The Alternative Edge

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CTAEXPO has started reprinting or printing articles that are educational on subjects of interest to futures industry professionals or related to managed futures. We do not charge for this service. The acceptance of an article is subject to editorial review. Articles should not be solicitations and will not be accepted if they promote specific services or performance. If you are trying to get more name recognition and exposure writing an article will help you. If you have any

What Happens In the First Meeting? Once you’ve secured a meeting with a commodity trading advisor (CTA), the real work begins. The conversation itself is only the starting point. What follows is a deeper process of due diligence, a structured effort to understand how a trader thinks, operates, and ultimately fits into a broader portfolio of managers. During my years consulting with investors, I met with hundreds of traders annually. Out of those, I would sit down with perhaps

By Mike Dever and Matt Dever In late 1999, I received a call from a long-time Brandywine investor. After 15 years with us, he was preparing to retire and asked to redeem his account. His investment had grown tremendously; more than enough to contribute towards a comfortable retirement at the time. I thanked him for his trust, congratulated him, and asked, “How do you plan to invest the money now?” “I just want to earn a safe 20% return,” he responded. His answer made me laugh

Depending on the circumstances, your written work, physical presence, or even a phone call will be your first introduction to a prospective investor or allocator. Your personality comes across in many ways; your correspondence, social media posts, texting, as well as in person. Whichever way you start a relationship, the goal should be to make a positive, lasting impression. Correspondence and Written Materials The focus of this month’s column is due to my continually getting

Many emerging managers fail to raise equity to trade. This usually has little to do with whether they have a good product. This is often due to how they approach raising clients. Before spending time and money to seek clients you should understand your strengths and weaknesses. You also need to realize there are tens of thousands of potential clients out there and thousands of traders looking for them. You first need to Identify why a client should invest with you. I recommen