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Speakers

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Our conference will kick off with opening comments from Alex Urbani, CFA and President of MainStreet Advisors. This session will include an overview of the conference agenda, along with a discussion of our conference theme “Partner for Success.”

ALEX URBANI, CFA

President
MainStreet Advisors

Alex joined MainStreet Advisors in 2009 and is President of the firm. With almost 30 years of experience, Alex has a deep understanding of investment management and the unique needs of MainStreet’s clients. Alex oversees all aspects of the firm, working closely with each member of the firm’s leadership team to ensure that the organization’s goals are on track for long-term success. He leads the firm and its team with a strategic focus on developing existing client relationships and identifying opportunities for new business. Alex received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut. Additionally, he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) designation and is a member of both the CFA Institute and the CFA Society Chicago.

Labor Lessons from Abroad 

Jeff Korzenik and Daisuke (Jaewoo) Nakajima will share their thoughts on the labor markets. The U.S. labor shortage has become a top concern among business leaders. Our falling birth rates, retiring Baby Boomers and political gridlock over immigration suggest that the lack of worker supply will stoke inflation and crimp growth – a seemingly intractable problem. Yet, other countries have faced similar demographic challenges and offer lessons for the American Business Community.  Jeff and Jaewoo have examined Japan’s incredible success in growing its workforce even as that nation’s population outright declined. In this session they will share their unique research and a message applicable to all employers.

Jeff is the Chief Economist for Fifth Third Commercial Bank. In this role, he provides research and analysis that impacts the Bank’s key markets as well as business leaders and policymakers throughout the country. He is an award-winning author whose writings have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Newsweek, Forbes and many other national and regional publications; Jeff has appeared regularly on CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox Business News. Policymakers have sought his expertise on a variety of topics leading to his testifying before state legislatures and on Capitol Hill. Most recently, Jeff has been lauded as a leading expert on private sector models for hiring people with criminal records and advancing public safety through employment. Jeff earned both a bachelor’s degree in economics and a certificate of proficiency in Near Eastern studies from Princeton University. He serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of the Peabody Essex Museum.

JEFFREY KORZENIK

Senior Vice President, Chief Economist
Fifth Third Commercial Bank

Daisuke (“Jaewoo”) is the founder of SG Brands, a U.S. importer of sake beverage from Japan. He directly faces the challenges of Japan’s labor shortages in the manufacturing industry and regularly discusses labor issues and policy options with local and national policymakers in Japan. Previously, he was a Managing Director in Economic Research team at Evercore ISI and was responsible for analyzing the U.S. and Japan’s economies and policies. Before joining ISI Group in 2006, he started his economist career in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Jaewoo received an AB from Brown University in 2003 and received an MA from Columbia University in 2004.

DAISUKE J. NAKAJIMA

Founder
SG Brands

Market and Economic Perspectives 

In this session, Tom McKinstry will examine what MainStreet Advisors views as the most important characteristics of the current economic and market environment for long-term investors. He will then summarize MainStreet’s recommended asset allocation and positioning within the current environment. Finally, Tom will provide the investment team’s outlook over the next six to twelve months including the most significant potential market catalysts and risks.

Photo of Thomas McKinstry

THOMAS MCKINSTRY, CFA

Chief Investment Officer
MainStreet Advisors

Tom is the Chief Investment Officer for MainStreet Advisors. In this role, he manages MainStreet’s team of Investment Analysts and is responsible for directing and coordinating the firm’s strategic asset allocation, portfolio construction and security selection processes. He oversees MainStreet’s third-party manager due diligence, evaluation, and monitoring efforts. Tom also directs content creation for all of MainStreet’s proprietary investment publications. Tom is Chair of MainStreet’s Investment Committee, Chair of MainStreet’s Equity Committee and manages the firm’s Large Blend model portfolio. He joined MainStreet Advisors in 2016. Prior to joining MainStreet, Tom spent over 8 years with MB Financial Bank serving in various roles including Head of Investment Research and portfolio manager. Tom received his bachelor’s degree from Colgate University with a concentration in International Relations. Additionally, he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a member of both the CFA Institute and the CFA Society Chicago.

Your Money Story 

Your clients are constantly making financial decisions in their daily lives, but few stop to think about why they make those decisions. A decision that seemed rational at the time might be a regrettable one later, leaving a client wondering, “Why did I do that?” It’s because they have a unique history with money, or “money story,” that’s influencing their financial decision-making in ways they don’t even realize. In this presentation, Mike Lynch will guide attendees as they learn 1) how to discover their own money story, 2) how their money story impacts the way they save, spend, invest, and gift money, and 3) how they can change their money story to make better financial decisions.

MICHAEL LYNCH

Managing Director / Applied Insights
Hartford Funds

Mike is a managing director of applied insights for Hartford Funds. In his current role, he is responsible for engaging and educating both financial professionals and their clients about current and emerging opportunities in the financial services marketplace. Mike joined Hartford Funds in 1993 and has held various roles within the organization, including vice president and national director of The Hartford’s Retirement and Wealth Consulting Group, which provided thought leadership and financial education focused on retirement and small-business planning. In 2012, he joined Hartford Funds. He has been quoted on Fox Business, Today.com, Barron’s, U.S. News & World Report, and MarketWatch. Mike earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Connecticut State University. He is a registered representative of Hartford Funds Distributors and is FINRA Series 6, 63, and 26 registered and holds a life, health, and variable insurance license.

Referral Code

Maura Scherer’s presentation “The Referral Code” is based on years of research on how top financial professionals have succeeded in cracking the code to building strategic partnerships with centers of influence. Financial professionals often recognize that estate attorneys and accountants have clients that they, too, would like to have. However, building a strategic partnership that leads to an annuitized flow of referrals can be difficult and frustrating. Maura will share research and insights as she walks through the steps to building and maintaining strategic partnerships. 

MAURA SCHERER

Director of Consulting Solutions
Invesco Global Consulting

Maura leads project development for Invesco Global Consulting (IGC), where she is responsible for the strategic and creative development of IGC content and delivery. Maura is also a member of the IGC Leadership Team, which develops programs designed to help financial professionals grow, keep and optimize their practices. In addition, she oversees the “Showtime” program, which is designed to help financial professionals tell their team stories in clear, concise and compelling ways. Maura has worked in the financial industry since 2000 and has consulted with hundreds of financial teams across the country on enhancing marketing their practices. She regularly presents at regional and national conferences on a wide range of topics. Maura holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Michigan State University and earned the Registered Corporate Coach™ designation in 2010.

Geopolitical Outlook  

More information on this session will be provided soon!

MATT GERTKEN

Chief Strategist
Geopolitical Strategy/U.S. Political Strategy
BCA Research

Matt is BCA Research’s Chief Strategist, Geopolitical Strategy and U.S. Political Strategy. He oversees the firm’s coverage of market-relevant policy developments across the world. Prior to joining BCA in 2015, Matt worked as a Senior Analyst at Strategic Forecasting, Inc (Stratfor) and in various academic and publishing roles. Matt holds an MPhil from the University of Cambridge and a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.