Altegris' Commitment To Education In Alternative Investments Honored By CAIA Association

LA JOLLA, Calif., Dec. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Altegris, providers of premier alternative investments, has been named recipient of the First Annual Corporate Recognition Award from the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association^®. The award recognizes Altegris' exceptional level of commitment over a sustained period of time in supporting its employees' pursuit of the CAIA designation, the benchmark of excellence for alternative investment education worldwide. It also serves to validate the continuing Altegris commitment to bridging the education gap to help advisors better understand the role that alternatives play in diversified portfolios and the strategies that can best benefit their clients.

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Dick Pfister, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Sales and Consulting at Altegris and one of the industry's early pioneers in supporting CAIA, was one of 43 industry practitioners in CAIA's first class of 2002 who earned the CAIA charter designation. He also has the distinction of becoming the first CAIA member in 2002. "Altegris is deeply rooted in delivering the alternative investment strategies and educational resources that enhance the value of advisors to their clients," said Mr. Pfister who accepted the award on behalf of Altegris. "This award is a tremendous honor for Altegris and a validation of our ongoing commitment to educate and inform advisors about this dynamic asset class."

"We have been an active supporter and advocate for the CAIA Association since its inception and are especially proud to celebrate a decade of collaboratively advancing advisor education and establishing best practices for the industry," said Jon Sundt, President and CEO of Altegris.

The CAIA Association, with five regional offices and 15 affiliated chapters, is a global community of dedicated financial practitioners committed to excellence in alternative investment education. Since its founding in 2002, CAIA is now recognized as the most elite educational program for the alternative investment industry. More than 6,000 alternative investment professionals in 80 countries hold the CAIA Charter, the only educational standard uniquely designed for individuals specializing in institutional quality alternative investments and recognized as the most powerful distinction in alternative investing education.

In addition to its ongoing support of the Association, 10 of the firm's employees currently hold the CAIA charter and another 10 are in the process of becoming accredited.  Earlier this year, the firm launched Altegris Academy, a comprehensive educational resource offering a series of interactive tools including an alternatives allocator, which gauges how the addition of different alternative strategies to a traditional portfolio can affect the portfolio's risk and return profile over time. Altegris Academy also includes a research library containing Altegris white papers, articles, guides, videos and expert commentaries focused on the latest research and perspectives on alternative investments.

The CAIA award was presented at the organization's 10^th Anniversary Celebration-North America and Third Annual Awards Dinner held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on November 29. Over 200 distinguished thought leaders from academia and the alternative investment industry, including members of CAIA's global community in the Americas, Europe, Asia (and the Middle East) and Africa, saluted a decade of achievement in alternative investment education.

Please contact Jami Schlicher at 973-850-7309 or [email protected], or Andrea Trachtenberg at 800-828-5225 or [email protected], for more information.

About Altegris

Altegris searches the world to find what we believe are the best alternative investments. Our suite of alternative investment solutions are designed for financial professionals and individuals seeking to improve portfolio diversification.

With one of the leading research and investment groups focused solely on alternatives, Altegris follows a disciplined process for identifying, evaluating, selecting and monitoring investment talent across a spectrum of alternative strategies including managed futures, global macro, long/short equity, event-driven and others.

Veteran experts in the art and science of alternatives, Altegris guides investors through the complex and often opaque universe of alternative investing. Alternatives are in our DNA. Our very name, Altegris, highlights our singular focus on alternatives, the highest standards of integrity, and a process that constantly seeks to minimize investor risk while maximizing potential returns.

The Altegris Companies, wholly owned subsidiaries of Genworth Financial, Inc., include Altegris Investments, Altegris Advisors, Altegris Funds, and Altegris Clearing Solutions. Altegris currently has approximately $3.47 billion in client assets, and provides clearing services to $941 million in institutional client assets.*

*  Altegris and its affiliates are subsidiaries of Genworth Financial, Inc. and are affiliated with Genworth Financial Wealth Management, Inc., and include: (1) Altegris Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, CFTC-registered commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, and NFA member; (2) Altegris Investments, Inc., an SEC-registered broker-dealer and FINRA member; (3) Altegris Portfolio Management, Inc. (dba Altegris Funds), a CFTC-registered commodity pool operator, NFA member and SEC-registered investment adviser; and (4) Altegris Clearing Solutions, LLC, a CFTC-registered futures introducing broker and commodity trading advisor and NFA member. The Altegris Companies and their affiliates have a financial interest in the products they sponsor, advise and/or recommend, as applicable. Depending on the investment, the Altegris Companies and their affiliates and employees may receive sales commissions, a portion of management or incentive fees, investment advisory fees, 12b-1 fees or similar payment for distribution, a portion of commodity futures trading commissions, margin interest and other futures-related charges, fee revenue and/or advisory consulting fees.    

Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE: GNW) is a leading Fortune 500 insurance holding company dedicated to helping people secure their financial lives, families and futures. Genworth has leadership positions in offerings that assist consumers in protecting themselves, investing for the future and planning for retirement—including life insurance, long term care insurance, financial protection coverages, and independent advisor-based wealth management—and mortgage insurance that helps consumers achieve home ownership while assisting lenders in managing their risk and capital.

Genworth has approximately 6,300 employees and operates through three divisions: Insurance and Wealth Management, which includes U.S. Life Insurance, Wealth Management, and International Protection segments; Mortgage Insurance, which includes U.S. and International Mortgage Insurance segments; and the Corporate and Runoff division. Its products and services are offered through financial intermediaries, advisors, independent distributors and sales specialists. Genworth Financial, Inc., which traces its roots back to 1871, became a public company in 2004 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. For more information, visit  genworth.com. From time to time, Genworth Financial, Inc. releases important information via postings on its corporate website. Accordingly, investors and other interested parties are encouraged to enroll to receive automatic email alerts and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds regarding new postings. Enrollment information is found under the "Investors" section of  genworth.com.

SOURCE Altegris