Portfolio Intelligence Podcast

In the midst of the pandemic in March 2020, U.S. lawmakers passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which offered $2 trillion+ in stimulus funding for the U.S. economy. While this has been a welcome development for individuals and businesses, the Act itself is a labyrinth of features and eligibility conditions that pose important questions for financial professionals. To outline the basics of the Act’s economic benefits and to offer an interpretation of some of its more complex provisions, John is joined by Chris Frank, head of defined contribution consulting at John Hancock Retirement, and Ed Jastrem, CFP, director of financial planning at the Massachusetts-based registered investment advisor Heritage Financial. The topics at issue range from the expansion of unemployment benefits and the impact on federally backed student loans and mortgages to coronavirus-related retirement plan distributions. In addition, the discussion highlights ways in which the Act is still being interpreted by legal and tax professionals, particularly around distributions and guidance for retirement plans and their advisors.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, global demand for oil has fallen by roughly 30%, according to portfolio manager and energy market specialist David T. Cohen, CFA, of Boston Partners. David joins Portfolio Intelligence host John Bryson to discuss the recent volatility in oil prices, the ins and outs of the oil supply chain, and considerations for investors in energy stocks as the world attempts to move forward with an uncertain economic recovery. This podcast is distributed by John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.

With over 650 million members and 43% of them in decision-making roles, LinkedIn offers a huge reservoir of networking opportunities for financial professionals. Brendan Barca, an independent LinkedIn consultant and career coach, joins host John Bryson to discuss best practices for using LinkedIn to build a business, including tips on how to optimize your online profile and how to deliver a solutions-oriented message that will appeal to prospective clients. This podcast is distributed by John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.

Host John Bryson is joined by Matt Miskin and Emily Roland, co-chief investment strategists at John Hancock Investment Management. In discussing their Market Intelligence outlook for Q2 2020 and beyond, Matt and Emily identify what they consider to be attractive equity and fixed-income opportunities in the making despite the severe economic disruption caused by COVID-19 and the measures taken nationwide to “flatten the curve” of new cases. This podcast is distributed by John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.

When market volatility rises, our first impulse can be to cut and run. But that’s a biologically conditioned emotional response rather than a logical one. In this episode of Portfolio Intelligence, John Bryson is joined by Keith Van Etten, portfolio consultant and behavioral finance specialist at John Hancock Investment Management, to investigate our intuitive responses to stimuli versus our logical curbing of emotionally driven reactions. Applying these insights to investing, they discuss mental anchoring, unconscious simplification strategies, and other situations where listening to our gut can get our portfolios into trouble. This podcast is distributed by John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.

In the context of compounding uncertainties for the markets, John Bryson is joined by Matt Miskin and Emily Roland, co-chief investment strategists at John Hancock Investment Management. While addressing the market’s gathering speed to the downside, they also consider its potential upward velocity in the wake of new and pending monetary and fiscal measures. With a near-term economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic a virtual certainty, the discussion raises timely asset allocation guidance to help investors look beyond the storm of current volatility to focus on long-term investment plans. This podcast is distributed by John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.