Biography
Mark J. Higgins, CFA, CFP, serves as a senior vice president for IFA Institutional where he specializes in providing advisory services to institutional plans, such as endowments, foundations, pension plans, defined contribution plans, and various corporate plans. In this role, he leverages more than 14 years of relevant experience consulting for both small and multi-billion-dollar plans. Higgins is the author of Investing in U.S. Financial History: Understanding the Past to Forecast the Future. The book recounts the financial history of the United States, beginning with the innovative financial programs of Alexander Hamilton in 1790 and ending with the Federal Reserve’s ongoing battle to contain inflation. In March 2024, Investing in U.S. Financial History was awarded a bronze medal in the prestigious 2024 Axiom Book Awards under the category of “Personal Finance/Retirement Planning/Investing.” He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Museum of American Finance, and he is a frequent writer for the Museum’s Financial History magazine. Insights from his writing and experiences as an advisor to institutional investment plans have been quoted by journalists at CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, Morningstar, and many other financial publications throughout the world. Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) is a designation received upon passing the course work and exam administered by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFB Board). Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charter is a designation given to those who have completed the CFA® Program and completed acceptable work experience requirements. The CFA Program is a three-part exam that tests the fundamentals of investment tools, valuing assets, portfolio management, and wealth planning. CFA charter holders are qualified to work in senior and executive positions in investment management, risk management, asset management, and more. [*] Participation in a book contest typically requires an entrance fee. This fee is intended to cover administrative expenses and is not material in amount.
Explore red flags in private markets as speculative excess, retail marketing, and valuation risks mount. Lessons from financial history.
This collection of quotes from US financial history offers timeless lessons in vice, virtue, and investing wisdom for every generation.
Private credit is a treacherous swamp full of opportunists. Is your consultant capable of defying the formidable odds of success?
Vanguard's OCIO clients should be wary of the higher-fee active funds and alternative investments that are now open to them.
If you serve as a trustee of an institutional investment plan, these five quotes may help guide your decisions for the benefit of those who depend on your stewardship.
The "Paradox of Speculation" -- how securities speculation drives both pain and progress -- is among the key lessons of financial history.
While investment consultants may claim their advice is conflict-free — and their clients may believe them — it is often heavily biased by the investment consultants' own self-interest.
How can the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora inform investors today?
Who are the greatest investors of all time?
"Neither the Financial Analysts as a whole nor the investment funds as a whole can expect to ‘beat the market,’ because in a significant sense they (or you) are the market."