| Next Event: |
Radisson Plaza Hotel
11:30am-1:15pm |
|
Member Ad: | |
Annual Gold Sponsor:
Want to promote your firm through an ad like this? Click here. |
|
Board Members: WANTED! |
CFA Minnesota has begun our annual planning process, which includes our Annual Member Survey and the formation of this year's nominating committee to help build a strong board of directors for the upcoming fiscal year.
To nominate yourself or another member of the CFA Society of Minnesota to a term on the board, please email your resume to info@cfamn.org. It will be passed on to the nominating committee for review, and you will be contacted. For questions about our election process, please contact Maren Amdal. |
|
Board Member Spotlight |
Josh Howard, CFA
Member, Board of Directors
Josh Howard currently works as an Asset/Liability Management Analyst at AgriBank, FCB in St. Paul, MN. Prior to joining AgriBank Josh worked for five years at Kenwood Capital Management as a Portfolio Manager, performing quantitative research and stock selection for Health Care companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts.
Josh has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Math from Northwestern University, a Master of Education from Harvard University and an MBA from the Carlson School of Management. Josh serves as the coordinator of the CFA MN Mentor/Sponsor program, and is an active volunteer on the board of directors. |
|
Board of Directors Committee Updates |
Nominating Committee
Chair Tony Carideo has opened nominations for positions on the CFAMN Board of Directors.
Business/Financial Committee
As we begin buget planning for FY 2010-11, Chair Jessica Murray would welcome new committee members.
Education Committee
Have an interest in supporting candidates or improving educational opportunities? Interested in GIRC? Contact Chair Jake Seltz.
Employment Committee
Chair Kristine Mogollon is reaching out to employers to post positions on our Job Board.
Membership Committee
This active committee is enhancing our new Mentor program. Contact Chair Jay Alexander with questions.
Programs Committee
Have you noticed the number of great programs we've offered recently? We always welcome suggestions! Send them to Chair Dan Aronson.
Public Awareness Committee
Sales of spots in the Business Journal supplemental is underway! Chair Karen Florez will be glad to chat.
Planning Committee
Vice President Robert Buss is helping oversee execution of the 2009-10 Annual Plan. |
|
Welcome New Members! |
5 new members joined CFA Minnesota in April. Welcome! |
|
Contact Information |
|
When was the last time you updated your contact information?
CFA MN has been working on a major database project, as has CFA Institute. We have been surprised at how much out-of-date information we have for our members! Please take a moment to log-in and update your membership record. Click here.
Note: Your receipt of this email does not mean your contact info is correct in the Institute database. | Financial Funnies
| 
"My Roller Derby name is 401(k). After my last quarterly statement, it's the scariest thing I could think of!" |
|
Recommended Reading | |
The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It
 In a fast-moving narrative, Wall Street Journal reporter Patterson explores the coterie of mathematicians behind the Wall Street crash of 2008. The story's stars are "an unusual breed of investors" called quants, who "used brain-twisting math and super-powered computers to pluck billions in fleeting dollars out of the market." Following the first quant, Beat the Market author Ed Thorp, from his graduate school days in 1955, and introducing others like Peter Muller and Ken Griffin as they established funds at major investment firms, Patterson spins a fascinating story of riches amassed for a few and, inevitably, lost for many: a collapsing hedge fund, "imploding under the weight of toxic subprime assets," took down the system "like a massive avalanche started by a single loose boulder." Though his narrative is interesting and easy to follow, Patterson's explanations of investment terms are not for novices; a glossary would have helped. As he puts the excesses and failures of Wall Street into perspective, however, Patterson also offers evidence that Wall Street hasn't learned its lesson: as of spring 2009, "several banks reported stronger earnings numbers... in part due to clever accounting tricks... and other potentially dangerous quant gadgets being forged in the dark smithies of Wall Street."
Click here to for more information about this and other recommended reading available for purchase through our Amazon.com Store! Every time you shop at Amazon.com, you can support your local CFA Society. Simply purchase through our Amazon.com portal - located on our home page and our NEW Recommended Reading page. |
| Registering for Events |
|
A note about event registration through our new website:
We are now taking advantage of the registration portal provided by CFA Institute. The new improved system includes attendance tracking, automatic application of CE credits, and an estimated savings for our society of more than $10,000 per year.
Using the system is simple. Each individual registrant must have a CFA Institute website log-in name and password. All that is required is first/last name and a valid email address. Unfortunately, at this time the new system does not allow guest registration in the same way our previous application allowed. Guests are welcome, but will need to have their own user name and password. As host, you are welcome to create this account for them. On-site registrations will be allowed as available, payable with check or by registering online on-site. |
| Networking |
|
Join the CFA Minnesota Linkedin Group! |
| Social Networking |
|
We have recently started a Facebook Group. Click here to begin networking with colleagues through this social networking utility. |
| Join Our List |
 | |
|
Greetings!
It's the merry month of May, and green leaves have certainly begun to spring! Our Career and Professional Development Day the first week of April was a huge success for which we have received lots of positive feedback. We are now gearing up for our strategic planning season, kicked off last week with our Annual Member Survey. If you haven't yet responded, please be sure to take a few minutes to give us your input - the survey will remain open through May 28th. We'll be sure to share results with you, and we know you'll see us implement changes based on your input.
Be sure to join us at our May events, including a baseball social and our May educational program: " Are you Smarter than a NEW Charterholder?" Feedback has told us you're interested in learning about new developments in the CFA curriculum, so we're bringing in the expert on the subject to answer your questions - Read below for more details. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Maren Amdal, Executive Director
CFA Society of Minnesota |
| FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Monthly Member Missive |
Would you like to feature your firm in an upcoming newsletter? Click Here. |
|
Current Investment Strategy:
Insight from the perspective of a CIO | |
In this article, Fred Martin, Chief Investment Officer of Disciplined Growth Investors, briefly recounts the path of the economy during the past decade, which marked the end of a 25-year boom period. It outlines how the financial markets collapse of 2008 was a game changer and leaves us with a new landscape. It then looks forward to the next decade and our industry's requirement to rethink risk management.
About Disciplined Growth Investors - Disciplined Growth Investors is a Minneapolis-based investment management firm specializing in prudently exploiting investment opportunities in publicly held small cap and mid cap growth companies. Founded in 1997, the firm remains employee-owned and completely independent.
About the Author - Fred Martin is Disciplined Growth Investors' founder and Chief Investment Officer. Fred has been managing portfolios since 1976 and is the primary architect of the investment philosophy employed by the firm. |
| May Educational Event: 05/27/10 | |
Are you Smarter than a NEW Charterholder?: Developments in the CFA exam
with Michael McMillan, CFA Institute
Michael has been working with the CFA Institute for the past 14 years. He will talk about the exciting things that are occurring at the CFA Institute and recent developments in the CFA Program.
Michael G. McMillan, Ph.D., CPA, CFA
Director, Curriculum Projects
Dr. McMillan joined CFA Institute in October of 2008 after more than a decade as a professor of accounting and finance at Johns Hopkins University's Carey School of Business and George Washington University's School of Business. Prior to pursuing a career in academia, he was a securities analyst and portfolio manager at Bailard, Biehl, and Kaiser and Merus Capital Management in San Francisco, California.
As a Director of Curriculum Projects, Dr. McMillan is responsible for developing, writing, and reviewing readings for the CFA Candidate Curriculum. Prior to joining the Institute, Dr. McMillan served in a variety of volunteer capacities. He was a member of the Council of Examiners for 10 years, and a grader for the CFA examinations for 14 years.
Dr. McMillan is the Treasurer and a member of the board of directors, of Washington, D.C.'s Fort Dupont Ice Arena, and former Vice President and Treasurer of the CFA Society of Washington, D.C. He has a Ph.D. in accounting and finance from George Washington University, an MBA from Stanford University, and a BA from the University Pennsylvania. He earned his CFA Charter in 1991 and is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Investment Counselor (CIC).
11:30am - Registration opens
12:00am - Presentation & Lunch
Radisson Plaza Hotel
Room: New Sweden
35 S. 7th Street Minneapolis, MN 55402
|
|
May Baseball Social: 05/12/10 | |
 April Social Twins Outing!
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
12:10pm game
Target Field
Minneapolis, MN
|
|
August Golf Outing: 08/03/10 With FPA Minnesota! - Save the Date! | |
CFA Partnering with FPA for 2010 Golf Outing!
Welcoming current members and all interested industry professionals.
 Plan to take a break to enjoy a day of golf at Island View Golf club in Waconia on Tuesday, August 3rd. Island View Golf Club is a challenging 18-hole semi-private golf course that is situated off the shores of scenic Lake Waconia. Fairways lined with trees, rolling hills, and well-manicured greens offer championship golf with some of the most scenic holes in Minnesota.
This first-class tournament brings the Board Room outdoors so you can network with other financial and business professionals from around the state of Minnesota. The unique Scramble format opens the tournament up to golfers of all abilities. For all of the non-golfers out there, we hope you will participate in the Bocce Ball tournament!
Mark your calendars today! Registration will be through the FPA MN website. Register by June 15th to receive a FREE MULLIGAN! Challenge - With 100 participants, Island View will donate $1,000 to Minnesota Make A Wish Foundation!
We hope to see you there!
Click here for more information and to Register! |
|
Business Journal Supplement! 06/11/10 | |
CFA MN to be featured in Business Journal!
The CFA Society of Minnesota is excited to partner with the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as our Annual Premier Sponsor. One of the many benefits of this partnership is the opportunity to bring our members the chance to be featured in a special supplement to the June 11th, 2010 issue of the Business Journal. Other markets have taken advantage of this opportunity and found it tremendously valuable, including our neighboring Milwaukee Society. Here are samples from their 2009 supplementals. We hope you'll participate in this unique opportunity!
Click here for a printable PDF with more information, or visit our opportunity webpage, here.
Monday, May 23
Space Deadline: Wednesday, May 25
For more information contact Kayla Picciano at:
kpicciano@bizjournals.com
612-288-2123 |
| WHAT DID I MISS?: |
April Events Summary | |
| CFA MN 2nd Annual 04/08/10
Professional & Career Development Conference | |
Full day conference, featured more than a dozen expert speakers and a panel of local recruiters
Nearly 100 local members, students and their industry colleagues attended our recent event, 57% of whom rated the conference as "Excellent". One attendee commented: "A great networking event with very relevant and timely topics on job searches and the current market." Another: "Well organized, with a great agenda of local and national experts!" Attendees also shared their top take-aways from the day's sessions, which included:
-
Career management is an ongoing requirement
-
Dust off (or create) a Linkedin.com account and start using it
-
Devise a networking strategy
-
The need to develop a job search schedule
-
Rethink your resume
|
| April Monthly Luncheon: 04/29/10 | |
An Investor's Guide to Identifying Intellectual Capital Critical to Sustaining Business Advantage
with Steve Lundberg
Last Thursday, your Society hosted Steve Lundberg of Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A., a top-rated intellectual property law firm with over 80 patent attorneys and offices in Minneapolis, Silicon Valley and Austin, Texas. His presentation was well received, and he summarized his presentation well, with the following take-aways:
- Patents are solely value enhancers
- Patents are critical only for certain businesses
- If a company is a technology leader, patents take care of themselves
- All things being equal, a company with patents is a better investment than one without patents
|
| INDUSTRY EVENTS: |
Other associations may submit listings directly to info@cfamn.org | |
| ACG MN: May Luncheon 05/18/10 | |
 House of cards -- Don't do the Crime if you Can't Pay the Time: Lessons learned from the Petters case - the prevention, detection and prosecution of white collar crime (with war stories)Join ACG Minnesota for their monthly luncheon.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Windows on Minnesota
IDS Center - 50th Floor
80 South Eighth Street
Minneapolis, MN 55403-2138
Click Here for more information! |
| FPA MN: May Meeting 05/18/10 | | |
Estate and Wealth Transfer Planning in 2010: Bringing Some Order to Chaos in a Year of Uncertainty
Our program for May 18, 2010 will feature a two-hour presentation by a distinguished panel of estate planning attorneys consisting of Christopher J. Burns, of the law firm of Henson & Efron, of Minneapolis and Sheryl G. Morrison, of the law firm of Gray Plant Mooty also of Minneapolis. The panel will be moderated by Earl H. Cohen, of the Minneapolis law firm of Mansfield Tanick & Cohen.
Golden Valley Country Club
Tuesday May 18th, 2010 Registration and Networking: 2:30pm
|
| JOB BOARD SPOTLIGHT: |
To feature an open position at your firm, click here |
| |
Opportunities for Dynamic Investment Professionals
Principal Financial Group | | |
The Principal Financial Group is a leading global financial company offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services. As a member of The Principal Financial Group, Principal Funds is a leading mutual fund company looking to build upon our existing pool of talented investment professionals.
Given our growth strategy, we want to connect with dynamic investment professionals with the following experience and skill sets:
- Bachelor's Degree plus 10 yrs of industry related work experience. CFA or Masters degree preferred
- A minimum of 4-5 years of active portfolio management experience with target date/target risk or other asset allocation portfolios
- Experience managing alternative asset classes including commodities is preferred
- Superior analytical skills, problem solving and quantitative modeling experience required
- Excellent communication and presentations skills are a must
If you have the experience above and the desire to be part of a winning team, we'd like to hear from you! To be considered for future opportunities, don't delay -- apply now!
Click here to visit this posting on the CFAMN Job Board.
|
|
CANDIDATE OPPORTUNITIES: |
Prep course providers and university representatives should contact our Education chair. |
|
| NEW: GI Bill Covers CFA fees! |
|
|
Did you know?
 The GI Bill now covers the cost of the CFA Program for U.S. military veterans as well as those serving active duty. This is a great opportunity for military personnel who are considering the CFA Program. Prospective CFA candidates can learn more and apply for benefits at http://www.gibill.va.gov/. |
| Study Groups! |
|
|
Volunteer-organized study groups now active
CFA Minnesota volunteers have stepped forward expressing their willingness to coordinate study groups for currently enrolled candidates for the upcoming June 2010 exams. If you would like to study with a group, please contact:
Thank you, Manas and Travis! | | 2 Mock Exam Opportunities! | | |
May 22nd is the date! CFA Minnesota is excited to present two very unique opportunities to participate in Mock Exam experiences. The First: an intensive weekend workshop experience, including live mock-exam AND review, with Stalla -- taught and facilitated by UST faculty! The Second: a Kaplan mock-exam hosted at the UofM. Each, a unique program - For more information, contact:
Amy Napolski Kaplan Schweser
anapolski@becker.com www.schweser.com/cfa
Field Marketing Specialist, Minnesota 888-325-5072
Becker Professional Education
651-797-2135 |
| Creighton Review Weekend | | |
Creighton offers CFA Four-Day Intensive Review Course!
Creighton University is excited to offer an intensive Four-day review course for all three levels of the CFA curriculum. This program will be offered two weeks before exam day and is the ideal supplement to prior review courses or self-study preparation.
Next 4-day course: Thursday, May 20th through Sunday, May 23rd
Where: Creighton University campus; Omaha, NE
For more information, click HERE.
|
| Review Study Materials FREE! | | |
Come on up to CFA Minnesota Offices to Study!
CFA Minnesota offices house a library of study materials from CFA Institute, Becker/Stalla and Kaplan/Schweser. Candidates are welcome to come by during regular business hours to study. Free coffee, access to free materials, and a quiet conference room in which to study!
CFA Minnesota Offices
Rand Tower, Suite 1300
527 Marquette Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55402 |
Annual Member Survey: We are thrilled with the response so far to our request for participation in our Annual member Survey. If you have not yet participated, please CLICK HERE to give us your valuable input and feedback.
|
|
Survey Winners!
Congrats to the following five winners of the Annual Member Survey prize drawing! These lucky survey-respondents have won a Keurig B60 Coffee Brewer, and will receive a special email with instructions for picking up their prize!
-
Brian Allingham
-
Todd Emerson
-
Kate Knowles
-
Michael Luker
-
Bryce Rethwisch
|
| Annual Premier Sponsor - MSPBJ | | |
Visit the online version of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, where you'll find the latest breaking business news, updated throughout the day, some of this week's top stories from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and other popular features from the print edition. Click Here. |
|
|
|
|
