
Annual Outlook Dinner
Date: January 13, 2026
Time: 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Charlotte Marriott City Center
100 W. Trade Street Charlotte, NC 28202
For additional sponsorship opportunities, contact Sheri Gillette
Presentation Details
We are excited to announce that our keynote speaker will be Jim Bianco, with Bianco Research.
Jim has deservingly earned a reputation among top strategists for being able to filter out noise and uncover the hidden forces behind market moves that are making an impact. At the CFA NC Outlook Dinner, Jim will connect the dots on macro issues driving markets and bring home the salient points decision makers need to make informed decisions. Between the significant changes in policy from Washington, the power shift at the Federal Reserve, and the impact of AI, practitioners will find Jim’s decades of insight more useful than ever as they try to position for what’s to come.
SPEAKER INFORMATION
Jim Bianco
President and Macro Strategist
Bianco Research, LLC

Jim Bianco is President and Macro Strategist at Bianco Research, L.L.C. Since 1990, Jim’s commentaries have offered a unique perspective on the global economy and financial markets. Unencumbered by the biases of traditional Wall Street research, Jim has built a decades-long reputation for objective, incisive commentary that challenges consensus thinking. In nearly 20 years at Bianco Research, Jim’s wide-ranging commentaries have addressed monetary policy, the intersection of markets and politics, the role of government in the economy, fund flows, and positioning in financial markets.
Jim appears regularly on CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business, and is often featured in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Grants Interest Rate Observer, and MarketWatch. Prior to joining Arbor and Bianco Research, Jim was a Market Strategist in equity and fixed income research at UBS Securities and an Equity Technical Analyst at First Boston and Shearson Lehman Brothers. He is a Chartered Market Technician (CMT) and a member of the Market Technicians Association (MTA). Jim has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Marquette University (1984) and an MBA from Fordham University (1989).
The annual Outlook Dinner is our premier event of the year, bringing together over 350 of North Carolina’s leading investment professionals and key decision-makers.
OVERVIEW
CFA Society North Carolina’s mission is to serve the needs of professionals in the investment decision-making process by providing a forum for the exchange of information and ideas among its members, enhancing investment knowledge, and encouraging high ethical standards and professional conduct among all participants in the investment industry.
In support of the mission, the society holds several high-profile events each year with the annual Outlook event being a key pillar. The event attracts more than four hundred attendees and guests, including professional money managers, financial planners, and financial advisors from North Carolina and nearby states.
Typically, the Outlook event consists of a cocktail hour, dinner, keynote speech, and a Q&A discussion. Each attendee will enjoy a dynamic reception, a fantastic speaker, and an exceptional meal accompanied by wonderful guests.
CFA Institute – 170K+ investment professionals
CFA Institute is working to build an investment industry where investors’ interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow.
The society develops and promotes professional and ethical standards and administers the CFA® credential, the Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement, and the CFA Institute Investment Foundations® program.


CFA Society North Carolina – 1500+ members
DEMOGRAPHICS
Gender: 88% Male, 12% Female
Membership Types: ~1,300 Charter holders & 800+ Active Candidates
JOB FUNCTION:
Approximately 50% of our members hold one of these five titles: • PM • Advisor • Analyst • Executive • Financial Professional
TOP NORTH CAROLINA FINANCIAL EMPLOYERS
Wells Fargo – Bank of America – Truist – Sterling Capital Management – Barings – Nuveen
