Prior to joining CIGNA, Lou was Cofounder and Chief Investment Officer of a financial planning and investment advisory affiliate of an international law firm based in Boston. He oversaw the investment, product development, operations, and systems areas of this rapidly growing firm and assisted with its marketing efforts. During his tenure, the firm's discretionary assets under management grew more than 500%, with total assets of $500 million.
Lou also established and managed the discretionary asset management function for a financial planning and investment advisory affiliate of one of the largest public accounting and consulting firms in the Boston area. At both Boston-area firms, Lou was responsible for evaluating and selecting the mutual funds and investment managers that were recommended to clients.
Formerly, Lou served as the Director of Fund Analysis and Research for Fidelity Management & Research Company. In this role, Lou managed a group of analysts and performed analysis of Fidelity's mutual funds for senior management, portfolio managers, and product managers. Contrafund, Dividend Growth, OTC, and Low-Priced Stock were among the Fidelity funds for which Lou was responsible. He also researched and wrote white papers to support new product launches and other Fidelity initiatives.
Prior to Fidelity, Lou managed the Sentinel Emerging Growth mutual fund (now called Sentinel Small Company) and established the firm's small-cap asset management effort. The fund's performance won accolades under Lou's stewardship and was cited as a "1994 Winner" in Money, a "Top Aggressive Growth Fund" in Financial Planning, and among the "Top 25 Growth Funds" in Investor's Business Daily. In addition, Lou comanaged institutional growth portfolios, analyzed equities, and codeveloped a mid-cap product for Shawmut National.
Lou's academic credentials are equally impressive. He received an MBA in finance from The University of Chicago, one of the nation's premier MBA programs. Lou also obtained a BS magna cum laude from Northeastern University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a member of the CFA Institute and the Boston Security Analysts Society, two professional organizations for investment professionals. He also serves as vice president of the American Association of Individual Investors’ Boston chapter, a nonprofit organization devoted to the education of investors. Lou has completed course work in Boston University's Program for Financial Planners and successfully completed Ibbotson Associates' Advanced Asset Allocation Workshop.
Lou has had numerous investment articles published and has appeared on television. He has also taught financial planning courses in Salem State College's Community Enrichment Program and frequently speaks to professional and community groups.
Lou is active in the community and volunteers significant time to worthy causes. He is the treasurer and serves on the board of directors and the executive and finance committees of Cooperative Elder Services, Inc., a nonprofit day care program meeting the social and health care needs of the elderly at six Boston-area sites.
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