Vijay Kumar Chopra
CFA, MBA, PhD
Systematic Multi-Factor Investing
Dr. Chopra is a tenured SEC-Registered Investment Advisor with over 3 decades of experience at the most well known firms on Wall Street, including Frank Russel Company, Bankers Trust, State Street, Deutsche Asset Management (co-managed $4.5B AUM), Jacobs Levy Equity Management (co-managed $13B+ AUM), and more.
Today, Dr. Chopra leads Quantitative Strategies at DCM/INNOVA for the High Equity Income Innovation Fund (TILDX), Copley Fund (COPLX), and a Systematic Global Equity Strategy with bespoke ESG Screens.
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Dr. Chopra holds a Doctorate and MBA in Quantitative Finance from Vanderbilt, a CFA charter, and an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi. He was also an Adjunct Professor of Finance at Baruch College in New York City.
Over 3 Decades of Financial Experience
From India to Wall Street, explore the timeline of Vijay's career journey
At the time, the school had an acceptance rate of less than 1%.
It was here that Vijay began to appreciate all that American Culture had to offer, such as square dancing, skiing, and hiking.
He also learns that he wants to do more than just research, he wants to manage capital, and so he embarks upon the path to becoming a CFA.
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Whilst there, his presentation impresses the right people, and Bankers Trust offers him an opportunity to manage money on Wall Street.
Just a stone's throw away from the Twin Towers, Vijay learns the ins and outs of Asset Management from a dominant Wall Street Institution. He also takes the first CFA exam, and passes.
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Research Analyst
[ an-l-ist ]
A research analyst is a professional who prepares investigative reports on securities or assets for in-house or client use.
Other names for this function include securities analyst, investment analyst, equity analyst, rating analyst, or simply "analyst."
He sticks around for less than a year, it's not a great culture fit, and he misses the excitement of Wall Street. One benefit, however, is graduating from Analyst to Portfolio Manager.
Vijay also receives his CFA Charterhold after passing the third and final CFA exam.
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Portfolio Manager
[ pohrt-foh-lee-oh man-i-jer ]
A portfolio manager is a person or group of people responsible for investing a mutual, exchange traded or closed-end fund's assets, implementing its investment strategy, and managing day-to-day portfolio trading.
A portfolio manager is one of the most important factors to consider when looking at fund investing. Portfolio management can be active or passive, and historical performance records indicate that only a minority of active fund managers consistently beat the market.
With a new CFA Charter, a new distinction as a Portfolio Manager, and now back with his original team, Vijay sees an era of success in his career, co-managing over 4.5B AUM
Vijay's research is published in the Financial Analysts Journal, a highly regarded publication.
Vijay's team makes bank, literally, continuing to manage a highly ranked international equity mutual fund, and private bank assets.
Mutual Fund
[ myoo-choo-uhl fuhnd]
A mutual fund is a type of financial vehicle made up of a pool of money collected from many investors to invest in securities like stocks, bonds, money market instruments, and other assets.
Mutual funds are operated by professional money managers, who allocate the fund's assets and attempt to produce capital gains or income for the fund's investors. A mutual fund's portfolio is structured and maintained to match the investment objectives stated in its prospectus.
9/11 and Deutsche's acquisition of Scudder spurs an avalanche of organizational changes, pulling Vijay away from his original team at Bankers Trust.
Things are fine initially, but after a few months, Vijay reads the writing on the wall, and begins searching for opportunities elsewhere.
Although Deutsche Bank's large corporate presence and vast resources had benefits, Vijay's investment approach is valued more at the premier quantitative equity management firm, Jacobs Levy.
Vijay co-manages over 13B in AUM.
With over a decade of experience at major Wall Street Firms, and a well-developed strategy for Multi-Factor Quantitative Investing, Vijay starts VKC Investments, which lasts for approximately 3 Years.
Although he planned for things to go differently, with a looming market crash and a family to support, Vijay returns to the corporate world of finance.
A chaotic time indeed.
In the midst of the chaos, Vijay lets go of VKC Investments, securing a Portfolio Management position with an Active Country Equities team at Bear Stearns, just as the housing market starts to crack.
Vijay continues to work closely with this same team today.
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“The addition of Dr. Chopra will allow us to continue expanding our global equity strategies and we expect that our clients will see further benefit from the innovative nature of our investment approach.”
Margo Cook, CFA
Global Head, Institutional, BSAM
As we all know, Bear Stearns died in the Financial Meltdown of 2007-2009.
Vijay's team joins Mesirow Financial and relocates to the iconic Chrysler Building. Not too shabby for an Investment Professional during the Market Crash.
Vijay's team continues to client capital on Madison Avenue. The world did not end as the Mayan's predicted, and markets started to rebound.
Lebenthal was a fine firm, but it wasn't long before Lebenthal folded. Asset Management can be a tough industry.
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Vijay's team moves down the street to DCM Advisors, a subsidiary of Dinosaur Financial Group, where they reside today.
Vijay leads the INNOVA team, with a focus on innovating Quantitative Multi-Factor Investing.
Learn more about DCM/INNOVA