The Return Stacking Symposium

433 W. Van Buren Street, Chicago, IL 60607 | October 8, 2025

Register Now

Unlock the Future of Diversification

Join top advisors, CIOs, and portfolio strategists for a full day of cutting-edge insights on return stacking and portable alpha. Hosted at CBOE Global Markets in Chicago, this symposium will arm you with actionable strategies, institutional frameworks, and peer-tested implementations, all seeking to help you build more resilient, capital-efficient portfolios without giving up core exposures.

Who Should Attend?

This event is built for forward-thinking financial advisors who:

  • Want to deliver better diversification without sacrificing equity exposure

  • Are exploring managed futures, long volatility, or portable alpha strategies

  • Seek hands-on guidance for building capital-efficient portfolios

  • Care about behavioral alignment and client communication in alternatives

Whether you’re experienced with return stacking or just learning the language, you’ll leave with new tools and ideas to elevate your practice.

Conference Agenda

📍 Event Details

Location: CBOE Global Markets, Chicago
Date: October 8, 2025
Cost: Free

☕️ Arrival, Registration & Coffee

9:00 - 9:15 AM

🎤 Opening Remarks

Speaker: Michael Philbrick, CEO, ReSolve Asset Management

9:15 - 9:30 AM

✈️ Portable Alpha in Practice: Lessons from an Institutional CIO

Speaker: Jonathan Glidden, CIO, Delta Air Lines
Host: Corey Hoffstein, CIO, Newfound Research

An inside look at how one of the world’s largest corporate pensions has implemented portable alpha. Jonathan will share his journey with the strategy—why he pursued it, the alpha stacks he’s used, and the lessons learned from real-world application. This candid discussion will highlight the institutional rationale behind portable alpha and why financial advisors should be paying close attention to the opportunities it creates today.

9:30 - 10:30 AM

📈 Convex Overlays: Enhancing Compounding Through Diversification

Speaker: Patrick Kazley, Head of Solutions, One River Asset Management

Explore how capital-efficient overlays combining equities with convex strategies can improve long-term portfolio compounding.

Learn how rebalancing methods, negative correlation, and convexity are used to stack return streams without disrupting core allocations, and how these tools are used by sophisticated investors globally.

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

👥 Panel: Advisors in the Field – Return Stacking in Practice

Moderator: Dillon Pierce, Head of Advisor Solutions, Newfound Research

Panelists:

  • Brandon Arns, Portfolio Manager at WJ Interests
  • Homer Smith, Private Wealth Advisor, Konvergent Wealth Partners
  • Rich Toscano, Financial Advisor, Pacific Capital Associates
  • Sonu Varghese, Vice President, Global Macro Strategist, Carson Wealth

How real world RIAs are using return stacking, capital efficiency, and portable alpha: products, portfolios, taxes, client conversations, and behavioral strategies.

11:30 - 12:30 PM

🍽️ Lunch Break

12:30 - 1:15 PM

📄 Featured Research: Portable Alpha for the (Taxable) Masses

Speaker: Michael Crook, CIO, Mill Creek Capital Advisors

A presentation of new research showing how capital efficient strategies perform in taxable accounts: what the tax drag looks like, how to address it, and when these strategies may still outperform.

1:15 - 2:15 PM

🔥 Fireside Chat: Inside the Pension Playbook

Guest: Mark Horbal, Managing Director (Systematic Strategies Group), Canada Pension Plan
Host: Adam Butler, CIO, ReSolve Asset Management

A candid conversation about how portable alpha is implemented in a real institutional portfolio, lessons learned from 2020, and where innovation is heading.

2:15 - 3:15 PM

☕ Coffee Break

3:15 - 3:30 PM

🔧 Implementation Workshop: Building Return-Stacked Portfolios

Speaker: Rodrigo Gordillo, President, ReSolve Asset Management

A hands-on walk through of practical portfolio structures using return stacking.  Learn how to combine different stacks across risk targets, objectives, and market views.

3:30 - 4:15 PM

🎤 Closing Remarks

Speaker: Michael Philbrick, CEO, ReSolve Asset Management

4:15 - 4:30 PM

🍸 Happy Hour

Unwind and connect with speakers, peers, and fellow practitioners.

4:30 - 6:00 PM

🎟️ Reserve Your Spot

Early registration is currently restricted to Financial Advisors, Family Offices, Institutions, OCIOs, Consultants, and Media.

Seats are limited and expected to fill quickly.

Fill in the form to request your invite and join the forefront of portfolio innovation.