Presentations
Dr. George Friedman
The Road to 2040: The Long-Term Forecast
This session will focus on the geopolitical landscape that will emerge between today and 2040. It will review US strategic interests and focus on the new strategies that may likely be adopted by America to maintain its global power position at the lowest possible cost. The presentation will also consider such questions as: Will the US become more isolationist and less concerned with direct engagement in external regional problems and conflicts? How will established US and emerging political alliances evolve? Will there be a new balance of power construct driving global development and potential conflicts? What will be the role and influence of multinational corporate and tech giants in the new political landscape and how may that impact international capital flows and markets? The presentation will close with a forecast of the most likely international geopolitical strategies the US will adopt to sustain and strengthen its global dominance on the road to 2040.
Pat Tschosik
Thematic Investing and the Decade Ahead
Pat Tschosik, Senior Portfolio Strategist and Head of Ned Davis Research’s Thematic Opportunities product, will discuss the benefits, current state, and long-term outlook for thematic investing. He will also make seven predictions for the current decade that will dramatically shape the thematic investment landscape. While there are numerous headwinds to thematic investing, such as a slowing technology cycle and unfavorable demographics, there are plenty of opportunities, including favorable Millennial spending patterns and gene editing technology.
Jim Grant
Revenge of the Interest Rates
It’s a well-known fact that ultra-low bond yields distort incentives, valuations, and judgment. Investors and savers, refusing to settle for the meager income offered, will always reach for more. Promoters will oblige with an array of “structured products,” options-laden notes, bonds, and bank deposits that are uniquely ill-suited to a time of rising interest rates. In this session, Jim Grant, Founder of Grant's Interest Rate Observer, will discuss lessons learned from financial history and what’s next for capital markets.
.jpg)
Jeff Gitterman & Dr. Kimberley Miner
Climate & Capital: The Era of the Great Repricing
The physical manifestations of climate change are hastening and amplifying, which is spurring world governments, financial institutions, and corporations to implement pledges, revise regulations, and develop new products and services. Widespread incorporation of climate risks as fundamental factors in valuation processes is expected to ultimately usher in a “great repricing” that will influence prices across all regions and asset classes. The “great repricing” is the gap between the identification of specific, measurable climate risks and logical, anticipated asset repricing. Our goal is to encourage advisors and investors to take action to integrate climate change considerations into investment decisions and to align portfolio goals with both profits and the planet. This is not without its challenges given the complexities involved. As fiduciaries, we have a duty to recognize all risks that can impact investment values and identify the opportunities that arise from climate investing.
Dr. Peter Stone
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for Autonomous Robots
For robots to operate robustly in dynamic, uncertain environments such as the home and office, we need multidisciplinary research advances in many areas of computer science and engineering. In this session, Peter Stone, Executive Director of Sony AI America, will focus on the two essential capabilities needed for autonomous intelligent robots: online learning from experience and the ability to interact with other robots and with people. These capabilities will be illustrated through brief introductions to concrete application domains, including robot soccer, social robotics, and autonomous driving. Finally, we’ll touch on some of the most promising opportunities for AI and robotics in the coming decade.
Sid Jha
A Parametric Approach to Managing and Investing in Climate Change
In 2021, businesses around the world suffered more than $343 billion in damages and more than 10,000 reported deaths from more than 400 major natural disasters. Only $130 billion (38%) of that damage was covered by insurance. These outcomes highlight the need for new innovations to deal with the global climate risk protection gap. In this session, Sid Jha, founder and CEO of Arbol, will discuss how a blockchain-based parametric insurance system offers proven scalable solutions to protect against unpredictable catastrophic events. The system uses third-party institutional, open-source data and innovative AI technologies that measure wind, rainfall, sea levels, temperature, soil moisture, carbon sequestration, and much more to transform the way in which climate risk is actively managed across the financial system. Attendees will learn how this innovative approach to insurable risk management enables digital insurance customization, structuring, pricing, and the expeditious execution of climate risk coverage for businesses worldwide.
Keith Ambachtsheer
Lessons for Americans: How Peter Drucker Revolutionized Pension Management in Canada
The Canadian Pension Model has become globally admired for its sustainability and investment prowess. In this session, Keith Ambachtsheer, Founder and President of KPA Advisory Services, tells the story of the Canadian Pension Model’s creation and what it would take for the model to take hold in America. The session will cover integrated solutions for pensions, including design, governance, and investments; cost effective management; and asset allocation options.
Anne Ackerley
Retiring Old Outlooks for the Future of Retirement
The need to build a more resilient retirement is stronger than ever. The pandemic, volatile markets, high interest rates, and geopolitical tensions have all contributed to a precarious US retirement system. As the retirement industry has shifted from defined benefit to defined contribution plans, savers have largely been left on their own to manage their retirement. Combine this with longer lifespans, which means funding longer retirements, as well as the unequal nature of savings in the US, and the situation becomes even more complex. In this session, Anne Ackerley, Head of the Retirement Group at BlackRock, will discuss the challenges facing savers today and how this moment presents a unique opportunity to retire old outlooks and reimagine the future of retirement. She will explore innovative ideas across policies, products, and the retirement ecosystem.
Richard Fullmer
Innovations in Retirement Decumulation: Pooled Longevity Risk Sharing
Longevity risk pooling offers assured lifetime income at significantly higher rates than is possible through self-withdrawal. But the move away from defined benefit plans toward defined contribution plans has removed the benefits of risk pooling. One solution is to offer guaranteed annuities within plans, but long-term guarantees are expensive. In this session, Richard Fullmer, CEO of Nuovalo, will discuss the principle and mechanics of actuarially fair longevity risk sharing, also known as modern tontine finance. He will review the history, benefits, and drawbacks relative to existing solutions, design and implementation considerations, and adoption around the world.