This session will focus on importation legislative and regulatory developments affecting the direct and alternative investment industry, including both sponsors and broker-dealers. Panelists will provide important updates regarding the Department of Labor's new fiduciary rule and related "best interest contract" exemption, as well as initiatives that have been undertaken by the SEC, NASAA and FINRA, among others.

Panelists: Larry Lyons, Kalos Financial; John Grady, DLA Piper; Catherine Bowman, The Bowman Law Firm

Dave Laga, DFPG Investments, Due Diligence Forum Chair

John Harrison, ADISA Executive Director/CEO

With over 30 years in the industry as an investment manager, lawyer, principal, and banker, Bob may be the country’s best known alternatives expert. He is the bestselling author of “The Alternative Answer” and “Three Moves Ahead,” appears regularly in TV and print media, and conducts educational events for thousands of FAs and investors each year.

After starting his career at the U.S. Justice Department, Bob was a financial products partner at the premiere Wall Street law firm, Milbank, Tweed. He then launched a technology startup that became the publicly traded Viewpoint, of which he served as CEO. He returned to Wall Street in 2004, founding broker dealer Tangent Capital and later the consulting firm Rice Partners, both of which serve alternative managers and investors.

This session will provide an overview of the framework surrounding interval and other non-traded closed-end funds.  A panel of industry experts will discuss trends in the use of interval funds for investment in different asset types, as well as the pros and cons of the structure compared to other structures, such as non-traded REITs.  The panel will also discuss application of FINRA regulatory rules and notices to the due diligence process, and discuss potential due diligence best practices for this product type.

Panelists: Todd Snyder, Snyder Kearney; JoAnn Strasser, Thompson Hine

What type of analysis should a broker-dealer do when reviewing a multi-share class REIT? How do sponsors design share classes? This panel will help you build a logical framework for understanding the economic and regulatory implicatons of multi-share class offerings.

Moderator: Jacob Mohs, FR Risk Management

Panelists: Fred Knopf, Williams Financial Group; Roderick Curtis, Inland Securities Corporation; Charlie Waterman, Franklin Square Capital Partners; Derek Peterson, Terra Capital Partners

This session will present a spirited debate on the pros and cons of investing in non-traded energy products in terms of opportunity and market pricing risks. Through the debate presentation, attendees will learn about what energy products make sense, what products do not, and what the benefits and risks are to having non-traded energy securities on the product platform. Current energy market developments will likewise be discussed within the debate. 

Moderator: Alyson Harter, LeClair Ryan

Debaters: Brad Updike, Mick | Law; Matt Iak, U.S. Energy Development Corporation; Justin Reich, APX Energy; Kurt Tesh, Kalos Financial

For associate attendees only.

Due diligence is about getting into the weeds and discerning which weeds may be noxious to an offering’s investment strategy. Understanding where and what to look for is critical to successfully navigate through the weeds. Featuring an expert group of due-diligence professionals, this session will pull and spray its way through some of today’s most relevant noxious due diligence weeds.  

Moderator: Dave Laga, DFPG Investments

Presenters: R.P. Bonham, Cole Capital; Dana Woodbury, Buttonwood Investment Services; Catherine Bowman, The Bowman Law Firm

Real estate in general has experienced a nice rebound since the Great Recession, and certain asset types are even reaching and/or exceeding peak pricing. The volatility of the energy sector has been more recent with lingering uncertainly of the direction of pricing and its overall economic impact. Learn what the current trends are in these sectors and where the opportunities and potential headwinds may exist. 

Moderator: Tom Voekler, Kaplan Voekler Cunningham & Frank

Presenters: Randy Anderson, Griffin Capital Corporation; Taylor Garrett, Mountain Dell Consulting

This interactive panel will discuss the due diligence process for private placement products. Before the great recession, the industry thought it asked all the right questions of sponsors and understood where the skeletons were hidden. However, as deals weathered the economic storm, the industry was caught off-guard by some of the failures that occurred. Can the industry accurately look into the future and identify the potential weaknesses in the current private placement marketplace? What questions should the broker-dealers be asking in order to accurately predict the future?

Moderator: Darryl Steinhause, DLA Piper

Panelists: Mike Bendix, DFPG Investments; Bryan Mick, Mick | Law; Cam Hellewell, Orchard Securities; Keith Lampi, Inland Real Estate Investment Corporation

Dave Laga, DFPG Investments, Due Diligence Forum Chair