DePaul University will sponsor two events this fall—a wealth management conference and an investment update discussion—to help financial professionals respond to the current business environment as the industry re-emerges from the near collapse of financial markets one year ago. 

Speakers include Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Investments, and James W. Paulson, chief investment strategist at Wells Capital Management.

Details on the events:

Oct. 28:  Where do We Go From Here? A Wealth Management Conference

The Center for Financial Services at DePaul, with support from LPL Financial, will examine the state of the wealth management industry through a series of panels and workshops. Panelists include representatives from Northern Trust, Goldman Sachs and Morningstar. 

Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Investments, will introduce the program with a keynote address. A nationally recognized authority on financial literacy and investor education, Hobson is a regular financial contributor to ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” and a featured columnist in Black Enterprise magazine.

Among the questions that will be addressed at the conference: How are institutional and independent advisers responding to an environment in which de-leveraging and frugality have suddenly become the new norm? What conversations are advisers having with clients about risk tolerance, debt, liquidity, savings, retirement, asset allocation and suitable investments? How have these changed from a year ago?

The conference will be held from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Room 8005 of the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago.  The registration deadline is Oct. 23. The fee is $45, but will be waived for Center for Financial Services members. Participants are eligible for Certified Financial Planner continuing education units. 

For registration and information, contact Kelly Glenn at (312) 362-7531 or cfs@depaul.edu.

Nov. 3: Investment Strategy Update

James W. Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Wells Capital Management, will discuss the current investment climate.  A 20-year veteran of the investment field, Paulson was appointed to Barron’s 12-member panel of elite economists in 2002, and he was named BusinessWeek’s Top Economic Forecaster for 2001 and BondWeek’s Interest Rate Forecaster of the Year in 1998 and 2000.

The free, public talk, sponsored by DePaul’s Center for Financial Services, will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Room 8005 of the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago.  Refreshments and a networking session follow the presentation.

For questions and registration, contact Kelly Glenn at (312) 362-7531 or cfs@depaul.edu.