Some investors may be concerned that growth in inflation may accompany U.S. economic growth. Whether you believe that inflation is a potential future threat to your client’s portfolios, and what approaches you recommend, will depend on many variables.

Some advisors make use of scenario planning, a strategic tool to make flexible long-term plans, to examine various possibilities and potential action steps. A new white paper examines three ETF strategies – Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, natural resources, and infrastructure investments – that seek to hedge inflation, as well as the investor objectives typically aligned with each strategy.

We expect the upward trend in rates to continue, but at a fairly slow pace that shouldn’t disrupt risk assets.

In recent years, the retail industry has experienced major shake-ups in regard to shifting business models, including the increasing popularity of e-commerce. Businesses that rely on revenue exclusively from physical stores—once the all-important showrooms for goods and services—have not only become less relevant, but also less efficient from a cost perspective.

Part 3 of 3: Most investors tend to believe that stocks are a good—perhaps even the best—investment in the long run. However, the reason for expecting good performance from stocks is perhaps not always clearly articulated: Quite simply, it is because they are risky.