(March 27, 2003) Long-time conference sponsor the Strategy Institute is inaugurating a new educational initiative on hedge funds for advisors at the end of April. The Certified Hedge Fund Specialist program involves four day-long sessions plus fifth day for an exam.

Nicole Geneau, chair of the CHFS curriculum committee, says the course fills a hole in other educational offerings for advisors. “We’re not only teaching them what alternative investment strategies entail, we’re teaching them how to use them in constructing a diversified client portfolio,” she told Advisor.ca, adding that the course is “instructed or delivered by industry professionals so that advisors are getting the full value of the theoretical and practical application of alternative investment strategies in their client portfolios.”

The curriculum is broken down into four modules:

  • Module 1: the origins of hedge funds, how some succeeded and others failed, and the industry infrastructure
  • Module 2: an overview of the different hedge fund strategies
  • Module 3: due diligence and the risks of funds of funds
  • Module 4: industry regulation and matching specific hedge funds to particular client profiles

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    • Besides providing a hedge fund accreditation, the course is also eligible for continuing education credits from Advocis and the Investment Management Consultants Association. The exam plays a large role in both the accreditation and in securing continuing education credits, Geneau says. “The fact that it’s practical information but we are also testing them on what they’ve learned makes it much more amenable to what the associations are looking for in educational programs.”

    Many organizations are turning to hedge fund education, a topic explored in an article entitled “Hedge-ucation” on page 26 of April’s Advisors’ Edge magazine.

    For her part, Geneau finds there is a pent-up demand for hedge fund education. “It’s amazing. Ever since we sent off the course overview, the phone’s been ringing off the hook.” Registration ends April 4. For registration and more course information, click here.

    The course sessions are offered every second Friday, starting April 24, at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. However, the course does extend into the conference season of June, with the exam on June 20. Geneau says there will be another session in the fall for interested advisors who can’t make the spring session.

    Filed by Scot Blythe, Advisor.ca, sblythe@advisor.ca.

    (03/27/03)