First Trust ROI Podcast

In this episode, Ryan looks back at the first half of 2024, highlighting some of the key insights provided by guests of the podcast—including Bob Stein, Brian Wesbury, Jim Murchie, and Richard Bernstein.  He also reveals plans for the second half of the year. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to the ROI Podcast & other...

Jeff Chang, President and Co-founder of Vest Financial, discusses the growth of buffered investments over the past few years.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to the ROI Podcast & other First Trust Market News Website:  First Trust Portfolios Connect with us on LinkedIn: First Trust LinkedIn Follow us on X: First Tru...

On this episode of the podcast, Ryan asks Brian Wesbury about the impact of government spending on economic growth, the upcoming presidential election, and whether or not tariffs are an effective policy tool. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to the ROI Podcast & other First Trust Market News Website:  First Trust Port...

Richard Bernstein, CEO/CIO of Richard Bernstein Advisors, discusses deglobalization, the reindustrialization of America, and how most investors are ignoring one of the most powerful secular growth opportunities today. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to the ROI Podcast & other First Trust Market News Website:  First T...

Brian Wesbury joins the ROI Podcast for a wide ranging discussion about the state of the US economy, why government spending suppresses growth, and what factors could ultimately prevent an economic recession. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to the ROI Podcast & other First Trust Market News Website:  First Trust Port...

In this episode, Dave McGarel, Chief Investment Officer at First Trust shares his perspective on the risks and opportunities that may lie ahead for equities.  Dave shares why First Trust believes low volatility stocks are growing more attractive, why the technology sector has been the secular growth story of our lifetimes, and which data points investment professional should pay close attention to...

In this episode, we explore why more and more investment professionals are allocating to call-writing funds, long/short strategies, and commodities. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to the ROI Podcast & other First Trust Market News Website:  First Trust Portfolios Connect with us on LinkedIn: First Trust LinkedIn Fol...

Ryan discusses factor investing with Chris Bush, portfolio manager at First Trust, as well as risk and opportunities for various industries and themes, including artificial intelligence, regional banks, and more. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to the ROI Podcast & other First Trust Market News Website:  First Trust...

In this episode, Ryan is joined by Jay Gragnani, Senior Market Strategist at Nasdaq Dorsey Wright for a discussion about how financial professionals are utilizing technical analysis and Dorsey Wright’s research as an objective input for their decision-making process. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to the ROI Podcast &am...

In this episode of the podcast, Ryan is joined by Bill Housey, Managing Director of Fixed Income at First Trust for a discussion about the US economy, the Federal Reserve, interest rates, and why Bill believes that an asymmetry between risk and return has shifted in favor of bond investors. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Her...

In this episode of the podcast, Ryan speaks with Jon DiGiovanni, Managing Director of Direct Indexing and Separate Managed Accounts at First Trust, about some of the reasons that Direct Indexing has quietly been one of the fastest growing innovations in the financial services industry.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to...

In this episode of the podcast, Ryan is joined by Jim Murchie, co-founder of Energy Income Partners for a deep dive into the energy industry, discussing incentives and opportunities that lie on the horizon. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to the ROI Podcast & other First Trust Market News Website:  First Trust Portfo...

In this episode, Ryan speaks with Bob Stein, Deputy Chief Economist at First Trust about why a US recession didn’t materialize in 2023, why it may still be coming in 2024, and implications for the upcoming elections in November.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to the ROI Podcast & other First Trust Market News Websi...

In this episode, Ryan talks to Rob Biddinger, managing director at First Trust Capital Solutions, about the growing popularity of alternative investments, how institutional investors have historically utilized these strategies, and why the democratization of alternatives is under way. 📚 Rob's Book Recommendations: How I Built This by Guy Raz --------------------------------------------------...

For the first episode of the podcast in 2024, Ryan is joined by Bob Carey, Chief Market Strategist at First Trust.  After an unexpected rally for the stock market in 2023, Ryan and Bob discuss expectations for 2024.  📚 Bob's book recommendations:  Better Listening by Stranford Slovin The Ultimate Resource by Julian Simon -----------------------------------------------------------------------...

In this episode, Ryan talks to Jackie Wilke from the Advisor Consulting Group at First Trust about serving female investors, the need to build multi-generational relationships, and the importance of uncovering what’s truly important to investors. 📚 Jackie's Book Recommendation: Wealth 3.0: The Future of Wealth Advising -------------------------------------------------------------------------...

In this episode, Ryan speaks with Leonardo Da Costa, portfolio manager at First Trust Global Portfolios, about why returns for many international investments have been muted in recent years, why US investors shouldn’t ignore international allocations, and what catalysts may provide a boost over the next few years.  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

In this episode, Ryan is joined by Scott Friske, head of new product development at First Trust for a discussion about where great ideas come from and where the next generation of investment products is headed.  📚 Scott's Book Recommendations:  The Leadership Bookshelf by James Stavridis & Robert Ancell Ego is the Enemy By Ryan Holiday The Hard Things About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz --...

In this episode, Ryan is joined by Jim Bowen, CEO of First Trust for a discussion about the importance of intellectual freedom, service to others, and challenging the narrative…all key hallmarks of the firm he’s led for over 30 years. 📚Jim's book recommendation: Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscri...

In this episode of the First Trust ROI Podcast, Ryan talks with Brian Wesbury, Chief Economist at First Trust about his expectations for the US economy, inflation, and the Fed.  📚 Suggested Authors to read: Ludwig von Mises & Milton Friedman ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to the ROI Podcast & other First Trust...

In this episode of the First Trust ROI Podcast, Ryan is joined by Dave McGarel, Chief Investment Officer at First Trust.  Ryan and Dave discuss parallels between the current environment and previous recessions, why investors should pay close attention to valuations, and why some of the best long-term opportunities may come from smaller stocks.  -----------------------------------------------------...

Bob Stein, Deputy Chief Economist at First Trust, spent several years working in Washington D.C. before coming to First Trust in 2006, including as chief economist for the Senate Budget Committee and as Assistant Secretary of Economic Policy at the US Treasury Department.  In this episode of the First Trust ROI Podcast, Ryan and Bob discuss: Why many are underestimating the likelihood of a US rece...

In this episode of the First Trust ROI Podcast, Ryan talks with Jeff Chang, President of CBOE Vest, about two areas of the ETF industry that have seen robust growth over the past few years:  Buffered ETFs and Call-writing ETFs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe Here to the ROI Podcast & other First Trust Market News Website...

Historically, an inverted yield curve has often preceded economic recessions, and many investment professionals view the current inversion as a troubling sign for what may lie ahead for the US economy.  However, the 10-year US Treasury yield has been lower than the 2-year US Treasury yield for over a year, and a recession has (apparently) not yet begun.  In this episode of the ROI podcast, Ryan an...

Why are stocks up this year…and can the rally continue? On the heels of the worst year for stocks since 2008, pessimism dominated most forecasts coming into 2023.  In this episode of the ROI podcast, Ryan and Bob discuss some of the most common questions investment professionals and their clients are asking, including: Why have stocks defied expectations so far in 2023? Will returns continue to be...