Joining the Ben Graham Annual Investing Conference in NYC was thought-provoking and enjoyable! We spent the day exchanging ideas on the current macro environment and the state of value investing - both domestically and internationally. One of our favorite speakers and our friend, Katrina Dudley CFA, spoke on the international panel about her views on value plays in the European market, highlighting the importance of cyclicality and valuation differences in Europe vs. the US. We agree that value investing often provides risk mitigated allocation opportunities, especially with a longer term-time horizon!
Monticello Supports the Ashland Swim Team
Monticello’s Richmond, Virginia office is proud to support the Ashland Barracudas swim team for the third straight season. This not-for-profit community swim team fields approximately 175 swimmers between the ages of five and eighteen from across Hanover County, VA and competes throughout the summer. The team participates in the Greater Richmond Aquatic League (GRAL) – an organization made up of swimmers, coaches, and parents who aim to promote and participate in the sport of summer swimming. All donations are used to help improve facilities used by the team. We look forward to a great summer for our community swim team!
Monticello Attends the ARRC Conference in NYC
Monticello attended the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (ARRC) Roundtable on June 3, 2019. With the cessation of LIBOR on the horizon, there are only two and half years remaining to safely execute one of the largest transitions within financial markets to be seen in a generation. The resounding message from the Fed and the ARRC at Monday’s conference was for market participants to not wait and start preparing for a cessation of LIBOR now. In 2014, regulators began to communicate the risk that LIBOR will become unstable, eventually discontinue, and to begin planning a transition to a new benchmark. Since guaranteed LIBOR stability runs out on December 31, 2021, the time remaining for market participants to plan and execute the transition away from LIBOR and build the needed liquidity in the market for SOFR is critical.
The ARRC is hosting a vendor workshop on June 28 where the Operations/Infrastructure Working Group will interact with key vendors who will be critical for the adoption and support of SOFR. Monticello will be there to participate and add our expertise for how to successfully plan, execute and govern a LIBOR transition program for banks, end-users, and other key market participants.
Welcoming Our New Summer Interns!
Monticello welcomes our Management Consulting Summer Analysts as they embark on an exciting summer in NYC filled with learning and networking. We look forward to their active engagement as they support our customers on their most pressing challenges and work side-by-side with the Monticello team to develop their consulting skills and participate in firm activities. Cheers to a great summer ahead!
CFA Society Alpha Women Event!
The CFA Society NY hosted their annual “Alpha Women” event in NYC, which was a fantastic evening focused on shaping the future of women in the investment community. Monticello truly enjoyed the important discussion and meeting so many strong leaders in our industry. Cheers to all that’s ahead and for diversity and inclusion in finance!
ALPFA Spring Social
Monticello’s recruiting team attended the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) NY’s Spring Social for an evening of cocktails and conversations last week. ALPFA is a professional association that creates opportunities, adds value and builds relationships for its members, the community and its business partners while expanding Latino leadership in the global workforce. Monticello had the opportunity to speak with many bright-minded professionals and hear about their incredible experiences at this event. We look forward to participating in future events with ALPFA members in the years ahead!
2019 Wall Street Run and Heart Walk
The American Heart Association (AHA) is the nation’s largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. Over the years, they have invested more than $4.1 billion in research and positively affected millions of lives. Last week, Monticello Consulting joined our industry peers to assist in the fight against heart disease. We have helped raise awareness and funds to help the AHA continue their efforts to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Congratulations to all who participated in the 2019 Wall Street Run & Heart Walk. We had great time supporting an important cause and look forward to participating again next year!
May Team Social Event!
Monticello’s NYC office enjoyed gathering with teammates this week for appetizers, drinks and conversation. It was nice to meet new joiners and hear about projects as the team gears up for the many new initiatives ahead this Summer. Thanks to all who could join us and we look forward to the next team event in June!
Columbia Business School Executive Education for Monticello’s Consultants!
Monticello Consulting fosters an environment of continual growth and advancement as our consultants are often tasked with leading engagements and resolving complex challenges for our clients. Recently, our consultants attended Columbia Business School to pursue Executive Education with Professor Joel Brockner & Professor Caryn Block. The two-day interactive session on Leadership Essentials focused on understanding leadership personalities, emotional intelligence, team dynamics and change management. This training was not only a great personal career growth opportunity for our team, but also helps our clients reach their vision of excellence. Congratulations on another great career achievement!
Circle of Friends Annual Dinner
Monticello was honored to serve as a sponsor of the Children’s Village Circle of Friends Annual Dinner yesterday. The evening was a festive gathering where the extraordinary contributions of their supporters were recognized, the year’s accomplishments were celebrated, and funds were raised in support of the Children’s Village ongoing mission to keep children safe and families together. The Monticello team enjoyed the celebration and we look forward to another great year ahead!
April ESG Event!
Monticello joined for another ESG discussion, hosted by MSCI and 100 Women in Finance. This event focused on investor perspectives on ESG investing, with industry leaders sharing thoughts on risk mitigation, monitoring sustainable and impact investing, and ESG policies across various asset allocator groups. This was a great opportunity to network with finance professionals involved with the current growth in ESG investing!
We believe ESG will continue to be in focus within our industry, as a growing percentage of retail and institutional investors truly believe in the positive impacts shown from these investment principles.
Celebrating 10 Years of Financial Literacy Teaching with High Water Women!
Monticello was pleased to join the High Water Women’s Organization in celebrating 10 years of Financial Literacy Teaching this week! Our firm is thankful for the opportunity to partner on such an impactful mission, providing low-income teens and adults with the skills and knowledge to manage their money responsibly. We are so excited to be part of this growing program, supporting the transformational education in our community that will impact generations to come.
Darden Executive Education for Monticello’s Senior Management!
Monticello headed down to Virginia for Darden’s Executive Education on Strategic Execution: Achieving Breakthrough Performance. This exciting two-day program included a debate on how companies can leverage alignment, architecture, ability and agility capabilities to achieve their strategic goals. As always, we are grateful for opportunities to continue learning and encourage our team to keep updating their professional toolkits!
ISDA Initial Margin Training
Our team members attended the ISDA Symposium Phase 4, Phase 5, and the Future of Initial Margin Documentation training this quarter in Manhattan. Industry experts spoke about the intricacies of the Initial Margin requirements for Uncleared Swaps and how both buy-side and sell-side firms can prepare for the upcoming September 2019 and 2020 compliance dates. We’re looking forward to putting this useful information to work with our clients!
Northeastern University’s Business School Alumni Event in NYC
Monticello’s recruiting team attended Northeastern University's 8th Annual D'Amore-Mckim School of Business Alumni and Student Reception. Over 150 professionals joined to network and learn about career opportunities and the Monticello team was pleased to meet so many talented Northeastern University alumni!
Global Hedge Fund Outlook Discussion – Hosted by 100 Women in Finance
Monticello joined 100 Women in Finance for an insightful conversation on the outlook for global hedge funds. There were various trends highlighted, including increased industry consolidation, co-investments and custom deals, as well as broader shareholder engagement with ESG focuses. We look forward to seeing how 2019 continues to develop and believe there are certainly opportunities for the alternative investment space ahead.
DerivCon 2019 Conference in NYC
Monticello attended the DerivCon 2019 Conference in NYC this quarter, where important industry topics were discussed, including SEF rule changes, IBOR benchmark reform, along with harmonization efforts for SEC and CFTC regulatory rules. The keynote speech was delivered by CFTC Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo, seen here with Monticello’s CEO, Will Morgan. Chairman Giancarlo’s address announced the commission’s work with the UK government and its regulators to provide a “bridge over Brexit for US / UK swaps markets” to ensure continuity of trading and clearing activities during and after a Brexit event, regardless of the outcome of the UK leaving the EU. Chairman Giancarlo also provided important insight to the new proposed rules for trading on Swap Execution Facilities (SEF) that could address some of the shortcomings and challenges with the existing rules.
Technical Recruiting Workshop
Monticello’s recruiting department attended HackerRank’s talent workshop at the New York Academy of Sciences for a series of presentations and panels related to technical recruiting. Talent acquisition specialists from various industries shared valuable insights on the impact of digital solutions in recruitment, utilizing talent analytics, and attracting diverse candidates. Over 500 recruiting and technical professionals attended this workshop providing additional networking opportunities and discussions about recruitment challenges and strategies that deliver results.
NCAA Big East Tournament 2019 in NYC!
Our team gathered to enjoy the NCAA Big East Tournament 2019 at Madison Square Garden in NYC, as well as each other’s company. Cheers to another great firm social event and to the exceptional teams moving forward in the tournament.
Supporting the Inwood House/Children’s Village 2019 Spring Educational Luncheon
The Inwood House/Children’s Village recently hosted its annual Spring Educational Luncheon to support their valuable work, keeping children safe and families together in our community. Monticello Consulting Group gladly supported this event while Joanna Horowitz CFA, our Corporate Responsibility and Diversity Lead, served as a co-chair helping make the event a success.
To raise awareness of an important issue facing children and teens today, a team of expert panelists tackled a thought-provoking and engaging topic – The Impact of Separation of Families: from Anxiety to Thriving. The discussion covered a number of strategies for improving children’s experiences in times of separation, as well as suggestions on how parents can manage themselves during these difficult times as well.
If you are interested in joining Monticello and supporting the Inwood House at the Children’s Village, please visit https://childrensvillage.org/donate
