Election Reflection

The inauguration of President Barack Obama, January 20th 2009. Unrecognizable crowds in the Washington DC Mall.

Content provided by Grant Engelbart, CFA, CAIA, CLS Portfolio Manager It’s no secret that markets hate uncertainty. Trump presents uncertainty – and markets reacted that way overnight. S&P 500 Index futures were down nearly 5% at one point, but have come screaming back to trade positive on the day. Sound familiar? Following the surprise Brexit… Continue reading Election Reflection

Proud Mama

Content provided by Robyn Murray, Freelance Writer Dawn with her husband, Jack Batho, III. Dawn Batho is a people person. Not only does she enjoy talking to people and forming relationships, she takes an interest in their lives and who they are. When I met her at the CLS office, she led me back to… Continue reading Proud Mama

The Problem Solver

Content provided by Robyn Murray, Freelance Writer Jon Trbovich is a middle child. Growing up, that mostly meant he was “the ignored one.” But being in the middle also gave Trbovich another role, and it’s one he’s assumed for life. The problem solver. “Yep. They always put the problems on me,” Trbovich said with a… Continue reading The Problem Solver

Get Busy Living

Shari and her daughters, Olivia (5) and Lola (2) Content provided by Robyn Murray, Freelance Writer I caught up with Shari Rash when she was out buying last-minute necessities for a family trip to New Jersey. With two kids in tow, one in a stroller and the other rushing down the aisles in front of her,… Continue reading Get Busy Living

Jersey Roots

Mike with his wife, Lauren. Content provided by Robyn Murray, Freelance Writer When Mike Zarren’s friends were biking through the woods or swimming in the lake at summer camp, he was inside, enjoying the air conditioning, and making money. “I’m not a big outdoorsy guy anyway,” Zarren said in a recent interview. “I’d rather be… Continue reading Jersey Roots

A Play in Three Acts

Content provided by Robyn Murray, Freelance Writer Brian Ragle has taken a detour-driven road to get to where he is. He started out as a theater major who traveled to New York to audition for the stage. A few years later, he was deep into the savings and loan industry about to face an epic… Continue reading A Play in Three Acts

The Importance of an Investment Philosophy (The Second P of Money Manager Due Diligence)

Business people having meeting in office building

Content provided by Rusty Vanneman, CFA, CLS Chief Investment Officer In a recent commentary, I wrote about the “Five P’s” of the money manager’s due diligence process: People Philosophy Process Performance Positioning I followed that commentary with a more focused blog on the most important P: People. In this commentary, I will discuss the next… Continue reading The Importance of an Investment Philosophy (The Second P of Money Manager Due Diligence)

A Man’s World

Content provided by Robyn Murray, Freelance Writer Jessica Golson often finds herself the only woman at the table. A trading manager at CLS, Golson works in an industry dominated by men. So much so, that a 2014 study by recruiting firm Vettery, found a full 77.5% of first-year analysts on Wall Street were men. How… Continue reading A Man’s World

The Dos and Don’ts of Saving for Retirement

a young boy looking with a chart (focus on boy's hand and pen)

Content provided by Kostya Etus, CFA, CLS Portfolio Manager There have been numerous studies about the dismal savings rates of Americans. One recent survey* found that a third of the population has no retirement savings at all and a majority are significantly behind on their savings. Millennials are causing the most alarm as they will… Continue reading The Dos and Don’ts of Saving for Retirement