Publications

June 2016
Case

The Wealthfront Generation

By: Luis Viceira and Allison Ciechanover

Keywords: Automated Investment Advisor; Millennials; Fintech; Customers; Asset Management; Internet and the Web; Age; Investment; Business Startups; California

Web

Faculty & Advisors | MBA

advisor to over thirty transformational Health & Bio companies including Parsley Health, Tia, Sollis, CertifyOS, Cofertility and Nanite Bio. Enke serves on the Board of Directors of the Tisch MS Research Center of New York, and is a... View Details

January 2012 (Revised March 2012)
Case

Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA)'s Entry into the Retirement Market

By: Lauren Cohen and Christopher Malloy

This case examines Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA)'s decision to enter the retirement market with their new "Dimensional Managed DC" product, a complete retirement solution that aimed to provide investors with what they really wanted: the same standard of living in... View Details

Keywords: Retirement; Asset Management

Web

Faculty & Advisors | MBA

Faculty & Advisors MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences Faculty Robert D. Howe MS/MBA Program Faculty Co-Chair for SEAS Abbott and James Lawrence Professor of Engineering at SEAS; Faculty Co-Chair of the Harvard MS/MBA Program; Director, Harvard... View Details

08 Sep 2021
News

Talent Shortage? Maybe It’s Your Automated Hiring System, Lack of Investment in Training

08 Jan 2018
Research & Ideas

The Startling Percentage of Financial Advisors with Misconduct Records

implementation is now under a review initiated by the White House. The regulation requires financial advisors who handle retirement investments to operate in the best interests of their clients. Proponents... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services

September 2022
Article

Human Versus Machine: A Comparison of Robo-Analyst and Traditional Research Analyst Investment Recommendations

By: Braiden Coleman, Kenneth J. Merkley and Joseph Pacelli

We provide the first comprehensive analysis of the properties of investment recommendations generated by “Robo-Analysts,” which are human analyst-assisted computer programs conducting automated research analysis. Our results indicate that Robo-Analyst recommendations... View Details

Keywords: Fintech; Analysts; Robo-analysts; Investment Recommendations; Investment; Information Technology; Performance

Find at Harvard

October 2024
Supplement

Hakluyt: from Corporate Intelligence to Trusted Advisors (B)

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Lena Duchene

This case is a continuation of an earlier study chronicling Hakluyt & Company (Hakluyt)’s transformation from an obscure boutique to a global corporate advisory firm with an outsized reputation. In August 2024, the firm faced a pivotal moment as managing partner Varun... View Details

September 2010 (Revised May 2012)
Case

Windward Investment Management

By: Luis M. Viceira and Ricardo Alberto De Armas

Windward Investment Management has experienced rapid growth in assets under management in just ten years, from under $30 million at year-end 1999 to $3.6 billion in 2010. Windward is one of the leading firms in the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) industry that... View Details

Keywords: Asset Management; Valuation; Investment; Growth and Development Strategy; Financial Services Industry

05 Sep 2013
News

Women and Sustainable Investing

January 2012 (Revised February 2013)
Teaching Note

Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA)'s Entry into the Retirement Market (TN)

By: Lauren Cohen, Christopher Malloy and Timothy Gray

Keywords: Retirement; Investment Funds; Financial Services Industry

12 Sep 2023
Research & Ideas

How Can Financial Advisors Thrive in Shifting Markets? Diversify, Diversify, Diversify

finding of a new study by Harvard Business School associate professor Marco Di Maggio. “Having a broader view of the financial picture of the client helps [advisers] keep their clients and helps with growing the clientele as well.” Traditional View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Financial Services

July 2024 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors: Bringing Systematic Investment to Philanthropy

By: Lauren Cohen, Hao Gao, Alexander Bischoff and Sophia Pan

Melissa Berman, CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), evaluated her client’s philanthropy project and its mediocre performance. RPA was a segment of the Rockefeller Family Office’s Philanthropy Department, becoming an independent charity in 2002. Consistently... View Details