Emory Center for Alternative Investments : Co-Founder and Executive Director

TIGER 21 : Atlanta Chair

The Wharton Financial Institutions Center (2002-2003) : Fellow

Should Investors Avoid All Actively Managed Mutual Funds? A Study in Bayesian Performance Evaluation

The importance of analysts vs. brokers in the performance of stock recommendations

Fund managers who take big bets: Skilled or overconfident

On the performance of mutual fund managers

Welcome to Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Our goal is to make a positive impact on society by developing future leaders through our suite of undergraduate, MBA, and PhD degree programs, and our tailored non-degree courses; and by creating and disseminating impactful knowledge and insights.

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

Klaas P. Baks PhD is a recognized thought-leader in the alternative investments industry. The combination of cutting-edge academic insights and leading industry practices forms the foundation of his investment ideas and research. An award-winning professor and a frequent speaker on topics related to alternative investments, investing and entrepreneurship, he is known for a unique ability to combine original and useful business content with an engaging and dynamic speaking style.

Dr. Baks is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Emory Center for Alternative Investments and a Professor in the Practice of Finance at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. The Emory Center for Alternative Investments is a global leader in the alternative investments industry.

Dr. Baks's research and teaching focuses on issues in alternative investments, entrepreneurial finance and investment management, and he has published papers in numerous academic and business journals, including the Wall Street Journal. He has been recognized by students and alumni with nine awards, including the Marc F. Adler Prize for Teaching Excellence awarded by alumni, the Donald R. Keough Award for Excellence, and the university's highest award for teaching excellence, the Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award.

Dr. Baks serves as director or advisor for over 13 companies and investment funds with over $1.5 billion in assets under management, including Anghami (NASDAQ: ANGH), International Media Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: IMAQ), Angel Oak Capital and Peachtree Group. An active member of the Atlanta community, Dr. Baks serves on the board of the Michael C. Carlos Museum and is a former member of the Investment Committee of the Westminster Schools Board of Trustees.

Prior to joining Emory University Dr. Baks held positions at Fuji Bank in Tokyo, Japan, Deutsche Bank in Hong Kong and the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC.

Dr. Baks studied at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (PhD in Finance), Brown University (Master's in Economics), Groningen University (Master's in Econometrics, cum laude) and Leiden University (Diploma in Japanese Language and Business Studies). He spent two years at Harvard University as part of his doctoral research at Wharton.

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Dr. Baks resides with his wife and son in Atlanta, Georgia.

Alternative Investments

Private Equity

Entrepreneurship

Investment Banking

Mergers & Acquisitions

Strategy

Business Valuation

Venture Capital

Asset Allocation and Portfolio Management

Investment Management

Business Development

Emory Center for Alternative Investments

Biography Prof. Baks

Course Offerings

Startups Are Booming — but So Are Bankruptcies

Concentrated Funds: What Investors Should Know

Bill Gross and the dying breed of mutual fund superstars

Do Alternative Investments Belong in Most Individuals' Portfolios?

When 'Focused' Funds Falter

Alternative investments aren't just for deep-pocketed institutions and the very wealthy anymore.

Given the risk, alternative investments were once considered only appropriate for the affluent and institutional investors. However, investment firms increasingly are offering alternative investment products, including mutual funds, ETFs, and private equity funds with strategies similar to hedge funds, to less affluent people. While average investors are responding eagerly to the move and forking over billions for alternative offerings, there are critics who argue that nontraditional assets are simply too risky for them. In a news article, Klaas Baks, associate professor in the practice of finance and executive director of the Center for Alternative Investment at Goizueta, offered his support of the investment strategy, while George Papadopoulos, a fee-only wealth manager, cautioned against it. Baks noted that alternative vehicles allow less affluent individuals to diversify their portfolios. Alternative investments also require minimal initial investment. Papadopoulos wrote that the risk and fees, as well as a lack of transparency and liquidity, were reasons to avoid nontraditional assets. In the article, Baks contended that all investments offer some risk but that alternative investments, when used correctly, also provide critical access to leverage.

 Are alternative investments right for the average person?

-are-alternative-investments-right-for-the-average-person

Professor in the Practice of Finance; Executive Director, Center for Alternative Investments

Given the risk, alternative investments were once considered only appropriate for the affluent and institutional investors. However, investment firms increasingly are offering alternative investment products, including mutual funds, ETFs, and private equity funds with strategies similar to hedge funds, to less affluent people. While average investors are responding eagerly to the move and forking over billions for alternative offerings, there are critics who argue that nontraditional assets are simply too risky for them. In a news article, Klaas Baks, associate professor in the practice of finance and executive director of the Center for Alternative Investment at Goizueta, offered his support of the investment strategy, while George Papadopoulos, a fee-only wealth manager, cautioned against it. Baks noted that alternative vehicles allow less affluent individuals to diversify their portfolios. Alternative investments also require minimal initial investment. Papadopoulos wrote that the risk and fees, as well as a lack of transparency and liquidity, were reasons to avoid nontraditional assets. In the article, Baks contended that all investments offer some risk but that alternative investments, when used correctly, also provide critical access to leverage.

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Business education has been an integral part of Emory University’s identity since 1919. That kind of longevity and significance does not come without a culture built on success and service. Emory University’s Goizueta Business School offers a unique, community-oriented environment paired with the academic prestige and rigor of a major research institution. Goizueta develops business leaders of today and tomorrow with an undergraduate degree program, Full-time MBA (Two-Year MBA & One-Year MBA), Evening MBA, Executive MBA, full-time and part-time MS in Business Analytics, Master of Analytical Finance, Master in Management, Master in Business for Veterans, Doctoral degree, and a portfolio of non-degree Emory Executive Education courses. Together, the Goizueta community strives to solve the world’s most pressing business problems. The school is named for the late Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. For more information, visit goizueta.emory.edu.

Emory University is recognized internationally as an inquiry-driven, ethically engaged, and diverse community whose members work collaboratively for positive transformation in the world through courageous leadership in teaching, research, scholarship, health care, and social action. The University consists of an outstanding liberal arts college, highly ranked professional schools, and one of the larger and more comprehensive healthcare systems in the Southeast.

Meet Professor Klaas Baks

Professor Klaas Baks discusses many of the student successes found by participants in the Center.

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