ABOUT USOckham was the brainchild of Marsh Douthat and Christian Ward, as a response to certain failings of the old school model of investment research and analysis. The problem, as they saw it, was in part that equity research was dominated by major investment bank research departments “ratings game.” Ratings from these institutions could be shrouded in potential conflicts of interest with concurrent investment banking operations, not to mention the less than stellar record of recommendations themselves. Furthermore, the Wall Street research was so expensive that Average Joe’s, who have become increasingly involved in their own investment decisions, were being priced out of much of the prevailing market of equity information. With their combine talents and experience within the financial services and research arenas, Messrs. Ward and Douthat decided to create a platform that catered equally to the institutional and individual investors alike. The idea that spawned was Ockham: an investor’s baseline for making informed decisions. As we all know, there is an abundance of information available to investors in this “information age.” What is more difficult is deciphering what is of actual importance, what is truly meaningful to make better decisions. While considering this the founders happened upon a principle that described so much of their goals. The name Ockham comes from the principle of Ockham’s Razor, Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem or “Entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity.” Ockham is different from traditional research for quite a few reasons; a key difference is that we are not intending to be the final word in your investment process; however, we do want to be a tool utilized to better understand a security. While, we do offer a rating’s methodology it is not a BUY, HOLD or SELL recommendation, it is a statement about where that stock is currently priced relative to its own history. Our methodology combines both fundamental and technical aspects because we have found that over time, neither approach works perfectly all of the time. The point is that our ratings are yet another point of reference that should be used to either confirm or challenge your own analysis. Ockham provides information in new and innovate ways to reach our clients. Current offerings include financial and fundamental information on a coverage universe of more than 5500 equities, all with detailed 5-plus page reports. In addition to reports, portfolio analytics, newsletters, blogs and even an iPhone app are ways that we communicate with clients about what we believe is most relevant in the current market environment. Our newest deployment, we give context and backup research to what Jim Cramer and the other “financial talking heads” are talking about through RazorWire. The financial research landscape is evolving, as traditional powerhouses of research have fallen by the wayside in the last few months. At Ockham, we believe this is a sign that there is a craving among investors for no nonsense information. Whether you are an institutional trader, a recreational investor, or just trying to understand the markets, we strive to provide relevant and engaging data to enable you to determine the appropriate investment focus. We are Ockham…information sharpened.
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CHRISTIAN J. WARDChristian J. Ward serves as the CEO of Ockham. Mr. Ward’s prior experience working with hundreds of independent equity research firms and analyzing their capabilities led him to create Ockham in 2006 with E. Marsh Douthat. Mr. Ward previously worked as Managing Director at the Bank of New York and as Director of Research for BNY Jaywalk, Inc. He founded Jaywalk Incorporated in 1999 and was acting CEO prior to its acquisition by The Bank of New York in 2002. Mr. Ward was also the architect of the Independent Research Meritocracy™, which was one of the most successful solutions for the fulfillment of the Global Research Analyst Settlement of 2003 by participating broker-dealers. Prior to BNY Jaywalk, Mr. Ward worked for The Robinson Humphrey Company in Atlanta, Georgia, as a corporate finance analyst covering primarily the healthcare industry. He also served as an institutional salesman for the soft dollar and electronic trading divisions. Mr. Ward received a B.S. in finance, cum laude, from the University of Florida and has been a frequent speaker at industry conferences on independent research, the Global Research Analyst Settlement, and the performance analysis of various research methodologies. LOU CORSETTILou Corsetti is a 25-year veteran of Wall Street and the COO of Ockham. He started his career as a Communications Analyst with Merrill Lynch and spent 22 years with Smith Barney/SunTrust Robinson-Humphrey as a senior manager and executive. Over the course of his career, Mr. Corsetti has had many senior level positions most recently as Head of Sun Trust Robinson-Humphrey’s Program/Electronic Trading Desk. Mr. Corsetti also has extensive experience within the technology sector as Chief Information Officer with Sun Trust Robinson Humphrey Capital Markets and Corporate Investment Banking. Mr. Corsetti helped design one of the first electronic trading systems (TRHEX) on the street as well has built technology infrastructures for some of the largest trading desks in the country. Mr. Corsetti is a seasoned Sales and Trading professional having managed the Institutional Investment Services desk as well as being named Chief Administrative Officer of Capital Markets. Mr. Corsetti is very involved in the community having served on the following nonprofit organizations board of directors: United Way, Alexis de Tocqueville Society Member 2003 to present, FreeBytes, Board Member 2001 to 2003, Security Traders Association 1993 to present, Wall Street Telecommunications member 1982 to 1992 - Board Member 1988 to 1990. He also has great enthusiasm and love for lacrosse and has served as Executive Board Member US Lacrosse 2004-2006, US Lacrosse Youth Council Member 2002 to present, Georgia Lacrosse Foundation 1997 to present, US Lacrosse First Society Member 2002 to present. Mr. Corsetti received a B.S. in Communication Arts from Marist College. He holds Series 7 and 63 certifications. He is a Certified Project Manager, from Harvard Project Manager Program, 1986. SCOTT RAWSONScott Rawson has eighteen years of experience in investment management, starting out as a Financial Consultant with The Robinson-Humphrey Company before moving to the Trust Department of Wachovia Bank, N.A. in 1993, where he worked for 6 ½ years as Vice President and Investment Management Advisor. He left Wachovia in 1999, becoming a Vice President and Registered Representative for the Atlanta-based Registered Investment Advisor Capital, Directions, LLC. He has also worked for Atlanta-based Registered Investment Advisors Capstone Investment Group and Financial/Market Management, Inc. before starting Ockham Wealth Advisors, LLC as Managing Director in January of 2008. Prior to entering the investment management field, Rawson was a Naval Intelligence Officer for 6 ½ years, attaining the rank of Lieutenant (O-3). He has a BA in Advertising/Marketing from the University of Georgia (1982) and an MA in National Security Studies from Georgetown University (1989). As a Registered Representative for an RIA, Rawson has passed the Series 65 Exam. WILLIAM GREGGAs Senior Vice President of Technology, Bill Gregg creates and supports the web platforms and various other technical applications for Ockham. He has extensive knowledge of databases and web-design. Mr. Gregg joined Norfolk Southern and was promoted to Senior Application Developer responsible for designing, creating and supporting various enterprise software applications. Mr. Gregg joined Elite Systems as a Senior Consultant and launched the independent research platform BNY Jaywalk which aggregates and organizes independent market research. He was instrumental in the design and implementation of the BNY Jaywalk systems. In 2006, Mr. Gregg anchored a small development team responsible for launching the new http://www.rentals.com/. Mr. Gregg graduated Cum Laude from Clemson University with a BS in Math and Computer Sciences in 1996. RUSTY ZARSEOur Senior Vice President of Technology Rusty Zarse has over ten years of experience in the Information Technology industry. His primary focus has been developing high-performance, consumer-facing information portals using Microsoft technologies. Mr. Zarse began at HomeCom Communications where he was responsible for the Insurate Insurance Quoting engine and website application. In 1999 he joined Primedia/Consumer Source to develop real estate and automotive listing websites: ApartmentGuide.com, NewHomeGuide.com, AutoGuide.com, RealEstate.com and Rentals.com. Over the years, he contributed as Software Engineer, Solutions Architect, Project Manager and finally Development Manager for Rentals.com. Mr. Zarse initiated and led the corporate adoption of Agile Software methodologies and continues to be a champion of process improvement and technology innovation. He is a local presenter for the Atlanta Microsoft and the Agile Software community. Most recently, Mr. Zarse held the title of Vice President of Technology for Perfect Wedding Guide/PWGHoldings, a privately held, franchised organization of wedding information services. Mr Zarse is excited to combine his interest in equity research and investment with his experience and passion for bleeding edge technology and process capabilities to produce unprecedented information access and analysis tools. SCOTT A. MURTAUGHVice President Scott Murtaugh is involved in the product development, marketing, and sales at Ockham. He is responsible for updating content on the website. In addition, he plays a role in the design and development of the Ockham suite of products with the objective to integrate them in our client’s daily workflow. Prior to becoming part of Ockham, Mr. Murtaugh worked for Marsh & McLennan in Charlotte, NC. He spent over two and half years working primarily as Risk Analyst focused in Commercial Property Insurance. He was responsible for assisting in the design and brokerage of insurance programs for large corporations. Mr. Murtaugh graduated with a B.A in Real Estate and Risk Management from the Terry School of Business at the University of Georgia (2004). NED DOUTHATVice President Ned Douthat analyzes both the investment decision making process as well as the execution of the Enhanced Strategy for Ockham Wealth Advisors. Mr. Douthat also writes market commentary on the Ockham Research and Ockham Wealth Advisors websites. His commentary has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Seekingalpha.com, Realclearmarkets.com, as well as many others investor forums. Mr. Douthat has worked for Financial Market Management and Ockham Research since 2006. He is a Registered Investment Advisor with Series 65 certification. Before starting at FMMI and Ockham, he earned BA degrees in Business Economics and History from The University of Texas (2006). |
