When it comes to personalized investment strategies, multiple perspectives come into play: the client, the provider and the advisor.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth discussed the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) with Chuck Jaffe of Money Life. The pair discussed several topics related to the fund to give investors a deeper understanding of the ETF overall.
You're interested in investing in municipal bonds, but which type—general obligation or revenue—is best for you? We break it down.
Merrie Zhang shares how direct indexing works, the potential benefits of it, and best practices on selecting a provider.
VettaFi spoke recently with Nate Williams, a vice president and ETF specialist with Franklin Templeton, about the growth of its ETF business.
It is important for savers to understand guaranteed and non-guaranteed options when looking at retirement solutions offered within a 401(k) plan. Our Mike Dullaghan shares the highlights and talks about the need for personalized strategies.
Treasury inflation-protected securities can help buffer a portfolio against inflation. However, it's important to understand their unique characteristics and complex nature.
Actively managed ETFs are among the fastest-growing products in the broader ETF space.
Sirion Skulpone of Goldman Sachs Asset Management talks through the risks of being concentrated in individual stocks.
In Europe, the ECB stimulates a sluggish economy while in the UK, the problem is inflation. In contrast, the US responds to stronger growth.
Municipal bonds broke their winning streak in October, posting negative total returns alongside broader fixed income assets.
This year was already a landmark one for exchange-traded funds, but as of Friday the ETF universe can add another superlative: biggest annual inflows on record.
A year-round focus on taxes can unlock value for investors in higher brackets—and it can help advisors prove their own value.
Before the year 2024 comes to a close, it's time to optimize your tax strategy. Our Bill Cass shares some tips including timing deductions and harvesting losses.
Change is on the horizon for hard working Americans saving for their future, as 401(k) plans are now embracing private market investments. Savers may soon have access to opportunities previously reserved for institutional investors.
Recent insights from Natixis Investment Managers breaks down a few fixed income risks that investors may not be aware of.
VettaFi’s Todd Rosenbluth explains how the election could impact specific ETF categories and the industry overall. Baird’s Rich Lee also discusses the election’s implications for ETFs and talks market concentration risk, active ETFs, buffer products, crypto, and what to watch for in 2025.
Explore how these two investment types compare.
Corporate buybacks have become a hot topic, drawing criticism from regulators and policymakers. In recent years, Washington, D.C., has considered proposals to tax or limit them.
Investors have been married to their money market funds for the better part of the last two years.
As we think about investing around a historic election, establishing what we know, what we need to know, and what we can count on is a useful foundation for navigating the uncertainty.
In this article, Russ Koesterich discusses why he believes U.S. exceptionalism is a trend that is likely to continue.
Although investing in in-state municipal bonds may have tax advantages, there can be good reasons to buy out-of-state munis.
Investment grade bonds have long been synonymous with a “core” fixed income allocation, but we believe a flexible strategy also belongs in most bond portfolios, as managers can adjust their exposure based on market conditions.
For nearly 2 years I have been recommending MLP pipelines (Master Limited Partnership) as an attractive energy play with high yields and upside price potential.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth discussed the Fidelity Corporate Bond ETF (FCOR) with Chuck Jaffe of Money Life. The pair discussed several topics related to the fund to give investors a deeper understanding of the ETF overall.
To those who argue that value investing has gotten too hard in today’s momentum-chasing, passive-driven world, Scott McBride’s results are a bit of a conundrum.
Volatility creates a number of challenges for advisors and investors, but also opportunities for those who know where to look.
Volatile interest rates have spurred investment capital into motion. Clients often ask where they should allocate on the yield curve.
Explore how AI fuels nuclear investments, drives energy demand, and attracts tech giants to nuclear power.
It's important to stay informed regarding the latest updates to 529 college savings plans, for both current account holders and prospective savers. In recent years there have been significant changes, including The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) 2.0 Act in December of 2022, which helps enhance the flexibility and benefits of 529 plans.
The cost of higher education has skyrocketed over the last few decades, and shows no signs of slowing. That’s why it’s more important than ever that parents start saving as early as possible for their children’s future.
Opening a 529 college savings account can be a smart move if you’d like to save for college on a tax-advantaged basis. One thing to consider when opening a 529 plan is whether it should be a custodial or individual account. While both allow you to save for college costs and enjoy some tax breaks, they differ in terms of who has control of the account and the assets in it.
Municipal bonds bucked the seasonal trend and posted strong performance in September.
529 plans are one of the most popular ways Americans save for the college expenses of their children. As of June 2024, there were 16.8 million 529 savings accounts holding $508 billion, according to the College Savings Plan Network.
One of most dangerous habits of a speculative crowd is the tendency to use unconditional averages and unconditional probabilities regardless of how extreme market conditions have become. This is like stepping into a house with two rooms, one with the temperature at 0 degrees and one at 140 degrees, and expecting a temperature of 70 either way.
In this article, Russ Koesterich discusses gold may continue to serve as a store of value in the current environment.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have grown in popularity as one of the most flexible and accessible investment vehicles available today. Offering a blend of stock-like liquidity and mutual fund-like diversification, ETFs can serve as a core component in the portfolios of both novice and experienced investors
For decades, a key component of many investors’ portfolios was a fixed income ladder. It was intended to provide ballast to the more volatile equity allocation and help reduce interest-rate risk.
Credit indices rallied during the third quarter, despite a variety of economic headwinds, and it appears FOMO (fear of missing out) is fueling the bullish sentiment more than fundamentals.
Two senior Wall Street executives complained this week that over-regulation is discouraging initial public offerings. JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon partly blamed the zeal of securities regulators for the drop in IPOs that began in March 2022, a sentiment echoed by Citadel Securities CEO Peng Zhao.
The puck has certainly moved since our last market commentary. This month, we argue that the needle on portfolio construction should move with it. Equities have been the driver of returns for much of the last few years.
Alpha (α) is a fundamental yet poorly understood concept in finance. Simply put, it is the difference between the return of an investment and that of a risk-adjusted benchmark. In a more advanced definition, alpha is the residual in an asset pricing equation (see Appendix A). Alpha is what active managers strive to achieve and passive managers do not pursue.
Private capital – encompassing private equity and private credit – is in the midst of a bit of a renaissance at the moment. IPO activity hit a peak in 2021, the year after the pandemic and then promptly plunged to levels not seen in years.
Discussion about more political oversight or political control of the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) occasionally heats up. We are seeing more of this type of discourse today as the election approaches. In our view, limited Fed independence could prove disastrous.
We are currently in the “everything market.” It doesn’t matter what you have probably invested in; it is currently increasing in value. However, it isn’t likely for the reasons you think. A recent Marketwatch interview with the always bullish Jim Paulson got his reasoning for the rally.
The major market event in September was the Fed's 50 basis point rate cut following the September 18th Federal Open Market Committee meeting. There was broad consensus the Fed would cut rates, though the 50 basis points (as opposed to 25) and perhaps the tone of Jay Powell's press conference surprised to the upside...
The expiration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2025 could mean a tax increase for many taxpayers. But the impact varies widely based on income, location, and personal circumstances. Our Bill Cass shares the details.
Fidelity Investments has raised $250 million for its first fund dedicated to venture capital investments, pushing the firm further into private assets.
A lot of people are worried about the shrinking number of public companies in the US, but quality is an even bigger problem than quantity.
