Introduction

By Bo J. Howell

Recently, I read some articles in The Economist newspaper that talked about the increasing use of computers in asset management. While the topic is not new to those of us in the industry, I thought of our recent intern, John Simmons, who is graduating from Xavier University next month and is focused on becoming a portfolio manager. I wondered what skills does John need today to be successful in twenty years. It dawned on me that unlike college graduates of prior generations, who only needed a solid grounding in finance along with basic computer skills, John was probably going to work with machines in ways that are unknown to many of today’s portfolio managers.