User experience, or UX, refers to the collective ways an end user interacts with a brand or a product. Most of the time, UX gets discussed in terms of design. Though that might imply for many the idea of visual design, it’s really only a fragment of the full strategic picture. We sat down with Kyle Rezac-Dennis of the Kansas City digital agency Useagility to learn a little bit more about what goes into getting UX right.  About Kyle Kyle Dennis is a User Experience Design Researcher and Managing Director at Useagility, Kansas City's most user-focused digital agency. They specialize in using mixed method (primarily qualitative) research techniques to complete discovery and idea validation user research projects. Articles Cited: Watch Out: 4 Companies Fall Short Every Earnings Season Don't miss a single episode! Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review today. Interested in being a guest on the Financial Poise Weekly Rundown Podcast? Drop us a line at podcast@financialpoise.com for more information. ©2022. DailyDACTM, LLC d/b/a/ Financial PoiseTM.

Welcome back! This week, the Financial Poise Weekly Podcast takes you to the streets of the Renegade Crafts Fair. A long-running Chicago tradition, the fair attracts creative entrepreneurs and eager patrons from throughout the region who share a passion for unique wares offered by small businesses. We talked to dozens of vendors on the scene, all of whom had valuable insights for others running a business today or hoping to tomorrow. Key Moments: The State of Street Fairs and the Renegade Craft Fairs Story (5:42)COVID and a Multi-Colored Coat of Motivation (9:33)Expanding, Branding, and All About Sales (14:36)Rain on the Parade with a Silver Lining (25:11) Don't miss a single episode! Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review today. A huge thank you to our participants: Mat Daly of Renegade Craft FairFurkan Keskin Amonett of The Mulberry TreehouseXimena Gonzalez of Epic PetsClaire Shadomy of Salad DaysLiz Mortensen of Laila Plant-Dyed TextilesLuke Hobbs of Luke Hobbs DesignsKirsten Monroe of Brown Fox CollectiveArtist Garrett LuczakArtist Tony Fitzpatrick Learn more about these entrepreneurs, the articles cited in today’s episode, the Financial Poise webinar series for startups, and more by clicking here:  https://www.financialpoise.com/episode-renegade-entrepreneurship/ Interested in being a guest on the Financial Poise Weekly Rundown Podcast? Drop us a line at podcast@financialpoise.com for more information. ©2022. DailyDACTM, LLC d/b/a/ Financial PoiseTM.

We're back at it! Financial Poise is proud to introduce a new format that will continue to bring you the expertise and insights you've come to expect from us. Whether you're an investor, entrepreneur, or just someone hungry to learn, we've got you covered. Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you get your podcasts.  Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin as Financial Poise. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.financialpoise.com/subscribe-to-newsletter/ http://financialpoise.com ©2022. DailyDACTM, LLC d/b/a/ Financial PoiseTM.

In Episode 85, we speak with Todd Ryden, CEO of FNEX, a growing on-line alternative investor marketplace. FNEX brings accredited investors together with curated sellers of private placement equity interests, managed futures, secondary private securities, and interests in hedge funds and private equity funds.     You can learn more about Todd Ryden and FNEX here.   Or you can find them here: Twitter: @InvestFNEX & @FNEXTodd Facebook LinkedIn: FNEX & Todd Ryden YouTube     About Todd Ryden   Mr. Ryden is an experienced entrepreneur and manager, having founded and sold several enterprises. After practicing law, Mr. Ryden co-founded StarCom Broadband, a cable and high-speed data provider. StarCom was sold in 2001 to Comcast®. Mr. Ryden co-founded Cole Marketing, a bottled water brand-marketing group, acquired in 2006 by a New York based venture capital group. Mr. Ryden co-founded Caldera Development, a real estate development company that has participated in the development of over 430,000sf of retail and office space. Mr. Ryden was a co-founder of ViaStar Energy, Inc. which provided utility management services nationwide. ViaStar’s Automated Meter Reading technology was acquired by Motorola® in 2007 and its utility services division was acquired in 2008 by NWP Services Corp. ®. Mr. Ryden is the Managing Director of The Applied Group, a private equity firm. Prior to entering the business world, Mr. Ryden's legal career included litigating at the Indiana Supreme Court, and representing the State of Indiana in the tobacco litigation. Mr. Ryden obtained his Juris Doctorate from Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis, has a certificate in International Contract Law from Tulane University, Paris, France, and obtained his B.A. from Purdue University. He has been a member of the American and Indiana Bar Associations, serves as President of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Indiana, is a Board Member of Christel House’s Drop Out Recovery School and has been a guest lecturer at Purdue University, Ball State University and the University of Indianapolis.

In Episode 84, Jason Stevens, investment executive and natural resource specialist for Sprott Global Resource Investments, discusses the potential benefits of investing in the equity of high-quality "Real" Asset agricultural, mining, or energy companies with host, Chris Cahill.  That's right, energy companies, even today: the key to garnering inflation protection plus return for such investment is the quality of the companies.   Learn more about Jason Stevens and Sprott Global here.   Or you can find them here: LinkedIn Twitter: @js_sprottglobal     About Jason Stevens   Jason Stevens is a natural resource specialist and Investment Executive for Sprott Global Resource Investments. He is dedicated to helping accredited investors create personalized investment portfolios focused on natural resources. Jason has spent the last 12 years working closely with mining and petroleum engineers, influential industry executives, and economic geologists.  A dedicated self-starter, Jason started his career with Sprott on the equity trading desk where he honed his understanding of domestic and foreign equity, commodity and currency markets. Jason has been a featured contributor to industry sites such as Resource Investing News, Financial Survival Network, and The Contrarian Investor Podcast. Jason is a supporter and promoter of the Austrian School of Economics and spends his free time instructing Krav Maga, the official self-defense system of Israel Defense Force. Sprott Global Resource Investments is a boutique investment firm specializing in natural resource investments including precious metals, base metals, oil & gas, agriculture, water, and alternative energy.  Sprott Global’s clients include small and large individual and institutional investors who want a portion of their portfolio invested in natural resource sectors, especially in junior exploration companies.

In Episode 83, David Drake takes a break from a world tour on behalf of The Soho Loft to talk with Chris Cahill about why debt crowdfunding will gain ground in the US and elsewhere over the rest of 2016,  to the extent that some platforms will switch from equity offerings to debt offerings.  David gets everywhere and hears from everyone, so his cosmopolitan insights are substantiated.  Come join David Drake's world.   Learn more about David Drake, The Soho Loft and LDJ Capital by visiting www.ldjcaptial.com and thesoholoft.com   You can also find him here:   Twitter: @TheSohoLoft LinkedIn   About David Drake   David Drake is a leading equity expert based in New York. He is the founder and chairman of LDJ Capital, a private equity advisory firm, and of The Soho Loft, an event-driven global financial media company. Mr. Drake is a strong advocate of innovative investing in early-stage equity and the US JOBS Act, for which he lobbied both Congress and the EU Commission. Because of his leading work in this space, he was a US Commerce Department delegate to the EU Commission in Brussels and Rome, and was invited in May 2013 to the White House Champions of Change ceremony in Washington, D.C.   His investment, The Soho Loft, produces and sponsors 150+ global events a year. One such event was produced in April 2013 for the institutional media leader Thomson Reuters, with speakers from Nasdaq, NYSE, KKR and Carlyle Group. He continues to advance innovative investing through his work as an international speaker and regular writer for major publications like Forbes and Thomson Reuters. He has co-authored the book Planet Entrepreneur: The World Entrepreneurship Forum’s Guide to Business Success Around the World and is the author of Crowd Fund Economics.His focus today is to take on board advisory positions at companies, angel networks and venture funds, and to guide them on such topics as international regulations, corporate strategy and fund structures, with emphasis on the growing trend of online investment automation for retail and angel investors.Privately, Mr. Drake has hosted the Harvard Business Club of NY at his home, produced Carnegie Hall concerts and raised funds for the charities Trail Blazers and Best Buddies Carnegie Hall for many years. Today he is a board director of the UBS Charity of the Year, London-based ARCHIVE Global, and is co-chair of the Tree Kangaroo Foundation in New York.Born in Sweden and fluent in six languages, Mr. Drake has an MBA in Finance and an MA in International Law and Economics from George Washington University, where he was awarded the Wallenberg Scholarship for academic merit.

In Episode 82, Chris Cahill speaks with Phil DeMuth, author of The Overtaxed Investor: Slash Your Tax Bill & Be a Tax Alpha Dog. The author is as engaging and enthused as his frequent co-author Ben Stein affects not to be.  Listen and learn about the benefits of taking a "lifetime perspective on your taxes."   You can learn more about Phil DeMuth here.   Or you can find him here: Twitter: @PhilDeMuth LinkedIn     About Phil DeMuth   Phil DeMuth is Managing Director at Conservative Wealth Management, LLC, where he enjoys working with high net worth clients and saving them from the depredations of the financial services industry.   Phil was valedictorian of his class at the University of California at Santa Barbara, then went on for his master’s in communication and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. A psychologist and investment advisor, Phil has written for the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Forbes, the Journal of Financial Planning, Human Behavior and Psychology Today , and is the author of nine books on investing, most co-authored with his pal, economist Ben Stein. His opinions have been quoted in the New York Times, the Financial Times, Yahoo! Finance, On Wall Street, Fortune, Research Magazine, Investor’s Business Daily, Motley Fool, theStreet.com and he has been seen on various TV shows, including CNBC’s Worldwide Exchange, On the Money, Squawk Box and Closing Bell, as well as Fox & Friends, Wall Street Week, and Consuelo Mack WealthTrack.

Gap Year: using a year between high school and college in particular ways in order to maximize the value of college. In Episode 81, Chris Cahill talks Gap Year with Ethan Knight, co-founder of the American Gap Association. The AGA serves as a comprehensive resource for those interested in the programmatic Gap Year's instructional, experiential, and adventuresome qualities.   You can find out more about Ethan Knight and the American Gap Association here.   Or you can find them here: Twitter: @americangap Facebook LinkedIn      About Ethan Knight   Ethan Knight has been working within the world of Gap Years since 1996, when he took his own Gap Year to India, Nepal and Tibet. Back in those days the only options to taking an official Gap Year was through the Center for Interim Programs, and that's exactly how he first heard about this strange thing called a Gap Year. After an inspired talk at his high school, he started a conversation with Interim Programs to discuss what would eventually turn into his own sojourn. Ethan graduated from Willamette University - a small Tier 1 private liberal arts university - with majors in English and Philosophy, and a minor in Environmental Sciences. Immediately after graduating he went to work for LEAPNOW as an intern where his passion for education really took firm root. With the help of a few key mentors along the way, primarily Sam Bull, Ethan eventually led programs for groups of Gap Year students through Latin America and Asia, finally working his way up to Assistant Director of the organization. After seven years at LEAPNOW, Ethan returned home to Portland, Oregon to found Carpe Diem Education. While Carpe Diem began with just three programs, Ethan added five more over the next six years in order to create more options for a wider variety of students. During his tenure at Carpe Diem Education, Ethan also founded the International Carpe Diem Foundation (now Carpe Mundi) - a non-profit dedicated to the inclusion of economically disadvantaged students in Gap Year programs and higher education. It is currently the only non-profit of its kind in Oregon. Eventually, after 6 years at Carpe Diem he recognized a need for a professional association amongst Gap Year providers. The needs of the industry were demanding a hub for information-sharing, development of best-practices, and objective evaluation. Thus, in 2012 he worked with many in the field to found the American Gap Association.

In Episode 80, marriage and family therapist Carrie Rosenbloom discusses how to cultivate thoughtfulness and discernment in those relationships which constitute the why of our achievements, both professionally and financially.    You can find out more about Carrie and The Family Mediation Group here.   Or you can find her here: Twitter:  @mommyontherocks Facebook LinkedIn: Carrie Rosenbloom; The Family Mediation Group     About Carrie Rosenbloom   Carrie Rosenbloom is co-founder and partner in the Family Mediation Group, LLC, and co-founder and partner in CT Relational Therapy, LLC.  She has a background in the law and a deep interest in human relationships. Rosenbloom’s belief that the two fields are intertwined led her to develop both practice groups. She began her career as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County, IL. primarily serving the narcotics bureau, Chicago’s busiest department. She went on to development work in the non-profit sector, raising money and developing programming for underserved Latino youth in one of Chicago’s near north neighborhoods. Motherhood became Rosenbloom’s next passion, raising children in the mountains of Ojai, CA., where she and her husband, four children and five dogs took a different path in life. It was there that Rosenbloom combined her love of learning with her interest in human relationships and took on the role of content editor at the now defunct Emommy.com. Connecting with other mothers, she and her team sought to shift the dialogue between moms from raising children, to one of raising adults, childhood being the stepping stone. In 2009, she and her family moved East to Connecticut, and she co-founded the two practice groups.  Soon, Rosenbloom will share much of what she’s learned about how succeeding in business is related to success at home. Her Financial Poise column, “Lifecycle Management for Business Success,” debuts next week.

In Episode 79, Financial Poise Radio sits with Daniel Rossen, Senior Broker of-CRC Insurance, to speak of insurance.  No, wait!  Don't run!  There are coverages that can help businesses grow!  There are coverage choices that are meaningful at different stages of an enterprise's expansion.  For a lucid, nay pellucid explanation, Mr. Rossen's your man.   You can find out more about Daniel Rossen and CRC Insurance here.   Or you can find him here: LinkedIn: Daniel Rossen; CRC Insurance

How are those financial abs?  Are you financially fit?  Michelle Gershfeld of Get Financially Fit is your financial trainer, and our guest for Episode 78 of Financial Poise Radio.  Find out what Michelle means by the tenet "Pay yourself first!"  Learn how our attitudes need to be adjusted to improve our relationship with money.  And Michelle knows, in part from a career as counsel to chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees. Learn more about Michelle Gershfeld here. Or you can find her here: EmailLinkedIn   About Michelle Gershfeld Michelle Gershfeld has spent nearly 30 years as a lawyer, specializing in bankruptcy law.  She began her career in 1989 at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy, LLP, and later joined David Kittay’s law firm, first in Manhattan and then in Westchester County, and found her niche specializing in bankruptcy law.  Gershfeld has been the firm’s managing partner since 2000.  She has represented bankruptcy trustees and clients in more than 20,000 cases.  As an Accredited Financial Counselor and Financial Fitness Coach, she is an active member of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE), the nationally recognized leader in financial counseling and education. Bridging the two fields of law and financial counseling, Gershfeld uses her skills as a speaker and published writer to help clients on the road toward financial security.  Soon, she will regularly share her strategies with Financial Poise readers in a new column called  “Get Financially Fit,” dedicated to the idea that your financial success starts with managing your money.

In Episode 77, Chris Cahill speaks about hoards with World Numismatist and Cataloger Bruce Walker, of Stack's Bowers Galleries. From Lydia to the present, coins have delighted hoard-finders and collectors. Coins also constitute a tangible asset class with which one may balance the ol' portfolio. Find out more about Bruce Walker and Stack's Bowers here. Or you can find them here: Twitter: @StacksBowersFacebookLinkedIn InstagramGoogle+   About Bruce Walker Bruce Walker joined Stack’s Bowers Galleries, a firm engaged in the sale and auction of rare coins and currency, in early 2015 as a World Numismatist and Cataloger.  After collecting world gold coins by Friedberg catalog number since his mid-20s, his numismatic interests blossomed subsequent to purchasing a used copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins a few years later.  After a number of years pursuing numismatics as an avocation while employed in the information technology field, Bruce began a gradual transformation toward a career as a professional numismatist.  At first buying and selling on eBay, his involvement with fellow hobbyists led him to become an officer of the Johnson County Numismatic Society (Kansas) before joining a local numismatic auction house to assist with the liquidation of the Dr. Richard D. Bode estate in 2013.  As his passion and expertise with coins grew, Bruce made the decision to leave IBM after 25 years to pursue what many consider to be a dream job working with rare coins on a daily basis​.  A frequent contributor within the numismatic press, with nearly a dozen published Op-Ed pieces in Numismatic News, Bruce continues to pursue numismatics both as a hobbyist as well as a professional.

In Episode 76, Financial Poise Radio host Chris Cahill interviews Financial Poise founder Jonathan Friedland. They discuss the roots of Financial Poise in educating investors about alternative assets, providing distressed deal data and marketing modes, presenting carefully selected and edited writings, and producing webinars on a strict NON pay-to-play basis.   You can learn more about Jonathan Friedland here and here.   Or you can find him here: FacebookLinkedIn Twitter: @lawyerfriedland   About Jonathan Friedland Jonathan Friedland is a partner with Sugar Felsenthal Grais & Hammer. Jonathan P. Friedland is well recognized as a lawyer’s lawyer.  Clients turn to Jonathan with their most challenging restructuring and business matters.  In addition to counseling privately owned businesses in their acquisition and divestiture transactions, Jonathan is highly regarded for serving as outside general counsel to closely-held companies and their principals.  In addition, he frequently serves as co-counsel to other law firms whose clients are facing financial distress. Jonathan’s practice is national, regional and local in scope.  He is licensed to practice law in Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey and New York. Jonathan’s practice includes representing private equity funds and other investors in mergers and acquisitions activities. Additionally he advises clients about fiduciary duties and helps structure relationships between shareholders, LLC members and joint venturers.  He counsels on succession planning, , employee matters and a host of other corporate matters.  During the course of his representation, Jonathan is frequently engaged in negotiating loans and equipment leases and general contract issues. In his extensive restructuring and insolvency work, Jonathan as guided scores of companies through challenging financial situations, including Chapter 11, assignments for the benefit of creditors and out-of-court workouts. For over two decades, he has also represented buyers of distressed assets and creditors and creditor committees against distressed business. Jonathan is a highly regarded author, editor and speaker. He has authored more than 100 published articles in professional journals. He also has been profiled, interviewed and/or quoted in such publications as Buyouts Magazine, The M&A Journal, Inside Counsel, LAW360,Business Week.com, The Bankruptcy Strategist, Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review; Dow Jones LBO Wire, and The Daily Deal. Jonathan is lead author of Strategic Alternatives for Distressed Businesses, and Commercial Bankruptcy Litigation treatises, published by West, and the general editor of A Comparison Shopping Guide for 363 Sales, published by the American Bankruptcy Institute. Jonathan is also the founder and chairman of DailyDAC, LLC, d/b/a Financial Poise™, an on-line provider of continuing education, information, and business intelligence for business owners, investors, and their trusted advisors.  He is also on the editorial board of “The Corporate Counselor.”

In Episode 75 of Accredited Investor Markets, Philippe de Lapérouse of High Quest Partners discusses how agricultural commodity prices vary from other (recently plunging) commodity prices for oil and steel, and the attention being paid to water resources by policy-makers, producers, and investors. High Quest Partners is excited about producing the Global Aginvesting 2016 -- the world's premier agricultural investment conference -- taking place April 25-28 in New York City.    You can learn more about Philippe and High Quest Partners here.   Or you can find them here: LinkedIn: Philippe LinkedIn: High Quest Partners      About Philippe de Lapérouse   Philippe de Lapérouse has more than 30 years of senior level experience working with leading global companies in the agro-industrial and value-added food chain, including Ralston Purina and Bunge, as well as working as an investment banker at the beginning of his career. As Managing Director of HighQuest Partners, he has led over 50 engagements advising executive teams of major strategic and financial investors operating and investing globally across the food, biotech and bioenergy value chains to on making informed decisions regarding resource allocation, new business opportunities and developing investment strategies to address the challenges facing global agriculture. Prior to joining HighQuest, Mr. de Lapérouse was Director of Business Development for Bunge North America, Inc., where he was responsible for the company’s efforts to expand its oilseed processing operations into Mexico and the Caribbean Basin, as well as developing export markets for oilseed products and feed grains into the Caribbean, North Africa and eastern Mediterranean. Previously, Mr. de Lapérouse held senior line management positions with Ralston Purina International where he managed operations and was responsible for functions including marketing, sales and developing dealer distribution networks targeting the industrial livestock and poultry sectors in Western, Central and Eastern Europe. Mr. de Lapérouse served as director of Sodrugestvo Management Company, Ltd., the leading importer, crusher and distributor of soybeans and feed ingredients in Russia from 2009 to 2012 and was instrumental in making the introduction which resulted in Mitsui acquiring a 10% shareholding in the company. He serves on the Advisory Committee of the Ag Innovation Showcase at the Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, MO, and is the author of the report, Private Financial Sector Investment in Farmland and Agricultural Infrastructure (2010) which was commissioned by OECD in 2010 to provide insights on this emerging asset class and the impact that private sector investment is having on the regions in which they are investing. He received his B.A. degree from Trinity College and an M.B.A. degree from The Darden School of Business at The University of Virginia.

In Episode 74 of Accredited Investor Markets Radio, Chris Cahill discusses "The Elements of Power" -- the first major book (and a very fine one) on the rare earth metals trade -- with its author, David S. Abraham. Niobium in steel, much of the Periodic Table in each smartphone, and in smart weaponry: what are the geopolitical risks and supply chain vagaries associated with market dominance by a few nations and players?  What should investors know about time frames, extraction risks, pricing volatility risks, and the Molycorp bankruptcy? Note: approximately 4 seconds of the broadcast was conducted in the Lithuanian language.   You can find out more about David S. Abraham here.   Or you can find him here: Twitter: @abrahadave @tremcenter Instagram: elementsofpower LinkedIn   About David S. Abraham   David S. Abraham runs the Technology, Rare and Electronics Materials Center and is author of The Elements of Power. His career spans from commodities trading and Wall Street to the White House where he oversaw international and natural resource programs. He is a frequent speaker on rare metals and technology demands. A recipient of numerous fellowships, David researched the rare metal trade at Tokyo University, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Council on Foreign Relations. He also oversaw operations of a clean water non-profit, starting the organization’s operations in Japan and Uganda. During his career, he has advised investors on resource opportunities, counseled Congressional staff on resource risks, and received a meritorious service award while in government. He has crossed more borders than he cares to count, interviewed hundreds of people throughout the rare metal supply line and, when younger, monitored elections throughout central Asia and eastern Europe. David has been selected as a Young Leader by numerous international organizations and is currently a Truman National Security Fellow. He holds degrees from Boston College and Tufts University and speaks Lithuanian.

In Episode 73 of Accredited Investor Markets Radio, Sara Hanks, co-founder and CEO of CrowdCheck, reflects on vetting early-stage private companies seeking online capital formation in the New World created by the JOBS Act. Ms. Hanks' perspective is also informed by her past as an SEC attorney, and her present as co-chair of the SEC Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies. You can learn more about Sara Hanks and CrowdCheck here. Or you can find them here: Twitter: @SaraCrowdCheck; @CrowdCheck LinkedIn: Sara Hanks; CrowdCheck Facebook YouTube   About Sara Hanks Sara is a corporate and securities attorney with three decades of experience. She is the co-founder of CrowdCheck, which provides due diligence, disclosure and compliance services for online capital formation. She is co-Chair of the SEC’s Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies, and her comments are her own and do not represent the positions of the SEC. Sara Hanks, co-founder and CEO of CrowdCheck, is an attorney with over 30 years of experience in the corporate and securities field. CrowdCheck provides due diligence, disclosure and compliance services for online capital formation. Its services help entrepreneurs and project sponsors through the disclosure and due diligence process, give investors the information they need to make an informed investment decision and avoid fraud and help intermediaries avoid liability. Sara’s prior position was General Counsel of the bipartisan Congressional Oversight Panel, the overseer of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Prior to that, Sara spent many years as a partner of Clifford Chance, one of the world’s largest law firms.  While at Clifford Chance, she advised on capital markets transactions and corporate matters for companies throughout the world.  Sara began her career with the London law firm Norton Rose. She later joined the Securities and Exchange Commission and as Chief of the Office of International Corporate Finance led the team drafting regulations that put into place a new generation of rules governing the capital-raising process. Sara received her law degree from Oxford University and is a member of the New York and DC bars and a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. She serves as co-Chair of the SEC’s Advisory Council on Small and Emerging Companies. She holds a Series 65 securities license as a registered investment advisor. Sara is an aunt, Army wife, skier, cyclist, gardener and animal lover.

Hedge Fund methods with Mutual Fund daily liquidity?  In Episode 72, we spoke of Liquid Alternatives with Pete Hecht, Managing Director of Evanston Capital Management. Mr. Hecht urged investors to reject hype and to measure performance net of fees that can be attributed to such strategies. You can learn more about Pete Hecht and Evanston Capital Management here. Or you can find them here: LinkedIn: Pete Hecht; Evanston Capital Management @EvanstonCapital   About Pete Hecht Area of Focus: Topical Investment Research, Portfolio Strategy, & Risk Management Profile: Joined ECM in 2013. Previously served in various portfolio manager and strategy roles for Allstate Corporation’s $35 billion property & casualty insurance portfolio and $4 billion pension plan.  Also had the opportunity to Chair the Investment Strategy Committee, Global Strategy Team, and Performance Measurement Authority. Served as an Assistant Professor of Finance at Harvard Business School and taught the required first year finance course in the MBA program and an advanced asset pricing course in the Business Economics Ph.D. program. Has research and publications covering a variety of areas within finance, including behavioral and rational theories of asset pricing, liquidity, capital market efficiency, complex security valuation, credit risk, and asset allocation. Served at investment banks J.P. Morgan and Hambrecht & Quist and as a consultant for State Street Global Markets. Education: B.A. in Economics and Engineering Sciences, Dartmouth College M.B.A., University of Chicago Ph.D. in Finance, University of Chicago (Dissertation Committee:  Eugene Fama – Chair, George Constantinides, Tobias Moskowitz, Richard Thaler).

A long-term investment strategy that keeps wealth in and taxes away. Our Chris Cahill spoke with Tracy Treger, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at Syndicated Equities about the mechanics of 1031 like-kind exchanges with respect to real estate investment, both for individuals and participants in investment syndicates.   You can learn more about Tracy Treger and Syndicated Equities here.   Or you can find them here: Twitter: @tracy_treger; @SEquities LinkedIn: Tracy Treger; Syndicated Equities     About Tracy Treger   Tracy Treger is the Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at Syndicated Equities. Tracy helps high net worth individuals and family offices to profitably invest in real estate.  She also assists investors in identifying appropriate replacement property to complete tax-deferred exchanges under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. Drawing upon her 20 years’ experience practicing law in the areas of real estate, bankruptcy and corporate restructuring, finance, and commercial law, Tracy seeks out opportunities to improve the relationship between Syndicated Equities and its investors, to cultivate new investors, and to identify new investment opportunities aligned with investors' goals.  Tracy joined the Syndicated Equities team in 2013 after serving as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for a private REIT, where she handled all legal aspects of the company’s daily operations and its joint venture relationships in the U.S. and Mexico.  Prior to working with the REIT, she was a partner in two large Chicago-based law firms with national and international practices. Tracy holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.S. in Psychological Services from the University of Pennsylvania, and a J.D. from Chicago Kent College of Law.  She is also a FINRA Series 22 and 63 registered representative.  Tracy Co-Chairs the National Leadership Committee of the Anti-Defamation League, among other philanthropic involvement.

Three college friends have started a social media business and ask you to invest $20,000. Is this more likely Facebook or Farcebook?  We asked Peter Feinberg, a veteran attorney with Hoge-Fenton of Silicon Valley for the more specific questions an early stage investor should ask.  We discuss the Underpants Gnomes' Step 2 and loosely paraphrase Jean-Paul Sartre in considering whether "Hell is other investors." Join us for this discussion in Episode 70 of Accredited Investor Markets Radio. You can find out more about Peter Feinberg ad Hoge Fenton here. Or you can find them here: Twitter: @HogeFenton LinkedIn: Peter Feinberg, Hoge Fenton   About Peter Feinberg Peter Feinberg has almost 25 years’ experience  representing primarily middle market companies in all aspects and many sectors of merger and acquisition transactions.  Mr. Feinberg has successfully closed well over 100 merger and acquisition transactions, representing buyers and sellers, public and privately held companies, multinational firms, family owned businesses and private equity firms.  He practices in Silicon Valley at Hoge Fenton Jones & Appel, a more than 60 year old, 40+ attorney firm.  He has previously been a partner at Thelen Reid & Priest and Ferrari Ottoboni and has worked in house at NetApp and Clorox.

In Episode 69, Accredited Investor Markets Radio host, Chris Cahill, again has the pleasure of speaking with Nick Veronis and Kunal Shah of iCaptial Network. This time, they discuss the mechanics of PE funds and of investing in them, including the compensation structures for fund managers as they relate to gains for investors. In addition, our guests discuss what qualities investors should seek in a fund manager.   You can find out more about Nick Veronis, Kunal Shah and iCapital Network here.   Or you can find them here: Twitter: @icapitalnetwork LinkedIn: iCapital Network Nick Veronis Kunal Shah     About Nick Veronis   Mr. Veronis is Co-Founder and one of the Managing Partners of iCapital Network where he oversees the Company’s Private Access Fund infrastructure and origination. Mr. Veronis spent 11 years at Veronis Suhler Stevenson, a middle market private equity firm where he was a Managing Director responsible for originating and structuring investment opportunities. At VSS, he specialized in the business information services sector and helped spearhead the firm’s investment strategy in the financial software and data sector, including its investment in Ipreo. Mr. Veronis is also currently an operating advisor to Atlas Advisors, an independent investment bank based in New York. He began his career as a financial journalist for The Boston Business Journal, was a reporter for The Star-Ledger, and an associate in the New Media Division of Newhouse Newspapers. He holds a BA degree in economics from Trinity College and FINRA licenses Series 7, 79 and 63.     About Kunal Shah   Kunal is a Senior Vice President of Fund Manager Due Diligence & Origination where he focuses on identifying and leading due diligence on private equity funds. Previously, Kunal was a Principal in the private markets group at Meketa Investment Group ("Meketa") where he was responsible for leading and managing private equity fund investments. Kunal joined Meketa in 2006 and invested over $1 billion on behalf of Meketa's discretionary and non-discretionary clients. He invested globally and covered buyouts, venture capital, private debt, natural resources, and infrastructure investments. He also developed and led Meketa's secondary funds purchase practice. Kunal served on various limited partners advisory boards. Prior to Meketa, Kunal was an analyst at The Vanguard Group and Hirtle, Callaghan & Co. Kunal received a BS degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Drexel University.