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Asset Manager postings

If Your Actions are Predictable, Will You Generate Alpha? 03/18/26 Asset Manager

An academic study looks at how predictable portfolio managers are in their actions and comparing that to performance, prompting some important questions.

Cultural Inflections and Disruptions at Asset Management Firms 06/23/25 Asset Manager

Plotting the cultural life cycle of an investment firm is challenging since there are so many factors that can throw it off balance. Leaders must have organizational prowess above all else.

The Active Management Reinvention Project 07/30/24 Asset Manager

It is time to quit defending active management as it is and to start imagining what it should be.

Cooking Up the Ingredients of an Investment Recipe 11/06/23 Asset Manager

A five-part description of an investment strategy offers a self-examination process for asset managers — and a way for allocators to classify and evaluate them.

Orbiting the Asset Management Hairball 07/15/23 Asset Manager

Individuals within organizations face impediments in trying to escape the established order. Similar forces are a factor for organizations, especially in the asset management business.

Cognitive Dissonance and Stasis in Active Management 06/01/23 Asset Manager

Interviews with those involved in active management yield insights into that “community of practice,” which is at a crossroads.

Models, Morals, and Management in a Trading Room 05/17/23 Asset Manager

An anthropological view can offer deep insight into why an organization does what it does, providing perspectives that can be missed by others.

Ascendance of the Pod Masters 03/18/23 Asset Manager

Multi-manager, multi-strategy funds are the subject of attention and fascination now. What are the implications of their success and popularity?

Creating and Sustaining Process Improvement 11/13/22 Asset Manager

Processes need to move forward over time, even when it short-term gains can come from temporary solutions. (Also, continuous improvement means that you keep at it when others stop.)

Four for Friday ~ Mutual Fund Boards 08/19/22 Asset Manager

Mutual fund boards are different from other governing bodies. Here are short items on questions of independence, new rules, performance evaluations, and board assessments.

The Individualism-Collectivism Sweet Spot 07/07/22 Asset Manager

There are certain attributes that define the culture of an organization. Using asset management firms as an example, here are some thoughts about a central consideration.

Cult and Culture in the Bond Kingdom 05/20/22 Asset Manager

This first of three postings about Bill Gross and Pimco looks at the organizational dynamics of one of the most successful firms of the last four decades — and the deposition of Gross as the Bond King.

Building an Organization Oriented to Improvement 04/22/22 Asset Manager

In this first of two related postings, a Mauboussin and Callahan report serves as the framework for examining longstanding areas of weakness for asset management firms.

Decisions with Other People’s Money 02/27/22 Asset Manager

If the goal of an asset management firm is to provide attractive performance that meets the expectations of its clients, then the impediments to that happening should be top of mind for the leaders of an organization.

Identifying Quality Across the Investment Chain 01/04/22 Asset Manager

Should there be an alignment regarding investment philosophy across companies, the asset managers who buy their shares, and the investors who hire asset managers?