Originally from Chicago’s western suburbs, Simon Peterson moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, in the fall of 2024 after his wife, Caroline, was accepted into Colorado State University’s Clinical Psychology PhD program.

Simon earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics in the spring of 2020 from Wheaton College, where he was a captain of the Cross Country and Track & Field teams. His career in finance began the summer before his senior year as an intern at First Trust Portfolios, LP, in Wheaton, Illinois, initially as a software developer and later as an equity research analyst. His interest in the markets and investment strategy ultimately led him to a full-time career in strategy research.

After graduating from Wheaton, Simon started his full-time career as a Client Specialist at Robert W. Baird, servicing accounts and assisting clients under a team of advisors. During this time, he earned his Series 7 and Securities Industry Essentials® (SIE®) certifications.

In the spring of 2021, he returned to First Trust Portfolios, LP, as a Quantitative Strategy Research Analyst, where he earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation. He designed and back-tested investable products for the market, assisted with SMA models and their maintenance, and served as an analyst on actively managed portfolios, providing buy/sell/hold recommendations to the lead portfolio managers.

In his spare time, Simon enjoys hiking, biking, running, downhill skiing, building computers, playing board games, and rooting for his beloved—but often disappointing—Chicago sports teams. He hopes that his proximity to the teams was the source of their underperformance and that being further away allows them to flourish. Simon and Caroline enjoy exploring their new home by trying new restaurants, discovering new trails, and exploring all things northern Colorado.