Portfolio Intelligence Podcast

College is an expensive undertaking. In this episode, Peg Keough of College Aid Pro discusses ways to reduce college costs by leveraging financial aid and other resources. She explores why most families don’t apply for financial aid, discusses what families can do to increase potential aid, and unpacks how students can seek to maximize their aid packages. Peg also offers tips on applying for private scholarships and lists best practices for reducing out-of-pocket college costs.

With earnings season coming to a close, our Co-Chief Investment Strategists Emily R. Roland, CIMA, and Matthew D. Miskin, CFA, join podcast host John P. Bryson to share their market outlook. They discuss the latest data pointing to an economic slowdown in China and the contagion risks that it poses for other markets. The strategists also explore the continued easing of U.S. inflationary pressures, top investment opportunities that they’re seeing now, and risks that investors may wish to watch heading into the fall.

Our Co-Chief Investment Strategists Emily R. Roland, CIMA, and Matthew D. Miskin, CFA, return to the podcast to discuss their market outlook at midyear 2023. Among the topics covered: How will the U.S. Federal Reserve keep inflation in check without risking a recession and what are the implications for fixed-income investors? Where does the U.S. economy stand relative to those of other developed nations? What’s ahead for the U.S. equity market and international markets in the wake of recent gains? Which economic indicators are the key ones to watch now? How does this all affect portfolio positioning for the third quarter and beyond?

What’s so different about artificial intelligence (AI) today than in the past? Stephen Freedman, Ph.D., CFA, FRM, joins podcast host John P. Bryson to explore the current AI boom. Steve, the head of research and sustainability for equities investing at Pictet Asset Management, discusses the evolution of AI while focusing on the new ways that it’s being used today. He also considers AI’s positive disruptive potential, risks that people need to be aware of, and which types of companies and industries may benefit from or be hurt by AI the most. He also analyzes the role of Mainland China and other countries that may seek to harness the power of AI, the prospect of global regulation of AI, and how the technology might help financial professionals.

Lee Small, senior vice president and divisional sales manager at John Hancock Investment Management, joins podcast host John P. Bryson to discuss key challenges that business owners face in planning for ownership transitions. Lee explores the role that financial professionals can play in assisting with exit planning and describes a new John Hancock program, “Empowering Business Owners’ Conversations,” which leverages research conducted by the Exit Planning Institute. Finally, Lee highlights key definitions related to exit planning and describes resources available to help financial advisors better serve business owners.

In this episode, college admissions coach Nancy Steenson joins podcast host John P. Bryson, head of investment consulting at John Hancock Investment Management, to discuss the changing landscape of college admissions and scholarships. Nancy explains the best source of scholarships for college students today, unpacks the difference between a needs-based financial aid scholarship and a merit scholarship, and discusses why knowing the difference is helpful while shopping for colleges. She also explores current college pricing trends and the impact on pricing from enrollment management software, early decision, early action, and merit awards. Finally, she highlights the U.S. Department of Justice’s college admissions oversight role and discusses key changes to important financial aid documents that affect what students pay for college.

Howard C. Greene, CFA, and Jeffrey N. Given, CFA, senior portfolio managers and co-heads of the U.S. core and core plus fixed-income team at Manulife Investment Management, join podcast host John P. Bryson to discuss current fixed-income opportunities, the factors driving recent volatility, and takeaways for bond investors. They also analyze how investments have performed historically during periods when monetary policy has shifted from tightening to easing. Finally, the portfolio managers offer their views on the prospects of a recession, consider how fixed-income investments may perform if the U.S. economy experiences a slowdown, and discuss what investors need to be thinking about going forward.

Bank failures and federal interventions injected more uncertainty into financial markets as the first quarter of 2023 wound down. Co-Chief Investment Strategists Emily R. Roland, CIMA, and Matthew D. Miskin, CFA, join podcast host John P. Bryson to discuss prospects for any further escalation of bank risks, the government’s capacity to deal with such scenarios, and the potential impact on equities and fixed income. Emily and Matt also assess the latest economic numbers, which appear to show a divergence between services and manufacturing. Finally, they explore whether the U.S. Federal Reserve’s latest interest-rate increase might lead to a pause or a reversal of the rate-hiking cycle, with potentially big implications for fixed-income investors.

When it comes to investing, women and men often differ in their approaches and their goals. Gain perspective from two veteran business consultants at John Hancock Investment Management, Julie Cronin and Sarah Walter, CIMA, ABFP, PMA, CSRIC, AWMA. Julie and Sarah join podcast host John P. Bryson to discuss the importance of women taking charge of their finances. Among the topics they cover: the biggest differences between female and male investors, why it’s important for financial professionals to focus on their female clientele, and why it can be important to serve female and male clients differently. Julie and Sarah offer tips on how to best serve each gender and present findings from case studies that are covered in our Women, Wealth, and Wisdom presentation. Finally, they share positive changes they’ve witnessed with respect to women in finance over the last 20 years that they’ve been working with women and investment professionals, and some of the areas they think we still need to improve.

With the first quarter of 2023 nearly half over, Co-Chief Investment Strategists Emily R. Roland, CIMA, and Matthew D. Miskin, CFA, join podcast host John P. Bryson to analyze the latest economic and market trends and consider portfolio positioning ideas for the rest of the year. They explore quarterly earnings season trends, the latest policy shift from the U.S. Federal Reserve, and the challenges stemming from U.S.-China relations and its impact on globalization.