Ezra's Background

EXPERIENCE
  • ​​​​​Founded and/or Managed
    • Hedge Fund and Fund of Funds
    • Global Trading for Large Banks​​
    • ortfolios for HNW and Institutions
  • Research Director for M&A Firm
  • ​​Adjunct Professor at Yale, Princeton, Fordham
  • Author of "ALL ABOUT HEDGE FUNDS"​​ (McGraw-Hill: 2013)
​​SELECTIVE CONSULTING PROJECTS
  • ​​Hedge Fund Valuation
  • Over 25 Complex Litigation Support Conducting Research and Writing Report
  • Evaluation of Due Diligence of Madoff Feeder Funds
  • Risk and suitability of Structured Products including Swaps, Options, MBS/CDO 

     SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE

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​ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS
  • ​​Hedge Funds - Private Equity - VC
  • ​Liquid Alternative Investments
  • Hedge Fund Valuation
  • ​​Emerging Hedge Fund Support
 ​​PORTFOLIO CONSTRUCTION
  • Asset Allocation
  • Manager Selection
  • Due Diligence
  • Risk Management
  • Robo-Advisors​ ​
​​
​LITIGATION SUPPORT​
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​PLANNING & ORGANIZATION
  • ​Strategic Planning
  • ​Industry Trends
  • Business Development
  • Policies and Procedures
  • Thought Leadership​​
FINANCIAL MARKETS
  • Trading Strategies
  • Market Analysis
  • Securities and Derivatives
  • ​​Behavioral Finance​​
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybercurrency
​​Click on Subjects Above for Details on our Expertise and Experience

EZRA ZASK -- UNIQUELY QUALIFIED

CLICK TO VIEW COMPLETE RESUME
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  • 40 years experience in finance and investments  as manager, trader, consultant, academic, expert, speaker and author.  ​
  • ​Founded and/or managed a hedge fund; '40 ACT fund of funds; research and consulting company; liquid alternative investments Internet service; and an expert witness and litigation support company.
Founder and President of EZRA, providing strategic research and consulting to hedge funds, consulting firms, investors, institutions and litigation support companies since 1991 
  • Founded  Liquid Alternatives Investments, LLC, an Internet data and portfolio construction program combining alternative and traditional assets
  • Consultant and expert witness in 20+ litigation involving hedge funds, Lehman and Bear Stearns bankruptcies, Madoff due diligence, MBS/CDO/CDS, policies and procedures, suitability, and hedge fund and securities valuation 
  • Founder and President of currency and fixed income arbitrage hedge fund  with $200 MM in AUM
  • President of SEC registered '40 Act Hedge Fund of Funds​
  • Raised funds from HNW and institutions for own and third party hedge funds and fund of funds in U.S., Europe and Asia
  • Developed investment portfolios including asset allocation, manager selection and due diligence, risk management and alternative investments​ for HNW and institutions ​
  • ​Research Director in M&A firm focused on alternative investment companies and asset managers ​
  • Global Trading Manager in large banks managing 50 traders worldwide, including all aspect of trading currencies, swaps and options ​
  • ​​​​Taught at Princeton, Yale, Rensselaer, Carnegie Mellon and Fordham universities' graduate schools ​​
  • Speaker at numerous investment industry events
  • Extensive writing including best-selling All About Hedge Funds, Second Edition,  (McGraw Hill: 2013)

EZRA Representative Projects​

  • Founded and managed all aspects of innovative arbitrage hedge fund with $200 mm AUM
  • President of '40 Act fund of funds with $45 MM AUM​​​
  • Conducted Valuation of hedge funds and complex derivatives ​
  • ​Evaluated due diligence in Madoff investments in light of Red Flags
  • Developed online database and portfolios using liquid alternative investments
  • Evaluated risk management systems and practices at Lehman  and Bear Stearns prior to their bankruptcy
  • Fiduciary responsibility and appropriateness for MBS/CDO
  • Wrote  comprehensive policies & procedures manuals for brokers and investment advisors
  • Advised hedge funds, including emerging hedge funds, on trading, risk management, policies and procedures and business development ​
  • Constructed investment portfolios -- including asset allocation, manager selection, due diligence ​and risk management -- for ​HNW and Institutional investors, integrating alternative and traditional assets​ ​.


    Research Needs
Ezra's Books

Thought Leadership
​

        STRATEGIC RESEARCH IS A PROCESS
  • Identify the problems or goals
  • Ask the appropriate questions
  • Develop effective methodology
  • Analyze, interpret and communicate your research findings
  • Integrate the research findings into your decision-making
​​WE COMPLEMENT YOUR IN-HOUSE RESEARCH
​
We assist your research function at any stage of the process, including conducting and managing projects.

Our extensive expertise and experience adds value to your strategic decision-making and problem-solving.

We help organize, analyze, synthesize, interpret and present research in USABLE and CLEAR format.

We assist in the implementation and subsequent reviews of the research.

Benefits of Research Outsourcing with EZRA​

 In today's fast-paced and ever-changing economic and financial environment, the role of research is increasingly important to the survival and growth of most companies.  EZRA provides timely and actionable research in key functions based on extensive work on research and advisory projects and decades of experience as hands-on practitioner, academic and industry insider. The result is expert analysis that is thorough, timely and cost-effective. 
Benefits of External Support; ​​The increasingly technical and rapidly changing  nature of much of today's research lends itself to an outsourcing model.  Outsourcing provides a number of advantages, including:
Cost-Effective Alternative
Hire for Specific Duration
Avoid Adding Staff
Provide Fresh Perspective
Provide Needed Expertise

    Let's Talk