The Finance Professionals' Post

NYSSA Seeks Candidates for Board of Directors

On behalf of NYSSA’s Board of Directors, I am inviting members to submit names of potential candidates to serve on the Board of NYSSA. During the coming months the Board will be searching for people with the experience, wisdom, and diligence to serve on your board as it continues to invigorate and solidify its governance foundations. You can help by suggesting the names of individuals who are qualified and prepared to serve. Candidates do not need to be members of NYSSA, nor do they have to be directly involved in the investment decision making process (our by-laws allow for a number of non-member Directors). The ability of the Director to understand the needs of our Society’s present and future is as important as the candidate’s employment background. All candidates will be considered for this year’s nominations and will also comprise an active database for consideration next year and in the future. We would also welcome any personal comments that would aid the Committee in considering the recommended candidates. I greatly appreciate your time in giving this some thought and ask you to send your recommendations to nominating_committee@nyssa.org on or before February 28, 2010. 

Sincerely, 

Nanci D. Morris, CFA President, NYSSA

Does Past Fund Performance Really Matter?

The semi-annual S&P Persistence Scorecard tracks the consistency of funds, suggesting that screening for top-quartile funds may be inappropriate since using past performance to identify future top performers yields results on par with random expectations. Read the report to learn why.

Landing a Government Job

After NYSSA member Virginia Donner was laid off this spring, she started researching jobs with the federal government. Holding a degree in math, Donner had built a career sourcing deals for a hedge fund. But when she heard that the government was hiring, she was enticed by the reputedly progressive environment and project-oriented work. “An ex-boss went to the Fed in 2003,” she recalls, “and had a very positive experience there.”

Book Review: Too Big to Fail and The Road to Financial Reformation

Robert Pozen is chairman of MFS Investment Management. His book, Too Big to Save (John Wiley & Sons, 2010), is a step by step analysis of each part of the financial system that was involved in creating the recent financial crisis. The depth and scope of Robert Pozen’s analysis is essential to establishing changed structures and regulations to prevent another global meltdown.