The ETF and advisor community has come together in Las Vegas at the Exchange conference. As you are reading this, the first full day of the conference is underway. However, there were great sessions and lots of networking on Sunday. Here is a glimpse for those of you not among the approximately 1,900 registered, or if you are first joining us live today.
We had two tracks running for those eager to soak up knowledge. Advisors obtained as many as four hours of continuing education (CE) credit. Meanwhile, those employed in the ETF industry heard from experts about trends likely to shape the industry in 2025 and beyond.
Advisor Education Continues
For advisors, we started the afternoon off with two CE-eligible hours on ethics training. Marguerita Cheng, CEO of Blue Ocean Global Wealth, led the advisors through the programming. She even offered benefits for active participation.
From there, I helped with a two-hour master class during ETF study hall. Elisabeth Kashner, James Seyffart, and Todd Sohn joined me in the first part. Elisabeth and James offered ETF due diligence tips from their respective FactSet and Bloomberg Intelligence teams. Meanwhile, Todd talked about trends that are shaping the ETF market from his seat at Strategas Research Partners.
Best Practices With ETFs
The second hour of the ETF study hall covered other topics advisors need to understand. Ugo Egbunike of Jane Street offered best practices for trading ETFs. Nate Geraci of The ETF Store brought an advisor’s perspective on the wide swath of ETFs. The study hall’s final segment involved building ETF portfolios.
TMX VettaFi’s Roxanna Islam talked on stage with John Davi of Astoria Portfolio Advisors and Alex Varner of Main Management. The trio discussed portfolio construction and how the strategists are managing in a volatile 2025.
ETF Industry Gets Up to Speed
Meanwhile, some of my other TMX VettaFi colleagues and some external experts were simultaneously covering important topics facing the ETF industry. There were sessions on driving durable growth through distribution and on the opportunities available through custom indexing. Another one was on how to approach the cryptocurrency industry beyond bitcoin and ether.
Separately, my TMX VettaFi colleague Kirsten Chang led a discussion on the hot regulatory topics. She and three attorneys talked about ETF share classes of mutual funds, fund labeling, and more. Following this session, the Exchange conference welcomed the Women in ETFs membership for a panel discussion on careers beyond ETFs. Women in ETFs is a great opportunity for many in the ETF industry to connect and learn from one another.
The final session was a chance for the ETF industry to better understand the daily activities of the press. My colleague Elle Fitzgerald joined reporters from CityWire, Ignites, Moby, and The Daily Upside to share insights with the moderator Chris Sullivan of Craft & Capital.
A packed start to what I remember is the best three days of my business year. I can’t wait for what is in store. Follow along with our Exchange agenda if you have FOMO
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