I recently moved from academia to a start up hedge fund. It is interesting to see how many folks, like me, have come from diverse backgrounds to the industry. I'm sure this is good for hedge funds: we're bringing new ideas and attitudes to the table. But I'm also realizing that I'm at a a disadvantage sometimes because I'm not fully up to speed on many important aspects of finance relating to hedge funds.

Of course I've been reading books, magazines and blogs, and I find them very useful. But how can I know that I'm really getting the fundamental knowledge I need? I'm concerned, for instance, that my personal reading is directed by my own interests and the focus of the fund I work with. I'd like to be sure I have a broad exposure to the fundamentals. I don't want to be surprised later because of a gap in my knowledge.

My top reason for seeking the CHP designation is to be sure I know what the hedge fund industry thinks is important. This will help me be more effective at my fund. I expect that the designation may also help in the future.

I also considered the CFA. Clearly the CFA is prestigious, and more comprehensive than the CHP. But, for me, it is too heavyweight right now, and maybe more than I need. I need a "tactical" education about hedge funds.

I'll post more blog entries as I go forward with my preparation for
the exam.

- Tucker Balch

Tags: CHP Designation, Hedge Fund Certification, Hedge Fund, Hedge Funds, Alternative Investments, Private equity, Investment Certificaiton Program

How to choose a directory of family offices:

When selecting a directory or database of family offices to purchase there are 4 points to consider or investigate before making a purchase. By following these tips you will avoid purchasing something built for a different audience, working with information that is largely outdated or receiving data which has not been thoroughly prepared for commercial use with Excel or common CRP systems.


1. Length: Many family office directories come with 400 to 1,500 total contacts. In the last year how many firms has your team had time to effectively reach out to? 400? 800? Do you only speak with family offices while marketing your products? While it may be nice to obtain a directory of 1,000+ family offices make sure you don’t pay too much for a database built for a Fortune 500 company instead of a small team of 3-5 marketing and relationship development professionals. Often times just 300-900 contacts may be more than enough to expand your firm’s reach within this industry

2. Statistics Matter: Ask the owner of the family office directory for the percentage of contacts which come with email addresses AND phone numbers. Many databases have poor data quality and only 60-70% of their contacts even list a single email address for the firm. Look for 80-90%+ of listings to have both an email address and phone number for each firm.

3. Price < $1,000: Hiring professionals to efficiently use a database of family office contacts can be expensive; don’t spend more than $1,000 on your directory of family offices. It does take hundreds of hours to build a great product within this space but any firm selling such a product could make you a deal and sell a version of the database to you for $700-$900.

4. Check the Source: Who is providing the database of family offices? It is a firm which naturally speaks with family offices day-to-day? Can the professionals behind the product provide advice on how to approach family offices and HNW wealth management firms? The quality of the organization behind the product can often give you clues as to how valuable their end family office directory product may be. A quick example: The Family Offices Group is a family office networking association of 5,000 plus professionals. Due to their day-to-day contact with family offices and the firm’s history in raising assets from family office investors they know how to create a valuable directory of contact details on firms in the industry.

- Adriana

Adriana Albuquerque is the Managing Director of the Family Offices Group and responsible for developing the associated directory of family offices. To learn more please see FamilyOfficesDatabase.com.

Related Posts:

• Family Office Directory
• Family Office Database

• Family Office List
  

Tags: Family Office Directory, family offices directory, directories of family offices, directory of family offices, family office, family offices

Top Hedge Fund Executive Payouts

Here is an interesting article on hedge fund pay from last year...even during one of the worst years for the industry some funds still performed well and took home large paychecks for themselves in return:

Four of the world's top hedge fund managers took home 10-figure paychecks last year even as the loosely regulated industry delivered its worst returns and hundreds of fund firms were forced out of business.

The industry's 25 best-paid managers collected a total of $11.6 billion (7.94 billion pounds), which marked the third-best year on record, according to an annual survey released by Institutional Investor's Alpha magazine on Wednesday. source

Tags: Hedge Fund Executives, Hedge Fund Payouts, Top hedge fund earners, hedge fund, hedge funds, alternative investments