Tag Archives: CFA Institute

November Executive Director Message – What’s Your Opinion?

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If you read last week’s newsletter, you know that CFA Institute has been working with Societies over the past year to develop a career-focused competency framework designed to guide members in acquiring necessary skills throughout their careers. The new framework generated quite a bit of buzz when was released last month at regional Society Leadership Conferences.

The Institute is actively seeking input about the new competency framework from you and your fellow industry professionals. To shed more light on what this all means, we interviewed Josh Howard, CFA, who served as CFAMN’s President in 2015-2017 and who was elected earlier this year to serve as the President’s Council Representative for our 12 Midwestern CFA Societies. Josh also is a member of the CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Design Council, the joint Society-Institute working group helping to create the new framework.

Mark Salter, CAE, ABC
Executive Director

Q. There was a lot of excitement in the room when CFA Institute unveiled the new competency framework for professional learning at last month’s Society Leadership Conference. Why the excitement? Why is this important?

Josh: The competency framework was designed to provide direction to members seeking to maintain competence in a current role or transition to a new role, and to provide an organizing framework for the Institute and Societies to offer relevant content to members. It includes soft skills, technical skills and ethics, which are mapped to specific job roles. The competency framework is the first step in developing a robust professional learning experience, and it will guide the development of the professional learning platform and content.

Many Society leaders were excited about the competency framework after the unveiling because they recognized it can help Societies organize their educational events and better track topic areas they are missing or could emphasize more. It will be useful in mentoring programs, job seeker seminars and event planning, and hopefully will add to member retention at the Society level.

The competency framework has been released to all members, and the CFA Institute is looking for feedback. To learn more about the competency framework and to provide feedback, please visit this link.

Q. Some people believe that CPD (aka Professional Learning) should never be mandatory – that it should be left up to the individual practitioner. What are the pros and cons of this position?

Josh: The main retort I hear to making professional learning mandatory is that members already do it, and a concern that the requirements and content won’t align with the education we need to stay relevant, which will turn a professional learning program into a time-wasting, box-checking exercise.

The argument for a mandatory professional learning program is that having it will demonstrate to clients, prospects, employers and regulators that CFA charterholders are part of a professional body that has ongoing learning requirements throughout their career. Having a requirement to engage in professional learning throughout a career will align CFA charterholders with most other professional designations and will help our global members meet their regulatory learning requirements. I have even heard stories from other countries that the lack of a mandatory professional learning program means CFA charterholders in those countries are not exempt from certain regulatory requirements, whereas members of other professional organizations with mandatory professional learning are granted an exemption.

Q. Why did you volunteer to work on the CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Design Council? What did you hope to contribute or accomplish?

Josh: I volunteered because I care about adult learning. I have a Master’s degree in Education and throughout my career I have been interested in how adults learn. I wanted to help ensure that the professional learning product from the CFA Institute was designed with adult learners in mind, offering relevant content where, when and how an adult learner wanted to access it. I am just completing my first year on the design council and have had a great experience working with other Society leaders and Institute employees who care passionately about designing a great professional learning experience that adds member value, regardless of when and if it becomes mandatory.

A Letter from Our President

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By: Chris May, CFA, President, CFA Society Minnesota

“What are you going to do as the president for CFA Society Minnesota?” – This is the question that I have received most often over the past several months as I have prepared to take on this two-year responsibility. In a way this question makes complete sense. On the other hand, it demonstrates a misunderstanding of the situation. CFA Society Minnesota has already had the benefit of having more than 60 individuals volunteer to serve as board members over the past 10 years. Additionally, for every individual board member, there are many more folks who have volunteered over the years in a multitude of other capacities. And that is just in the past ten years. Imagine all the countless people who have been involved since the society was founded in 1952. It is a result of the cumulative efforts of all of these individuals over the years that has led us to where we are today. So many incredible things have been accomplished (Intellisight Conference – eight years, Compensation Survey – six years, Mentoring Program – five years), mistakes were made, friendships were created, and fun was had.

In January 2019 the CFAMN Board of Directors ratified an updated strategic plan. This built on the plan that preceded it and was the result of work done by the entire board, support from CFA Institute (our global parent organization), and feedback from our members. I offer all this up to put today into context. When I am asked about my term as president, it is all of this effort that I think about. In short, the work has been done. The plan has been drafted. Things are underway. I feel a responsibility to see that plan executed. Our plan is simple to understand but complex to execute. We are going to focus on three things:

1) Delivering Member Value
2) Enhancing the Brand of CFAMN and the CFA Charter
3) Building and Maintaining Operational Infrastructure

There are many components to each objective that create the complexity of execution. However, it is our goal that all of our actions will support one or more of the strategic objectives.
 
There is another item that is important to the board that is not captured in the strategic objectives. In our Mission Statement the word ‘fellowship’ is included. Thus, we believe that it is important that CFAMN provides opportunities for our members to connect and develop relationships.

With that in mind, I recognize that I do not have a relationship with the vast majority of our members. I’d like to change that. For those still reading, please consider this your invitation to take me up on this.

I value people that are willing to challenge the status quo and try new approaches. One such person is Sam Hinkie, former GM of the Philadelphia 76ers. So my ask is this – read his resignation letter and email me your thoughts.

On the other hand, if you want to drop me a note about anything else on your mind, please feel free to do that as well. I can be reached at lyndemay6@gmail.com.

Member feedback is critical to our future success. We begin board meetings with comments from members and we would love to share your feedback. The Berkshire Hathaway letters routinely include a shameless plug for Berkshire products. In that light, I will make a similar ask. If you are interested in getting involved in the society please check out the Volunteer Board or reach out to Diane Senjem at support@cfamn.org.

Thank you to each of you. We have much to do, but without each of your, our society would not be as strong as it is today.

All the best,

Chris May, CFA
President, CFA Society Minnesota

Event Recap (part 3): Diversity & Inclusion: Bridging the Gap in the Investment Industry

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By: Hilary Wiek, CFA, CAIA, Society Volunteer

In the first two segments of my reporting on the Diversity and Inclusion event of June 5, I discussed the misconceptions about the event and some of the high-level topics discussed by our esteemed speakers.  In this final installment, I will outline research and resources on the topic that may 1) help convince some people that there is supportive evidence to justify diversify and inclusion efforts in the workplace and 2) provide guidance on solving some of the problems outlined previously. As a recap of the prior blog post, one broad topic area was having productive conversations about diversity and inclusion, a second was hiring a diverse workforce, and a third was retaining a diverse workforce.

Speakers at the CFA Minnesota event stated that bringing evidence-based findings to discussions about diversity and inclusion has really helped to advance the topic, in some cases converting individuals who were skeptical there even is a problem. A number of studies have found what many who have given this topic any thought would have suspected from anecdotal evidence, but having research to back up the suspicions has been powerful. 

For data and evidence, the University of Chicago, in partnership with private sector support, has dedicated resources to study this topic under the moniker The Science of Diversity and Inclusion (SODI). Their website states that the initiative “brings together leading researchers and organizations to identify, accelerate, and apply new evidence-based approaches to advance diversity, inclusivity, and belonging in our places of work and learning.” Profiles of the affiliated researchers, their areas of study, and a summary of their findings can be found here.

One of the more interesting studies mentioned at the CFA event was from a team out of Columbia University (Sheen S. Levine, Evan P. Apfelbaum, Mark Bernard, Valerie L. Bartelt, Edward J. Zajac, and David Stark) about homogenous and heterogenous investment teams (called “experimental markets” in the study).  A link to the work, entitled Ethnic Diversity Deflates Price Bubbles,” can be found here.  From the abstract (the italics are mine at the end): 

“Markets are central to modern society, so their failures can be devastating. Here, we examine a prominent failure: price bubbles. Bubbles emerge when traders err collectively in pricing, causing misfit between market prices and the true values of assets. The causes of such collective errors remain elusive. We propose that bubbles are affected by ethnic homogeneity in the market and can be thwarted by diversity. In homogenous markets, traders place undue confidence in the decisions of others. Less likely to scrutinize others’ decisions, traders are more likely to accept prices that deviate from true values. To test this, we constructed experimental markets in Southeast Asia and North America, where participants traded stocks to earn money. We randomly assigned participants to ethnically homogeneous or diverse markets. We find a marked difference: Across markets and locations, market prices fit true values 58% better in diverse markets. The effect is similar across sites, despite sizeable differences in culture and ethnic composition. Specifically, in homogenous markets, overpricing is higher as traders are more likely to accept speculative prices. Their pricing errors are more correlated than in diverse markets. In addition, when bubbles burst, homogenous markets crash more severely. The findings suggest that price bubbles arise not only from individual errors or financial conditions, but also from the social context of decision making. The evidence may inform public discussion on ethnic diversity: it may be beneficial not only for providing variety in perspectives and skills, but also because diversity facilitates friction that enhances deliberation and upends conformity.”

The CFA Institute has been spending time on diversity and inclusion as well, conducting surveys and hosting workshops with industry participants to better assess the state of diversity and inclusion in the industry, provide public data from these efforts, and come up with ideas on how to address the problems. Here is a link to the CFA Institute’s published work derived from its efforts, “Driving Change:  Diversity & Inclusion in Investment Management,” which was distributed at the CFAMN event. 

Once evidence has been supplied and hopefully accepted, the next question is what can be done about it?  One of the resources mentioned several times at the CFA event was the book What Works, by Iris Bohnet, who is affiliated with the SODI efforts outlined above. The SODI site summarizes the book as a resource “to hand decision-makers the tools they need to move the needle in classrooms and boardrooms, in hiring and promotion, benefiting businesses, governments, and the lives of millions.” A short video summarizes Bohnet’s work here.  She also authored the following articles:

The pipeline of diverse candidates was another of the significant issues identified at the CFAMN event – even if a firm wants to hire from a diverse talent pool, there is often a dearth of qualified candidates fitting diverse profiles. Several organizations were mentioned at the event that are attempting to reach women and minorities earlier in their education to let them know a) that the investment field could be an attractive career option and b) what they need to do in order to prepare oneself for a career in the field (including education and internships).

One organization called out at the event was Girls Who Invest (GWI), which got its start in 2015.  Each summer since 2016, GWI has held a four-week summer educational program for college women, after which each participant works in a six-week paid internship. The stated goal of the organization is to get 30% of the world’s investable capital managed by women by 2030. A New York Times article linked on the website states that only 7% of investment managers in the $15 trillion mutual fund industry are women.  If you are looking for a way to help solve the diversity problem in our industry, GWI seeks volunteers to mentor students, speak at events, and teach courses during its college summer intensive learning program. They also seek financial partners in the investment management industry to provide mentors and host interns.

Another organization is Invest In Girls. Per the website: “Invest In Girls works with schools, community organizations, corporations and foundations to provide financial literacy programming to young girls.” This group’s programs seek to educate 10th, 11th, and 12th grade girls in workshops before they get to college, allowing them to learn about personal finance and careers in finance while there is still time to formulate a higher education plan. This organization is seeking volunteers to make short videos for its Role Model Exchange outlined here.

In 2013, financial services firms in Chicago came together with The Chicago Community Trust to form the Financial Services Pipeline Initiative. The key goals of this group are to 1) increase the representation of Latinos and African-Americans, at all levels, within the Chicago area financial services industry and 2) improve the overall cultural competency within the Chicago area financial services industry. While volunteer activities may be out of reach for the CFAMN membership, the website has interesting data and may provide ideas for how to bring some of this group’s activities back to our region.

Other resources/research not discussed at the event, but suggested by the speakers:

In closing, did you know this event was planned and organized by a CFAMN volunteer? Thanks again to Amy Jensen, CFA, Investment Director at Northwest Area Foundation who put together this enriching program. Do you have a great idea to share or a project you feel passionate about? E-mail society staff and they’ll help you make it happen!

Societies 2.0: CFA Institute Delivers More Than Just Exam Results

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By: Tom Crandall, CFA, CAIA and Kate Lyons, CFA – CFA Society Minnesota Board Members

Intrigued? You should be!

Recently, the CFA Institute hosted delegates from societies around the globe to share details on the progress around their latest initiative, Societies 2.0.  Representing the CFA MN Society, Board Members Tom Crandall and Kate Lyons joined Executive Director Mark Salter in Vancouver to learn more about this initiative and how it will add value to our members.

As the name implies, Societies 2.0 is the Institute focusing on societies in a different way than the it has before.  Recognizing societies are experts in their own market and understand their members best, the Institute is looking to support the societies in all their different and unique initiatives by promoting the highest standards in ethics, education, and professional excellence.  In turn, this partnership will transform the society/institute relationship into a professional body rather than a group of test-passers.

We’ve outlined the three objectives that the Institute will focus on –

  • To develop future professionals through relevant and accessible credentialing programs, high

standards of entry and professionalism

  • To deliver member value that accelerates the professional success of our members and that

continues to develop educated, ethical members at the top of their profession

  • To build market integrity that benefits investors and our members that serve them

So what does this mean for you?

The CFA Institute has committed both financial and human capital resources in order to support the initiative.  A key element to the success of this initiative is to reduce the volunteer burden and increase operational consistencies at the society level. Beginning this year, the societies will begin to receive increased funding that can be used to reinvest in the society infrastructure.  Externally, the Institute is proactively advocating by engaging policy makers and regulators through leadership projects aimed at influencing perspectives. Actively engaging on industry shaping discussion such as Uniform Fiduciary Duty and capital markets issues such as fintech regulation, the Institute is finding a seat at the table and better able to represent societies and Charterholders as a whole.

The CFA Society of Minnesota is a society that is well known for our programs, innovation, and engaged members.  Sure, we already knew that but our strong midwestern sensibilities keep us from really acknowledging this fact, out loud (being transplants, we feel no uneasiness in highlighting!).  We believe that the society is in an excellent position to benefit from this new initiative and provide new value and better experiences for our members.

We are excited to explore what these new relationships mean to our local society and how we can leverage these additional resources from the Institute.  Should the Compensation Survey be a national effort?  How can we better engage with our Federal Reserve Bank?  What type of professional education/career development do our members want? Is there a way we can give back to our community? These are just some of the questions that can be considered and we are looking for your voice in the discussion.  Keep an eye out in coming weeks for additional information and a special request for your thoughts and interests!

What Keeps CFA Charterholders Up At Night?

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Elizabeth Engel, M.A., CAE

What keeps you up at night? And what can CFA Society Minnesota do to help?

About nine months ago, CFAMN engaged Spark Consulting to try to find out.

The timing of the project was inspired by some technology changes the CFA Institute is making that will help the Societies and the Institute work together and share data better to help members like you achieve your most important goals and solve your most pressing problems.

Society leadership proposed questions we wanted to try to answer such as:

  • What do members need from CFAMN to continue to grow as financial professionals throughout their entire careers?
  • What do members truly value in their relationship with CFAMN? What, if anything, is missing?
  • Are members contributing to CFAMN in ways the Society isn’t aware of or recognizing?
  • What can CFAMN do to intentionally build and strengthen the organization’s relationships with members, and members’ relationships with each other?
  • How can CFAMN work more collaboratively with both the CFA Institute and the other Societies to better serve all charterholders?

Over the course of the summer of 2017, Spark’s CEO Elizabeth Engel interviewed four members of the board of directors, 15 charterholders, and the Institute’s Society Relations staff; and spent two days in Minneapolis meeting with CFAMN’s staff, board of directors, and membership committee in person (she also had the opportunity to attend our summer social and learn about lawn bowling). Engel also reviewed CFAMN data, including the results of several years’ worth of member satisfaction surveys and event evaluations, the Society Data Book provided by the Institute, our current strategic goals, and member program use and other demographics over time.

By the time Labor Day rolled around, she had learned a number of things about our members and your needs:

  • Going into this project, CFAMN had a theory that geographical location (Twin Cities versus the rest of our three-state region) was a strong determinant of members’ sense of connection to the Society. That theory appears to be correct: “Right now, I’m this anonymous person in the woods of northern MN; it’s hard to figure out how to be engaged.”
  • With regards to your needs, we were able to identify two programming gaps: members would like more programming for experienced professionals and more programming that’s accessible to non-Twin Cities members.
  • Members are also concerned about brand awareness: “Friends with both the CFA and a JD say it’s as hard as the bar exam, but the general public doesn’t understand that. While big financial services firms and banks understand the value of the CFA, smaller banks and firms don’t.”
  • Charterholders use financial skills in all aspects of their lives. Many of you, particularly those who pay for membership out of pocket (or out of your own small business revenues), make the actual financial calculation about membership: “Do I plan to attend enough events this coming year so that the total amount I’d save through the member discount equals or exceeds the cost of dues?”
  • Given that, we’re especially pleased to report that the overwhelming majority of you answer that question with a resounding “Yes!” The Society annually retains more than 94% of members, which is above the overall average for all Societies and for the Institute itself, where membership is required in order to continue to use the CFA designation. The Institute considers 95% retention to be “perfect,” so CFAMN is just about perfect on this measure.

What does all that mean?

We’re glad you asked!

We’ll be running a short series of blog posts over the next two months or so, sharing some more findings from the project, allowing board of directors and committee members’ to tell you their thoughts and reactions, and discussing the roadmap of where CFAMN and the Institute plan to go next in helping you continue to advance, personally and professionally.