Enterprising Investor

In Episode #348, we talk pension funds and how they tend to have regular outflows and are often underfunded, as a result the tools the industry has developed tend to be based on these assumptions.

In Episode #347, Richard Howitt, CEO of the International Integrated Reporting Council, discusses the power of Integrated Reports for investors. For example, their additional detail on multiple sources of capital and return; their prospective, not retroactive nature; and their insistence on executive management narrative to help make sense of data.

In Episode #346, Roger Urwin, lead author of the CFA Institute report Investment Firm of the Future, and Willis Towers Watson's global head of content, along with Richard Howitt, CEO of the International Integrated Reporting Council, discuss the report, as well as pertinent details with which all investment pros should familiarize themselves.

In Episode #345, Matt Gertken, geopolitical strategist at BCA Research, shares his thoughts on some of the current largest geopolitical topics that we should all be thinking about. From China to Russia, via the United States, there is a lot to consider in terms of the big picture. Mr. Gertken talks about the likely shift in power from west to east—both politically (global influence) and economically (trade wars). With China facing domestic demands as well as global ones, the topic of the country's growth outlook makes for fascinating listening.

In Episode #344, recorded at the 71st CFA Institute Annual Conference in Hong Kong, Mary C. Gentile, creator and director of Giving Voice to Values (GVV) at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, explains the values-driven leadership that is at the center of GVV, an innovative approach to values-driven leadership development in business education and the workplace.

In Episode #343, Jane Hyun, founder and president of Hyun & Associates and former recruiting executive at multiple investment banks, discusses the nuances and importance of understanding cross culturalism for advancing your career.

In Episode #342, Anil Gaba, professor of decision sciences and the Orpar Chaired Professor of Risk Management at INSEAD, explains how risk and uncertainty are not the same and how control can be gained by paradoxically giving up control. Professor Gaba offers a fascinating insight into luck, chance, control, the illusion of control, and decision making. For example, behaviorally we have cognitive biases—such as overconfidence—and emotional biases, which make it hard to learn from experience. This gives an illusion of control that, if we could learn to overcome, could lead to better investment decisions. Can we make our own luck, or do we just have to deal with the cruel vicissitudes of life? At the end of the day, Professor Gaba says that we have to make the best decisions that we can in the moment but that we are all exposed to the uncertainty of life.

In Episode #341, Bruce Tomlinson, CFA, draws upon his extensive experience as an alternative assets manager to provide an overview of qualitative and quantitative techniques asset owners can use to screen for superior performance.

In Episode #340, investment strategist Joachim Klement, CFA, explains how seasoned investors might better capitalize on their experience, shares his views on a range of behavioral biases that affect the decision-making of both asset managers and asset owners, and weighs in on the efficacy of certain valuation conventions and market anomalies.

In Episode #339, Chris Ailman provides his insights as a CIO on dealing with governance issues in the marketplace. The interview provides a comprehensive overview of a range of topics from governance issues and the mistakes companies make to the latest trends in the ESG world.