Enterprising Investor

In episode #163, Learn ways that defined benefit funds can be modified to provide adequate benefits for employees and acceptable cost for employers.

In episode #158, Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman discusses behavioral finance with Ashvin Chhabra, including what insight the discipline can lend to the global financial crisis and the direction of future research.

In episode #162, Demonstrating proficiency in emotional intelligence is a critical skill set that is in demand across all roles in the investment industry. Why is this the case, are there challenges unique to investment professionals, and what practical steps can you take to develop this soft skill?

In episode #161, Sebastian Mallaby makes the case that hedge funds are important providers of liquidity to financial markets and not a destabilizing threat to the financial system.

In episode #150, Dr. Maria Hartwig, a deception and lying behavior expert, discusses the state of lie detection in finance. She also reviews important lie detection research and what the future holds for lie detection in finance.

In episode #160, Dean A. Junkans, CFA, discusses the most interesting and most surprising results of a recent survey of 500 individual investors.

In episode #159, Gary P. Brinson, CFA, discusses the impact that the Federal Reserve's prolonged low-rate environment is having on plan sponsors. He argues that we are observing Hayek's fatal conceit where a handful of people in the government imagine they can redesign markets and do better than markets themselves can.

In episode #155, Dr. George Abed, Senior Counsellor and Director for Africa and Middle East at the IIF, discusses the economic and political transition taking place among the Arab countries around the Mediterranean and implications for the wider region.

In episode #157, Professor Avinash D. Persaud followed and traded the currency markets for many years at UBS, J.P. Morgan, and other institutions. He shares the insight he accumulated and discusses the real driving forces in currency markets over periods that matter to investors and corporations. The situation of the Renminbi in the context of his framework is also discussed.

In episode #156, Professor Patrick Chovanec discusses the economic and investment implications involved in rebalancing the Chinese economy. He touches upon the current economic climate in light of the 2008 financial crisis with regards to China's infrastructure, a trend toward urban migration, and general investment trends since the crisis.

In episode #152, John T. Connor discusses how Russia's markets are more open and free than commonly thought. He also discusses the growth of the investable universe of companies over the past 15 years.

In episode #151, Fraser Howie discusses fundamental issues with China's banking system. Specifically, he explains China's continual creation of superficial solutions to problems, which often fail to solve the underlying issues.

In episode #154, Frédéric Romand discusses the role of dark pools and their relative merits and drawbacks in the context of equity market investing. The importance of transparency and information quality is also addressed, along with efforts to achieve more consistent regulation.

In episode #153, Henry T. Azzam shares his views on economic prospects of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region one year after the Arab Spring.

In episode #148, Thomas M. Idzorek, CFA, discusses the problems associated with benchmarking these instruments and outlines a glide path stability score. Although target-date retirement funds are a ubiquitous retirement planning tool, their glide paths vary considerably from one provider to the next. Moreover, the glide paths themselves tend to change over time.

In episode #149, Julie Littlechild discusses how enhancing client engagement can support referrals and how to increase the likelihood that your clients become your most ardent advocates.

In episode #147, Greg B. Davies explains the concept of behavioralizing finance and the implications for the wealth management industry.

In episode #145, Keith Robinson provides practical advice on how to identify outliers, discusses the impacts they can have on a firm's culture, and offers best practices and strategies in managing outliers.

In episode #146, Clint R. Laurent discusses how the resolution of sovereign debt problems in the United States and the Eurozone will affect economic activity and the flows of trade and finance across the globe.

In episode #144, Giorgio Valente discusses recent trends in algorithmic and high frequency trading and related developments in the Asia Pacific region.

In episode #128, Ann F. Putallaz, CIPM, discusses the role of an investment performance leader, or GIPS champion, within a GIPS compliant firm.

In episode #139, Richard Hokenson discusses the investment implications of global demographic trends and the investment opportunities these trends represent for Africa.

In episode #143, Lord Meghnad Desai discusses his "rediscovered" historical perspective on India as well as the Indian economy, capital markets, and its people going forward and the implications for investment professionals.

In episode #140, Dan diBartolomeo discusses how bond managers can leverage information in equity markets to improve performance.

In episode #138, James M. Edmonds, CFA, sheds light on the intricacies and challenges of performance reporting for high-net-worth investors and financial advisers.

In episode #130, Ralf Hudert, CIPM, discusses practical issues selecting and implementing a fixed-income attribution system.

In episode #125, Iain W. McAra provides insight into the many benefits gained by firms claiming compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS).

In episode #137, Lower expectations for economic growth and capital markets returns stem from increasing indebtedness and deficits, as well as from demographic trends in the "New Normal." Jason Hsu discusses the implications for passive index strategies and cap-weighted index investing and talks about how asset owners and investing institutions view these issues in Europe and Asia.

Clifford D. Mpare, CFA, discusses which African nations have the most improved macro environments and how these factors can support equity investments. Mr. Mpare also explores valuation of African equities including long-term trends, sectors of interest, and company case studies, as well as the importance of diversification.

In episode #132, Robert Jenkins cites the flaws in the traditional Return on Equity (ROE) measure in measuring bank financial performance and proposes some much needed alternatives.

In episode #133, Roger Bootle shares his views on concerns about the relative size of pay and performance in the financial sector as well as what needs to be done to address these concerns.

In episode #135, Steven J. Sherman discusses the role of the International Valuation Standards Council and how it differs from that of the accounting standard setters.

In episode #129, Frances Barney, CFA, reveals the latest trends in risk reporting, which lead to increased transparency and control exposures.

In episode #127, Carl R. Bacon, CIPM, a performance measurement specialist, discusses the evolution of performance attribution, the latest developments in performance measurement, and the issue of ex post risk.

In episode #126, What can the private client advisory arena learn from the institutional business? David B. Smith, CFA, draws on a career straddling the private wealth and institutional worlds to provide important lessons.

In episode #124, Helga Birgden discusses responsible investing practices in Asia Pacific and makes a comparison with those in Europe and North America. She also addresses the latest trends in ESG investing globally and in Asia Pacific and the implications for the investment industry, as well as other pertinent issues.

In episode #123, Roger Ibbotson argues that a liquidity strategy meets the criteria for a legitimate and sustainable style with clear performance advantages.

In episode #121, James Ware, CFA, discusses the importance of leadership skills in the investment industry in light of the recent global financial crisis, how firm culture contributes to (or detracts from) success, and critical skills investment professionals need in today's climate.

In episode #120, Michael Pettis reviews the growth track record of China over the past decades and discusses how rebalancing from an investment and export driven economy to a more consumption focused economy could take place going forward. He also discusses Renminbi internationalization and the impact that China's rebalancing could have on Australia and similar commodity exporting countries.

In episode #122, With much of the developed world in a sovereign debt crisis, what implications will this have on your portfolio risk profile, benchmark, and asset allocation? Having spent his entire career in emerging market and non-U.S. investments, Jeffrey P. Davis, CFA, describes what he believes is a fundamental shift in the global market portfolio.

In episode #119, Maureen O'Hara discusses high-frequency markets, algorithmic trading, flow toxicity, and differential access to price information in Asia, as well as the flash crash and market fragmentation.

In episode #118, Jing Ulrich discusses the economic situation in China, the challenges for policymakers, the development of China's capital markets, and the management of trillions of dollars of foreign exchange reserve assets.

In episode #117, Matthew T. Moran discusses using options and futures to manage risk and improve income.

In episode #116, Charles K. Bobrinskoy describes how Ariel Investments puts Buffett value investing principles to work.

Industry expert Marianne M. Jennings discusses the ethical issues present in the financial crisis including the seven signs of ethical collapse, cross-cultural differences in ethics, and what universities can do to promote ethical behavior.

In episode #114, John W. Rogers, Jr. discusses his 30 years of investment experience and compares today's markets with those of the early 1980s.

In episode #113, Yin Toa Lee, CFA, reviews the new global regulatory initiatives and changing accounting standards and their business impacts on Asian financial institutions.

In episode #112, Paul D. Kaplan, CFA, shares his analysis of the Synthetic Risk and Reward Indicator (SRRI) that has been introduced by the European Commission for investment funds as a part of the UCITS.

In episode #111, Andrew Smithers discusses why the U.S. equity market is currently overvalued and argues that central banks should be encouraging a reduction in debt levels and quality growth over time, rather than rapid growth now.

In episode #109, Melvin Escudero discusses some of the elements that will be critical for Latin America's continued growth into the future.