FACTORS FOR THE FUNDAMENTAL INVESTOR

A masterclass offering the frameworks and tools to help you excel in factor-based investing and risk management

NEW COHORT STARTS MAY 19TH!

Enrollment is now open for the May 19th, 2025 start date!

If you’d like to learn more, Brett Caughran, founder and lead trainer, walks you through the program details, the concept of Factors, and much more during his info session. Click the link below to download the Factors Syllabus and info session deck for more details.

oUR gOAL: Build the definitive masterclass for fundamental investors to learn about factor investing & factor-based risk management

Have you heard this before?

  • “We manage capital in a beta-neutral, factor-constrained approach”

  • “We underperformed because our portfolio was underweight momentum & size factors”

  • “I would prefer not to cover that short, it would exacerbate our excess beta exposure”

  • “The crowding factor is having a -4 standard deviation move today”

Whats Included

  • A hybrid of pre-recorded video modules and live sessions

  • Interactive Q&A during live office hours sessions

  • Guest speaker sessions with specialized industry experts

  • Slide presentations and additional materials (such as Excel model samples) available for download

  • Live Factor Lab for experiential learning, case studies, and free data vendor trials (for institutional investors only)

THE CURRICULUM

  • Factors for the Fundamental Investor

    1. What is a Factor? And Why Should I Care?

    2. The Building Blocks of Factor Analysis

    3. Factor Attribution & Return Decomposition

    4. Factor-Based Investing

    5. Factor-Based Risk Models

    6. Fundamental Investing in a Factor-Focused World

    Instructors:

    • Brett Caughran

    • Rich Falk-Wallace

    Guest Speakers:

    • Chad Myhre, the Allocator Perspective

    • Mark Carver, MSCI

    • Melissa Brown, Axioma

    Factor Lab:

    • Case Study: Consider Optimal
      Factor Hedge

  • Factor-Based Investing

    1. Frameworks for Factor-Based Investing

    2. Identifying Alpha with Factor Frameworks

    3. A Deep Dive Into Common Factors

    4. Applied Factor Investing

    5. Frameworks for Factor Timing

    6. "Quantamental" Factor Investing Approaches

    Instructors:

    • Brett Caughran

    • Rocky Cahan

    Guest Speakers:

    • Meb Faber, Factor-Based Investing

    • Wes Grey, Factor-Based Investing

    • Adam Parker, Trivariate

    Factor Lab:

    • Case Study: Construct
      "Quantamental" Portfolio

  • Factor-Based Risk Management

    1. "Alpha Machine" & the Rise of Factor Risk Models

    2. Statistics & Math for the Non-Quant

    3. How Factor Models Work

    4. Risk Decomposition & Volatility Prediction

    5. Performance Attribution

    6. Expanding Factor Libraries

    Instructors:

    • Brett Caughran

    • Rich Falk-Wallace

    Guest Speakers:

    • Giuseppe Paleologo, Risk 201

    • Sandeep Varma, Managing a Portfolio with a Factor Risk Model

    Factor Lab:

    • Case Study: Optimize Idio on a
      Native Portfolio

  • Factor-Aware Portfolio Management

    1. PM Toolkit for Factor-Constrained Investing

    2. Factors, Positioning & Crowding

    3. Themes, Baskets & Factor-Constrained Investing

    4. Factor-Aware Hedging Approaches

    5. Lessons Learned (the Hard Way)

    6. Portfolio Management in a Factor-Focused World

    Instructors:

    • Brett Caughran

    • Rich Falk-Wallace

    Guest Speakers:

    • Jared Kubin

    • Omer Cedar

    Factor Lab:

    • Case Study: Express Theme,
      Factor-Constrained

Core Instructors

  • Brett Caughran

    HEAD TRAINER

    Area of Specialty: PM Experience at Multiple Firms

    Brett brings 13yrs of hedge fund experience at Maverick, D.E. Shaw, Citadel, Two Sigma & Schonfeld.

    Brett founded Fundamental Edge in 2022 to help improve training on the buy-side. Brett has led over 750 buy-side analysts through Analyst Academy and has designed and delivered numerous custom analyst training programs.

  • Rich Falk-wallace

    QUANT INSTRUCTOR

    Area of Specialty: Factor Risk Management

    Rich brings 8 years on the buyside at Silver Point, Viking Global & Citadel as a Portfolio Manager.

    Rich is currently Co-Founder & CEO of Arcana, an equity-factor risk model focused on risk & performance.

  • Rocky Cahan

    QUANT INSTRUCTOR

    Area of Specialty: Factor Based Investing

    Rocky is a Portfolio Strategist at Empirical Research Partners, focusing on research from stock selection to macroeconomic analysis since 2013.

    Previously, he led Deutsche Bank's top-ranked U.S. Quantitative Strategy team and held roles at Macquarie Bank and Citigroup, with published work in prominent finance journals.

HEAR FROM OUR instructors:

WHY YOU SHOULD ENROLL TODAY

  • Expert Guidance

    • Build on the foundation you've already gained with instructors and guest speakers who bring extensive experience from top firms.

  • HANDS ON Learning

    • A hybrid of pre-recorded video modules and live sessions. Live Factor Lab for experiential learning, case studies, and free data vendor trials (for institutional investors only)

  • Group Q&A

    • Join live office hours where you can interact with instructors with group support.

  • Real-World Applications

    • Apply factor frameworks to your own portfolio, analyze performance, and understand market movements.

HEAR FROM OUR GUEST SPEAKERS:

Watch video snippets from our guest speakers Giuseppe Paleologo and Adam Parker as they share their expertise on factors, risk management, and navigating the evolving market landscape.

Guest Speakers:

Complementary perspectives & explore factors from all angles

  • Giuseppe Paleologo

    Head of Quant Research at Balyasny, former Risk Management, Millennium, Citadel, Hudson River

  • ADAM PARKER

    Founder - Trivariate research, Former Eminence & Morgan Stanley

  • Mark Carver

    Global Head of Equity Factors & Equity Portfolio Management, MSCI

  • Sandeep Varma

    Co-founder & CEO - Equity Data Science, Former Bridger & Herring Creek

  • Wes Sapp

    Research Analyst, Empirical Research Partners

  • Melissa brown

    Global Head of Investment Decision Research, SimCorp (Axioma)

  • Chad Myrhe

    Managing Director, Alfred L. Dupont Charitable Trust

  • Omer Cedar

    Co-Founder & CEO, Omega Point Former Two Sigma

  • Meb Faber

    Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Cambria Investment Management

  • WES GRAY

    CEO, Alpha Architect

  • Jared kubin

    Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Issachar Technologies

  • Marc Greenberg

    Founder, Greener Pastures

  • Rob Arnott

    Founder and Chairman, Research Affiliates

  • Mahmood Noorani

    CEO, Quant Insight

FAQs

  • You do not need a model subscription. However, we do offer free data vendor trials for institutional investors.

  • Yes, once enrolled, you will get immediate access to the content.