Edward D. Patchett, Jr.,CFA

Mr. Patchett joined IFS in 1997 and brings a broad analytical background to the firm, including investment consulting, investment banking and securities industry regulation. He is responsible for providing on-going investment advice to the firm's consulting clients and for managing the firm's entire retainer investment consulting practice. Mr. Patchett routinely speaks at industry conferences, including the International Foundation for Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) Annual Employee Benefits Conference and various IFEBP Investment Institutes. Mr. Patchett has testified before the ERISA Advisory Council regarding prudent investment practices for alternative investments. His article entitled "Alternative Investments: An Introduction" was published in the Benefits and Compensation Digest.

Previously with Wilshire Associates, Mr. Patchett was primarily responsible for conducting manager searches, analyzing equity and fixed-income investment strategies and performing investment manager due diligence for the firm's clients, including the $15 billion investment program of the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Prior to joining Wilshire, Mr. Patchett was an Investment Banking Associate with a regional investment banking firm where he analyzed IPOs, mergers and acquisitions and fairness opinions for the firm's banking and thrift industry clients. He also has several years of experience as a securities industry regulator with the National Association of Securities Dealers ("NASD").

Mr. Patchett graduated from Ferris State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and earned his Master of Science degree in Business-Finance from The Johns Hopkins University. He has been awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation by The CFA Institute and is a member of the CFA Society of Washington, D.C.