The Investors First Podcast

Today’s guest is Marko Papic, Marko leads BCA Research's BCA Access and developed GeoMacro Research, the first discretionary macro-geopolitical investment strategy in finance. He connects clients with a broad expert network and custom research, having founded BCA’s Geopolitical Strategy service. His book, Geopolitical Alpha, presents a framework for predicting investment outcomes. Previously, Marko was a Partner and Chief Strategist at Clocktower Group, advising institutional investors. His work is included in the CAIA curriculum and The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Geopolitics. Starting as a Senior Analyst at Stratfor, he has lectured at Stanford and Georgetown. Marko holds advanced degrees from the University of Texas and UBC.

This is the second time we have had the privilege of hosting Marko, almost 4 years ago on the button. Marko is no doubt one of our favorite guests in the history of this podcast.

In this episode, we cover the U.S. election, who will win and what America’s foreign policy will look like for Trump or Harris. We discuss the powerful American consumer driven economy, how to position your portfolio, the untapped equity in American’s homes, and getting us current on the last 4 years since the last time Marko joined us.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust)

Links:

https://www.bcaresearch.com

https://www.bcaresearch.com/marketing/geomacro

https://www.bcaresearch.com/marketing/report/gmac/what-geomacro/100026

Please enjoy the episode.

Today’s guest is Jeremy Schwartz, CFA, Global Chief Investment Officer at WisdomTree. Before Jeremy started at WisdomTree in 2005, he was a head research assistant for Professor Jeremy Siegel and became his co-author on the sixth edition of the book Stocks for the Long Run. He received his B.S. in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and hosts the Wharton Business Radio program Behind the Markets on SiriusXM 132. Jeremy is a CFA charter holder and is a member of CFA Society Philadelphia. In this episode, we start by covering Jeremy’s charter holder story. We discuss how he first met Professor Jeremy Siegel while at U Penn and the amazing partnership they have had over the last couple of decades. We also dived into currency hedging in equity markets, the calculus behind launching a new ETF, his podcast and more. Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust) Please enjoy the episode. 

In this episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Michael Mauboussin, Michael is a highly respected figure in finance, celebrated for his deep insights into decision-making, behavioral economics, and investing. Michael is currently the Head of Consilient Research at Counterpoint Global (part of Morgan Stanley Investment Management).  He also serves as an adjunct professor of finance teaching Security Analysis at Columbia Business School (since 1993), teaching essentially the same class that Ben Graham started teaching in 1920. Michael is chairman emeritus of the board of trustees of the Santa Fe Institute, a leading center for multi-disciplinary research in complex systems theory. Mauboussin is best known for his influential books like "The Success Equation" and "Think Twice," which explore critical concepts such as the interplay of skill and luck in business and the power of counterintuitive thinking, which we will touch on in this episode. 

In today’s episode, we cover a wide range of topics, including the ongoing public vs. private equity discussion, luck vs. skill as skill increases, stock market concentration, buybacks, valuation and advice for aspiring investment professionals. 

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust)

Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com

Today we host Ali Hamed, a Co-Founder and Partner at CoVenture and a prominent figure in venture capital and alternative investments. With a background in finance and technology, Ali brings strategic insights to early-stage investing. Hamed's track record of success and commitment to fostering entrepreneurship make him a key player in shaping the startup ecosystem. (concise bio courtesy of ChatGPT).

In today’s episode, we start with Ali’s origin story, starting with his time as a baseball player and agriculture major at Cornell, and what led to him eventually saying the internet was his major in college (which you will see on his LinkedIn profile). I have witnessed Ali’s differentiated view on investing in person and have enjoyed listening to his firm’s approach, which in some cases, they are 1 of 1 in their space. We discuss whether it is better to have capital or a good investment idea first, the democratization of private market investing, funding YouTube creators, and more.  

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Chris Cannon (CIO/Principal, FirsTrust)

Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Today we host Dr. Meir Statman, somebody who was extremely productive during the pandemic, which included completing his new book A Wealth of Well Being. For those familiar with his behavioral finance research, Meir needs no introduction. For the rest of you listening, Meir has devoted his entire career to behavioral finance and making better investment decisions. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to host Meir for an event before the pandemic, but this is the first time he has been on our podcast.

Meir received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and his B.A. and M.B.A. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It is worth noting that his research has been published in countless reputable academic journals and has been supported by the CFA Institute Reserarch Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA). 

In today’s episode, we cover the different measures of wealth in a person’s life and the case for diversification across the various measures of wealth one can have (financial, social, cultural, among others). We also discuss human capital as a measure of wealth, optimal vs. sensible portfolio management, overspending vs. underspending, self-actualization, and more.

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & guest host Frank Garcia, CFA (Founder, Frankly Finances). 

Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn. 

Social Media:

LinkedIn Post (and Facebook):

New episode w/ Dr. Meir Statman, Professor of Finance at Santa Clara University, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA & Frank Garcia, CFA

*Various measures of wealth a person can have

*The healing power of multiple forms of wealth

*Human capital as a measure of wealth

*Optimal vs. sensible portfolio management

*Overspending vs. underspending

*Self-Actualization

Enjoy! Insert link here

Twitter Post:

New episode w/ Dr. Meir Statman, hosted by Steve Curley, CFA & Frank Garcia, CFA. We discuss personal wealth beyond the numbers (well-being) with the authority on the topic.

Show Notes: 

Santa Clara University: https://www.scu.edu/business/finance/faculty/statman/

New book: A Wealth of Well-Being

Office Hours with Professor Meir Statman: A Crash Course in Behavioral Finance

Our guest today is Sion Evans, CFA, Senior Investment Manager at VenCap, one of the longest-established investment management and advisory firms active in the VC industry today. They’ve made over 500 commitments to venture capital funds in the US, Europe, China and India. 

In today’s episode, Sion gives a masterclass on what the data says about venture capital. We spend a lot of time on the importance of capturing the fund returners, why power laws drive venture returns, and what the global VC & startup landscape looks like today. 

Our co-hosts today are Frank Garcia, CFA, and myself, Colby Donovan, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. 

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Our returning guest today is Vikram Mansharamani, a global trend-watcher who shows people how to anticipate the future, manage risk and spot opportunities.

In today’s episode, Vikram updates us on what’s been a busy three years since he first came on the podcast. We discuss his senatorial campaign in New Hampshire, his unfortunate split at Harvard, and then get into his new book, The Making of a Generalist. He gives a brief overview of the book and then apply his generalist lens to talk about his annual blog post that shares global developments he’s keeping an eye on over the next five years. We touch on immigration, the space economy, AI, tensions between US & China, and more. 

Be sure to check out the show notes for all the related links we discuss in the episode.

Our co-hosts today are Chris Cannon, CFA, and myself, Colby Donovan, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. 

Resources

24 Global Developments to Watch Over the Next Five Years

Purchase his book, The Making of a Generalist: An Independent Thinker Finds Unconventional Success in an Uncertain World

Read the intro to his book

Drill, Baby, Drill!

The Kai Guy Show

Vikram's Recommendations

Grant by Ron Chernow

Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything Hardcover

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

1984 by George Orwell

Grid Down, Power Up

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL

Today we host Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital Management. For most of us in the investment community, Howard needs no introduction. He is somebody we have looked forward to hosting for quite some time and I couldn’t think of anybody better to kick off year five of the Investors First Podcast. We could go on and on about his track record, whether it be his time at the University of Pennsylvania or the University of Chicago, his firm’s investment performance, or his various professional achievements, but we must note that Howard is a fellow CFA charter holder (circa 1975). 

In today’s episode, we cover the various phases of Howard’s career. We then discuss the beginning of his time in high-yield debt and how the shift to a risk-return framework for fiduciaries forever changed the investing profession. We also discussed his famous memos and his important thoughts on the Sea Change we are currently experiencing in markets and much more. We are truly grateful for the time Howard offered and he was everything we expected and then some. 

Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Founder, 55 North Private Wealth) & guest host Chris Cannon, CFA (Chief Investment Officer, FirsTrust). 

Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Our guest today is Adam Nash, the co-founder & CEO of Daffy.org, a modern platform and community for charitable giving that allows you to sign up for your donor-advised fund. Adam has served as an executive, angel investor, and advisor to some of the most successful technology companies to come out of Silicon Valley, including Dropbox, LinkedIn, eBay, and Apple. Adam also served as President & CEO of Wealthfront. 

In today’s episode, Adam explains why his time at Wealthfront gave him the idea to launch Daffy (which stands for donor-advised fund for you). We walk through the ins and outs of a donor-advised fund, how Daffy manages to offer it at a cost that makes Vanguard 13x more expensive, and why this can be a great tool for year-end tax planning.

Listeners get an extra $25 for charity when they join Daffy. Get started for free here. 

Our co-hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA, and myself, Colby Donovan, CFA. Please enjoy the episode. 

Follow the CFA Society of Orlando on Twitter at @CFAOrlandoFL