Huntington Beach, California
Nearly 3,000 investors and financial advisors have descended on Huntington Beach, California – aka Surf City USA -For a financial conference.
A financial conference on the beach? Huntington Beach, home to nine miles of shoreline World Center of Beach Volleyball,
Yes. And I mean, it is on the beach,
Who else is coming to watch? They are coming to see the big stars.
they are coming to watch method Man , red Man,
Wait, who? They’re coming to see hip-hop legends Method Man (Wu-Tang Clan) and Redman (Def Squad), who will perform Tuesday night.
He is not the only star. There will also be financial giants. Jeremy Siegel from Wharton/WisdomTree. Jeff Kleintop from Charles Schwab. John Hancock to Emily Rowland. Cliff Asness from AQR. Jeff Gundlach from DoubleLine. ETF and commodity maven Jan van Eck.
But this is one of those conventions where the social interaction is as important as the content.
Reinventing the Financial Conference
you are welcome future proofBilled as “the largest gathering of top-tier wealth management professionals, CEOs, CTOs, COOs and fast-growing financial advisors.”
It is the brainchild of Barry Ritholtz, co-founder, president and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management, and Josh Brown, CEO with Advisor Circle, a product and event studio in financial services.
“Coming out of the pandemic, it was clear to us that the traditional financial conference had passed its sell-by date,” Ritholtz told me. “Everyone was bored of future-predicting lectures and tedious panels in giant windowless conference centers. Instead, we imagined what it would be like if events were more social and interactive and useful and (dare I say) Have fun! This way about Future Proof Aya.”
sum? This is 2008, except…
For those of you accustomed to going to conferences with a 5:45 a.m. yoga class on the agenda (who goes to those things?), prepare for new hipness.
Straight sum? This is from 2008. Sure, there’s a yoga class, but you’ll have a specialized instructor. you would have:
Beach Yoga: The Path to Mindfulness with a Goldman Sachs Instructor. seriously? Goldman Sachs will teach me yoga? What will happen next? Acupuncture with Morgan Stanley? Chiropractic with Wells Fargo? Massage therapy with JP Morgan?
Keep dancing fools!
Forget yoga. There’s a concerted effort to keep everyone dancing and floating, starting with the Futureproof Kickoff Party (“Relax, Relax and Connect”) and continuing through:
Health is wealth: surfing, “We invite you to join us and embrace the adventure of learning to surf!”
Dance Culture: An Interactive Session. “Immerse yourself in the rhythms, moves and rich history of salsa dancing!”
Ok this is an improvement, but I think I would prefer to go here:
Battle of the Buds: Wine vs. Craft Beer. “Join a lively and interactive debate as you explore the unique characteristics, flavor profiles and food pairings of both wine and craft beer.”
Now I am starting to get interested. I have to squeeze it in between:
Mastering Pizza Dough: Techniques for Any Home Pizza Maker, “Learn the secrets to achieving ideal texture, flavor and elasticity as you explore different kneading, proofing and shaping techniques.”
Let’s Roll: The Art of Sushi Making, “This interactive session provides a unique opportunity to unleash your creativity and hone your knife skills.” Refine your knife skills? Okay…it might be safe to just go Mastering the Grill: Barbecue Techniques.
Oh yes. financial content
Last year’s conference had 2,000 attendees, about half of which were young RIAs (registered investment advisors), several hundred active trader types, ETF sponsors, and plenty of vendors.
Not surprisingly, most of the content is geared toward RIAs, with topics like, “Personal Brand Blueprint: 5 Easy Steps to Attract High-Value Clients in 2023.”
For investors, there’s Wedbush’s ubiquitous tech bull Dan Ives, with “Five Tech Predictions for 2024.”
DoubleLine’s Jeff Gundlach will return again this year, and will be speaking with my CNBC colleague Scott Wapner on Tuesday’s Halftime Report.
I will be moderating a panel on “Global Macro Predictions” with Professors Siegel, Jeff Kleintop, and Emily Rowland.
Morningstar will also be on hand, with veterans Christine Benz, Jeffrey Ptak, Ben Johnson and PitchBook’s Nizar Tarhuni to talk about everything from retirement to 401(k) planning and the difficulty of market timing to private equity investing.
Bloggers and podcasters Michael Batnik and Ben Carlson of Ritholtz Wealth Management will also provide advice.
But even amid this ocean of four days of content, the emphasis is still on personal interactions. There are many “networking dinners” that, if they are anything like last year, are giant parties for young RIAs and investors to come together and socialize.
And this is where most of the real action happens. Last year I met a 35-year-old RIA at a party on the beach on a Monday night. He had already flown with his team a day earlier.
“I brought all seven members of my team,” he told me. “It’s a team-building thing. I’m going to see a bunch of speakers, but mostly I’m here to meet other people who do the same thing I do.”
And that seems to be the theme: “Meeting other people who do what I do.” RIA. Young investors. Financial Stars. Bloggers. ETF Sponsor. Hip-hop stars.
It’s a strange drink, but invigorating.
Who knows what could happen? Maybe Method Man will announce that the Wu-Tang Clan is going on tour and launch an ETF.
Hey, this is no ordinary conference.
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