Economics
Much of financial planning focuses on retirement. But what if your client isn’t planning to retire? Barbara Stewart, CFA, explores the question.
William Birdthistle provides a witty description of mutual fund design and categorizes its imperfections entertainingly, offering more palatable alternatives. This slender volume is a welcome addition to the library of the professional and retail investor alike.
What is finance, where does it come from, and why does it matter? William N. Goetzmann addressed these questions in his presentation at the CFA Institute: 62nd Financial Analysts Seminar, leading participants on a tour through financial history.
Interest in "factor investing" reached an all-time high in May, according to Google Trends. So Nicolas Rabener and his associates analyzed factor valuations using fundamental metrics and contrasted these current valuations with historical averages as a method to determine factor attractiveness.
Stuck in a career rut? Learn how to get back on the open road.
Jason Voss, CFA provides his choices for Weekend Reads for Investors. This edition features surprising facts about coffee consumption, global choke points in the food supply, graphics showing how cryptocurrencies are likely to affect finance, and more.
This comprehensive study of the structure, price dynamics, and valuation of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) addresses their current uses in various investment settings. It attributes the rapid growth of ETFs to factor-based investing and the rise of robo-advisers. The book is a fascinating deep dive into all categories of ETFs, including equity, fixed income, foreign currencies, and alternative investments, with a particular focus on issues of tracking and liquidity.
The "Future State of the Investment Profession" explores evolving states of trust and their interdependence with demonstrating and creating value. To get a better understanding of what it means for investment professionals to provide value and how that relates to building trust and improving investor outcomes, we discussed these topics with Anne Cabot-Alletzhauser.
Richard Thaler reviewed many of our behavioral frailties during his lively and engaging presentation at the 70th CFA Institute Annual Conference in Philadelphia. The key takeaway, according to Shreenivas Kunte, CFA: If only we could learn.
Leading posts from August include Preston McSwain's call for more honest and accurate fee disclosures and performance reporting; an examination of Sam Zell's take on the economy by Julie Hammond, CFA; tips on how to ace job interviews by Julia VanDeren; Will Ortel's exploration of what's in a hedge fund name; and an analysis of capital markets during times of war by Mark Armbruster, CFA.