CFA DFW Charterholder Chatter

Our special guest today thought he was going to be a veterinarian, and yet somehow ended up in portfolio management, with a focus on global value investing. Dave Iben is the Founder, Chief Investment Officer, and Lead Portfolio Manager at Kopernick Global Investors, which manages roughly $7 billion dollars, utilizing a distinctive philosophy and a time-tested investment process focused on fundamental bottom-up research that Iben has been implementing for nearly four decades.

Previously, he managed money at Vinik Asset Management, Tradewinds Global, and Palladian Capital Management. Dave earned his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Davis, and his MBA from USC. He holds the CFA designation as well. In today's episode, we hear about the importance of independent thinking, buying something you understand that is selling for less than its worth, shopping for value globally that provides the biggest opportunity set, and taking advantage of irrational thinking.

Disclaimer: All podcast discussions represent only the views and opinions of the host and guests. This podcast in no way constitutes investment advice and is not an offer to buy or sell any products or services.

Nick Tompras founded ACR Alpine Capital Research in 1999 to fulfill his vision of an asset manager built solely on fundamental investment principles. He developed ACR's core investment philosophy and policies, and authors the firm's quarterly investment commentary. He is the lead Portfolio Manager of ACR's flagship Equity Quality Return (EQR) strategy and serves as Co-Portfolio Manager of the firm's Multi-Strategy Quality Return (MQR) strategy.

Prior to forming ACR, he was Portfolio Manager at the asset management subsidiary of what is now US Bank. Nick earned his degree in English from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas and is a CFA charter holder. Nick joins the chat to share more about his professional journey, commitment to a successful investment strategy, and what most excites him during these challenging and uncertain times.

Disclaimer: All podcast discussions represent only the views and opinions of the host and guests. This podcast in no way constitutes investment advice and is not an offer to buy or sell any products or services.

Season 2 of our podcast finds us expanding outside the DFW area to spend time in Boston with Mike Even, former co-head of global investments at Citi and Chairman at Man Numeric.

With degrees from Cornell and MIT and a CFA Charterholder, you won't find a brighter yet more humble investment professional. He currently serves on the investment committee of the MASS PRIM Board, and on several advisory committees for young companies in the FinTech and responsible investing areas.

Disclaimer: All podcast discussions represent only the views and opinions of the host and guests. This podcast in no way constitutes investment advice and is not an offer to buy or sell any products or services.

What an honor to spend time in person with the one and only Luther King. So genuine and humble, he is still learning from the younger generations, believing "you take care of your clients, and they will take care of you". Luther shares more details about his professional journey, his motivation for giving back, and his excitement for the future of our industry and professionals.

He founded Luther King Capital Management (otherwise known as LKCM) in 1979 in Fort Worth, Texas. With additional offices today in Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas, the firm is independently owned, and provides investment advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, families, and a wide variety of institutions, employing 100 people, and managing over $25b in assets.

Luther's professional career began in 1963 as a credit analyst at First National Bank of Fort Worth. Enlisted in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, he was honorably discharged in 1968. Two years later, he went to work as a senior investment officer for Shareholders Management Company (which later became a part of American General Insurance).

In 1973, he joined Lionel D. Edie & Company – a New York-based investment firm – as Director and Manager of the Dallas office. The company was sold five years later, and in 1979, Luther founded LKCM.

Within the categories of leadership, contributions, awards and recognition, Luther has clearly dedicated his life to giving back to many institutions, including, but not limited to Employees Retirement System of Texas, UTIMCO, TCU, CFA Society of DFW Strategic Advisory Board, and four public companies. Today, the Teresa and Luther King Entrance marks a prominent boundary on the TCU campus along with the King Family Commons. In fact, Six 600 Horned Frogs live in the Teresa and Luther King Residence Hall. Across campus, students at the Neeley School of Business hone their skills at the LKCM Center for Financial Studies, and a significant number have become interns at his firm.

Disclaimer: All podcast discussions represent only the views and opinions of the host and guests. This podcast in no way constitutes investment advice and is not an offer to buy or sell any products or services.

Local expert and blockchain enthusiast Baxter Hines shares his professional journey and pivot from traditional portfolio management to digital finance, with all topics and concerns up for discussion.

Baxter is Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer with Honeycomb Digital Investments. He founded the firm in 2020 to provide institutional-grade solutions for investments in digital assets. He was previously a managing director, portfolio manager, and co-lead for several internationally focused value strategies during his 12 years with NFJ Investment Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Allianz Global Investors. Prior to his time with NFJ, he was an analyst with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and worked as a financial systems specialist for Reuters. Baxter holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Virginia and an MBA in finance from the University of Texas. He is the author of "Digital Finance: Security Tokens and Unlocking the Real Potential of Blockchain". He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Society of Dallas Fort Worth.

Disclaimer: All podcast discussions represent only the views and opinions of the host and guests. This podcast in no way constitutes investment advice and is not an offer to buy or sell any products or services.

You have come to the right place if looking for a conversation about the brain and investing, thanks to this week's guest, Eric Bennett, who shares his unique experiences connecting brain health with successful investing.

Eric has over years of experience in the asset management industry and is the Co-founder, Chief Investment Officer, and Chairman of the Investment Committee at Tolleson Wealth Management, a multi-family office with $8 billion in assets under management. After spending a decade in "Big-4" public accounting specializing in high net-worth wealth planning, he co-founded Tolleson Wealth Management in 1998. Following a five-year sabbatical as the founding Executive Director at the Brain Performance Institute, a neuroscience non-profit that is part of the University of Texas System, Eric rejoined Tolleson in 2017.

Eric is a CFA and CPA. He is a member of the advisory board and vice-chairman of the Center for BrainHealth Capital Campaign as well as a Strategic Advisor to Impact Shares and an Operating Partner for Satori Capital. He formerly served on the investment committees for the Baylor University Endowment, Dallas Symphony Foundation, and Communities Foundation of Texas, in addition to serving on the boards of several private companies.

Disclaimer: All podcast discussions represent only the views and opinions of the host and guests. This podcast in no way constitutes investment advice and is not an offer to buy or sell any products or services.

Sharing his philosophy and process for owning great businesses is Cory Whitaker, Founder, and CIO at Bowie Capital, who, like the legendary Peter Lynch, articulates clarity, passion, and conviction, even going back to his early teens when he bought Nike and still owns to this day.

Cory launched Bowie Capital Management in 2014, serves as an advisory director for Petrus Trust Company, the trustee for the Perot family's trusts, and serves on the advisory board of the Terry Foundation. He has over 25 years of personal and professional investing experience across all major asset classes.

Prior to founding Bowie, Cory was the portfolio manager for public equities and sourced/ executed private equity and debt investments at Perot Investments. Prior to Perot, he worked in New York as an investment associate with J.P. Morgan Partners in private equity and as an investment banking analyst with Citigroup.

Cory was born in Bowie, Texas, hence the name of his firm. He graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University where he attended as a Terry Scholar and earned a BBA in Accounting and MS in Finance. He was active in the Corps of Cadets and student government. Cory also earned his MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School where he was designated a Baker Scholar and awarded the John Loeb Fellowship as the top finance graduate. He is also a CFA Charterholder.

Disclaimer: All podcast discussions represent only the views and opinions of the host and guests. This podcast in no way constitutes investment advice and is not an offer to buy or sell any products or services.

One of the great local and national legends, Susan Byrne joins the Chat to share more about her incredible and inspiring journey, from finding her way in a male-dominated industry to offering pearls of wisdom for young women to reach their potential in our industry. Susan the founder and vice chairman of Westwood Management Corp. and served as its Chairman of the Board for over 30 years, with long stretches as CEO, President, and Chief Investment Officer. She also served as a director of Westwood Trust from 1996 to 1999 and again since 2016. She currently serves as a consultant to the company.

Susan serves as a Trustee of the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation, has previously served as a board member of the Dallas Museum of Art, Impact Dallas Capital Board, Dallas Police & Fire Pension System, Presbyterian Communities & Services Foundation, UTIMCO, and City of Dallas Employees Retirement Fund. She was a frequent guest on CNBC, featured in numerous financial publications such as Barron's, Smart Money, Wall Street Journal and Fortune.

Disclaimer: All podcast discussions represent only the views and opinions of the host and guests. This podcast in no way constitutes investment advice and is not an offer to buy or sell any products or services.

This episode will have you on the edge of your seat, thanks to Ryan's perspective on manager selection, our industry's progress with diversity, and how he chooses to enjoy the journey of life.

Ryan is currently a Founding Managing Partner and CIO at Carbonado Partners, a leading placement agent with a differentiated approach to fundraising for emerging managers. Prior to his current position, Ryan was a Founder and Managing Partner at Pacenote Capital, Head of Investments at Children's Health System of Texas, and Investment Officer, Interim CIO at the Meadows Foundation. He started his career as an Equity Research Analyst on Wall Street with Smith Barney, BT Alex Brown, and Credit Suisse First Boston, before establishing his own trading company located on the 83rd floor of World Trade Center One. After surviving 9/11, he relocated to Dallas.

Ryan graduated from Yale University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He earned the CFA designation, Financial Risk Manager, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, and Chartered Market Technician. Thus, he has a lot of letters after his name. He has been honored many times for his work and leadership, including the Portfolio Construction Award and Healthcare System of the Year award, both by Institutional Investor.

Ryan currently serves as a director on the board of Blue Dolphin Energy, Board Member for the Texas Alternative Investment Association, Bridgeway Capital Management, STREAM Foundation, Portfolios with Purpose, Dallas CFA Society, and is an Angel for the Texas Wall Street Women. In addition, Ryan is a Strategic Advisor for Investment Office Resources and serves on the Investment Committee for Texas Employee Retirement System, American Heart Association, Dallas Police and Fire, and Parkland Hospital.

Disclaimer: All podcast discussions represent only the views and opinions of the host and guests. This podcast in no way constitutes investment advice and is not an offer to buy or sell any products or services.

Local Investment Legend Series, featuring Steve Smith, former rocket scientist who successfully made the transition to investment management by having a clearly established, well-understood, and universally agreed upon goal for achieving a mission, whether helping people land on the moon or finding companies that will grow faster than expected while combining the efficiency of technology and wisdom of human experience. Hear who inspired Steve's life and career and why he is so excited about the future of our industry.

After Steve's time at NASA, he began his investment management career as a portfolio manager with Wachovia Bank. He ultimately joined the predecessor to Bank of America, where he held a variety of senior investment management positions. Steve was then involved in an academic study in the late 70s at the University of North Carolina, seeking to determine which components of a company generated positive excess returns. It was on these principles that Steve founded Smith Group, and more than 20 years later, it continues to apply them consistently to their portfolios.

Steve earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and MBA from the University of Alabama, was awarded the CFA designation, is a member of the CFA Institute and serves on the CFA DFW Strategic Advisory Board. An avid outdoorsman with skiing being the activity I remember the most, Steve's love for the outdoors has led him to volunteer for several nature-oriented non-profits, including Groundwork Dallas, Audubon Texas, and the Trinity Coalition, where he currently serves as Board Chairman.

Disclaimer: All podcast discussions represent only the views and opinions of the host and guests. This podcast in no way constitutes investment advice and is not an offer to buy or sell any products or services.