Good Investment Results, Without A Good Investment Process, Are Mostly Luck

Nov. 16, 2009 - PRLog -- "You can get good investment results without a solid investment process, but if you do, consider yourself one of the lucky ones."

That's what Alton R.Cogert, President and CEO, Strategic Asset Alliance, and author of "Uncertain Times: A Chief Investment Officer's Journey," warned today.

"One financial institution after another is being bailed out, closed or merged, largely because of poor investment decisions.  Of course, nobody is perfect, so mistakes will be made.  However, those mistakes can be limited if the institution has a solid investment process," said Cogert. "And therein lies the problem."

"In the insurance world, for example, many insurers focus solely on 'get me the best yield or return'.  But, that is only part of the picture," according to Cogert.  "A solid investment process begins with an understanding of the Investment Process Value Chain - seven interrelated activities that can either add or subtract value."

"Uncertain Times: A Chief Investment Officer's Journey" explains this in detail as it takes you on a journey with an investment professional who has to cope with some of the deepest challenges of his career.  While telling his fictional story, Uncertain Times shows how to develop, improve and streamline the investment process of this industry, one that makes unique demands on investment professionals - insurance.  

No previous book has outlined this unique process with such meticulous precision. Uncertain Times gives an insider’s view.

Whether you work for an insurer, regulate insurers, provide services to insurers or — like everyone else — are a policyholder concerned about how your insurer is run, this book will be invaluable to you.

"Uncertain Times" is published by CB Woodbridge Publishing and is available on Amazon.com (http://www.tinyurl.com/utimes).

Alton R. Cogert, CFA, CPA, CAIA, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Asset Alliance (www.saai.com), an investment consulting firm that exclusively serves insurance companies.  Founded in 1994, the firm focuses on improving the investment process of insurers, since solid investment results flow from a successful process.  Mr. Cogert holds a BS from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Marshall School of the University of Southern California

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Strategic Asset Alliance is an investment consulting firm exclusively serving insurance companies. Its principals are all former Chief Investment Officers of insurers focused on improving the investment process, resulting in improved financial results.