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ARCHIVE
IBM Expert Demystifies Artificial Intelligence, Touts Its Value for Asset Management
By Jeanne C. Arnold
June 22, 2018
Forget what you’ve heard about artificial intelligence (AI), Tom Eck, chief technology officer for IBM industry platforms, told the crowd at ICI’s 60th annual General Membership Meeting, held last month in Washington, DC. Despite its depiction sometimes in popular culture as a malevolent force, he said, there is nothing to fear from the technology, which happens to hold great potential for the registered fund industry.
This Isn’t Skynet
“I know many people are scared of AI, but there’s nothing scary about it. We’re not going to see Skynet anytime soon,” Eck said, referencing the man-made AI system that ultimately battles the human race in the Terminator movie franchise. “AI is essentially based on probabilities,” he explained—that is, it uses evidence to determine the likelihood of a future outcome.
Machine learning is an aspect of AI that often is just as feared, Eck explained, thanks to the idea that machines could become smarter than humans and ultimately pose a danger to them. But he clarified that machine learning simply means that “an AI algorithm’s predictive ability gets better over time.”
He further explained that there are many types of machine learning, including supervised learning, where a researcher gives an AI algorithm a set of information and a set of answers. “For example, [a researcher] shows a picture of a banana and tells the algorithm it’s a banana, or she does the same with an automobile. And she’ll continue this way with millions of images and labels.” Self-driving cars are a great example of supervised learning at work, Eck pointed out, because “self-driving is all about image recognition.”
The Perfect Storm
Though AI has been around since the 1950s, Eck noted, we’re hearing about it now more than ever because of advancements in areas like data, algorithms, and hardware. “Consider the amount of data that we have online—the volume of images, video, and text, which has enabled better image recognition and supervised learning. Or think about the hardware that is available today versus 20 years ago,” he added. The advancements in these two areas—as well as the tremendous improvement in algorithms—has driven “a quantum leap in AI within the last decade.”
“We have a perfect storm happening—in a good way,” Eck said. More people can develop and use algorithms thanks to greater access to education and open-source platforms, he explained, while algorithms are becoming more powerful, faster, accurate, and easier to use. “Every dimension of AI is improving, and the complexity of implementing AI is decreasing. So, it’s easier and more viable for different industries to take advantage of AI’s potential,” he concluded.
Potential Value for Asset Management
So, how can funds and asset managers put AI to work for them? “I wouldn’t suggest setting up your own AI shop,” Eck told the audience. “It would be easier to leverage existing AI services by having your IT team integrate them into your systems.” Numerous services offer AI models that provide speech, text, or image recognition, or that can make predictions based off a given data set, he explained.
For example, Eck said, “perhaps a portfolio manager wants to set up a daily report that runs overnight and shows all the regulatory and business insights that the manager will need to act on the next day.” Or maybe an analyst wants to “predict the price of a certain equity, or whether crude oil will go up or down.” AI could perform either of those tasks, and could bring a lot of value to the fund industry, Eck concluded. “Firms just have to remember that it’s not scary.”
To learn more about AI and how it applies to mutual fund operations, please read “Artificial Intelligence Offers Opportunity for Funds and Investors.”
Jeanne C. Arnold is managing editor at ICI.
Permalink: https://www.ici.org/viewpoints/view_18_gmm_ai
TOPICS: EventsGMMMutual Fund
Young Leaders Reflect on Building a Better Business
By Christina Kilroy
June 21, 2018
Emerging leaders in the asset management industry are at the forefront of changes that will fundamentally affect the business—from technology, to client expectations, to how to attract and retain top talent. During a panel at ICI’s Operations and Technology Conference, held concurrently with the 60th annual General Membership Meeting, three such leaders explored how their firms are rethinking legacy processes and moving into the future....
TOPICS: EventsGMMMutual FundOperations and TechnologyShareholder
Meeting Investors’ Evolving Expectations—and Why Delivering Returns Is No Longer Enough
By Jeanne C. Arnold
June 19, 2018
Serving investors is at the heart of asset management. Yet in today’s technology-driven world, in which personalized services and experiences dominate everything from banking to shopping, asset managers are having to rethink how to best meet the evolving needs of investors and advisers.
During the opening session of ICI’s 60th annual General Membership Meeting, held this year from May 22–24, a group of industry experts took to the stage to discuss the future of the fund industry—and to explain why simply delivering returns is no longer enough....
TOPICS: EventsGMMMutual Fund
How Astronaut Jerry Linenger Found Strength, Perspective During His 132 Days in Space
By Candice Gullett
June 14, 2018
Captain Jerry Linenger has been around the world more than a few times—literally. As a retired US Navy flight surgeon and NASA astronaut posted on Russian space station Mir, he’s seen it all. But you don’t have to go in to space to benefit from Linenger’s insight—he had plenty of wisdom to share with attendees of ICI’s 60th annual General Membership Meeting (GMM), held in Washington, DC, from May 22–24.
TOPICS: EventsGMMMutual Fund
Amy Herman Makes Order out of Chaos with the Art of Perception
By Melanie Cohen
June 11, 2018
Art might not be the first topic that comes to mind when discussing the mutual fund industry, but lawyer and art historian Amy Herman showed that there is a connection to be found after all.
Addressing attendees at ICI’s recent Operations and Technology Conference, held concurrently with ICI’s General Membership Meeting in Washington, DC, from May 22–24, Herman explained that analyzing art requires stepping in closely and asking questions from every angle—a style of observation that also is important for the fund industry…
TOPICS: EventsGMMMutual Fund
Artificial Intelligence Offers Opportunity for Funds and Investors
By Miriam Bridges
June 7, 2018
What’s the future of the financial services workforce and artificial intelligence (AI)? Adam Broun, president and COO of Kensho Technologies, believes that AI will help human beings become better at what they do. “We’re not replacing humans yet in any meaningful way; we’re making people more effective and efficient in what they’re doing,” Broun told the audience at ICI’s annual Operations and Technology Conference, held concurrently with the General Membership Meeting on May 22–24 in Washington, DC.
Kicking off the session, Broun described how Kensho developed its “new economy” indexes and how AI comes into play...
For Good Cybersecurity, Keep Your Eye on the Basics, Says Fidelity’s Chad Renfro
By Todd Bernhardt
June 5, 2018
The computer breaches and hacks that make headlines are typically massive and complicated, and this can lead to the belief that information security solutions must be similarly complex.
But—as Chad Renfro, head of enterprise cybersecurity at Fidelity Investments, told a capacity audience at ICI’s recent General Membership Meeting—good cybersecurity doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Instead, he said, companies that make “strategic, optimized investments in cybersecurity” and that focus on the fundamentals can drastically reduce the amount of risk facing their firm…
TOPICS: CybersecurityEventsGMMOperations and Technology
Asset Management Leaders Talk Shop on Markets and Trends—and the Industry’s Gender Divide
By Rob Elson
May 31, 2018
A panel of four leading women in asset management took the stage at ICI’s 60th annual General Membership Meeting last week to share their insights on market outlooks, industry trends, and gender diversity....
TOPICS: EventsGMMInternationalMutual Fund
The Carlyle Group’s David M. Rubenstein: Expanding Horizons, Doing What He Loves
By Miriam Bridges
May 23, 2018
“It’s the rate of return. Everything is the rate of return,” said David M. Rubenstein, cofounder and co-executive chairman of The Carlyle Group, summing up what has fueled the growth and success of the modern private equity business.
TOPICS: EventsGMMMutual Fund
Industry Leaders Highlight Opportunities Presented by Industry Change
By Miriam Bridges
June 1, 2017
Shifts in demographics, regulation, investor preferences, and new product offerings are creating a range of opportunities for the asset management industry. In conversations exploring these evolving trends, industry leaders offered their perspectives on how to succeed in these new environments during two insightful sessions on the second day of ICI’s 59th General Membership Meeting, held May 3–5 in Washington, DC.
TOPICS: EventsFund RegulationGMMInternationalMutual Fund
A Tech-Enabled Future—and Present—for Investment Advice
By Rob Elson
May 30, 2017
The future of investment advice will lie at the intersection of technology and humanity, said panelists at ICI’s 2017 General Membership Meeting. But those panelists—Eli Broverman, cofounder of Betterment; Kelly Coffey, CEO at JP Morgan’s US Private Bank; and Ben Huneke, head of investment solutions at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management—offered differing views on how much of a role people will play.
TOPICS: CybersecurityEventsFund RegulationGMMOperations and Technology
Top Investment Strategists Sound Optimistic Notes amid Headwinds
By Rob Elson
May 25, 2017
Opportunities abound in today’s market and macroeconomic environment, and it’s up to fund managers to help their investors capitalize on them. That’s the outlook from a panel of world-class investment strategists sharing their insights at ICI’s 59th annual General Membership Meeting, held earlier this month in Washington, DC.
TOPICS: EventsExchange-Traded FundsFinancial MarketsGMMInternationalMutual Fund
Stevens Calls for Measures to Enhance Economic Growth
By Rachel McTague
May 5, 2017
With America striving to achieve greater economic growth, Paul Schott Stevens, ICI president and CEO, called on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to enhance funds’ essential role in the capital markets by proposing new rules to govern funds’ use of derivatives and by creating a harmonized best-interest standard for advisers providing investment advice to retail and retirement investors. The ICI chief also urged the SEC to adopt a fund disclosure regime for the 21st century.
TOPICS: EventsFinancial MarketsFinancial StabilityFund RegulationGMMMoney Market FundsMutual Fund
Jeff Immelt and GE’s Bid to Own the Future
By Rob Elson
May 4, 2017
“I just couldn’t explain why we owned NBC.”
In only eight words, GE’s Jeff Immelt summed up one of the major catalysts for his transformation of the company during his nearly 16 years as president and CEO. His enlightening, lighthearted conversation with ICI President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens at ICI’s 59th Annual General Membership Meeting—which began yesterday in Washington, DC—dove deep into Immelt’s thinking behind this transformation, the company’s major decisions during his tenure, and his big plans for the company’s future.
TOPICS: EventsGMMInternational
Industry Operations Leaders Address Needs of Investors and Advisers
By Candice Gullett
June 6, 2016
In conversations exploring regulation, demographics, and technology, industry leaders offered their perspectives on serving investors and advisers in an evolving world at ICI’s annual Operations and Technology Conference, held concurrently with the General Membership Meeting on May 18–20 in Washington, DC.
Industry Leaders Address Changing Industry Terrain
By Miriam Bridges
June 3, 2016
Will fund industry leaders need to rethink their traditional operating models? Experts shared their views on this question and others, as well as the opportunities presented by a rapidly changing industry, in a candid discussion on the second day of ICI’s 58th General Membership Meeting, held May 18–20 in Washington, DC.
TOPICS: EventsFund RegulationGMMMutual Fund
A Changing Landscape for the Fund Industry—and Fund Investors
By Rob Elson
May 27, 2016
Continue to expect change in the investment landscape, with the Federal Reserve, the Millennial generation, and technological evolution all playing major roles.
TOPICS: EventsFederal ReserveFinancial MarketsGMMInterest RateMutual Fund
Ops Leaders Extol the Transformational Power of Data and Analytics
By Todd Bernhardt
May 26, 2016
The evolution of fund companies’ ability to gather and analyze data is creating a revolution in the way that those companies serve their customers, said panelists at “Big Data Initiatives and the Power of the Cloud,” the session that kicked off ICI’s Operations and Technology Conference on May 19 in Washington, DC.
TOPICS: CybersecurityEventsGMMOperations and TechnologyShareholder
The SEC’s Historic Success: Six Key Ingredients
By Paul Schott Stevens
May 20, 2016
This ICI Viewpoints is adapted from ICI President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens’s introduction for SEC Chair Mary Jo White at the 2016 ICI General Membership Meeting on May 20.
More than 80 years have passed since Congress—looking to restore public confidence in markets at the height of the Great Depression—established the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to administer the federal securities laws enacted as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.
TOPICS: EventsFinancial MarketsFund RegulationGMMMutual Fund
SEC Chair White Expects Continued ‘Bright Spotlight’ on Asset Management
By Rachel McTague
May 20, 2016
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is contemplating several new initiatives governing registered funds, in addition to adopting rules this year on reporting modernization, liquidity management, and the use of derivatives, SEC Chair Mary Jo White announced at the opening session on the final day of ICI’s annual General Membership Meeting (GMM).
TOPICS: CybersecurityEventsExchange-Traded FundsFinancial MarketsFinancial StabilityFund RegulationGMMInternationalMutual FundShareholder
Walter Isaacson: Where Art Meets Science
By Rob Elson
May 19, 2016
Our world’s greatest innovations, according to Walter Isaacson, can be traced to “people who truly have a sense of what it is to be human…but also feel very comfortable with science and technology, and can make the connection.” And he’s got the evidence to back this belief up.
TOPICS: CybersecurityEventsGMM
GMM Policy Forum: Michael Bloomberg and the Focus on Value
By Todd Bernhardt
May 18, 2016
Businesses and people can both prosper if they focus on providing a service that is unique and that has real value, said Michael R. Bloomberg at ICI’s 58th Annual General Membership Meeting (GMM) today. The noted entrepreneur, philanthropist, and three-term mayor of New York City covered a wide range of topics in a lively back-and-forth with ICI President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens during the meeting’s opening Policy Forum, attended by about 1,500 fund industry leaders.
TOPICS: EventsFinancial MarketsGMMMutual FundShareholder
Correcting a Distorted Picture of Retirement Resources
By Peter Brady
October 21, 2015
Can 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs) provide the income that retirees need to supplement Social Security and enjoy a secure retirement?
TOPICS: EventsGovernment AffairsInvestor ResearchPolicy ResearchRetirement PolicyRetirement ResearchSavings
Cybersecurity: Managing Risk in an Increasingly Connected World
By Todd Bernhardt
June 12, 2015
It’s increasingly obvious that we live in a world where cyber threats are evolving quickly and will remain persistent. But though such risks can never be eliminated, they can be managed, said panelists at ICI’s Operations and Technology Conference, held in conjunction with the Institute’s General Membership Meeting May 6–8 in Washington, DC.
TOPICS: CybersecurityEventsFund GovernanceGMMOperations and Technology
Facing the Future: A Conversation with Former Chairmen
By Candice Gullett
June 11, 2015
On the second day of ICI’s annual General Membership Meeting (GMM), held May 6–8 in Washington, DC, three former ICI chairmen sat down with current ICI President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens to share the lessons they learned over the course of their careers, as well as during their years of service as volunteer leaders at ICI.
TOPICS: EventsGMMMutual Fund
Navigating Regulatory Developments and Meeting Investors’ Needs in a Global Industry
By Jeanne C. Arnold
June 9, 2015
There is a great opportunity for capital markets to develop all over the world, presenting a huge opportunity for the mutual fund industry, according to David Wright, secretary general of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).
TOPICS: EventsFinancial StabilityGMMInternational
How Millennials Are Shaping the Evolution of Investment Advice
By Christina Kilroy
June 2, 2015
The future of investment advice—as embodied in the youngest cohort of working Americans, known as the Millennial Generation—was the focus of a panel of financial services industry leaders at ICI’s 57th General Membership Meeting. The approximately 75 million 18- to 34-year-olds that make up the group have now overtaken Generation X (ages 35 to 50) as the largest generational group in the workforce, according to Pew Research Center.
TOPICS: Equity InvestingEventsGMMInvestment EducationMutual Fund
Build Bridges, Not Walls: An Admiral’s Perspective on Global Security
By Rob Elson
May 27, 2015
If we are to strengthen global security, retired U.S. Navy Admiral James G. Stavridis says, we cannot continue to build walls—we must build bridges instead.
TOPICS: EventsGMMInternational
SEC Chair White Affirms Agency Has Tools to Address Risks in Industry
By Rachel McTague
May 8, 2015
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has the tools it needs to address systemic risks to the extent they exist in the asset management industry, said SEC Chair Mary Jo White at the opening session on the final day of ICI’s annual General Membership Meeting (GMM). White also announced that David Grim—who had been serving as acting director of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management—has just been named director of the division. White said she is thrilled that Grim, a 20-year veteran of the SEC in the investment management area, is taking the reins at a time when the Commission is moving forward to implement proactive regulations for the industry.
TOPICS: BondsCybersecurityEuropeEventsExchange-Traded FundsFederal ReserveFinancial MarketsFinancial StabilityFund RegulationGMMGovernment AffairsInterest RateInternationalMutual FundShareholderTreasury
Nooyi’s Purpose, Pepsi’s Performance
By Rob Elson
May 7, 2015
We all have a moral compass. But for PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi, “the moral compass of our lives must also be the moral compass of our livelihoods.”
Stirring words from the company’s chair and chief executive—and just a few of the many she delivered in a lively Q&A with Vanguard Chairman and CEO Bill McNabb at ICI’s 57th General Membership Meeting, which began yesterday in Washington, DC.
GMM Policy Forum: “It Always Comes Down to Trust”
By Todd Bernhardt
May 6, 2015
Over the 75-year history of the modern mutual fund industry, funds have helped to democratize investing, providing a tremendous array of investing options at a reasonable cost for millions of people. And given rapid advances in technology and the efficiencies that they can bring, the future looks even brighter, said Walter W. Bettinger II at the opening session of ICI’s 57th General Membership Meeting (GMM).
TOPICS: 401(k)EventsFund RegulationGMMMutual FundShareholder
Unconventional Wisdom on Retirement Preparedness
By Peter Brady
August 4, 2014
How well are Americans planning and saving for retirement? This is an important question to answer—but also vexingly difficult.
TOPICS: EventsGovernment AffairsInvestor ResearchPolicy ResearchRetirement PolicyRetirement ResearchSavings
Industry Leaders Address Evolving Industry Challenges and Opportunities
By Miriam Bridges
June 9, 2014
In conversations exploring outcome-oriented investing, the globalization of the fund industry, and the next generation of retirement plans, industry leaders offered their perspectives on serving investors in an evolving world during several insightful sessions at ICI’s annual General Membership Meeting, held in Washington May 20–22.
TOPICS: 401(k)EventsGMMInternationalMutual FundRetirement PolicySavingsShareholder
Adapting to the Rapidly Evolving Cybersecurity Environment
By Todd Bernhardt
June 6, 2014
Because external hackers typically try to “look like an insider” when attempting to penetrate IT systems, “every cyberattack is likely an ‘internal’ attack,” according to Mark Clancy, managing director of technology risk management at the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC).
TOPICS: CybersecurityEventsGMMMutual FundOperations and Technology
Now Off the Hill, Senator Snowe Still Brimming with Ideas, Advice
By Rob Elson
June 5, 2014
U.S. policy is ripe for reform in a number of key areas, but changes to ease the polarized political environment must come first, former U.S. senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) told the crowd during the final session of ICI’s 56th annual General Membership Meeting (GMM), held May 20–22 in Washington, DC.
TOPICS: CybersecurityEventsFederal ReserveFinancial MarketsFinancial StabilityFund RegulationGMMGovernment AffairsMutual FundRetirement PolicyShareholderTreasury
Industry Leaders Reflect on Serving Investors in an Evolving World
By Christina Kilroy
June 4, 2014
Speaking on the Leadership Panel held Wednesday, May 21, at ICI’s General Membership Meeting (GMM), fund industry leaders agreed that challenges as well as opportunities abound for their businesses in today’s complex world.
TOPICS: 401(k)EventsFederal ReserveFinancial MarketsFinancial StabilityFund GovernanceFund RegulationGMMGovernment AffairsInvestment EducationMutual FundRetirement PolicyShareholder
SEC Chair White Stresses Need for FSOC to Consult Sources for Necessary Expertise
By Rachel McTague
May 22, 2014
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Mary Jo White today called for the U.S. Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) to use outside expertise to the degree necessary in its process of designating systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs). She asserted that it is “enormously important for FSOC, before it makes any decision of any kind, to make sure it has the necessary expertise on any of those issues.”
TOPICS: EventsFederal ReserveFinancial MarketsFinancial StabilityFund GovernanceFund RegulationGMMGovernment AffairsMoney Market FundsMutual FundOperations and TechnologyShareholderTradingTreasury
Headlining ICI’s GMM, Blair Talks of Tough Challenges, Vast Opportunities
By Rob Elson
May 21, 2014
Challenges abound in our increasingly global world, said Tony Blair, former prime minister of the United Kingdom. Yet our future could be brighter than ever, he insisted.
Blair’s stirring words came during a keynote speech at ICI’s 56th General Membership Meeting (GMM). After his opening remarks, Blair sat down with ICI Chairman Bill McNabb, Chairman and CEO of The Vanguard Group, to discuss a range of issues. The session headlined the three-day meeting, which began yesterday in Washington, DC.
TOPICS: 401(k)EventsFinancial MarketsFund RegulationGMMInternationalMutual Fund
GMM Policy Forum: BlackRock’s Larry Fink Speaks with ICI’s Paul Stevens
By Todd Bernhardt
May 21, 2014
The fund industry needs to stop focusing on the moment and start focusing on outcomes when advising investors on their resources, said Laurence D. Fink, chairman and CEO of BlackRock, at ICI’s Annual Policy Forum, part of the Institute’s 56th General Membership Meeting (GMM).
TOPICS: 401(k)BondsEventsFinancial MarketsFund RegulationGMMInternationalInvestment EducationMutual FundRetirement PolicySavingsShareholderTreasury
The Status of Global Retirement Savings: Taking Stock, Moving Forward
By Dan Waters
December 20, 2013
Around the world, as systems for building retirement resources come under increasing pressure, countries of every size and economic situation are facing long-term savings challenges. To meet these challenges, it is critical that pension industry experts, policymakers, and fund industry representatives learn from one another and share solutions that put the needs of savers first.
TOPICS: EventsICI GlobalInternationalRetirement PolicyRetirement Research
Navigating a Changed—and Global—Industry
By Jeanne C. Arnold
May 23, 2013
Navigating the ever-changing landscape and increasingly global nature of the fund industry took center stage during several panels at ICI’s 55th General Member Meeting (GMM).
TOPICS: CybersecurityEventsGMMInternational
U.S. Could Quickly Solve Its Budgetary Problems, Say Former Senators
By Todd Bernhardt
May 20, 2013
The United States is tantalizingly close to solving its budgetary problems, according to former U.S. senators Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Judd Gregg (R-NH).
GMM Panelists Discuss Retirement Savings and Financial Education
By Miriam Bridges
May 17, 2013
Americans need greater access to savings vehicles and better financial education to help ensure that they use them effectively, fund industry experts told attendees at the 55th Annual General Membership Meeting.
TOPICS: EventsGMMInvestment EducationSavings
GMM Panelists Share Tips on Strengthening Cybersecurity
By Andrew Gillies
May 7, 2013
Cybersecurity gained prominence as a topic of discussion at ICI’s General Membership Meeting (GMM), held last week in Washington, DC. “Hugely important,” said Mary John Miller, the Treasury Department’s under secretary for domestic finance, in her GMM remarks.
TOPICS: CybersecurityEventsGMM
Operations and Technology Leadership Roundtable
By Andrew Gillies
May 6, 2013
Superstorm Sandy and the April 15 terrorist attack in Boston rattled assumptions and recalibrated thinking about disaster management, agreed panelists at the Leadership Roundtable of ICI’s 2013 Operations and Technology Conference on May 2 in Washington.
TOPICS: Events
In Case You Missed It: Chairman White’s GMM Speech
By Mike McNamee
May 3, 2013
The Securities and Exchange Commission has posted Chairman Mary Jo White’s address to ICI’s 55th General Membership Meeting.
TOPICS: EventsICI Global
SEC Is Integrating Itself into the Global Financial System, Chairman White Tells ICI Conference
By Rachel McTague
May 3, 2013
In a speech at ICI’s General Membership Meeting today, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Mary Jo White highlighted the myriad ways that the SEC, in light of an increasingly global regulatory environment, pursues its mission to protect U.S. investors and markets and to promote capital formation.
Luncheon with Keynote Speaker: Lloyd C. Blankfein in Conversation with Paul Schott Stevens
By Andrew T. Gillies
May 2, 2013
If Lloyd Blankfein were in charge of the U.S. economy, what would he be most afraid of?
GMM Policy Forum
By Andrew T. Gillies
May 1, 2013
Addressing America’s fiscal challenges will require both raising revenue and cutting government spending, said Mary John Miller, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Under Secretary for Domestic Finance, at the Policy Forum of ICI’s 55th annual General Membership Meeting (GMM).
Treasury’s Miller, Goldman’s Blankfein to Share Insights at ICI’s 2013 GMM
By Sandra J. West
April 4, 2013
For decades, fund executives have come to ICI’s General Membership Meeting (GMM) to get an in-depth understanding of the policy landscape surrounding the industry.
TOPICS: Events
Investment Management in a Rapidly Changing World
By Jennifer Smith
May 11, 2012
Industry leaders exchanged views on developments in China, the ongoing European debt crisis, and how the United States is doing compared to other major economies in a lively and insightful session at ICI’s General Membership Meeting.
TOPICS: Events
Managing Chaos!
By Andrew Gillies
May 11, 2012
Actors dying on set, getting held up at a Chinese border crossings at cost of $500,000 per day, having filming disrupted by floods, sandstorms, snowstorms, and diarrhea outbreaks: George Lucas has seen it all.
“In the movie business,” he told the closing session of ICI’s 54th General Membership Meeting, “every day, something is going to go wrong.” Lucas, founder of Lucasfilm, Ltd., was interviewed by Ariel Investments President Mellody Hobson, ICI Governor and Chairman of ICI’s GMM Planning Committee.
TOPICS: Events
A Regulatory Update Featuring Mary Schapiro
By Rachel McTague
May 11, 2012
Restoring the reputation of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), market volatility and market structure, financial literacy, and the SEC’s efforts to make further structural changes to money market funds took center stage as SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro fielded questions from Mellody Hobson, Chairman of the ICI General Membership Meeting and President of Ariel Investments, on May 11.
TOPICS: Events
Operations and Technology Leadership Roundtable
By Candice Gullett
May 10, 2012
At the Leadership Roundtable for the Operations and Technology Conference, leaders from the industry answered questions posed by the moderator, Barry Benjamin—U.S. and Global Asset Management Leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP—as well as questions from the audience. The major issues the panel discussed were people, regulatory change, technology, and social media.
TOPICS: Events
Managing Global Funds in Challenging Times
By Andrew Gillies
May 10, 2012
Immense opportunities lie ahead for global fund managers, agreed panelists at a session at ICI’s 54th General Membership Meeting.
“We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg,” said Vijay C. Advani, Executive Vice President, Global Advisory Services at Franklin Resources, Inc. Advani, whose firm draws half of its flows from outside the United States, cited a recent survey predicting the population of individuals defined as middle class will increase from 1.5 billion currently to 5 billion by 2030.
TOPICS: Events
GMM Leadership Panel: Lasting Values for Challenging Times
By Mike McNamee
May 10, 2012
Helping investors cope with economic risks in Europe and the United States, select products that best meet their financial goals, and manage expectations in a turbulent environment with rising interest rates are among the top challenges for fund advisers, a panel of industry leaders told ICI’s General Membership Meeting.
TOPICS: Events
Luncheon with Keynote Speaker Howard Schultz
By Andrew Gillies
May 10, 2012
“What is the role and responsibility of business leaders, corporations, CEOs, when you know that the path that the country is going down is not the right path, and people are being left behind?” That was the question posed to ICI’s 54th General Membership Meeting by Starbucks Chairman, President, and CEO Howard Schultz during his lunchtime keynote address.
TOPICS: Events
The Media, the Medium, and the Message
By Miriam Bridges
May 10, 2012
In a candid conversation exploring how the mutual fund industry must engage “old” and “new” media to communicate their messages, panelists Arianna Huffington, President and Editor in Chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, F. William McNabb III, Chairman and CEO of Vanguard, and Gillian Tett, U.S. Managing Editor of the Financial Times shared their perspectives on today’s media and messaging.
TOPICS: Events
Fund Distribution: Evolving Challenges and Complexities
By Candice Gullet
May 10, 2012
“Fund Distribution: Evolving Challenges and Complexities,” a joint session for the General Membership Meeting and the Operations and Technology Conference, explored the implications for the fund industry of the continuing transition to fee-based advisory programs, trends in product development, and the use of social media. Bob Cunha, Principal at Market Metrics, moderated the discussion, which focused significantly on the increasing use of the Rep as PM (representative as portfolio manager) platform. One of the main arguments against these models is portfolio turnover and the relatively large volume of trading.
TOPICS: Events
Serving Retirement Savers in a Changing Regulatory Environment
By Mike McNamee
May 10, 2012
The 401(k) and other defined contribution plans are evolving toward new structures and products to help participants solve their savings and investment challenges, and new regulations now under consideration need to be crafted to support that trend, a panel of retirement plan experts told ICI’s General Membership Meeting.
TOPICS: Events
At GMM Policy Forum, Secretary of Education Duncan Offers Steps to Address Education Crisis
By Miriam Bridges
May 9, 2012
America faces a skills crisis and other deep challenges in education, said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the annual GMM policy forum, part of ICI’s 54th General Membership Meeting. In a conversation with ICI President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens, Secretary Duncan offered a range of ways to address these challenges, including specific recommendations for the fund industry.
TOPICS: EventsInvestment Education
Our Commitment to Advancing the Interests of Investors
By Paul Schott Stevens
May 9, 2012
This week, the fund industry gathers in Washington, DC, for ICI’s General Membership Meeting. This annual conference, which draws together several robust programs, offers us a chance to engage with colleagues across the industry landscape, to deepen our understanding of our businesses, and reaffirm the values that have made this industry one that serves more than 90 million shareholders.
TOPICS: EventsFinancial Markets
Experience Talks: Insight from Three Top Investment Leaders
By Inga Vitols
May 6, 2011
In a panel discussion moderated by John Rogers, Chairman and CEO of Ariel Investments, panelists Eddie Brown, President and CEO of Brown Capital Management, G. Stanley Cates, President of Longleaf Partners Funds, and Jack Laporte, Vice President of T. Rowe Price Associates, candidly discussed their own experiences and insight in money management and investing.
TOPICS: Events
SEC Chairman: SEC Examining Role of High Frequency Traders
By Rachel McTague
May 6, 2011
On the first anniversary of the 2010 “flash crash,” Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Mary Schapiro highlighted the role of high frequency traders that day and said there is cause for the SEC to examine their role.
TOPICS: EventsFinancial Markets
Coping in the Expanding World of Compliance
By Karrie McMillan
May 5, 2011
Compliance officers play a special role in the fund industry. In a nutshell, their job is to make sure the rules are followed—and thus to help maintain the industry’s fiduciary culture and the investor trust that it fosters.
TOPICS: EventsFund Regulation
Fostering the Next Generation of Investors
By Edward C. Bernard
May 4, 2011
In the four years since the financial crisis started, investors have been challenged to progress toward their financial goals even as markets have twisted and turned. For the most part, even in the face of considerable fear and uncertainty, investors stayed the course.
TOPICS: Events
The Way Forward with Fund Investors
By Greg Johnson
May 4, 2011
Each year, ICI’s General Membership Meeting offers the fund industry a chance to come together to reflect on the past year and to look ahead to new opportunities. For the past eight months, it’s been my honor and pleasure to chair the GMM Planning Committee, working with a dedicated and talented group of individuals to organize this meeting.
TOPICS: Events
Geithner: FSOC Will Bring Clarity to the Designation of 'SIFIs'
By Rachel McTague
May 4, 2011
In the four years since the financial crisis started, investors have been challenged to progress toward their financial goals even as markets have twisted and turned. For the most part, even in the face of considerable fear and uncertainty, investors stayed the course.
TOPICS: Events
For the Fund Industry, “Sunlight Through the Clouds”
By Karrie McMillan
March 29, 2011
The U.S. financial system is emerging from the global crisis. Financial markets have regained their footing. The Federal Reserve has significantly reduced its emergency facilities. The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted its amendments to Rule 2a-7 for money market funds.
TOPICS: EventsFinancial Markets
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner to Provide Policy Perspective at ICI’s 2011 GMM
By Sandra J. West
March 9, 2011
Since 1959, ICI’s General Membership Meeting has provided fund industry executives an exceptional forum to discuss key business issues, gain a deep understanding of the policy landscape, and network with colleagues from around the country and overseas.
TOPICS: Events
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