Blogs

Natural Capital at the CFA Society Boston's Annual Sustainable Investing Conference

By Mikkel Gabriel Gutierrez posted 12-05-2023
I recently had the opportunity to attend the CFA Society Boston’s Annual Sustainable Investing Conference, and it certainly lived up to its reputation for attracting some of the most knowledgeable experts in various areas of sustainable investing. Major topics covered this year included social impact, natural capital, DEI, electric vehicles, and carbon assets, with all the speakers and panelists showcasing their domain expertise. From a professional standpoint, I found the discussions on natural capital particularly intriguing. This topic was a highlight of this year’s conference, with two entire sessions dedicated to it. In recent months, the biodiversity crisis, ...

Sustainability Conference: An eye-opening experience in the realm of how sustainability can be implemented and integrated into the world of finance.

By Renee Russo posted 11-30-2023
Written By and Posted on Behalf of: Ian Sylcox, Bentley University student I recently had the opportunity to attend the CFA Society Boston’s Annual Sustainable Investing Conference for 2023. As a senior at Bentley University, the conference was an eye-opening experience in the realm of how sustainability can be implemented and integrated into the world of finance. From the opening keynote from Michael Trotsky to the final panel on Carbon Markets, the conference provided in-depth insight on different topics that ranged from how to integrate and encourage sustainable practices, like the CFA Boston’s DEI code, along with other increasingly relevant issues ...

Is Big Finance Too Big?

By Marc Ross posted 09-13-2023
Your humble blogger recently read John Coates's The Problem of 12 When a Few Financial Institutions Control Everything . after hearing the author speak on WBUR's weekday program On Point. It begs the question: has big finance gotten too big? The largest index fund complexes and private equity behemoths control swaths of the economy and exert political influence in ways both transparent and opaque. As Coates indicates in a footnote in the introduction, the number 12 is notional only, not a reference to twelve firms. The phrase is a reference to an overconcentration of a small number of players who have the power to influence disproportionately a nation's ...

The Arctic Death Spiral - attending the 2023 Climate Risk and Return Conference

By Todd Fowler posted 04-26-2023
You’ve probably seen movie footage of a pastor giving a passionate talk to his flock and them reciprocating with “AMEN” or other words of support back to him. This is how I felt when attending a session given by Spencer Glendon at the CFA Institute Climate Risk and Return conference which was held in New York City on April 20 & 21, 2023. Dr. Glendon’s session perfectly placed in the late afternoon when most participants tend to get a little tired and lose some focus. I say this because once he started speaking everyone perked up and the audience was ALL ears. The topic was “Out of Sample: Old Data, Models, and Processes Will Fail in a Warming Word. ...

Finding your Genius in Finance: The Career Journey of an Investment Risk Principal

By Simon Ospina posted 04-13-2023
I recently had the chance to attend CFA Society Boston’s Career Chat with Allysen Mattison titled Finding your Genius in Finance. Allysen, is a charterholder and currently serves as the Principal/Director of Investment Risk at Income Research + Management (IR+M). Throughout this conversation we learned about Allysen’s background, career progression, and some invaluable teachings such as the role of consistency and patience in her career path. Allysen began her career at Lehman Brothers as an Investment Banker in the Debt Capital Markets space after graduating from Tufts University with a BA in Quantitative Economics. She attributed networking as the determinant ...

Great Experience at CFA Society Boston Sustainable Investing Conference 2022

By Bo Wu posted 01-05-2023
I recently had the opportunity to attend and volunteer at the Boston CFA Society 2022 Sustainable Investing Conference. As an investment professional who practices ESG investing for clients’ portfolios daily, I found the event very informative. The conference covered a variety of topics in sustainable investing. I have learned a lot from the conference and the speakers, including thought leaders, industry practitioners, and asset managers. For me, the biggest takeaway was from the panel discussion, “Regulatory Reporting Implementation: European Practitioner Stories from the Field and What Can European Implementation Tell Us About How US implementation Will ...

ANNUAL SUSTAINABLE INVESTING CONFERENCE: NOVEMBER 29, 2022

By Tabarak Ur Rehman Chaudhry posted 12-19-2022
I recently had the opportunity to attend the CFA Society Boston's Sustainable Investing Conference for 2022, and it was an intellectually fulfilling and thought-provoking experience. The conference opened with remarks from Heather Young, CFA. She narrated how sustainability can be integrated into our daily lives and the challenges we may face along the way. She told the story of her friend who couldn't find a sustainable way to travel home after running the New York Marathon, highlighting the need to develop such solutions and the importance of considering the environmental impact of our actions. One of the conference's highlights for me was Spencer Glendon's ...

CFA SOCIETY BOSTON'S ANNUAL SUSTAINABLE INVESTING CONFERENCE: NOVEMBER 29, 2022

By Tabarak Ur Rehman Chaudhry posted 12-19-2022
I recently had the opportunity to attend the CFA Society Boston's Sustainable Investing Conference for 2022, and it was an eye-opening and thought-provoking experience. The conference opened with remarks from Heather Young, CFA, who shared her personal story of how sustainability can be integrated into our daily lives and the challenges we may face along the way. She told the story of her friend who couldn't find a sustainable way to travel home after running the New York Marathon, highlighting the need to develop such solutions and the importance of considering the environmental impact of our actions. One of the conference's highlights for me was Spencer ...

Financial Literacy Student Survey Shows Positive Impact

By Alice Avanian posted 12-07-2022
CFA Society Boston’s Financial Literacy Initiative has been making a difference in people’s lives in the greater Boston area since inception in 2014. Our initiative is a community outreach program providing valuable content via alliances with non-profit groups or employers. Alliances give us access to a wide variety of audiences and demographics. Financial Literacy is an important part of CFA Society Boston’s strategic goals, for member engagement, promoting diversity and community development, The benefits of Financial Literacy to our audiences would seem to be self-evident. But it’s hard to come by evidence of knowledge gained & behavior changed. ...

A Review of the CFA Institute’s 26th Annual GIPS® Conference: 25-25 October, 2022

By Marc Ross posted 10-31-2022
Your humble blogger has served in many a volunteer capacity and attended many a CFA related event at the society and institute level. They all have one thing in common: their production and content are first rate. This year’s GIPS® conference proved no different. After three years in the desert, so to speak, attendees and speakers gathered in a spirit of comity and good cheer at Boston’s Park Plaza Hotel to discuss the current state of global investment performance standards. Spirits were high and the sessions and exchanges lively as all were eager and happy to be intermingling. CFA Institute’s CEO Marg Franklin opened with an inspiring message on the critical ...

The CFA Certificate in ESG Investing from a Successful Candidate's Point of View

By Peter Sullivan posted 10-18-2022
I recently passed the exam for the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing and thought I would pass along my thoughts to those who are currently studying and to those who are thinking about registering. The Institute and CFA UK did an excellent job on the curriculum. The curriculum provides a thorough understanding of the ESG market, as well as analysis, valuation, and integration. It also provides a context for the various approaches of responsible investment and the related underlying issues. Finally, the curriculum structure is well thought out and presented effectively. Study Thoughts The recommended amount of study time required is 130 Hours. I found ...

Ethics Case Study of the Week: Undercover

By Gary Sarkissian posted 10-03-2022
CFA Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct outline the ethical guidelines for the investment profession that are critical to maintaining the integrity of capital markets and investor trust. Members, candidates, and even firms make a commitment to uphold these standards as they help elevate ethical decision-making among industry participants. As investment professionals, we face important ethical decisions in our day-to-day activities. Some scenarios we encounter will be straightforward, while others may be more complex. No matter the circumstances, continuous learning remains imperative in an evolving investment industry ...

Ethics Case Study of the Week: The New Hire

By Gary Sarkissian posted 09-12-2022
CFA Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct outline the ethical guidelines for the investment profession that are critical to maintaining the integrity of capital markets and investor trust. Members, candidates, and even firms make a commitment to uphold these standards as they help elevate ethical decision-making among industry participants. As investment professionals, we face important ethical decisions in our day-to-day activities. Some scenarios we encounter will be straightforward, while others may be more complex. No matter the circumstances, continuous learning remains imperative in an evolving investment industry and ...

Ethics Case Study of the Week: Working for Father

By Gary Sarkissian posted 09-06-2022
CFA Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct outline the ethical guidelines for the investment profession that are critical to maintaining the integrity of capital markets and investor trust. Members, candidates, and even firms make a commitment to uphold these standards as they help elevate ethical decision-making among industry participants. As investment professionals, we face important ethical decisions in our day-to-day activities. Some scenarios we encounter will be straightforward, while others may be more complex. No matter the circumstances, continuous learning remains imperative in an evolving investment industry ...

Ethics Case Study of the Week: Trading in Warrants

By Gary Sarkissian posted 08-29-2022
CFA Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct outline the ethical guidelines for the investment profession that are critical to maintaining the integrity of capital markets and investor trust. Members, candidates, and even firms make a commitment to uphold these standards as they help elevate ethical decision-making among industry participants. As investment professionals, we face important ethical decisions in our day-to-day activities. Some scenarios we encounter will be straightforward, while others may be more complex. No matter the circumstances, continuous learning remains imperative in an evolving investment industry ...

Ethics Case Study of the Week: Time Saver

By Gary Sarkissian posted 08-15-2022
CFA Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct outline the ethical guidelines for the investment profession that are critical to maintaining the integrity of capital markets and investor trust. Members, candidates, and even firms make a commitment to uphold these standards as they help elevate ethical decision-making among industry participants. As investment professionals, we face important ethical decisions in our day-to-day activities. Some scenarios we encounter will be straightforward, while others may be more complex. No matter the circumstances, continuous learning remains imperative in an evolving investment industry ...

Ethics Case Study of the Week: Trading on Pandemic Information

By Gary Sarkissian posted 08-08-2022
CFA Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct outline the ethical guidelines for the investment profession that are critical to maintaining the integrity of capital markets and investor trust. Members, candidates, and even firms make a commitment to uphold these standards as they help elevate ethical decision-making among industry participants. As investment professionals, we face important ethical decisions in our day-to-day activities. Some scenarios we encounter will be straightforward, while others may be more complex. No matter the circumstances, continuous learning remains imperative in an evolving investment industry ...

Ethics Case Study of the Week: The Short Attack

By Gary Sarkissian posted 07-31-2022
CFA Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct outline the ethical guidelines for the investment profession that are critical to maintaining the integrity of capital markets and investor trust. Members, candidates, and even firms make a commitment to uphold these standards as they help elevate ethical decision-making among industry participants. As investment professionals, we face important ethical decisions in our day-to-day activities. Some scenarios we encounter will be straightforward, while others may be more complex. No matter the circumstances, continuous learning remains imperative in an evolving investment industry ...

Ethics Case Study of the Week: Wearing a Fitness Tracker

By Gary Sarkissian posted 07-25-2022
CFA Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct outline the ethical guidelines for the investment profession that are critical to maintaining the integrity of capital markets and investor trust. Members, candidates, and even firms make a commitment to uphold these standards as they help elevate ethical decision-making among industry participants. As investment professionals, we face important ethical decisions in our day-to-day activities. Some scenarios we encounter will be straightforward, while others may be more complex. No matter the circumstances, continuous learning remains imperative in an evolving investment industry ...

Ethics Case Study of the Week: The Shaky Tenant

By Gary Sarkissian posted 07-18-2022
CFA Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct outline the ethical guidelines for the investment profession that are critical to maintaining the integrity of capital markets and investor trust. Members, candidates, and even firms make a commitment to uphold these standards as they help elevate ethical decision-making among industry participants. As investment professionals, we face important ethical decisions in our day-to-day activities. Some scenarios we encounter will be straightforward, while others may be more complex. No matter the circumstances, continuous learning remains imperative in an evolving investment industry ...