Pensions and Investments Podcast

In this engaging conversation, Atara Twersky interviews a very special guest, Atara’s mom! Dina Hirsch, who has become a social media sensation with over two million followers across social media platforms. Atara and her mom have a fun packed episode for listeners and they also  discuss a few serious topics like  the importance of having a pension to ensure security in later years, financial security afforded by being a member of a...

In this conversation, Atara interviews Anurag Chandra, a venture capitalist, chief investment officer and trustee at San Jose City Employees Retirement System, discussing his diverse background in Silicon Valley, his role in the public pension fund world, and the intricacies of risk management. Anurag shares insights on the importance of relationships in business, lessons learned from failures, as well as various investment strateg...

In this engaging conversation, Atara Twersky interviews Laura Basua, a dedicated trustee of the Fresno County Employee Retirement System. Laura shares her inspiring journey from working as a homeschool liaison to becoming a board member, emphasizing her commitment to serving the community and advocating for women in leadership roles. 

The discussion covers her experiences in managing pension funds, the importance of continuous le...

In this episode of the Pensions and Investments Podcast, host Atara Twersky speaks with Liat Aaronson, an experienced angel investor and mentor with a focus on Web3 technology and entrepreneurial growth. Liat discusses the opportunities and challenges in the Web3 space, the future of decentralized technology, and how startups in this field can navigate the complexities of raising capital. She also touches on her personal journey in...

Panayiotis Lambropoulos, Portfolio Manager at the Employees Retirement System of Texas-- a $35B public fund located in Austin, Texas, works in the hedge funds department on a team of managers. Panayiotis brings his diverse background, being born and raised in Greece until he was 13 years old, as well as his prior experience working for a Japanese Hedge fund, to work he does on behalf of Texas ERS. As one of the large public funds i...

Women in Business need to support one another!  We are on the same team and Kathryn Sollmann, founder of The 4 Jobs Club, an online community of women assists women in navigating their many roles as moms, caregivers, and career women.  Kathryn, quoted in the NY Times,  is  the author of the book “Ambition Redefined: Why the Corner of Office is Not for Every Woman & What to Do Instead”.  If you are a woman with any type of job a...

The UAE (United Arab Emirates) is bursting with business opportunities.  In this Episode, I speak with Fahem Almusa who is the Director for the  Internal Audit and Accounting Advisory at Crowe UAE which is one of the Key Economic Country (KEC) within the Crowe Global network.  Crowe is ranked as one of the top 10 largest accounting networks in the UAE ( by the International Accounting Bulletin). Fahem is U.S. educated but lives in ...

As a child, Richard Wilson was already attending his father’s business meetings. By the time he was in High School, Richard was a full-fledged entrepreneur; by the age of 21, he was earning 6 figures. From risk consulting to raising capital, Richard ventured into the world of family offices with the goal of providing trends in structuring deals and opportunities for wealthy family offices to connect with each other, share insights,...

The word attorney conjures up many images, some less likable than others.   Sometimes this distaste for lawyers is rooted in reality and other times it is not.  But every now and again you will meet a lawyer who has changed course and taken a new route and this change informs who they become.  My guest, Blair Nicholas, was one of my former legal competitors (friendly ones of course) and yet we crossed over into real conversation as...

Len Gilroy is the Vice President of government reform Reason Foundation. In this episode, listen in as we continue our conversation on pension reform and the collaborative approach to making lasting, meaningful, and important changes and how restructuring your public pension funds can help address underfunding issues and secure future benefits for those in the public sector. Secure the future you have for yourself and your loved on...

Len Gilroy has devoted his career to the Public Pension Fund World and to ensuring their longevity. As Vice President at the Reason Foundation Len's mission is to ensure that public pension funds remain healthy and robust. Len has testified before Congress and written for numerous publications including a recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. Len and his foundation were at the forefront of the recent refor...

Fintech!  If you are an investor, Fintech is definitely an asset class to take notice of and Rupert Bull is a man to take notice of!  Rupert is  Co-Founder and CEO of The Disruption House, a company whose mission is to assist financial technology services and financial institutions to accelerate their discovery of and engagement with each other on a global basis. The Disruption House partners with over 50 global and regional banks ...

Perhaps your fund is not recovering all monies owed to them?! Enter Ari Davidowitz! : Tax Recovery Expert, Managing Director of WTax. Ari works hard to recover tax withholdings for clients worldwide. This is a complicated area of shareholder recoveries but Ari makes it easy to understand and will be instrumental in putting money back into your fund’s portfolio. Ari is also a committed husband and a fun and loving dad. Listen to our...

Cynthia M. Ruiz holds the powerful role of President for LACERS (LOs Angeles City Employee Retirement System) where she oversees a multibillion-dollar pension portfolio. But that is just one of her many roles. Cynthia is also a Professor, Executive Coach, Best Selling Author, Inspirational Speaker and Leadership Expert. Her focus is developing other leaders through her thriving Executive Coaching business where she helps transform ...

Darrell Cobbins is a man of many varied interests and boundless talents.   Darrell is a recognized leader in his community.  Appointed by the Mayor of Memphis, he served on the Steering Committee for the Regional Development Business Plan which works to develop long-range strategic business models for the Memphis Region.  The Mayor of Memphis also appointed Darrell to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Memphis Light, Gas and Wa...

Sherry Menor-McNamara is the youngest and first female President and CEO in the 170-year history of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, as well as the first Asian to serve as the leader of a State Chamber, and under her leadership, the Chamber won the 2018 ACCE State Chamber of the Year, and in 2019, won two national Council of State Chambers awards. She has lived in several major cities, including Tokyo, New York, Washington D.C., Los...

Ari Meisel is the best-selling author of several books including The Art of Less Doing and The Replaceable Founder. He is a self-described Overwhelmologist whose insights into personal and professional productivity have earned him the title, “The Guru’s Guru.” He can be heard on international stages speaking to thought leaders and influencers, and for those who prefer the written word, Ari’s blog posts offer immediate and actionabl...