Top Heavy Markets, Fragile Portfolios: How to Break Free of the Mag-7 Trap with Ahmed Farooq

What do advisors do when markets feel like a giant game of Jenga—top-heavy, fragile, and unpredictable with every move? Ahmed Farooq, Senior VP and Head of ETF Distribution at Franklin Templeton Canada joins us to explore how smart ETF design, active fixed income, and global diversification are helping advisors rebuild sturdier portfolios for an increasingly uncertain world.

🎧 Summary:

In this episode, host Pierre Daillie welcomes Ahmed Farooq, for a wide-ranging, insight-packed conversation on the evolution of ETF usage by Canadian advisors. From navigating tariff turmoil and Mag-7 concentration risk to building smarter income solutions and global diversification strategies, Ahmed shares a front-line perspective from the road across Canada. He explains how Franklin Templeton is responding to market demand with low-cost passive offerings, factor-based ETFs like their Low Volatility High Dividend suite, and precision-focused actively managed fixed income solutions that are reshaping how advisors approach portfolio construction. With advisors seeking both protection and income, Farooq explains why it's time to get comfortable with complexity—because simplicity in this market can be costly.

💡 Key Takeaways:

• Regional Divergence in US Exposure Sentiment: Advisor views on US equity exposure vary widely across Canada—Eastern advisors are trimming, while Western clients remain overweight USD assets.

• Market Fragility Requires Smarter Diversification: Amid tariff threats, macro noise, and election risk, advisors are embracing factor-based strategies (like Low Volatility + High Dividend) to hedge downside without abandoning return potential.

• Mid-Caps Offer Shelter from MAG7 Storm: Franklin’s new FMID ETF (US Mid Cap Multifactor) helps diversify away from S&P 500 concentration by tilting toward locally domiciled, less globally exposed companies.

• Fixed Income: “Don’t Try This at Home” Advisors are outsourcing bond sleeve construction due to rate volatility, inverted curves, and term premium unpredictability. Ultra-short mandates like FHIS are seeing big inflows.

• Pricing Power for Portfolio Flexibility: Franklin’s razor-thin passive ETF fees (as low as 5 bps) free up advisors’ fee budget to allocate to alpha-seeking active or alternative strategies.

• Smart Beta 2.0 is Actually Just... Smarter Rules: Legacy “smart beta” is giving way to multi-layered, rules-based ETFs that integrate dividend sustainability, earnings quality, and volatility screens.

• Active Management is Back—for Good Reason: As bond markets become harder to read, advisors want precision, not guesswork. And they want active managers who justify their fees through measurable performance and risk control.

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 – Intro: Market Noise, Rate Cuts, and Tariff Whiplash 01:30 – Cross-Canada Advisor Sentiment on US Exposure 05:45 – Emotional Investing & Climbing the Wall of Worry 10:30 – Why Low Volatility + High Dividend ETFs Are Resonating 13:00 – Avoiding Dividend Traps: Earnings & Guidance Matter 18:20 – FMID: Mid-Cap US Multifactor as a MAG7 Antidote 24:00 – Are Mid-Caps More “Domestic”? Surprising Names & Thesis 28:00 – The Fixed Income Puzzle: Why Advisors Aren’t Going Long 33:00 – Ultra Short Flows & Advisor Reinvestment Fatigue 36:45 – Why Active Fixed Income Is in Demand Again 42:00 – Fixed Income Doesn’t Excite Advisors—That’s Why They Outsource It 44:45 – From “Smart Beta” to Smarter Rules-Based Strategies 48:00 – The Evolution of Active Fixed Income ETF Design 51:00 – The Fee Budget Shift: Where Active and Passive Coexist 55:00 – Franklin's Pricing Strategy and Competitive Edge 58:00 – Fee Budgeting: Making Room for Alternatives 01:01:00 – What's Ahead: Tariffs, Geopolitics & Diversifying for Multiple Outcomes 01:04:30 – Helping Advisors Build Resilient Models and Platforms 01:08:00 – Why Pricing, Platform Fit, and Analyst Buy-In Matter #ETFs #FranklinTempleton #FixedIncome #SmartBeta #DividendInvesting #PortfolioConstruction #ETFInvesting #AdvisorInsights #ActiveManagement #Markets2025 Copyright © AdvisorAnalyst.com