Business POV

John Calamos, head of the eponymous family, which has a net worth $1.6 billion according to Forbes, here discusses how he sets goals at his investment firm, which manages $40 billion in assets.

The segment was filmed Friday, May 16, 2008, at the 56th annual Management Conference held by the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

About Calamos Investments It's a diversified investment firm offering equity, fixed-income, convertible and alternative investment strategies, among others. With roots dating back to 1977, the firm serves institutions and individuals via separately managed accounts and a family of open-end and closed-end funds, providing a risk-managed approach to capital appreciation and income-producing strategies.

About: John P. Calamos, Sr.
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer

John P. Calamos founded the firm in 1977, which he took public as Calamos Asset Management in 2004. A pioneer in investment strategies and techniques to help manage risk, Mr. Calamos has created a reputation for using investment techniques to control risk, preserve capital and build wealth for clients over the long term. From its origins as an institutional convertible bond manager, Calamos Investments has grown into a diversified asset management firm with major institutional and individual clients in the U.S. and around the world. Mr. Calamos received his undergraduate degree in Economics and M.B.A. in Finance from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Joining the United States Air Force after graduation, he served as a combat pilot during the Vietnam War and ultimately earned the rank of Major. It was during his time in the Air Force that Mr. Calamos became intrigued by the risk management aspects of convertible bonds. By applying option price theory to the valuation of convertibles he was able to demonstrate the benefit of convertibles as part of an of investment strategy and began to attract institutional investors who remain clients today.

Mr. Calamos won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award for the financial services sector, Lake Michigan Area program for 2006. He is a member of the Investment Analysts Society of Chicago. A frequent speaker at investment seminars and conferences, he has taught graduate level courses on finance and investments and is often quoted as an authority on risk-managed investment strategies in Barron's, Fortune, Forbes, Pensions & Investments, Financial World, Nation's Business, The Wall Street Journal and on CNBC and Bloomberg Forum. Mr. Calamos has written two books: Investing in Convertible Securities: Your Complete Guide to the Risks and Rewards, and Convertible Securities: the Latest Instruments, Portfolio Strategies, and Valuation Analysis—read an excerpt now. The author of a chapter on convertibles for the Pension Investment Handbook by Ibbotson Associates, he has also written articles for publications such as Personal Financial Planning, Pension World, Pensions & Investments, Journal of Investing and Financial Executive. Mr. Calamos' latest press interviews include appearances on Kudlow & Company, Bloomberg's Market Week, Open Exchange with Suzy Asaad, CNNfn's Halftime Report, and Nightly Business Report.