In this interview, Brock Freeman talks with Chris Carsley about alternative investments. We discuss his background and how an investor can get started in personally investing in alternatives.

Chris Carsley, CFA, CAIA, Biography

Chris Carsley brings over 25 years of investment industry expertise specializing in corporate and venture finance, business valuation, business operations efficiency, regulatory compliance practices, securities research, portfolio management, arbitrage trading and hedging. 

Previously, Chris was responsible for the creation of the business risk and operational due diligence program as a senior member of the investment research and analysis team at Benchmark Plus Management. He was also the head execution trader of futures, options and OTC based trades for the Benchmark Funds. 

Chris was a trader for Paloma Securities where he negotiated and structured ISDAs, securities lending and financing agreements that targeted global arbitrage opportunities primarily for Canadian and European markets. Chris was also a senior member of the hedge fund security finance team that performed due diligence for the Paloma hedge funds to assist in enhanced finance/margin treatment and short coverage costs.

Chris is currently a trustee and Vice President of the Charles Wright Academy Endowment Committee, serving on the board since March 2017. He co-founded the Northwest Hedge Fund Society (now the Seattle Alternative Investment Association) in 2004, and is Co-head of the executive board of the Seattle CAIA chapter that launched in 2017. He earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1998, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst in 2011, and holds a BBA from the University of Portland.