Robert Allen Loest

Robert Allen Loest, age 66, of Knoxville, passed away February 17, 2010 of sudden cardiac arrest. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Dr. Loest received his B.A. degree in 1966 from the University of Tennessee. Following graduation from the Navy’s Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Newport, RI, he served as a Naval officer from 1968 - 1972. He earned his Ph.D. in biology from Florida State University, where he taught and did research until 1978. He received his Financial Analyst Charter (CFA designation) in 1992, was a member of the CFA Institute and a founder and member of the Knoxville Chapter of Financial Analysts. Loest followed his Ph.D. with a diploma from the Oklahoma Farriers College in Sperry, OK. During his eight years as a blacksmith, he held forging clinics and published articles on hoof care in the American Farriers Journal. Abandoning horseshoeing for a more “cerebral” vocation, he formed IPS Advisory in 1994 and launched the IPS Millennium Fund which gained national attention in the late 1990s for its novel investment approach, incorporating Complex Adaptive Systems theory and socially responsible investing philosophy in stock analysis. In 2005, IPS merged with North Dakota-based Integrity Mutual Funds, Inc., and Dr. Loest continued managing the fund, often working directly with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to better analyze companies in terms of animal-rights issues and with other groups regarding other social issues. Loest has appeared as a regular or occasional guest on many financial programs, including CNNfn, CNN, CNBC, Fox Financial News, Bloomberg, Wall $treet Week with Louis Rukeyser, and two years as a regular panelist on CNBC’s Market Week with Maria Bartiromo, broadcast from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Besides his work in financial management, Loest was an avid supporter of bicycling, local organic farming, and community building in downtown Knoxville. He leaves his wife, Judy, sister, Elizabeth Kelly, and several nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Knox County Public Library Foundation, Legacy Parks Foundation, or Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum.

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Robert Allen Loest

October 5, 1943 - February 17, 2010