Gaining Perspective

Following the rioting at the Capitol building on January 6, Twitter permanently deleted President Trump’s Twitter account. Twitter accused Trump of repeated and severe violations of its Civic Integrity policy . While applauded by many, that move was controversial on the basis that it inhibited free speech. My guest today, Barry Ritholtz, defended Twitter’s action on the basis that Twitter is analo...

Americans used to fund their retirement through corporate pension plans. But over the last 50 years, the burden of saving has fallen on the employees, and providing a framework for retirement savings has become the responsibility of American businesses. One of the first questions asked by a prospective employee is what type of 401(k) or other plans a company offers. Providing a well-designed plan...

A couple of weeks ago I was sent a new industry report, the Visible Experts Study, from the Hinge Research Institute reveals. It shows what it took for 220 thought leaders to gain recognition for their expertise, how thought leaders and their firms benefit from the recognition, and how techniques to build visibility has changed over the years. 

We live in an era where traditional valuation metrics are under greater scrutiny, and investors are looking for an updated toolset to make better decisions. My guest today, Tom Cole, will explain how investors can better answer their valuation concerns by utilizing modern tools instead of outdated ratios. He will tell us why the shares of Apple (AAPL) are no longer attractively valued and the ex-U...

The future of financial advice is evolving. The real value of an advisor not only requires the ability to build a plan and portfolio, but to guide clients through the process, unearth their values and emotions, and change their behavior for the better. A realm of the relationship is called the human side of money.  Here today to talk about that human side and how advisors can leverage the science...

One of the best kept secrets in the investment world is the long-term outperformance of emerging markets. Over the last 20 years, the MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Index outperformed the S&P 500 Index – 7.2% versus 6.6%. That index also outperformed the S&P 500 in 2020, 18.8% versus 18.4%. Despite that outperformance, emerging markets are cheap, trading at a 14.8 p/e versus 21.6 for the...

The new year brings a new set of opportunities for savvy investors who are willing to dig beneath the headlines to uncover lesser-known companies taking advantage of early-stage megatrends. I am here today with the founder of Changebridge Capital, a new company that offers two actively managed ETFs built to capitalize on those early-stage megatrends.

As we look toward 2021, one of the key issues facing wealth managers will be the changes that may come with the Biden administration. There has been talk of raising both income and capital gains tax rates, as well as Social Security taxes that could be imposed on high earners. Although Biden has rejected a wealth tax advocated by some in the Democratic Party, he has proposed changes to estate tax...

What if you could target more consistent income — in any bond market? By looking beyond the bond benchmark and broadening your fixed-income allocation, you enhance your potential to achieve your clients’ financial goals.  That is the premise behind the concept of strategic beta ETFs, which my guest today, Gene Tannuzzo, will discuss.

Commonwealth Financial Network opened its doors in 1979 as a small Massachusetts broker/dealer with big aspirations.  While remaining privately held, it has grown rapidly, along the way establishing itself as a pioneer in advancing practice management and in leading the way for fee-based advisor business solutions. It now operates in all 50 states, empowering more than 2,000 independent advisors w...

Take your retirement account and divide it by half. This is the real amount that you have saved for retirement. Taxes can cut your retirement funds in half, according to Ed Slott, the nationally recognized IRA and retirement planning expert, founder of IRAHelp.com and author of the forthcoming book, The New Retirement Savings Time Bomb: How to Take Financial Control, Avoid Unnecessary Taxes and Co...

The year of 2020 was like no other in our lifetimes as a once in a century pandemic shut down the world as we all knew it and the global economy experienced its worst shock since the Great Depression of the 1930s.  The stock and bond markets sent investors on a roller-coaster ride. The S&P 500 experienced its fastest 35% decline ever during February and March, only to skyrocket back to all-tim...

Broadridge recently released its second annual financial advisor marketing survey, which revealed the contrasts between effective and ineffective marketers, as well as an expected move to digital from the continued impact of COVID-19. This year’s survey also shed light on the lack of marketing strategy among advisors and in turn, dissatisfaction with marketing ROI.

Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the wealth management profession has reached record levels for yet another year. There was a pandemic-driven pause in Q2, but Q3 saw a record-setting 44 transactions, the first time there was more than 40 transactions in a quarter. With 111 transactions through Q3, it is likely we will surpass the previous record of 132 transactions in 2019.

Technology helped transform advisors from brokers to someone who needs to listen more to clients’ unique situations and help them develop a plan that’s not strictly about investments.  My guest today, John Diehl, has written that, “Today’s advisor needs to better understand the context of their clients’ needs,” The financial piece isn’t the problem. The emotions, high-level goals, and the aspirati...

Meeting cash flow needs through distributions is challenging, with Treasury yields at rock-bottom levels and investors enduring widespread dividend cuts this year. Trying to generate a meaningful yield means unacceptable credit risk at a time when the bankruptcies are getting announced following months of government-mandated shutdowns. For investors looking to fund their day-to-day lives, a better...

For retirement-oriented investors, especially those saving through 401(k) and other defined-contribution plans, the most popular solution is a target-date fund. Those funds are designed to build retirees’ wealth through a carefully constructed asset allocation and glide path that minimizes risk.  But designing those funds is a complex process, as my guest today will explain.

Amid historically low rates, the income solutions of yesterday are not going to cut it. My guest today will discuss how his firm has recognized and reacted to this paradigm shift by developing alternative, higher-yielding strategies.

Retirement savings for those in the Latino community are low. According to a 2018 UnidosUS report, only 31% of Latino workers participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, compared to 48% of all other workers ages 21 to 64. According to a CNBC story , 54% of Latinos work for an employer that offers a retirement plan compared to nearly 70% for all other workers in the same category.  My gue...

With the economic and market uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, investors, especially those nearing retirement, are looking to protect their savings. They need to guard the wealth that they worked hard to build. That has led to a growing interest in certain types of annuities that provide shelter against market volatility and offer the promise to grow one’s wealth and income.

We are roughly six months into the pandemic. Equity markets have regained nearly all of their losses following their precipitous decline in March. But the economy remains in a recession. Some are even calling it a depression. Advisors and their clients want downside protection, but also want to participate in the upside if markets continue to perform well. That has made defined-outcome ETFs the mo...

Founded in 2018, Defiance ETFs is an ETF sponsor and registered investment advisor focused on thematic investing. Its suite of rules-based ETFs allows retail and institutional investors to express a targeted view on dynamic sub-sectors that are leading the way in disruptive innovations.

My guest today is a distinguished trial lawyer who has won cases against some of the biggest Wall Street firms, including Wells Fargo, Paine Webber, Securities America and the Prudential Equity Group. He was also one of the first to uncover and report on convicted Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s crimes and played a big role in Weinstein’s downfall and conviction.

The problems of active management have been well documented. It has been statistically proven that it is incredibly difficult to identify managers who will outperform the market on a risk-adjusted basis. Those managers make a living by picking winning stocks that are likely generate above-market returns. My guest today, David Barse, has built a company around the premise that it is easier beat the...

From the sage investor to the novice with little to no experience, humans are inherently emotional and often irrational when it comes to money decisions. This year alone, we’ve already seen how a global pandemic, unstable markets, and a sensationalized news cycle can influence investor behavior. This begs the question: How can financial professionals help keep their clients on track through uncert...