.

In today's episode, we discuss current headwinds in ESG, actor Adrian Grenier's involvement with Seeds Investor, tailored portfolios with values based investing and eliminating Fund/ETF wrappers from client conversations with direct investing.

Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA, board member & past President of CFA Society Orlando, as well as co-founder of the Investors First Podcast. Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

In this episode of the Investors First Podcast, we sit down with Perth Tolle, founder of the Freedom 100 Emerging Markets Index (FRDM), now over $1.6B in assets. We explore her vision for how personal and economic freedom can shape global investment outcomes. Perth shares her journey from growing up in Beijing to moving to the U.S. at age nine, her early career as a Fidelity advisor, and how those experiences ultimately inspired her differentiated approach to emerging-markets investing.

We discuss how she constructs and maintains the FRDM Index, the impact of excluding authoritarian regimes like China and Russia, the wide dispersion across EM index methodologies, and why her strategy has delivered top-tier long-term performance. Perth also walks us through fee decisions, her unique "team of one" operating model, her chance encounter with Rob Arnott and his future support of the Freedom 100 EM ETF, and what it's like partnering with Alpha Architect. This conversation offers a fresh perspective for advisors and investors seeking a freedom-focused approach to global markets.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Co-Managing Principal, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust)

Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com

More info at:
https://freedometfs.com

Our guest today is Andrew Beer, Managing Member and Co-Portfolio manager for Dynamic Beta Investments, an investment firm founded in 2012.

Over the past decade, Andrew's singular focus has been to identify strategies to match or outperform portfolios of leading hedge funds with low fees, daily liquidity, and less downside risk.

Andrew has been in and around the financial services and hedge fund industry in particular for more than 25 years.

In today's episode, we will discuss Andrew's journey to starting dynamic beta, democratizing access to hedge fund strategies at a reasonable costs, the benefits of replication and managed futures for portfolios, and building investment solutions to solve for client needs.

My name is Frank Garcia and I currently serve as the president of CFA Society Orlando and will be your host today. Please enjoy the episode.

https://www.dynamicbeta.com/

Follow Andrew on Twitter: @Andrewdbeer1

FranklyFinances.com
Follow Frank on Twitter: @franklyfinances

Our guest today is KC Joyner, a fantasy football guru and pioneer of the football analytics revolution, featured on ESPN and The Athletic. He is Founder of the Football Scientist, a data analytics subscription service designed to help you win your fantasy football league.

KC left his career in telecom to pursue a lifelong dream of writing a Bill James-style book about football. 19 months later, his detailed tape breakdowns of the 2003 and 2004 season led to the self-publication of Joyner's groundbreaking book Scientific Football in 2005.

Since his first book was released, he has joined forced with the likes of ESPN and most recently the writing team at The Athletic. KC is a nationally published author and his other books include Blindsided, Why the Left Tackle is Overrated and Other Contrarian Football Thoughts.

In today's episode, we discuss KC's background and how the The Football Scientist publication came to be. We then dive in to the quant approach he uses for fantasy football and how it could help you win your league this year, with several stops in between.

Our hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA and Colby Donovan, current board members of CFA Society Orlando. Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Social Media:

LinkedIn Post (and Facebook):
New episode w/ KC Joyner, Founder of Football Scientist, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA and Colby Donovan.

*KC's background and the research and book that put him on the map
*His pursuit of a Bill James style of advanced analytics for the National Football League
*Time w/ ESPN, the Athletic & more
*How to win your fantasy football league this year, with actionable ideas for this year's draft

Enjoy! Insert link here (and please add KC's twitter handle to below)

Twitter Post:
New episode w/ the Football Scientist KC Joyner, his background & the book that put him on the map, his pursuit of Bill James style analytics for NFL, time w/ ESPN, & how to win your fantasy football league this year.

Show Notes:
thefootballscientist.com (use code "CFA" to save on draft guide)
https://theathletic.com/3359667/2022/06/23/warren-buffett-fantasy-football-strategy/

Our guest today is Ranji Nagaswami, Managing Director, Chief Strategy/Commercial Officer at SVP Global. Headquartered in Greenwich, CT. SVP is a global investment firm focused on distressed debt and private equity opportunities. Founded in 2001, SVP has over $18 billion in assets under management, 4 offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia and has ~140 employees and over 60 investment professionals.

Ranji is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and is also the Founder and Lead Moderator of the Aspen Institute Finance Leaders Fellowship program. She has served as trustee and member of several boards, including the Yale University investment committee with David Swenson, the UAW VEBA investment advisory council and the Curtis Institute Investment Committee. Last, but certainly not least, she is a CFA Charter Holder.

In today's episode, we start with Ranji's experience as the youngest ever MBA student at Yale, discussing the positive impact that studying dance as a child had on her. We then discuss some of her career highlights, including her time at Alliance Bernstein, Mayor Bloomberg and as the CEO of Hirtle Callaghan. We then take a deep dive on private credit investing. Last, we discuss her involvement with the CFA Institute and the wonderful work she is doing at the Aspen Institute.

Our hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA and Chris Cannon, current board members (and Past Presidents) of CFA Society Orlando. Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Our guest today is Samir Vasavada, co-founder & CEO of Vise. Samir came up with the idea for Vise when him and Runik Mehrotra (fellow co-founder) were teenagers. Samir is responsible for Operations, Business Development and managing a team of Engineers and Ph.D. AI and Quantitative Finance Researchers at Vise. Vise is a venture-backed FinTech startup using Artificial Intelligence to revolutionize Portfolio Construction and Management for Financial Advisors. Vise has raised enough capital to be considered a unicorn (valuation greater than $1B) and is backed by Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, & the Wharton School of Business (among other investors). Samir is one of the youngest FinTech founders I have ever met and was named in the 2021 Forbes list for top 30 under 30.

In today's episode, we go back to Samir's time in high school and how he met his business partner and fellow co-founder Runik Mehrotra. We discuss what Vise is, what is unique about them and the venture backed fundraising process. We also talk about the all in cost of advice for investors, the future of the wealth management profession and much more.

It is worth noting that this episode was recorded a short time ago and both the market environment and Vise's strategy have shifted substantially since recording this episode. That said, it will be exciting to watch what Samir and Vise do next as they attempt to shape the future of investment management.

Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA, current board member & most recent President of CFA Society Orlando.

Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Our guest today is Eduardo Repetto, Chief Investment Officer for Avantis Investors. Avantis was established to help clients achieve their investment goals through a persistent focus on providing well-diversified investment solutions that fit seamlessly into asset allocations and combine the potential for added value with the reliability of indexing.

Eduardo is responsible for directing the research, design and implementation of investment strategies, providing oversight of the investment team and the firm's marketing initiatives and interacting with clients. He is former co-Chief Executive Officer and co-Chief Investment Officer of Dimensional Fund Advisors and holds a doctorate in Aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology, a Master of Science degree in Engineering from Brown University, Civil Engineering from the Universidad de Buenos Aires. Eduardo is a Trustee of the California Institute of Technology.

In todays episode, we will discuss Eduardo's journey from engineering to finance, the influence of great mentors, how to think about market prices, building investment solutions, and advice for young professionals.

Our local co-hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA, and Frank Garcia, CFA, both of which are board members of CFA Orlando. Please enjoy the episode.

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our guest today is Chris Arnade, author of the best seller Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America. A Florida native, Chris was one of the first quants on Wall Street and spent 20 years as a trader before becoming disenchanted in finance's role in the 2008 Great Financial Crisis, leading him to walk through the South Bronx and all over areas of the country that he describes as "left behind."

Chris has a way of putting the current bipolarization in the US into words as well as anyone I've come across. We talk about our country's focus on quantifiable things like GDP and efficiency and lack of focus on intangible things like community, connection and religion. We also touch on the role of McDonald's in the country, why you may need to change what you think of McDonald's, and what he thinks is behind the mistrust of authority and others.

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

Resources:

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City Paperback by Matthew Desmond

Walking America: Orlando by Chris Arnade

Our guest today is Rick Bookstaber, co-founder and Head of Risk for Fabric, which provides factor-based risk management applications for investment advisors. Rick resume is as impressive as you can come across. He's held Chief Risk Officer roles at Morgan Stanley, Salomon, Bridgewater, and the University of California pension. He also worked at the U.S. Treasury post-2008 and helped write the Volcker Rule. He's the author of The End of Theory and A Demon of Our Own Design.

In today's episode, we start with Rick's framework for looking at risk and what the cockroach can teach us about sound portfolio construction and risk management. Then Rick shares what he thinks are some of the biggest risks in the market today, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and rising inflation and interest rates and QT.

Finally, we get into his newest venture and why he chose to start a firm on helping financial advisors and individuals with risk management.  

Our co-hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA, and myself, Colby Donovan. Please enjoy the episode. 

Please enjoy our episode with Fabric's Rick Bookstaber.  

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our guest today is Roger Urwin, Global Head of Investment Content with Willis Towers Watson. Roger joined Watson Wyatt in 1989 to start the firm's investment consulting practice and, under his leadership, grew to a global team of over 600. Roger has been influential with the CFA Institute and their Future of Finance initiative, as well as co-founder of the Thinking Ahead Institute. His investment innovations include three global firsts, one of which is the creation of the first target date and lifestyle defined contribution funds (1988). Roger is also Advisory Director at MSCI Inc. He has a degree in Mathematics and a Masters in Applied Statistics from Oxford University.

In today's episode, we speak with Roger about his personal background, including a personal tragedy he experienced, followed by his professional background and his work at the Thinking Ahead Institute. We then do a deep dive on the current state of sustainable investing, which includes greenwashing, comparing investors globally, net zero, proxy voting, benchmarking and more.

Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA & his guest host is James Sellon, CFA (Managing Partner, Maseco).

Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Our guest today is Matt Brown. Matt is the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of CAIS. Found in 2009, CAIS, a fintech leader, empowers over 4,000+ unique advisor firms/teams who oversee more than $2T+ in network assets. Founded by a financial advisor, CAIS considers itself the first truly open marketplace for alternative investments, where financial advisors and asset managers can engage and transact directly. CAIS offers access to alternative strategies ranging from hedge funds to private equity/credit to real estate, digital assets, structured notes and more. CAIS is unique in that all funds on the platform undergo Mercer's due diligence and ongoing monitoring. They also offer an education platform called CAIS IQ, which helps educate advisors on alternative investments.

In today's episode, we start in 2009 and discuss how difficult it must have been to launch CAIS during the great financial crisis. We then discuss the CAIS platform, competition, the democratization of alternatives and CAIS's value proposition. We later get into distribution (and why it isn't a negative term), their recent high profile fundraise and what they plan to do with the money to grow. Other topics range from artificial intelligence to the power of data, the accredited investor rule, CAIS IQ education platform, the importance of reporting and the value of soft skills.

Our hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA & John Bowman, CFA of CAIA Association. Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

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

Marty Bicknell is the CEO and founder of Mariner, a nationally recognized wealth advisory firm providing comprehensive financial solutions to individuals, families, and institutions. Under his leadership since founding the firm in 2006, Mariner has grown from a small startup into one of the largest registered investment advisory (RIA) firms in the United States, with over $500 billion in assets under advisement. With a strong emphasis on client-first service, innovation, and culture, Marty has cultivated a business model that prioritizes holistic financial planning, investment management, and long-term relationship-building. Mariner has been ranked as a top 5 RIA by Barron's from 2016-2024. Beyond his role as CEO, Marty is an advocate for the financial advisory profession and frequently shares insights on entrepreneurship, leadership, and the future of wealth management.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Co-Managing Principal, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust)

Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com

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

Follow the Investors First Podcast & CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter and LinkedIn.