Unfortunately, most people still don’t start thinking about their retirement until they are in their forties. Better late than never, but I believe there is a massive missed opportunity here.

Alphabet Inc. has this week embarked on the next leg of its debt program to meet the voracious funding needs of its artificial intelligence program. Nothing quite signifies global domination like issuing bonds with ease across all of the world’s major bond markets and at a range of maturities, including the ultra-long arena that’s typically reserved for the most favored of borrowers.

The tech sector’s once relentless push higher in the US stock market has turned into a topsy-turvy ride, forcing investors to seek calmer waters where stodgy, old-economy companies ply their trades.

Equity valuations are top of mind among investors as we move into February, amid stretched sentiment and positioning and challenging corporate earnings expectations.

2025 turned out to be a year for the ages for agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS), as the Bloomberg U.S. MBS Index registered its best calendar year of returns since 2002. The benchmark index’s 8.58% total return outperformed every major fixed income sector other than high yield (+8.62%) in 2025.

This past week, I had the privilege of attending the 2026 Harvard Presidents’ Seminar alongside some of the nation’s top executives and thought leaders. One of the most compelling speakers was Ambassador Kevin Rudd, former prime minister of Australia.

For high-net-worth individuals, investing success is not singularly defined by returns. Taxes, often the single most considerable drag on long-term wealth, play an equally critical role. As tax policy continues to evolve, the difference between a reactive approach and a coordinated, tax-aware strategy can be substantial.

Interval funds can be a powerful addition to the advisor toolkit. They can broaden access to institutional-style strategies and help build more diversified portfolios for clients who would otherwise be shut out of private markets.

After several years dominated by macro shocks, markets are transitioning into a phase where dispersion, selectivity, and disciplined portfolio construction matter more than broad directional bets.

Is your portfolio too focused on U.S. large-cap stocks? In this episode of ETF of the Week, Chuck Jaffe and Todd Rosenbluth (Head of Research at VettaFi) dive deep into the Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund (VWO).

The Federal Reserve System has a critically important role in the economy, but it is designed to act slowly. The modern economy isn’t slow at all. Things change before Fed officials even notice them, much less understand them. That’s why Kevin Warsh’s nomination as Federal Reserve chair is so important.

Chuck Carnevale, co-founder of FAST Graphs, aka Mr. Valuation explains what he believes is the single biggest and most avoidable risk investors face: overvaluation.

Buildout of blockchain-based infrastructure is entering a new phase. The focus in 2025 was on stablecoins and their emergence as the cross-over use case that captured interest from both crypto-native and traditional financial participants.

For the last year, any discussion of the obesity-drug market has come with an asterisk: Everything will change once pill versions of the popular GLP-1 drugs arrive. Those potentially cheaper alternative to injectables could mean a larger slice of the millions of Americans with obesity will try out the medicine.

Barely a month into 2026, markets have already weathered multiple bouts of rolling, event‑driven volatility. Geopolitical surprises and policy pivots have triggered sharp price moves from the U.S. to Japan to Europe, from sovereign bonds to currencies to mortgages.

Another signal of earnings strength is the ISM Index. Historically, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Index has correlated well with S&P 500 earnings growth because earnings are more manufacturing-driven than the more consumer-oriented economy measured by gross domestic product (GDP).

Vanguard CIO Lauren Wilkinson shares a strategic roadmap for RIAs curious about AI integration for their practice.

ETF industry and State Street Investment Management leader Matt Bartolini joined VettaFi's Todd Rosenbluth to talk diversification.

On an evening in late September, a few dozen wealth managers gathered at a $63 million French château-style mansion owned by Paris Hilton and venture capitalist Carter Reum in the exclusive Los Angeles enclave of Beverly Park.

2025 brought new tax policy changes. Prepare early to understand deductions, charitable giving and retirement contributions. Our Bill Cass explains how organizing documents and consulting an advisor can optimize your filing, ensuring a smoother process.

When it comes to investing, you don’t have to do it alone. Whether you’re planning for the future with your spouse, growing wealth with a family member, or expanding your goals alongside a business partner, a joint brokerage account allows you to share the opportunities and responsibilities that come with growing your money together.

Kevin Warsh began his April 2025 lecture to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by comparing today’s economic environment in a period of extraordinary consequence, arguing that the greatest risks to prosperity originate not from external forces but from decisions made within leading economic institutions.

Our underlying theme for 2026 is that investors should focus on Process Over Predictions. The instinct of many investors is to chase the "winners" of the previous cycle or expect spectacular growth to continue indefinitely.

Investors seeking protection from geopolitical volatility and stubborn inflation in 2026 may find opportunity in short-term bonds, where active management has historically delivered returns 25% higher than passive strategies, according to Vontobel Asset Management.

Tech stocks and the AI trade have powered global markets ever since the bull run began in October 2022.

The problem of housing affordability is much bigger than insufficient supply; it’s a mismatch with demand. And that demand is driven by income inequality that has seen soaring income growth at the top and tepid growth (or even stagnation) in the middle.

The term private credit is often reduced to its most literal meaning – lending money privately. While accurate, Chris Getter, managing director and portfolio manager at Simplify Asset Management, believes that definition does a disservice to the asset class.

We believe we’re entering a new era of dispersion in the performance of financial assets. Behind buoyant index averages are sharply bifurcated cohorts of winners and losers.

As the ETF universe continues to expand, a fundamental shift is underway with investors moving beyond simple market access toward outcome-driven construction. Dina Ting, Head of Global Index Portfolio Management, discusses how different index-based ETF strategies are being used to design portfolios aligned with specific goals rather than just reacting to market noise.

Earnings results are shaping up to be quite solid this season, albeit a bit weaker relative to prior quarters when it comes to beat rates and price reactions.

It may be fitting that Groundhog Day occured on a Monday this year. Punxsutawney Phil has been officially prognosticating the weather since 1887.

Despite an aging credit cycle, private credit still plays a starring role.

Active fixed income ETFs stand out amid the broader transition from mutual funds to ETFs, with DSCO a recent switch.

The start of 2026 has brought no shortage of challenges for advisors, ranging from shifting rate expectations to valuation concerns in a top-heavy market. Nonetheless, ETFs gathered an impressive $165 billion of new money in January, more than the previous three Januaries combined, according to State Street Investment Management.

There’s an ongoing shift in how investors access income through ETFs. No longer is sourcing income a pursuit centered solely on fixed income assets. Today, it increasingly includes the use of derivatives to boost yield and total return, and to capitalize on equity volatility.

Last week began with a quiet Fed meeting, but markets quickly received a new catalyst with Trump announcing Kevin Warsh was Trump’s choice to be the next Federal Reserve chair. Warsh was always my first choice. I expect the Senate to confirm him.

With rising geopolitical tensions, sharp market swings and Congress at odds over Department of Homeland Security funding – likely to cause a brief government shutdown – there’s no shortage of factors influencing sentiment. Here, we address some of the most prominent headlines shaping sentiment and offer our perspective.

Get ready each week with high-conviction insights that go beyond media headlines.

Affordability and the cost of living have become frequent topics of conversation. Costs rose, but incomes did not immediately keep pace. The rate of inflation has moderated, but consumers remain sensitive to high prices, worried they are falling behind.

LPL Research examines how the Fed is entering 2026 amid constrained conditions and as growth and inflation meet an unsustainable fiscal trajectory.

Todd Rosenbluth, Head of Research at VettaFi, and host Nate Geraci walk through five of the most noteworthy ETF flow stories so far this year. Chris Getter, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Simplify Asset Management, unpacks private credit and the Simplify VettaFi Private Credit Strategy ETF (PCR).

Precious metals, cryptocurrency, and currency speculation appeal to fear-driven parts of us that want certainty, protection, or a shortcut to wealth. Unfortunately, for most investors, that promise is never fulfilled.

January reinforced our key theme for 2026 – returns must be earned. Markets moved beyond the mag 7 as solid economic growth, a more patient Federal Reserve, and widening market leadership rewarded disciplined diversification. Gold’s parabolic rally and violent reversal showed what happens when discipline breaks down.

February arrives quickly, and for many high-net-worth individuals and families, tax preparation may still be sitting on the to-do list. If your financial life includes multiple income streams, investment accounts, business interests, trusts, or philanthropic strategies, tax season is not something to rush.

Warren Buffett has a great line on how hard it is to pick winners when major industrial change is afoot. “What you really should have done in 1905 or so, when you saw what was going to happen with the auto, is you should have gone short horses,” the Oracle of Omaha once said.

Headline whiplash returned to US equity markets last week, but this time the drama wasn't geopolitical. On Thursday, the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 1.3% as the market digested mixed results from some Magnificent Seven earnings reports.

The ETF industry has carried its record-breaking momentum from 2025, surpassing $100 billion in flows before the end of January.

Joel Mokyr has made a valiant and mostly convincing effort — deeply researched and extensively documented — at explaining the Great Enrichment. His Nobel Prize is not only richly deserved but long overdue.

The concepts underlying our suggestions are straightforward, grounded in basic portfolio theory, and eminently practical. Most importantly, they align the committee’s focus with the endowment’s true objective: maximizing the sustainable resources available to beneficiaries over the long run.

Money managers at BlackRock Inc., Bridgewater Associates and Pacific Investment Management Co. are shoring up their portfolios against a fresh bout of inflation.