Vijay Kumar Chopra
CFA, MBA, PhD
Managing Director. Portfolio Manager.
Head of Quantitative Strategies.
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 Separately Managed Accounts
~
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.
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 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.
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."
While in Boston, Vijay receives his CFA Charterhold after passing the third and final CFA exam.
He sticks around at State Street for less than a year. One benefit, however, is progressing from Analyst to Portfolio Manager.
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 Charterhold, and a new distinction as a Portfolio Manager, Vijay boomerangs back to his original team at Bankers Trust, 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.
A chaotic time indeed.
In the midst of the chaos, Vijay secures 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.
As we all know, Bear Stearns did not survive the Financial Meltdown of 2007-2009.
Vijay's new team joins Mesirow Financial and relocates to the iconic Chrysler Building.
Vijay's team continues to manage capital on Madison Avenue. The world did not end as the Mayan's predicted, and markets began to rebound.
Lebenthal was a fine firm, but it wasn't long before Lebenthal folded. Asset Management can be a tough industry.
Vijay's team moves down the street to DCM Advisors, a subsidiary of Dinosaur Financial Group, where they remain today.
Vijay leads the DCM/INNOVA team, with a focus on Quantitative Strategies.
Learn more about DCM/INNOVA