I entered the financial services industry in 1999 when I founded my company Free Enterprise Advisors. In the beginning, it was an insurance brokerage firm. As time passed, clients began requesting solutions that demanded increasingly sophisticated skills, approaches, tools, and investment advisory.
Curiosity is a very good friend of mine. When I learned that CAIA was to open its Miami Chapter, I flew up for the meeting where I befriended Debbie McLean and Bill Kelly. A few years later, Bill mentioned that a new program was under development which soon became the Financial Data Professional Institute. The new program piqued my curiosity, and after a trip to Amherst, MA in 2019 where I befriended Dave Graffum and Mirjam Dekker, I pursued the FDP Charter.
Earning the CAIA designation means a lot of knowledge embedded and that I am part of a select group of professionals. All this together contributed to better recognition of my professionalism and expertise.
Being a CAIA Member is about trust and high ethical service provided. The best experience from my perspective is the sense of being part of the group of professionals that is developing the alternative investments industry for the future.
My advice to aspiring industry professionals is to always be curious.
About André Costa
André is the Founder Director of Free Enterprise Advisors, a Wealth and Risk Management firm based in Brazil. André graduated in 1992 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine. He also received his Commercial Pilot license in 1992, shortly after graduating from university. He managed his family’s business, an aircraft repair station, and Aircraft Charter, from 1992 until his father sold the business in 1996. While managing his family’s business, André developed an interesting network of friends and global business contacts who later became his first clients when he founded Free Enterprise Advisors in 1999.