Strategic Asset Allocation & Advanced Portfolio Management

Program Description

This module is the heart of professional wealth management: how to build a portfolio properly. The first part covers the full cycle of strategic asset allocation: investor profiling, drafting an Investment Policy Statement, the universe of traditional and alternative assets, quantitative optimization with the Markowitz efficient frontier and the Black-Litterman model, risk and return measurement, and the discipline of rebalancing. It closes with an applied exercise: designing allocations for three real client profiles.

The second part addresses the decisions that set the institutional manager apart: active versus passive management with academic evidence (SPIVA), selection and due diligence of external managers, construction of multi-manager and core-satellite portfolios, consolidated risk control with VaR and stress testing, and comprehensive performance attribution. The module concludes with a real case study: a family foundation's portfolio before and after its restructuring, evaluated over three years.

The faculty brings together two first-rate careers: Juan Pablo Medina-Mora, Managing Director and Head of J.P. Morgan Asset Management México, with prior tenure at Goldman Sachs and BlackRock and 14 ETFs structured over his career, and Mariana Garza, with 20 years of experience across intermediaries and family offices. The approach is institutional; the destination is human. The portfolio is not the product: it is the reflection of the client, their risks, their goals and their legacy.

General Objective

Learn to build and manage efficient investment portfolios through sound asset allocation and active and passive management strategies. Upon completion, participants will be able to design a strategic allocation plan tailored to each client's profile, applying theoretical frameworks such as the Markowitz efficient frontier and the Black-Litterman model to optimize risk-adjusted returns, and will master asset management industry best practices in tactical portfolio management, manager selection, performance evaluation and adaptation to global trends such as sustainable investing and factor investing.

Learning Objectives

• 01Design a strategic asset allocation plan aligned with the client's profile and formalize it in an Investment Policy Statement (IPS).
• 02Apply the Markowitz efficient frontier and the Black-Litterman model to optimize risk-adjusted returns under real-world constraints.
• 03Evaluate the universe of traditional and alternative assets, their historical correlations and their diversifying role within the portfolio.
• 04Measure performance and risk with professional metrics: returns against benchmarks, standard deviation, CVaR, drawdown and alpha versus beta.
• 05Structure disciplined rebalancing strategies, whether periodic or based on deviation thresholds.
• 06Conduct the selection and due diligence of external managers and build multi-manager portfolios with a core-satellite approach.
• 07Perform comprehensive performance attribution — asset allocation, security selection and timing — with transparent reporting to the client or the family.
• 08Incorporate global asset management trends: ESG, thematic investing, smart beta, direct indexing and artificial intelligence.

Why Take This Program

1. It is the heart of professional wealth management: the central module of the Executive Program, available as a standalone course.
2. Elite faculty: Juan Pablo Medina-Mora, Managing Director and Head of J.P. Morgan Asset Management México, MBA from Stanford.
3. The instructor has structured and managed 14 ETFs in the United States and Mexico, with prior experience at Goldman Sachs (NY) and BlackRock (San Francisco).
4. Mariana Garza brings 20 years of experience in product development and sales for intermediaries and family offices, including BlackRock México.
5. 7 sessions and 14 hours in Virtual Live format, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm Mexico City time, compatible with the executive agenda.
6. Applied quantitative frameworks: Markowitz and Black-Litterman put into practice under real portfolio constraints.
7. Hands-on group exercise: designing strategic allocations for three client profiles — conservative, moderate and aggressive — with plenary discussion.
8. Real case study: the restructuring of a family foundation's portfolio and its results three years after implementation.
9. Covers the trends redefining the industry: ESG, thematic investing, smart beta, direct indexing and the use of AI and big data to generate alpha.
10. Designed for private wealth bankers, high-net-worth individuals and families who demand institutional standards.

Syllabus — Key Topics

• Strategic vs. tactical asset allocation: objectives, risk/return balance and financial goals
• Client profiling and drafting an Investment Policy Statement (IPS)
• The investable asset universe: traditional and alternative assets, historical correlations and diversification
• Portfolio optimization: the Markowitz efficient frontier and the Black-Litterman model
• Measuring return and risk: benchmarks, standard deviation, CVaR, drawdown and alpha vs. beta
• Rebalancing and discipline: periodic and deviation-threshold strategies
• Hands-on exercise: strategic allocation proposals for three client profiles
• Passive vs. active management: academic evidence (SPIVA scorecards) and generational transfer
• Manager selection and due diligence: philosophy, process, team and risk-adjusted performance
• Building multi-manager portfolios and core-satellite strategies
• Consolidated risk control and management: VaR, stress testing and limit policies
• Comprehensive performance evaluation: performance attribution and quarterly client reporting
• Global trends: ESG, thematic investing, smart beta, direct indexing and artificial intelligence
• Case study: a family foundation's real portfolio before and after its restructuring

Faculty

Juan Pablo Medina-Mora — Managing Director & Head, J.P. Morgan Asset Management México · Mariana Garza — Consultora, Intermediarios & Family Offices