Gaining Perspective

In May of this year, Invesco completed its acquisition of OppenheimerFunds, bringing its AUM to $1.2 trillion and making it the sixth largest U.S. retail asset manager. In April of 2018, Invesco completed its ETF business Guggenheim partners. Those deals come at a time when many investors were deserting actively managed funds, in favor of passive, index-tracking strategies.

MarketCounsel is known as the “adviser’s advisor.” It is the leading business and regulatory compliance consulting firm to the country’s preeminent entrepreneurial investment advisors. It delivers comprehensive, regulatory compliance solutions.  It works with startup investment advisors through its RIA Incubator program, and it offers outsourced compliance department capabilities through its RIA I...

One of the growing trends in the advisory profession is outsourced investment management – specifically using a unified managed account (UMA) platform. Many advisors have found that those solutions optimized their practices and helped deliver better investment outcomes for clients. I am speaking today the leader of one of the most popular solutions in that market, and we will discuss the trends an...

One way to address market volatility is through real assets – natural resources, infrastructure, and global real estate. Those tend to have low correlations with traditional stock and bond allocations. I am speaking today with Michael Natale, who explains why an allocation to real assets can hedge against the risks in stocks and bonds.

One of the fastest growing and most active acquirers has been CAPTRUST, an RIA based in Raleigh, NC. In October, it acquired the wealth management business of Boston Advisors. In August, South Texas Money Management joined CAPTRUST. In June, it announced the addition of McQueen, Ball & Associates and Cornerstone Capital Advisors to its growing team. In 2018, CAPTRUST saw 21.5 percent revenue g...

Matthew Bartolini has recently recommended cybersecurity protection, housing and healthcare stocks for Q4 of 2019. He has also commented on the fact that fixed-income ETFs have recorded record inflows for 2019, and has likened investing the context of weakness in the U.S. manufacturing sector to “driving with the check engine light on.” We discuss those calls as well as other key developments in t...

In the U.S., between one quarter and one third of all assets are managed with an ESG/SRI mandate. Outside the U.S., that percentage is even higher. So I am going to explore what must be an unpopular topic – investing in so-called “sin” stocks. I am talking with the co-managers of the Vitium Global Fund – formerly the Vice Fund. That fund buys what most ESG/SRI investors scorn: stocks in the tobacc...

We discuss Neil Hennessy’s thoughts on the market as 2019 concludes, along with his 2020 outlook. Neil explains the key tenets of his investment strategy and why he thinks the market is not overvalued. Neil spends a great deal of his time talking to advisors and he discusses the key themes he is hearing.

Andy Wilson discusses how real assets have historically provided investors with solid returns, attractive income, portfolio diversification and a hedge against inflation. DWS has a 45-year investment heritage and is one of the world's leading alternatives managers.

Our topic today is ESG/SRI investing – one of the most important themes in the asset management industry over the last several years. One of the questions I will explore is whether the importance, history and culture of ESG at the asset manager firm level is more important than individual strategies. Indeed, greenwashing has become a serious issue, as advisors and asset managers need to understand...

Global rates have fallen over the course of 2019. Indeed, trillions of dollars in sovereign debt now carry negative yields. This has forced income-oriented investors to look to non-traditional sources to find sustainable, low-risk yields. Ben Kirby discusses the Thornburg Investment Income Builder fund, which has had an exceptional track record over the last 15 years.

The first Litman Gregory Masters Fund was launched December 31, 1996. Litman Gregory Masters Equity was created because, as financial advisors, the team at Litman Gregory wanted more control over the mutual funds they used in its client portfolios, and it had specific ideas about how to build a “better fund.” Since then, Litman Gregory has been a pioneer in the development of liquid alternative fu...

Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the wealth management profession has reached record levels this year, highlighted by mega-deals such as the acquisition of United Capital by Goldman Sachs. Indeed, the total AUM of deals more than doubled since 2018, according to some reports. My guest today is David DeVoe, who will help us understand what is behind that trend, whether it will continue...

Growing your practice isn’t just about good marketing. If you’re looking to make a better impression outwards, look inwards first at the foundation of any future growth – your profitability. The need to achieve profitability is something that most business owners take for granted. But for financial advisors, achieving that goal is especially important, as my guest, Jim Palumbo, explains.

The conventional wisdom around digital advice platforms – what are commonly referred to as “robo advisors” – is that they will commoditize the investment process, and push traditional, human advisors to justify the value they add – and, hence, justify their fees – with services other than investment management. So far, however, the performance results of those platforms have been unimpressive. Wha...

Your client's heirs will fire you as often as 90% of the time within one year of your client's death because they have no relationship with you. Arlene Cogen explains how to bridge those relationships and retain assets.

Approximatley 40% of financial advisors plan to retire within the next 10 years, according to Cerulli and Associates. The CFP Board says that there are more certified financial planners over 70 than under 30. Replacing those professionals will be a challenge for the industry. The advisor profession faces a talent and hiring crisis. My guest today is Kate Healy, who is charged with solving that cri...

In recent years, behavioral finance has become really popular. But taking a step back, one of the biggest questions I have about this field is -- “So what?” There are so many behavioral finance theories. But where is the practical application? What can we actually do with this stuff?

Guggenheim’s macroeconomic team is predicting a recession by mid-2020. We discuss the underlying drivers of this forecast, the steps the Fed can take to address a weakening economy, and how advisors should allocate for the period ahead.

The Davis Funds is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and has been owned by the Davis family for that entire period. In addition to that longevity, the Davis Funds is notable in that it has pursued the same, value-oriented, long-term investing discipline over that period.  Chris Davis discusses the opportunities his team is pursuing in financial stocks, as well as his take on the three bi...

What holds advisors back from building the business they ideally want is not their environment or skill set. It is the “mindset.” Stephanie Bogan explains how advisors can overcome the obstacles that prevent them from building a thriving practice and leading a joyful and fulfilling personal life.

Yields have declined sharply over the course of the year. The 10-year yield has dropped about 100 basis points; the 30-year about 80 basis points; and short-term rates are down about 50 basis points. Can rates go any lower? How should advisors position their clients in this environment?

A self-directed IRA is very similar to other IRA accounts, with the primary difference that you can control what you invest in and how you invest in it. For example, a self-directed IRA can own real estate, precious metals, crowdfunded assets and private equity.  

Mike Hunstad was recently featured in an article in Institutional Investor magazine that was titled Why Factor Investing Isn’t Working? We at Advisor Perspectives subsequently ran an article, Factor Investing Works (Despite What Some May Say), by Larry Swedroe, director of research for BAM Alliance, in which readers might have been led to believe that Northern Trust does not believe in factors whe...

According to Morningstar, in the first four months of the year, funds trying to mitigate risk raised nearly $10 billion. My guest today will explain how his firm combined quality with low volatility in a suite of three funds that were launched very recently. Indeed, this approach can be seen as the “next evolution of low volatility-based strategies.”