Moderator

Raj Shama

Managing Director – Wealth Management Head of the Sharma Group Private Wealth Advisors Merrill Lynch Private Banking and Investment Group

Raj is Managing Director – Wealth Management and Head of The Sharma Group, a high end boutique within Merrill Lynch’s Private Banking and Investment Group and has over three decades of experience in customized investment and wealth management for entrepreneurs, corporate executives, families and institutions. Raj runs a national wealth management practice based in Boston.

Raj has been featured in the Barron’s and Forbes Top 100 Advisor list since inception. In 2021 and 2022, he was recognized by Forbes and Barron’s Magazine as the number one Financial Advisor in Massachusetts. In addition, Raj is on the Barron’s Hall of Fame list– one of a small group of advisors who have appeared in Barron’s ranking of America’s Top 100 Advisors for ten consecutive years. He was also recognized by the Financial Times of London ranking of top Global Advisors. He was featured on the inside cover of the September 2019 issue of Forbes Magazine.

Raj is the author of “The Purposeful Wealth Advisor” released by Amplify Publishing in 2022. The book is ranked as a Best Seller on Amazon in the Financial Services category.

Raj is an ardent believer in philanthropy and is involved with several domestic and global organizations. He is a current trustee and former Chairman of The Boston Harbor Island Alliance, a member of the Board of Trustees for Emerson College and a Founding trustee and Director Emeritus of the American India Foundation (AIF), an organization devoted to disrupting poverty in India through a spectrum of programs. In addition, Raj is on the Board of Youth LEAD, an internationally recognized organization promoting cultural understanding and tolerance among high school students. He was also recently appointed to the board of The Boston Foundation, one of the oldest community foundations in the country.

In 2013, Raj was the recipient of the “Solas Award” from Rian, formerly called the Irish International Immigrant Center for his commitment to promoting cross-cultural dialogue and for his inspirational example of achievement and civic engagement as an immigrant.

Speaker

Dr. David Kelly

Chief Global Strategist and Head of the Global Market Insights Strategy Team J.P. Morgan Asset Management

Dr. David Kelly, managing director, is the Chief Global Strategist and Head of the Global Market Insights Strategy Team for J.P. Morgan Asset Management. With over 25 years of experience, David provides valuable insight and perspective on the economy and markets to the institutional investor and financial advisor global communities.

David’s research focuses on investment implications of an evolving economic environment. He has written extensively on all aspects of the U.S. economy and his proprietary U.S. economic forecasting model helps shape his views on both the economic landscape and prospective asset class returns. He currently sits on JP Morgan Fund’s operating committee.

Throughout his career, David has developed a unique ability to explain complex economic and market issues in a language that financial professionals can use to communicate to their clients. He is a keynote speaker at many national investment conferences and a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, and other financial media outlets.

Prior to joining J.P. Morgan Asset Management, David served as Economic Advisor to Putnam Investments. He has also served as a senior strategist/economist at SPP Investment Management, Primark Decision Economics, Lehman Brothers and DRI/McGraw-Hill.

Speaker

Dr. Edward Yardeni

President Yardeni Research, Inc.

Dr. Ed Yardeni is the President of Yardeni Research, Inc., a provider of global investment strategies and asset-allocation analyses and recommendations. He previously served as Chief Investment Strategist of Oak Associates, Prudential Equity Group, and Deutsche Bank’s US equities division in New York City. He was also the Chief Economist of CJ Lawrence, Prudential-Bache Securities, and EF Hutton. He taught at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and was an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He also held positions at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the US Treasury Department in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Ed earned his PhD in economics from Yale University in 1976, having completed his doctoral dissertation under Nobel Laureate James Tobin. Previously, he received a master’s degree in international relations from Yale. He completed his undergraduate studies magna cum laude at Cornell University.

Dr. Ed is frequently quoted in the financial press, including The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Barron’s. He was dubbed “Wall Street Seer” in a Barron’s cover story. He appears frequently on CNBC, Bloomberg Television, and Fox Business. See Dr. Ed’s Media Center blog.

In 2018, Dr. Ed published Predicting the Markets: A Professional Autobiography, which is rated 4.2/5.0 on Amazon with 105 reviews. In this book, he shares his unique insights into predicting the trends and cycles in the domestic and global economies and financial markets—including stocks, bonds, commodities, and currencies—based on the first 40 years of his career on Wall Street.

In 2020, Dr. Ed published Fed Watching for Fun & Profit, which is rated 4.2/5.0 by 21 reviewers. In this guide, Dr. Ed, one of the world’s most experienced and widely followed “Fed watchers,” helps investors understand the FOMC’s decision-making process, anticipate its moves, and profit from those insights. Dr. Ed is one of LinkedIn’s 2019 Top Voices in Economy & Finance.

Speaker

Thomas Lee

Managing Partner and Head of Research Fundstrat

Thomas is one of the most widely recognized and followed macro strategists on Wall Street. He is best known for his evidence-based work on equity markets and fast growing technologies, including digital assets and wireless technologies. Thomas has nearly 30 years of experience in macro markets and equity research.

He co-founded Fundstrat in 2014, a research advisory firm, which has now grown to over 28 full-time employees and serves hedge funds, mutual funds and family offices in over 26 countries.

Prior to co-founding the independent strategy research boutique, Fundstrat Global Advisors, he served as Chief Equity Strategist of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and had been at JPMorgan from 1999 through 2014. And prior to that, was both a highly regarded telecommunications equity research analyst and also small-cap equity/ bankruptcy/reorg strategist (2004-2010) working at firms like Kidder, Peabody and Salomon Smith Barney.

He is a full-time contributor to CNBC and is widely quoted in the media (CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox, Yahoo Finance, among others) and professionally recognized. He has been ranked consistently by Institutional Investors and held the #1, #2 and #3 position for 15 consecutive years (1998-2013). He is known for his data-driven approach (“analysis not opinions”), and clients view his work as both contrarian and highly differentiated.

He is also considered one of the most trusted and well-known authorities in digital assets by Cindicator and top 100 key names by Cryptoinfluencer.

Thomas Lee graduated from the University of Pennsylvania/Wharton School with a BSE in Economics and dual concentrations in Finance and Accounting. He is a CFA Charter holder.