Send us a text

I had a great time talking with Stan Uryasev and learning about his journey to quantitative finance. Stan is one of the authors of the original paper on Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR). CVaR is taught in almost every finance program and has had a large impact on the finance community. Stan is also a professor and endowed chair of Stony Brook's Quantitative Finance program which includes a Masters program and a PhD program. We will also discuss some mathematical art from his wife Oxana Uryasev about the Gabriel Horn.

Stan's Website:
http://uryasev.ams.stonybrook.edu/

Support the show

Send us a text

From 2020 until today (7/21/24), the economy has really come into the main conversation especially with inflation as bad as it has been. I bring on economist and personal friend C.R. Olschwang to discuss what is currently happening as well as some general economics around labor, supply, demand, consumption, and business.

Support the show

Send us a text

A fun interview with Alexander Unterrainer on KDB and building careers in quantitative finance in London. I have heard a little about KDB over the years but have never used it. Today I sit down with Alexander to learn a bit more about it and how he has built a career on it. He has also been blogging for over a year on how to program in KDB+ which is also known as KDB or q.

KDB Learning Blog:
DefconQ
https://www.defconq.tech/blog/Go-To%20KDB/Q%20Learning%20Resources

Connect with Alexander on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderunterrainer/

Book recommendation (affiliate link):
"q for Mortals"
https://amzn.to/3VsE8PD

Episode also found on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/cQmKQaJFZFg

Support the show

Send us a text

Jonathon Emerick is an energy trader and quant who also has a YouTube channel (QuantPy). We discuss his journey coming from chemical engineering to quantitative finance which included a Masters of Financial Mathematics. Topics covered in our discussion range from energy markets to risk management to YouTube and day trading.

Jonathon Emerick:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-emerick-407224119/
https://www.youtube.com/@QuantPy

Support the show

Send us a text

Since I just turned 35 years old, I figured I would a podcast episode on the journey and the lessons I learned. It was a mixed bag of great years, some struggles, and now coming out the other side. Quantitative finance is a wild ride and never the same for any two professionals.


Reflecting on 30 Years: The Journey to Becoming a Quant
https://youtu.be/rGdfR66Dl4c?si=4A4hWtK8uP3KJQSB

Support the show

Send us a text

As many of you know I work in a high paying field and rub shoulders with many wealthy people. That being said, I didn't grow up around Wall Street or any other high powered field. I was an average American who took an interest in quantitative finance and ended up falling in love with statistics and economics. I tend to understand people from a variety of backgrounds because I wasn't sheltered in one group. This perspective has allowed me to understand some of the biggest issues America faces however it is very frustrating sitting in the middle. No one wants to be in the middle anymore as the rise of the internet has made it so easy to segregate people based off of race, religion, social status, wealth, politics, and many other random groups.

We need to come together as a nation and embrace what makes America unique. The values of capitalism, family, freedom, and hard work seem to have become taboo as the new "acceptance of everyone" mentality continues. There is right and there is wrong but there is also a need for deeper discussions and debates on topics.

Support the show

Send us a text

Should you have friends at work?

Of course! You need a network around you. You need people to talk to who can relate to you. It makes work easier as you understand your colleagues better, it helps find work in the future, and it makes it enjoyable to go to work.

That being said, I rarely ever hang out with my colleagues outside of work. However I do grab lunch with past colleagues and my Santander friends did all text and call congratulating me on my new daughter.


Website:
https://www.FancyQuantNation.com

Support:
https://ko-fi.com/fancyquant

Quant t-shirts, mugs, and hoodies:
https://www.teespring.com/stores/fancy-quant

Connect with me:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dimitri-bianco
https://twitter.com/DimitriBianco

Support the show

Send us a text

A subscriber asked how I paid for my masters degree as they are very expensive. The short answer on how I paid for it was working part-time and taking out government loans. For my undergrad my parent's paid the first 1.5 years and then I got married and was poor so the school covered my tuition. I also worked two part-time jobs during my undergrad to pay for rent, books, food, and other necessities. I would recommend students really focus on their school work when possible however if you can't afford school, you need to work.

Support the show

Send us a text

A subscriber asked how I manage my family, working as a quant, two YouTube channels, and a fair amount of hobbies including my homestead. There are really four tips that allow me to manage my schedule. It is also important to realize I do not succeed at everything. Social media makes it look like everything is running smooth with minimal stress however my life can be very stressful however I find the rewards from juggling so many thing worth the effort. So here are me four tips:

1) Repetition
2) Paper Planner
3) Advanced Prioritization
4) Perspective

Support the show

Send us a text

An industry professional asked me why is it so hard to get changes made within a company. They had made some suggestions for improving model validation however they were told there were resource constraints. Resource constraints are very real however this often includes company politics. For example, even if your team can make changes that will improve efficiency, save money, and great better outcomes it will disrupt other teams. As a manager or department head you now have to convince other departs to make the changes which will cost them and money. This impacts company and team performance in the short-run which impacts their bonuses. It is also important to realize that many projects and changes will fail. Failures cost more time and money which is also a consideration.

As advice, ask yourself, am I willing to lose my job over this change? If the answer is yes, then push for the change really hard. If the change is needed but not critical you might consider just waiting and asking later down the road. Resources could change or people could move jobs making the request easier.

Support the show