Today’s guest is in the words of a mutual connection a former badass short seller wrapped in the body of a sweet Texas lady. She gave up the short seller life a few years ago to start Paradigm Advisors, an independent fee-only financial advisory firm, catering to younger high net worth professionals.

Michelle Underwood Gass has a passion for helping people and resolving complex issues for her clients while navigating their path towards financial freedom. Her diverse experiences working in different areas of finance – accounting, tax, family office environment, hedge funds and ultimately becoming an entrepreneur – make her uniquely qualified.

Michelle has a Master of Accountancy with a concentration in Taxation and an undergraduate accounting degree, both from the University of Tennessee. She is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner, and Registered Life Planner.

On today’s podcast, Michelle shares her professional journey, importance of working happy, being intellectually curious, networking, and proudest moments.

The combination of experience and conviction is typically a decent recipe for success and today’s guest is a great example of having the courage to pivot professionally (Equity Sales Side Analyst to Portfolio Manager) for what you believe in.

Arvind Sanger is the founder and managing partner of Geosphere Capital, a global long-short fund manager currently investing in natural resources, new energy, and Indian equities. Previously, he was a Portfolio Manager at SAC Capital (his portfolio grew very quickly), running one of the largest equity portfolios and managing a global team based in New York and Singapore. Prior to his tenure at SAC, Arvind had a 15-year career as a top-ranked sell-side oil services & equipment analyst at several firms, including Deutsche Bank, DLJ and Kidder Peabody, among others. Arvind graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and received his MBA from Tulane University. He is on the board of the Alexander Hamilton Society, Pratham USA and Pratham Educational Foundation in India.

On our episode, Arvind shares his professional journey, why the focus on sustainable energy, time at SAC Capital, inspirations along the way, and proudest moments.

Many times, on our podcast, I ask guests what they are most proud of. Well, on today’s episode, I am beaming with pride to have such a distinguished investment professional who despite incredible success, continues to give back in so many ways. Her curiosity, love for learning, willingness to challenge, and break barriers have contributed to her numerous accomplishments and legacy, while giving back those representing the future.

Jane Buchan has thirty-four years of experience in investment management and portfolio construction with institutional investors and is currently Chief Executive Officer of Martlet Asset Management, a family office established in 2018. Prior to founding Martlet, Jane was CEO of PAAMCO, a fund of hedge funds, which she co-founded in 2000. Under her leadership, the firm grew to $32 billion in assets under management. She began her career at J.P. Morgan Investment Management in the Capital Markets Group, has been an Assistant Professor of Finance at Dartmouth, and recently served as chairwoman of the board for CAIA and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Master of Financial Engineering Program at UCLA Anderson School of Management. In addition, Jane is currently serving on the boards of AGF Management Ltd. and Globe Life, where our local baseball team who just won the World Series calls home.  Jane has won so many awards we don’t have time to list them all. Just know she is a rock star in our industry and has been actively involved in initiatives to advance the careers of women in finance and is a founding Angel for 100 Women in Finance. Jane holds both a Ph.D. and an MA in Business Economics (Finance) from Harvard and earned a BA in Economics from Yale.

Today, Jane shares her amazing professional journey, commitment to education, and why she is so excited about the future of our industry.

Our podcast is all about storytelling. Afterall, who wants to hear another opinion about inflation and interest rates? How many people do you know who grew up working on a cattle ranch, got a degree in music and ended up in the asset management industry? Today, Franklin Parker may not be a famous singer/songwriter in Hollywood, but he has written an interesting book about goals-based investing, which came out last year.

On this episode, Franklin shares his professional and personal journey, the why behind his belief in goals-based investing, and his advice to current and future wealth managers.

Franklin is the founder and chief investment officer of Directional Advisors in Dallas. He is a CFA charterholder, international speaker, and author of numerous peer-reviewed papers and articles. In 2017, Parker was awarded the NAAIM Founder’s Award for Investment Research for his work on merging active investment management and goals-based investing. Before starting Directional Advisors, Franklin was CIO at Bright Wealth Management, Managing Director at CH Wealth Management, and Financial Advisor at Edward Jones and LPL. His degree in music was achieved at the University of North Texas.

Episode #39 – the Diverse and Competitive Interests of Elizabeth Burton – History, Economics, Math, Politics, Solving Problems, and Ice Skating.

You most likely have seen this episode’s guest on CNBC and Bloomberg or followed her insights in various industry publications. Elizabeth Burton is currently a Managing Director and Client Investment Strategist at Goldman Sachs, where she advises institutional clients on their investment strategy. Previously, she was CIO of the Employees’ Retirement System of Hawaii, where she oversaw $19 billion in pension assets. Prior to joining Hawaii, Elizabeth served as Managing Director of the Quantitative Strategies Group at the Maryland State Retirement Agency. Her background also includes owning a strategic advisory practice, serving as a senior economist, consultant, and holding roles with a fund of hedge funds.

Elizabeth received her bachelor's degree in political science and French, from Washington and Lee University, and her MBA in Finance, Econometrics & Statistics from the University of Chicago. She earned the CAIA designation and has been recognized for her work by CIO Magazine. On today’s episode, she shares more about her diverse background, mostly tied to a passion for solving problems, importance of networking, and advice for young women entering our industry.

Many people experience a “fork in the road” moment in their career. In Martha Delgado’s case, a combination of education, luck, timing, valuable mentorship, and pursuit of the CFA charter have contributed to a successful pivot from analyst to business development and client relationship, serving clients globally.

Martha is currently the head of business development for Allspring Global Investments, responsible for Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America. She previously served in senior sales and relationship management roles at Tortoise and State Street Global Advisors, while having experience early in her career as an equity research analyst. Martha earned a BS in Economics and International Affairs at Florida State and MBA at Emory. She is a CFA Charterholder as well.

On today’s podcast, Martha shares her personal and professional journey, interest in international business development, and the importance of career pivoting.

Before he committed to real estate investing, Phil Copulsky was a competitive chess player and college basketball player, both instilling the necessary discipline to read like Buffett, focus on developing long-term relationships, and follow the lead of great mentors. On today’s episode, Phil shares his unique professional and personal journey, the opportunities and challenges investing in direct real estate deals, and his key talking points to future graduates having an interest in finance.

Phil is current a Director, Private Capital at Westmount Realty Capital where he supports new equity capital raising initiatives and individual deal fundraising campaigns. He has over 10 years of experience in financial services, starting his career at Goldman Sachs. He has degrees from Hobart and Williams Smith Colleges and the University of Texas at Austin and is a CFA charterholder.

Today’s conversation will motivate and inspire you to put the time and effort into what matters most in your professional life, including spending time to give back and lead. Lauren Minch currently serves as the first CEO of the CFA Society of Dallas/Fort Worth after spending a career in accounting and finance, two areas she is very proud of and encourages others to follow their own path. She shares more about her amazing journey, her passion for volunteering, and her excitement to lead the local CFA society and community.

Leading an organization with big goals and many stakeholders, Marg Franklin is the President and CEO of the CFA Institute, globally responsible for promoting the highest standards of education, ethics, and professional excellence in the investment profession. Google her name and you will find plenty of articles and podcasts; however, this episode is more about her personal and professional journey, including proudest and humbling moments, and what excites her the most about the future of our industry.

Prior to joining CFAI in 2019, Marg served as chair of the CFA Institute Board of Governors and is a former president of the CFA Society Toronto Board. She is a founding member of the CFA Institute Women in Investment Initiative, a past recipient of the Alfred C. Morley Distinguished Service Award, and a member of its Future of Finance Content Council.

Finding finance as the perfect intersection of psychology and math, recognizing the dispersion of public/private return potential, and transitioning to a role of doing vs. talking summarizes the unique journey of Chris Schelling. With degrees in psychology, business, and finance, Chris is an expert at incorporating insights from behavioral finance into investment decision making. During his 20+ year tenure in the investment industry building portfolios, mostly focused on alternatives, Chris has met with over 3,500 managers and allocated roughly $7 billion, generating top quartile to top decile returns across hedge funds, real assets, private credit, and private equity. He currently serves on several investment committees and previously was a Director of Private Equity at Texas Municipal Retirement, Deputy CIO at Kentucky Retirement Systems and Senior Associate, Hedge Fund Research at Mercer. He is also the author of Better than Alpha: Three Steps to Capturing Excess Returns in a Changing World and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.

On our podcast, Chris shares more about his professional journey, the transition from public pension plans to wealth management, and the future for private investments within an individual’s portfolio.