Change is inevitable and, for the most part, good.
For the past 12 years, I have been fortunate enough to witness first-hand the ever-changing landscape of the fund industry with a number of publications that covered, or still cover, the field.
My first experience reporting on asset managers started with Thomson Financial in the late 1990s during the Internet bubble, which ensnared venture capitalists and opportunistic buyout pros alike.
But the tragic events of 9/11 brought both the publishing world and the financial world to a standstill, and I was left to find gainful employment elsewhere.
I spent the next few years covering "the dark side" or hedge funds. From 2004-2009, I was witness to the rise, fall and subsequent rise again of the new princes of Wall Street. Remember Andrew Lahde, a Santa Monica, Calif. -based hedge fund manager who in 2007 reportedly earned return rates somewhere around 1000%? Yes, you read it right the first time.
Of course, we can't talk about investment funds without mentioning Bernie Madoff, who orchestrated the single largest global Ponzi scheme in history bringing down a host of hedge funds, institutions and individiuals that fed into this, worldwide.
Fast forward to 2012. Some hedge funds that got burnt or have grown to capacity in the institutional market are now offering alternative-tilted mutual funds to the masses.
But alternative mutual funds aren't the only active game in town.
Not if you're Bill Gross, whose Total Return Fund has over the past 25 years become a quarter-billion-dollar in assets mutual fund. Now his first exchange-traded fund for the Pacific Investment Management Company is generating serious buzz.
Then there is State Street Global Advisors, which will soon sell its own active ETF products in addition to passive ones.
Who knows what the next decade will hold for people-like you-who live and breathe this industry everyday?
In Asia, this is the Year of the Dragon. The dragon is a symbol of good fortune and sign of intense power. Which means this year will no doubt be intensely memorable.
In that, I am honored to once again have a front-seat view of this industry courtesy of Money Management Executive.
