CAIA - Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association

Fundamentals of Commodities and a Current Market Update

Commodities may serve as an important element of an investment portfolio. In this session, Dr. Keith Black provides an overview of commodities as an asset class, explore the historical performance of commodities, and comment on their role in asset allocation and inflation protection. We compare the differences between commodities and financial assets. Various methods of obtaining exposure to commodities are evaluated, and we conclude with a discussion of futures based commodities investments. The second half of our program features an interview with CAIA Member Kathryn Kaminski where we explore current topics in commodities investment and look specifically at rising inflation and the possible implications.

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Identifying Red Flags in Private Markets Due Diligence

There are a lot of pressures on limited partners to “deploy” capital in a hot market environment. Nevertheless, taking the time to complete a thorough due diligence process is very important to avoid making bad decisions. Private equity investing is a long-term business, and while it may seem otherwise in the heat of the battle, you almost always get another bite at the apple. Jamie Ebersole, CFA, CFP, CEO, Ebersole Financial, LLC shares his perspective: Do good work, don’t compromise on your standards, and build good relationships, and you will be well on your way to success. And hopefully, some of these insights will help you get there.

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Learn to play the orchestra.

While Steve Jobs didn’t code, engineer, or build the physical computer, it was his role to make sense of all of it and make it make sense for others. It was Jobs leading the orchestra that made Apple so successful. Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CIPM, FDP, CAIA's Director of Content Strategy applies that thinking to investing...what does it really mean to "think like an allocator?" An allocator is not a job title, it’s a mental framework. To think like an allocator is to acknowledge that a healthy portfolio consists of different players that take on different roles to help achieve the common objective. Like Apple needs engineers, coders, and marketers, an allocator needs all of the tools at their disposal and decisions cannot be made in silos of isolation, such as one asset class.

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