GIPS Webinar / Workshop: December 15, 2016

I’m really excited to announce TSG will host a GIPS® webinar on December 15, 2016. It’s going to be an all-day workshop, starting at 10 AM (US) EST.

My friends and colleagues, Herb Chain, CPA (formerly of D&T) and Matt Forstenhausler, CPA (E&Y) [neither to be confused with Ben Affleck of “The Accountant”], and I designed the first GIPS workshop for the CFA Institute, more than a decade ago.

What’s included in this GIPS Webinar?

While this class builds upon that earlier work, it goes well beyond it, to make it more relevant, up-to-date, actionable. It will cover a great deal, including:

• The history of the Standards: why we even have them, their role, objectives, and goals
• GIPS fundamentals
• Firm definition: options, pros/cons, importance
• Composites: why, how, construction
• Discretion: what it means, how to employ it
• Dispersion: options
• Standard deviation: as a measure of risk, as a measure of dispersion
• Large vs. significant cash flows: what they mean, why they’re relevant, what your options are
• The calculations
• Policies & procedures: what’s required, what’s frequently overlooked
• Error correction: what’s needed, what isn’t
• Asset-owner compliance: why you’d want to comply; why you may need to comply
• Alternative assets & GIPS (e.g., private equity, real estate, hedge funds)
• Bundled fee / wrap fee rules: what makes them different
• What you’re required to present
• The advertising guidelines
• Some of the confusing aspects
• Verification & composite examinations
• A “road map” to compliance”
• What to look forward to
• and, much more!

I just finished teaching GIPS as part of our Performance Measurement Boot Camp, but this workshop will go much further.

Who will this GIPS webinar benefit?

The GIPS webinar/workshop is intended for:

• firms that currently comply with the Standards, but have folks who need a stronger understanding of the Standards; this can include folks in
  • performance measurement,
  • information technology, 
  • back office operations
  • compliance
  • marketing & sales
  • portfolio management
  • administration
  • client support
• asset managers and owners who are thinking about complying or planning to comply
• managers and asset owners who are wondering if they should comply
• asset owners who’d like to know why they might want to comply and what would be required
• performance measurement professionals who are looking to strengthen their knowledge of GIPS
• compliance officers/personnel, who are responsible, to a large degree, for their firm’s claim of compliance, and who must have a strong understanding to ensure their firm is not at risk (or at least can avoid risks).

Our full-day webinars work!

We were curious to know whether a full-day workshop would work, but proved that it could with our recent introduction of our ROR 101 class, which met with great success, not just once, but twice!

And so, we’ve decided to offer them on a fairly regular basis.

Nearly 25 years and counting …

Something that’s especially relevant is that next year marks my 25th year of involvement with the performance presentation standards. I have:

• been on a variety of committees;
• consulted on the Standards;
• conducted many, many verifications (as well as several composite examinations);
• taught classes;
• done many talks on them;
• written about them (articles and letters-to-the-editor);
• defended them;
• championed them;
• commented on them;
• challenged them;
• created guide books about them. 

On multiple occasions, I’ve been the only person to defend them in Pensions & Investments. And I’m currently involved in a legal case involving a claim of GIPS compliance. Not sure off hand who may have done more, but I know I’ve done a lot.

Most noteworthy, perhaps, is the fact that I really enjoy teaching. And, based on the feedback from students, I think I’m pretty good at it, too!

This GIPS Webinar is a great cost-effective way to bring valuable and meaningful education to your organization

Webinars like this provide a great, cost-effective way for firms to provide education to their staff. And while I very much prefer face-to-face encounters, like our recent Boot Camp, I recognize that for many, a webinar like this can be a great alternative.

So, why not:

• book a conference room,
• invite your colleagues from various departments to join you,
• bring lunch and refreshments in,
• listen as a group, and then
• hold a post-webinar discussion to find out what you’ve learned and how it applies to your organization?

As a result of the success of our recent one-day webinar, we knew we wanted to do more, and it occurred to me that a GIPS workshop seemed like a logical “next class” to hold.

Therefore, please mark your calendar (December 15 @ 10 AM EST) and sign up! We offer a variety of options for you.

To learn more, please go here. Or, reach out to Patrick Fowler (PFowler@tsgperformance.com) or Chris Spaulding (CSpaulding@tsgperformance.com); feel free to call our offices, too (732-881-5700).