Monday, April 23

8:15–9:15 AM
General Session 1
China: Looking East for Opportunity
Burton Malkiel, PhD | Princeton University

China, one of the world’s oldest civilizations, is among the world’s strongest and fastest-growing economies. As China re-emerges onto the world stage, investors are seeking ways to capitalize on the opportunities for growth. This session will provide an historical overview of China’s rich history and discuss the country’s ambitions to become a global superpower.

12:30–2 PM
Luncheon and General Session 2
A Conversation with Doris Kearns Goodwin, PhD
Moderated by Kevin Sànchez, MBA, CIMA^®

Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, presidential historian, and public intellectual, will join us for a conversation about what the investment consulting and financial advisory businesses can learn from history. A renowned historian, Dr. Goodwin will explore the current economic and political environment and what we can learn from past presidents. She has appeared as a political news analyst on major television news shows and networks.

5:30–6:30 PM
General Session 3
Behavioral Finance Revisited
Richard Thaler, PhD | University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Moderated by John Nersesian, CIMA^®, CPWA^®, CFP^®, CIS

Richard H. Thaler, PhD, is the Ralph and Dorothy Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is perhaps best known as a theorist in behavioral finance and for his collaboration with Daniel Kahneman and others in further defining that field. He is coauthor of the global best-selling book Nudge, in which the concepts of behavioral economics are used to tackle many of society’s major problems. During this session, Dr. Thaler will discuss his research and what investment professionals need to know in order to make the best use of his work.

Tuesday, April 24

7–7:30 AM
Optional Breakfast Session
Marketing Your CIMA^® Certification
Sean Walters, MBA, CAE | IMCA
Tim Welsh, MBA, CFP^® | Nexus Strategy

As a CIMA certificant, you know that your certification represents professionalism, trust and excellence in the world of advanced investment consulting. But do you communicate these benefits to your clients? Do they know how CIMA certification sets you apart from other advisors?

Join IMCA’s executive director and CEO Sean Walters and Nexus Strategy President Tim Welsh for an interactive session that will help you position the benefits of your CIMA certification. You will leave this workshop with a refreshed outlook on the importance of your certification and its reputation as a new standard for investment advice in financial services. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn new ideas, tips, and best practices for marketing your CIMA certification to a wide range of customers—and standing out as a trusted consultant in today’s crowded marketplace.

8–9 AM
General Session 4
Global Debt Crisis
Jeffrey E. Gundlach | Doubleline Funds

In this session, Jeffrey Gundlach will discuss European austerity measures and whether they will be enough to save the euro. He will examine the delicate balance between spending cuts and keeping the masses from rioting, and whether Europe provides an example for the United States to follow.

11:45 AM–1:30 PM
Luncheon and General Session 5
Taxes, Deficits, and Interest Rates: The Perspective from a Washington Insider
Gregory R. Valliere | The Washington Research Group

Gregory Valliere is chief strategist at the Potomac Research Group, a nonpartisan firm that monitors economic and political developments for investors. He has covered Washington for more than 30 years and he specializes in coverage of the Federal Reserve, tax policy, and budget issues. In this session, Mr. Valliere offers an insider’s view of how taxes, deficits, and interest rates will affect the investment world in the upcoming election and coming years.

Wednesday, April 25

8 AM–9 AM
General Session 6
Getting Naked: A Business Fable about Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty
Patrick Lencioni

Based on the principles in his latest book, Getting Naked, A Business Fable about Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty, Mr. Lencioni presents a revolutionary and counterintuitive approach to client service that yields uncommon levels of trust and loyalty. “Naked service” provokes investment consultants and service providers to be completely transparent and vulnerable with clients and to avoid the three fears that ultimately sabotage client allegiance and, in the case of investment consultants and financial advisors, willingness to implement fully investment recommendations. Learn principles such as “enter the danger,” “tell the kind truth,” and “always consult instead of sell” that can help you establish a fiercely loyal client base. Whether you are an internal or external consultant, financial advisor, or anyone else serving long-term clients, you will glean some powerful tools for overcoming the three fears and gain a real and lasting competitive edge.

9:30–10:45 AM
General Session 7
Strategist Panel

David Kelly, PhD, CFA^® | JPMorgan Funds
John Mauldin | Millennium Wave Advisors
Kurt Reiman | UBS Financial Services
Moderated by John Moninger, CIMA^®, CPWA^®

The strategist panel is always one of the highlights of IMCA’s Annual Conference, bringing together leading thinkers from the investment business and focusing on the most important topics in the news. This interactive session will provide strategic insights on deploying capital in an uncertain geopolitical and economic environment. Panelists will offer key perspectives on inflation and deflation, political risk factors, global debt, unemployment, and opportunities for successful investing around the world. You will learn where investment opportunities and perils lurk and where the key drivers for growth are likely to be found.

11 AM–12 PM
General Session 8 (ethics)
Making the Hardest Decisions
Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr., MBA | Harvard Business School

For investment managers who take their responsibilities seriously, the most-difficult decisions are not issues of right and wrong. They are conflicts between right and right. These situations are challenging because responsibilities pull hard in different directions, the stakes can be very high, and often the decision maker is in the spotlight of disclosure or publicity. This session will present several mini-cases that show the basic elements of right-versus-right problems and a framework for making these decisions in responsible, practical ways.