Biography
Paul McCaffrey is an editor at CFA Institute. Previously, he served as an editor at the H.W. Wilson Company. His writing has appeared in Financial Planning and DailyFinance, among other publications. He holds a BA in English from Vassar College and an MA in journalism from the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Journalism.
Now is the summer of our discontent in New York City, the "Summer of Hell," as New York governor Andrew Cuomo calls it.
What do you need to do to survive in the wealth management industry today? Two words: Differentiate yourself. That was the message delivered by Isaac Presley, CFA, Blair duQuesnay, CFA, and John T. Elmes II, CFA, during a discussion on building a client-oriented culture at the 70th CFA Institute Annual Conference in Philadelphia.
"Everybody knows we are in a post-truth world," deception detection expert Pamela Meyer told delegates at the 70th CFA Institute Annual Conference in Philadelphia. "People will tell you anything." So what are the verbal and nonverbal clues indicating someone might be deceiving us?
The open-office environment is all the rage these days. But does it accomplish what it sets out to? Paul McCaffrey explores this question, the gig economy, Snapchat's dismal showing, and more, in the latest Weekend Reads.
"How do we create, spread, and manage conscious inclusion in how we talk to clients and how we work with them?" Adrienne Penta asked. "Raise awareness, training, and then process."
Julia VanDeren shares some insights on giving presentations and writing cover letters; Ben Carlson, CFA, discusses how to determine which hedge funds to invest in; Mark Harrison, CFA, curates the best content on smart beta and factor investing; and C. Thomas Howard and Jason Voss, CFA, offer some advice on how to revive active equity, in the top Enterprising Investor Posts from March.
How high can US equity markets go? For a sense of the S&P 500's direction, we conducted an informal poll of readers of CFA Institute Financial NewsBrief for their perspective on where they see the index a year from now.
Is there a way to reconcile current market bullishness with the populist wave spreading across the globe? Selections in the latest Weekend Reads tackle this question as well as the future of retail, the gig economy, Red Sox great Ted Williams, and more.
The end of the year is a good time to look back and take stock. What Enterprising Investor articles did readers find most compelling in 2016? The results are illuminating. Our top content runs the gamut from the granular — tightly focused, practice-oriented material on starting a firm and what to read to stay informed — to more "big picture" analysis on negative interest rates and the ongoing active vs. passive debate. Taken together, they reflect the currents at work in the investment management profession at both the system-wide and individualized levels.
Think about the markets since the financial crisis. What has defined the era? Two words: monetary policy. Central banks — more than economic growth or any other factor — are what have moved the markets. But that may be changing.