Alaska Investing Education Fair

The Alaska Chapter for BetterInvesting (NAIC) is proud to announce that this year's upcoming 2026 Investing Education Fair will feature Wayne Thorp, our BetterInvesting Chief Executive Officer and Ben Duhrsen, a Private Wealth Investment Analyst with Alaska Wealth Advisors. 
Wayne, a CFA Institute Charterholder since September 2002.  Wayne is a dynamic leader in investment education and financial services and passionate about empowering individuals and communities to achieve financial independence through informed investing. Wayne has a strong background in strategic leadership, financial analysis, and educational program development and has dedicated his career to making complex investment principles accessible to investors of all experience levels. As a public speaker, mentor, and advocate for financial literacy, he is committed to helping individuals make confident, long-term investment decisions.

Ben Duhrsen, born and raised in Alaska, holds a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California. As an Investment Analyst, he brings a disciplined, analytical approach to investing, utilizing his background in engineering and statistics to optimize processes and enhance efficiency. Ben is dedicated to providing smart, consistent insights for various investment strategies.

The Ed Fair will again be held at the Loussac Library, 4th Floor Commons, in Anchorage, Alaska on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 10:15 am (Coffee and registration start at 10:15 am, greetings at 10:40am and the first session starts at 10:45 am).  

As in the past this year's investing education fair will provide three sessions on topics of interest to stock investors. Wayne's topics will be "AI Won't Pick Your Stocks--And That's Actually Good News" and "Buybacks: Why Most Programs Destroy Shareholder Value". Our local speaker, Ben Duhrsen, topic is "Fund Due Diligence: What to Look for Before You Buy" where he will discuss ETF & mutual fund structures, and why it's important to look under the hood to see what a fund actually owns. 
For more details on Wayne's individual topics see 2026 Alaska Investing Education Fair Topics.pdf.

During lunch, a short annual meeting will also be held. Box lunches will be provided for paid attendees. After lunch, around noon, we will be voting for Directors. Voting will be open to all BI members. Once early bird tickets go on sale, they will cost $30 for sales through Sept. 12th for USPS mail and Sept. 16th for Eventbrite orders whereas General admission goes for $40 after that up until 3pm Friday, Sept. 18th after which lunch boxes cannot be guaranteed. You will also have the option to order tickets by mail using this form.