Scratching beyond the academic definitions of trust and ethics, my mind goes to the actions we take every day to improve our professional and personal communities. The famous concept of “think globally, act locally” frames the importance of how the actions we take impact others. 

In this issue of The Analyst, on the theme of trust and ethics, we look at local and national initiatives, practices, and trends that will create lasting impacts. 

We celebrate a decade of the CFA Societies Canada Ethics Challenge, an event designed to increase student awareness of the ethical dilemmas and issues they may face as investment management professionals. CFA Societies Canada provides us with an in-depth look at the goals of this program and insights from past Challenge participants. 

For our special family charterholder profile, we meet the Higgins family, who have all been driven toward careers in finance. They each provide highlights from their educational and professional journeys and reflect on how they motivate and support one another. 

We also dig into the topic of risk management as it relates to one of the financial industry's favourite charts, commonly referred to as the ”missing the best days in the market” chart, and explore search fund investment vehicles as a unique, growing trend in career paths. 

This issue also honours the winners of the 2024 Hillsdale Investment Management – CFA Society Toronto Research Award. The winning research paper, Navigating Canada's Factor Zoo, employs spanning tests to evaluate seventeen factors from ten factor models from 1991 to 2022 in Canadian capital markets. 

For those looking to sharpen their leadership acumen, we have essential tips on learning to lead effectively from CFA Society Toronto's Annual Leadership Forum. 

I encourage you to check out our brand-new Book Review series. In this issue, we explore the new release, Trailblazers, Heroes, and Crooks: Stories to Make You a Smarter Investor, by Stephen Foerster, CFA. 

Visit us online for an exclusive recap from CFA Society Toronto's 67th Annual Investment Dinner, featuring engaging keynote speaker Henry (Hank) M. Paulson Jr., Founder and Chairman of the Paulson Institute and former US Secretary of the Treasury. 

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year.