The 13th Annual Ben Graham Conference brought value investors to New York on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, for a full day of panels, fireside chats, and an award ceremony at Fordham Law School’s Skadden Conference Center. Hosted by CFA Society New York (CFANY), the event gathered portfolio managers, analysts, and allocators to argue where value investing stands in a market dominated by technology and artificial intelligence. The recurring theme across the day was that small-cap and international stocks are the most overlooked corners of the market, that value’s long stretch of underperformance looks set to reverse, and that the best way to play AI may be to own the businesses where it does not matter which company wins.
Keynote speaker Brian Belski made the case that the secular bull market could run toward 2034. Small-cap pioneer Charles Royce and Tweedy, Browne’s John Spears each sat down with WealthTrack’s Consuelo Mack, and Robert Robotti accepted a value-investing award capping a four-decade career. Panels worked through US value, credit and alternatives, asset allocation, and international value. Below is our session-by-session coverage, the full program with the complete speaker roster, and answers to common questions. For last year’s event, see our coverage of the 2025 Ben Graham Conference.
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Hedge Fund Alpha Coverage Of The 2026 Sessions
Our notes from each session on the main stage:
- Keynote: Brian Belski says a small-cap storm is coming as the secular bull runs toward 2034
- US Value Panel hunts cash-rich stocks from Penske to Signet as AI upends the market
- Credit and Alternatives Panel sees value in gold miners, structured credit, and the private-credit shakeout
- Tweedy, Browne’s John Spears on why following insider buying beats the market
- Chuck Royce on small-cap’s lost decade, compounding, and screening with AI
- Allocators on investing a frothy market: diversifiers, private-credit discounts, and the fading 60/40
- International value investors say small-cap and emerging markets are the cheapest in 55 years
- Bob Robotti on why inflation, not the Fed, will decide the next decade of value
Event Details
- Event: 13th Annual Ben Graham Conference
- Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2026
- Venue: Fordham Law School, Skadden Conference Center (Constantino & Bateman Rooms, 2nd Floor), New York City
- Host: CFA Society New York (CFANY)
The Full Program
Here is how the day unfolded, with the complete speaker roster for each session. All times Eastern.
8:45 AM – Welcome Remarks
- Andrew Auslander, CFA, Managing Principal, Agile Financial LLC
- Paul Johnson, Head of Fordham University’s Gabelli Center for Global Security Analysis
8:52 AM – Keynote
- Brian Belski, Founder, CEO & CIO, Humilis Investment Strategies
- Introduction by Janet Mangano, Former Senior Portfolio Manager, PNC Wealth
9:25 AM – Panel: US Value
- Evan Simonoff, Editor-in-Chief, Financial Advisor Magazine (Moderator)
- Christopher M. D’Agnes, CFA, Partner & Portfolio Manager, Hamlin Capital Management
- Anuca Laudat, CFA, Portfolio Manager, Schafer Cullen Capital Management
- Christina Malbon, CFA, Portfolio Manager, Patient Capital Management
- Justin Menne, CFA, Portfolio Manager and Head of Equities, Harbor Capital Advisors
- Jennifer Wallace, Co-Founder & Chief Investment Officer, Summit Street Capital Management
10:45 AM – Panel: Credit & Alternatives
- Evan Deussing, CIMA, SVP, Head of Revenue, Alto (Moderator)
- Charles Cameron, Deputy Portfolio Manager, Van Eck
- Steve Beckett, CFA, CAIA, Executive Vice President, Head of Product Development, PIMCO
- Martin Fridson, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Lehmann, Livian, Fridson Advisors
- Rance Gregory, President & Chief Executive Officer, Northmarq Fund Management
- Elham Saeidinezhad, Ph.D., Professor, Colin Powell School, CCNY
- Elle Sisco, CFA, CAIA, Portfolio Manager & Lead Portfolio Strategist, Napier Park Global Capital
1:00 PM – Fireside Chat
- John D. Spears, Managing Director, Tweedy, Browne
- Consuelo Mack, Executive Producer and Host, Consuelo Mack WealthTrack (Interviewer)
1:30 PM – Fireside Chat
- Charles Royce, Founder, Royce Investment Partners
- Consuelo Mack, Executive Producer and Host, Consuelo Mack WealthTrack (Interviewer)
2:10 PM – Panel: Allocators
- William Johnson, Reporter, Citywire (Moderator)
- Mervin Burton, CFA, Partner, Head of Research, Beatrice Advisors
- Christopher Haarstick, VP, Senior Portfolio Manager, Bell Wealth
- Kenneth Miranda, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Cornell University
- Thomas Quinn, CFA, Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager, Xponance
- Irvin Schlussel, Chief Investment Officer, Diamond Family Office
3:30 PM – Panel: International Value
- David Marcus, Founder and CEO, Evermore Global Advisors (Moderator)
- Julien Albertini, Deputy Head of Global Value and Portfolio Manager, First Eagle Investments
- Mark Cooper, CFA, Chief Investment Officer & Co-Owner, MAC Alpha Capital Management
- Christine Phillpotts, CFA, Portfolio Manager, Emerging Markets Equities, Ariel Investments
- Isaac Schwartz, Portfolio Manager, Robotti & Company Advisors
4:35 PM – Award Ceremony
- Robert Robotti, President & CIO, Robotti & Company Advisors (Recipient)
The conference closed with remarks at 5:00 PM, followed by a networking reception.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ben Graham Conference?
The Ben Graham Conference is an annual value-investing event hosted by CFA Society New York (CFANY). The 2026 edition, the 13th annual, was held on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at Fordham Law School’s Skadden Conference Center in New York City.
Who spoke at the 2026 Ben Graham Conference?
Keynote speaker Brian Belski of Humilis Investment Strategies headlined, with fireside chats featuring Charles Royce of Royce Investment Partners and John Spears of Tweedy, Browne, both interviewed by Consuelo Mack of WealthTrack. Panelists came from Hamlin Capital, Schafer Cullen, Patient Capital, Harbor Capital, Summit Street, PIMCO, Van Eck, Northmarq, Napier Park, First Eagle, MAC Alpha, Ariel Investments, Robotti & Company, and more.
Who received the value-investing award in 2026?
Robert Robotti, president and chief investment officer of Robotti & Company Advisors, accepted the award capping a four-decade career investing in cyclical and overlooked industries.
What topics did the 2026 conference cover?
Sessions spanned US value, credit and alternatives, asset allocation, and international value, alongside keynote and fireside conversations on small-cap investing, insider buying, and how value investors are using artificial intelligence.
Where can I read Hedge Fund Alpha’s coverage of the sessions?
Our session-by-session notes are linked above under Hedge Fund Alpha Coverage of the 2026 Sessions. For the prior year, see our coverage of the 2025 Ben Graham Conference.
