So Long to One of the Greats: Mike Swinford (1944-2011)

May 27, 2011 Attain Capital 2 Comments  Like
Managed Futures

We at Attain are truly sad to report the passing of Mike Swinford. Co-founder of Rosetta Capital Management and futures market guru of over 30 years, Swinford has long been an asset to the managed futures space, with a resume boasting involvement with names like Heinold, Saul Stone & Company, Balfour Maclaine, Kottke, and others. Rosetta, founded with partner Jim Green, has been on our list of recommended CTAs for over three years.

But a list of titles and dates doesn’t quite do Swinford justice. Raised in the northern farmlands of Indiana, Swinford- or “Swinnie” as those who knew him would affectionately call him- grew up around the very commodities he would come to trade, running the family farm for five years after his father passed away. When the opportunity to start trading the crops he’d been cultivating came up, he jumped at it.

Without a dime to his name, he moved to Chicago to make his own way, where his extensive knowledge of agricultural and livestock markets quickly gained him a reputation as a leading expert in the futures space. As his partner Green puts it, “Truth be told… Swinny was one of three people who really understood hogs contracts, which led to him playing a major role in the restructuring of lean hogs contracts in recent years.”

And he wasn’t one to squander his knowledge. Over the years, Swinford would continuously take newcomers under his wing, giving countless traders their start with the support they needed to succeed.

Those who knew him knew he lived to trade, but there was much more to him than his futures industry prowess. Described by Jim Green as “a real life version of Yosemite Sam”, Swinford was short in stature with a larger than life presence and the biggest heart you could imagine. He had a passion for sports, cars, and all things Purdue University, in addition to a zest for life that he passed along to his daughter and three sons.

Green will continue without Swinford at Rosetta, and wants to reassure all current and potential clients that the health of the program is not in jeopardy. Today though, we want to ask that you put your thoughts of investing and money to the side- if only momentarily- and join us in toasting the life of a man the futures industry will sorely miss.

Here’s to you, Mike.

2 comments

  1. VC Independent
    September 1, 2011

    Sad to see such a great economic and financial mind go, he will be missed.

  2. Swinford, Michael Lee of Rosetta Capital Management, LLC | Operational Due Diligence
    September 5, 2012

    […] 2011 Managed Futures Blog Post entitled “So Long to One of the Greats: Mike Swinford (1944-2011)” This entry was posted in Fund Managers by Christina A.. Bookmark the permalink. | View Background Report […]

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Disclaimer
The performance data displayed herein is compiled from various sources, including BarclayHedge, and reports directly from the advisors. These performance figures should not be relied on independent of the individual advisor's disclosure document, which has important information regarding the method of calculation used, whether or not the performance includes proprietary results, and other important footnotes on the advisor's track record.

The programs listed here are a sub-set of the full list of programs able to be accessed by subscribing to the database and reflect programs we currently work with and/or are more familiar with.

Benchmark index performance is for the constituents of that index only, and does not represent the entire universe of possible investments within that asset class. And further, that there can be limitations and biases to indices such as survivorship, self reporting, and instant history. Individuals cannot invest in the index itself, and actual rates of return may be significantly different and more volatile than those of the index.

Managed futures accounts can subject to substantial charges for management and advisory fees. The numbers within this website include all such fees, but it may be necessary for those accounts that are subject to these charges to make substantial trading profits in the future to avoid depletion or exhaustion of their assets.

Investors interested in investing with a managed futures program (excepting those programs which are offered exclusively to qualified eligible persons as that term is defined by CFTC regulation 4.7) will be required to receive and sign off on a disclosure document in compliance with certain CFT rules The disclosure documents contains a complete description of the principal risk factors and each fee to be charged to your account by the CTA, as well as the composite performance of accounts under the CTA's management over at least the most recent five years. Investor interested in investing in any of the programs on this website are urged to carefully read these disclosure documents, including, but not limited to the performance information, before investing in any such programs.

Those investors who are qualified eligible persons as that term is defined by CFTC regulation 4.7 and interested in investing in a program exempt from having to provide a disclosure document and considered by the regulations to be sophisticated enough to understand the risks and be able to interpret the accuracy and completeness of any performance information on their own.

RCM receives a portion of the commodity brokerage commissions you pay in connection with your futures trading and/or a portion of the interest income (if any) earned on an account's assets. The listed manager may also pay RCM a portion of the fees they receive from accounts introduced to them by RCM.

Limitations on RCM Quintile + Star Rankings

The Quintile Rankings and RCM Star Rankings shown here are provided for informational purposes only. RCM does not guarantee the accuracy, timeliness or completeness of this information. The ranking methodology is proprietary and the results have not been audited or verified by an independent third party. Some CTAs may employ trading programs or strategies that are riskier than others. CTAs may manage customer accounts differently than their model results shown or make different trades in actual customer accounts versus their own accounts. Different CTAs are subject to different market conditions and risks that can significantly impact actual results. RCM and its affiliates receive compensation from some of the rated CTAs. Investors should perform their own due diligence before investing with any CTA. This ranking information should not be the sole basis for any investment decision.

See the full terms of use and risk disclaimer here.

Disclaimer
The performance data displayed herein is compiled from various sources, including BarclayHedge, and reports directly from the advisors. These performance figures should not be relied on independent of the individual advisor's disclosure document, which has important information regarding the method of calculation used, whether or not the performance includes proprietary results, and other important footnotes on the advisor's track record.

The programs listed here are a sub-set of the full list of programs able to be accessed by subscribing to the database and reflect programs we currently work with and/or are more familiar with.

Benchmark index performance is for the constituents of that index only, and does not represent the entire universe of possible investments within that asset class. And further, that there can be limitations and biases to indices such as survivorship, self reporting, and instant history. Individuals cannot invest in the index itself, and actual rates of return may be significantly different and more volatile than those of the index.

Managed futures accounts can subject to substantial charges for management and advisory fees. The numbers within this website include all such fees, but it may be necessary for those accounts that are subject to these charges to make substantial trading profits in the future to avoid depletion or exhaustion of their assets.

Investors interested in investing with a managed futures program (excepting those programs which are offered exclusively to qualified eligible persons as that term is defined by CFTC regulation 4.7) will be required to receive and sign off on a disclosure document in compliance with certain CFT rules The disclosure documents contains a complete description of the principal risk factors and each fee to be charged to your account by the CTA, as well as the composite performance of accounts under the CTA's management over at least the most recent five years. Investor interested in investing in any of the programs on this website are urged to carefully read these disclosure documents, including, but not limited to the performance information, before investing in any such programs.

Those investors who are qualified eligible persons as that term is defined by CFTC regulation 4.7 and interested in investing in a program exempt from having to provide a disclosure document and considered by the regulations to be sophisticated enough to understand the risks and be able to interpret the accuracy and completeness of any performance information on their own.

RCM receives a portion of the commodity brokerage commissions you pay in connection with your futures trading and/or a portion of the interest income (if any) earned on an account's assets. The listed manager may also pay RCM a portion of the fees they receive from accounts introduced to them by RCM.

Limitations on RCM Quintile + Star Rankings

The Quintile Rankings and RCM Star Rankings shown here are provided for informational purposes only. RCM does not guarantee the accuracy, timeliness or completeness of this information. The ranking methodology is proprietary and the results have not been audited or verified by an independent third party. Some CTAs may employ trading programs or strategies that are riskier than others. CTAs may manage customer accounts differently than their model results shown or make different trades in actual customer accounts versus their own accounts. Different CTAs are subject to different market conditions and risks that can significantly impact actual results. RCM and its affiliates receive compensation from some of the rated CTAs. Investors should perform their own due diligence before investing with any CTA. This ranking information should not be the sole basis for any investment decision.

See the full terms of use and risk disclaimer here.

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