Gaining Perspective

Art collecting is a passion for many wealthy Americans. This was on display earlier this month, when the collection of Paul Allen, the late cofounder of Microsoft, was auctioned for $1.6 billion, setting a single-evening record. I doubt many of our listeners will have clients who amass a collection of that magnitude, but many will use their wealth to purchase art – either for esthetic reasons or i...

Emerging markets have been rattled by inflation, weakness in China’s growth and the war between Russia and Ukraine. Wave after wave of bad news came in 2022; however, there are reasons for optimism as we approach 2023. Emerging markets are resilient and better positioned than developed markets to face the uncertain environment and lead the global recovery. - Additional Resources- Learn More: MEGMX...

Over more than two decades, Vanguard Advisor's Alpha® has shown how advisors can add value, or alpha, through relationship-based services such as financial planning, discipline, and guidance, rather than by trying to outperform the market. Vanguard’s Investment Advisory Research Center, led by Fran Kinniry, is charged with exploring how advisors provide value to investors. This year has served as...

My guest today will discuss how he works with UHNW/HNW individuals and families when it comes to charitable giving and meeting philanthropic needs. We will talk about the issues individuals should consider when making a gift of a business interest to a public charity. We will discuss the benefits for donors in making the decision to give a gift of a business interest to a public charity, the types...

Clients often assume that their need for life insurance ends when they stop working. In fact, whole life insurance can play an important role in your client’s retirement income strategy. For higher income earners, a whole life policy may also be an effective way to help protect income and accumulate additional funds for retirement. Here to discuss the role whole life insurance can play in your cli...

The fixed income market is on the verge of having its worst year of performance in several decades, and for many of us, the worst of our careers – but there are still fixed income opportunities for investors to consider. In our discussion, we want to share with you insight on a segment of the fixed income market that we believe presents an opportunity for investors – municipal bonds. - Here is a l...

Among financial advisors, 57% have  reported  spending a significant portion of their time discussing non-financial topics with clients. To retain clients, advisors need to provide a more connected and emotional financial experience to help clients achieve and sustain financial freedom. The role of an advisor is changing, and advisors should use technology for the more technical aspects of the job...

The advisors who are listening to this podcast will start a financial-planning process with a risk assessment for a client.  That exercise will evaluate how much volatility the client can tolerate. It will serve as input to constructing a portfolio that optimizes returns given a client’s risk tolerance. My guest today is here to explain why that is the wrong approach.  The problem is not to minimi...

In September, WisdomTree announced its first blockchain-enabled fund, The WisdomTree Short-Term Treasury Digital Fund (WTSY). The fund brings a mainstream, traditional asset, U.S. Treasury bonds, into the digital ecosystem to unlock use cases and distribution opportunities. Jarrett Lilien, president and COO of WisdomTree, is here to discuss the “why” behind this fund and what it means as tradition...

Fear and uncertainty in financial markets driven by inflation-fighting central banks, slowing economic growth and geopolitical tensions has driven risk-off investor behavior. While this can be disorienting, the U.S. Value team at Artisan Partners, led by portfolio manager Daniel Kane, views the current market drawdown as a healthy readjustment to the cost of capital. This comes after years of cent...

There are continuing pressures on investment portfolios as advisors and their clients need to manage pressures they have not seen for 20 years: market volatility, inflation, rising interest rates and a potentially rising tax rate environment. Some of these pressures have not surfaced in 20 years. With fixed income not holding up as a low-risk part of the portfolio, right now is an opportune time t...

CAIS is a truly open marketplace for alternative investments, where financial advisors and asset managers can engage and transact directly on a massive scale. Advisors do not have the same access to alternative investments as large institutions. Without that access, advisors have fewer tools to capitalize on opportunities or withstand market downturns. This unlevel playing field puts financial adv...

The right technology platform with the right integrations and support is critical to the success of an advisor's growth and client engagement. Each piece must be right, but it's the blending that drives the value. Understanding the advisor's needs and involving them in the decision process is vital to the success. This needs to be done at all levels of product development, from strategy and design...

Direct indexing is the most powerful trend sweeping through the advisory profession. When done right, it lets clients build low-cost, tax-efficient, and highly customized portfolios. Those portfolios can track a broad market index or implement a factor-based strategy. They can follow an ESG or sustainability mandate. Here to discuss the latest developments in the direct indexing world are two memb...

Every year, Northern Trust Asset Management issues a multi-asset class, five-year investment outlook known as its Capital Market Assumptions Report. Per the recently released 2023 edition, Northern Trust is expecting market returns to be slightly below long-term historical averages. While they believe lower stock valuations may provide some support, upside will be limited by higher interest rates....

There is no relief in sight. The market remains volatile. Both equity and fixed-income assets are taking a beating as investors grapple with 40-year-high inflation and the Federal Reserve’s attempts to rein it in. My next guest says there is potential upside in this tumultuous market. He claims high volatility has historically had positive effect on a little-known class of bonds known as convertib...

The commercials are relentless. Cleverly nestled between episodes of Matlock and Golden Girls, each ad features boomer-friendly celebrities like Joe Namath, Mike Ditka and Jimmie “JJ” Walker breathlessly imploring viewers to find out if they’re missing out on “important new Medicare benefits.” And, to do so now “before it’s too late!” “Call the number on your screen now,” urges Broadway Joe in one...

Tides are shifting in the world of financial advice, especially in advisor-client dynamic. During a record bull market, advisors were the investment experts that would deliver the retirement that their clients demanded. But if the last year in the market has shown us anything, it’s that advisors need to be more for their clients than simply portfolio managers. Dimensional’s Global Investor and Glo...

The big trends in advisor marketing and client service are differentiation, specialization, and digitalization. In this podcast, Stephanie explains how they sit at the intersection in terms of what’s possible and how advisors operate today. - Here is a  link  to Stephanie’s firm, Limitless Advisor Coaching. If you'd like to learn more about Stephanie's strategies and Limitless Advisor Coaching, pl...

The global economy and financial markets have suffered a dreadful first half of the year, ravaged by a severe commodity shock, strict COVID-19 lockdowns in the world’s second largest economy, and one of the most aggressive Fed tightening cycles in recent history. The second half looks equally tough. Given that backdrop, now is a critical time for multi-asset investors to revisit their investment a...

The world is undergoing a dramatic energy regime shift that has been accelerated by recent events, including the COVID crisis, the Ukraine war and growing concerns about climate change. Harbor Capital Advisors recently introduced the Harbor Energy Transition Strategy ETF – ticker symbol RENW – which is subadvised by Quantix Commodities, a specialist in the development and management of innovative...

For HNW clients, it’s not just about investments. It’s about what their money can do for them. Whether it’s leaving a legacy for their grandchildren, sailing around the world, or establishing a non-profit, these investors expect that you know what’s important to them, and you are both working toward that. AssetMark is a leading provider of wealth management and technology solutions that helps thou...

While market volatility is to thank for significant portfolio losses across the board, WisdomTree funds attracted almost $4 billion of inflows in the second quarter of 2022, the firm’s strongest quarter since 2015, and met a new milestone with 82% of its AUM exceeding benchmarks – something my guest, E-Trade veteran and WisdomTree president and COO, Jarrett Lilien, hasn’t seen any asset manager ac...

When it comes to choosing Medicare Supplement plan options, new-to-Medicare beneficiaries are opting for lower cost plans. During the first six months of 2022, some 38% opted for Medigap Plan N. Just over half (51%) selected Plan G coverage. Nearly 6% enrolled in a High Deductible Plan G (HDG) plan. My guests today will discuss those and other trends in Medicare planning and how advisors can best...

On July 18, Vanguard launched the Vanguard Baillie Gifford Global Positive Impact Stock Fund, which is the firm’s first impact fund and is designed for clients looking to invest in companies that have the potential to outperform the broad market as well as deliver positive change. Vanguard introduced the fund by adopting an existing impact fund managed by Baillie Gifford since 2017. The fund’s por...