Tag Archives: Joshua M. Howard

A Letter From Our Society President

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Joshua M. Howard, CFA

Last month the Board of Directors of CFA Society Minnesota met to discuss the status of our current three to five-year strategic plan, which has been in place for two years now.  We took some time to reflect on what we have accomplished, debated whether any goals needed revising, and brainstormed ideas on what we hope to accomplish in the upcoming year. I was once again impressed by the commitment of your Board of Directors, as 18 board members spent three and a half hours at the end of a work day engaged in strategic planning, which isn’t every analyst’s idea of a good time.

CFA Society Minnesota’s Mission and Vision, which you can find on our website under the About Us tab, guided us in the creation of our current strategic plan and continues to guide our thinking about how we run the Society.  Our Mission is “To promote and advance the professional excellence, ethical behavior and fellowship of our members through quality programs, educational offerings, and volunteer opportunities.” Our vision states that “We envision a CFA Society of Minnesota that is highly valued, well respected, and widely recognized by investors, academia, and the business community in our region.” Both our mission and vision were updated in 2013. They align with and compliment the CFA Institute’s mission and vision, recognizing that each entity (Society and Institute) has different capabilities and goals.

Our current strategic plan has three main objectives. They are:

  1. Member Engagement: Expand participation and involvement among Society members
  2. Industry Awareness and Involvement: Increase awareness of and involvement in the Society among professionals and firms in our local investment industry
  3. Operational Excellence: Improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the Society’s business processes

Each of these objectives is supported by 2-3 specific, measurable goals. These include finding ways to assist our members as they grow in their careers (leadership training, writing and speaking groups, etc.), building a brand campaign and adopting policies and procedures that will aid in long-term financial and organizational stability. If you would like to see a detailed strategic plan, please contact the Society office at executivedirector@cfamn.org and they would be happy to provide the latest version.  If one of these objectives or goals is an area you would like to support please let our staff know that as well. We are always looking for thoughtful, energetic volunteers to help us accomplish our strategic plan.

Joshua M. Howard, CFA
President, CFA Society Minnesota

A Letter from Our Society President

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Joshua M. Howard, CFA

With less than one month to go candidates are now in crunch time for the CFA examinations on June 4th. If you are a charterholder, you likely vividly remember the anxiety of these last few weeks before the exam, hoping that certain topics will be tested heavily, and that other topics will be avoided. You may also remember the constant checking to make sure you have the right ID, verifying that you packed enough writing utensils, practicing the route to River Centre (and maybe a backup route as well) and wondering how many backup batteries you really need for your calculator (is four too many?).

As we have for the past three years, CFA Society Minnesota provided prep classes at all three levels this year, offered over the course of three weekends in April and May. More than 60 candidates attended these classes, including a sold out Level II class. A big thank you to Travis Simon, our class coordinator, and all the instructors for the work they put in over the past few months helping candidates prepare for the exam.

In addition to those who took our classes many other candidates were involved in our study groups or used their Society membership to receive discounts on Schweser products. Candidate preparation is a core component of the work CFA Society Minnesota does, and I wish all candidates the best of luck on June 4th.

If you already are a charterholder please don’t forget about our post exam party, beginning at 4:30pm on exam day at the Eagle Street Grille in St. Paul. Come celebrate with the test takers at all three levels as they enjoy a much needed respite from studying and taking practice tests. Tell the candidates how great it will be when they finally pass Level III and receive the charter, at which point they can burn their CFA books in a celebratory bonfire – or, for the CFA nerds out there, prominently display them in their office. Just don’t tell them that the CFA exam nightmares will go away (e.g. forgetting your ID, being asked only FSA and quant questions, going to the wrong location, the Institute deciding to add a fourth level before you finish, etc.). As a couple coworkers of mine were discussing just the other day, including one who got the charter over 30 years ago, those nightmares still occasionally occur.

Joshua M. Howard, CFA
President, CFA Society Minnesota

A Letter from Our Society President

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Joshua M. Howard, CFA

CFA Society Minnesota’s Immediate Past President, Kim Brustuen, and I hosted a call last week for all Midwestern U.S. Society leaders to discuss best practices in building and running an effective Board. This is something our society has been focused on for a few years now, and we have made tremendous strides in moving from an operational board to a strategic board. During the call we shared our growing pains, struggles and accomplishments with over 20 other regional Society leaders and Institute employees.

One of the reasons we have such a respected Board is our ability to source volunteers. We have a large board (currently 24 members) and over 100 active volunteers that serve on our committees and help with individual events. This allows us to be innovative and try new things while still maintaining our popular events and programs. One of our main points on the call to Society leaders was that it is never too early to start planning for the next round of new volunteers. Although we currently have an abundance of energetic, thoughtful people on our Board and our committees, we must continually replenish our volunteer base. Every year we have 3-5 Board spots open up as long-time volunteers roll off the board, and committees frequently have volunteers who join or leave throughout the year.

When we prepare for Board transition we look for new Board members and committee volunteers from a variety of industries – some even outside of finance, such as people with experience in human resources, accounting or law. We look for a diversity of ages, experience and viewpoints. We strive to represent the interests of the entire body of local members and of all occupations either directly or indirectly related to investment management. Many people do not realize that you do not have to be a charterholder to be on our Board or to volunteer with one of our committees. Event and committee volunteers technically do not even need to be local society members, though most choose to join once they start volunteering.

Our Nominating Committee for the upcoming fiscal year will begin their work in May, but it is not too early to put out the call for new volunteers. If you have an interest in joining our Board, assisting with a single event, or helping one of our committees please let me know and I will get you in touch with our staff or a committee chair.  If you want to learn more about volunteering in general please send Kris Kautzman or me an email and we can discuss the current opportunities. I guarantee we have a spot for any level of time commitment. If you know of someone who might be a good fit we also accept referrals.

To all our past, current and future volunteers, thank you so much for your contributions to the CFA Society of Minnesota.

Joshua M. Howard, CFA
President, CFA Society Minnesota