Gaining Perspective

Advisors are being asked to provide their clients with a full suite of solutions, ranging from estate and tax planning to portfolio management, and everything in between. Clients are increasingly eager to gain access to fully customizable solutions that meet their individual needs. Advisors, meanwhile, are facing constraints while grappling with a volatile market, and their relationships with clients are being tested.To address those market challenges, SS&C Rendezvous was launched in 2023, offering advisors a turnkey, front-end investment management platform embedded in the Black Diamond portfolio management system. Featuring an open architecture model marketplace and an integrated proposal-generation tool targeting clients and prospects, Rendezvous empowers advisors with the technological resources to streamline goals-based financial planning and proposal generation, offer investment solutions and asset allocation tools that achieve clients’ goals and reclaim time to focus on building relationships.Here are links for more information about Eric and SS&C ALPS:The Rendezvous home page - https://www.alpsadvisors.com/rendezvous The ALPS Funds home page - https://www.alpsfunds.com/ A message from Advisor Perspectives and VettaFi: To learn more on this and other topics, check out our full schedule of upcoming CE-approved virtual events.

Courtney Wolf, muni portfolio manager at Capital Group, discusses the benefits of tax-loss harvesting via active fixed income ETFs. They explore investing in portfolio construction, the advantages of the active Muni ETF CGMU, and the construction and positioning of CGMU. They also address volatility in the bond market and the benefits of active ETFs in the municipal sector.

Investors were taught a lesson in 2022 when equities and fixed income delivered double-digit, negative returns.  No longer could the major asset classes be counted on for diversification.  That outcome has led to a surge of interest in alternative investments.  My guest today will argue why alternatives are important for advisors to consider and how doing so in a cost-sensitive way is important. Hedge funds and private equity can provide significant alpha but are often unobtainable for retail, non-accredited investors. ETF structures offer advisors and their clients access to those types of investments in a liquid, transparent way.Here are some resources to learn more about Bob and the Unlimited Funds:Unlimited Funds' home page- https://www.unlimitedfunds.com/ Follow Bob Elliott on X (Twitter)- https://twitter.com/BobEUnlimited View the performance of HFND- https://www.unlimitedetfs.com/hfnd/ A message from Advisor Perspectives and VettaFi: To learn more on this and other topics, check out our full schedule of upcoming CE-approved virtual events.

According to a recent J.D. Power study, fewer than 15% of clients say their advisor provides an ideal advice experience; and yet many advisors likely suffer from Dunning Kruger cognitive bias, where they think they are among that 15% when for the majority, that’s impossible. Why is financial advice in such a state? Because, despite their best efforts, financial advisors aren’t hitting the core attributes of comprehensive advice. To solve this, Practice Intel, a new firm led by Dr. Preston Cherry, Tom Rieman, Larry Shumbres, and Nick Gudz, among others, has launched. Combining practice-level insights with innovative e-learning resources and a proprietary index that benchmarks a firm’s valuation against its peers, Practice Intel helps advisors enhance their advice experience while achieving more organic growth and, ultimately, increasing their valuation.-Here are some resources to learn more about Practice Intel and its offerings:Practice Intel home page- https://pracintel.com/homeTom Rieman's LinkedIn page- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-rieman/Preston Cherry's LinkedIn page- https://www.linkedin.com/in/drprestoncherry/Bios for Tom Rieman and Preston Cherry- https://pracintel.com/aboutAn article about Practice Intel: "Putting Your Clients First"- https://www.wealthmanagement.com/client-relations/putting-your-clients-interests-firstA message from Advisor Perspectives and VettaFi: To learn more on this and other topics, check out our full schedule of upcoming CE-approved virtual events.

With Americans living longer and deferring retirement for lots of reasons, the retirement planning landscape is changing. Employers are not offering pensions. All these factors make planning for retirement income crucial. We’ll explore this in depth with my guest, Matt DiGangi.-Here are some resources to learn more about MassMutual Strategic Distributors (MMSD) and its offerings:Learn More about MMSD Annuity Solutions and Check Rates - https://mmsd.massmutual.com/products/annuities For more thought leadership, follow Matt DiGangi and MMSD on LinkedInwww.linkedin.com/showcase/massmutual-strategic-distributors/ www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-digangi-mba-cltc-2416556/ Referenced in this podcast:In Retirement Planning, It's What You Don't Know That Can Hurt Them - https://fieldnet.massmutual.com/public/ltc/pdfs/sdp6026.pdf Fixed Annuities and Consumer Literacy Study - https://fieldnet.massmutual.com/public/ann/pdfs/sdp5045.pdf Health Care Costs in Retirement - https://fieldnet.massmutual.com/public/ann/pdfs/an6722.pdf A message from Advisor Perspectives and VettaFi: To learn more on this and other topics, check out our full schedule of upcoming CE-approved virtual events.

We are speaking on November 3, but the big headline for 2023 has already been written. This will be the year of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Not only have AI and ML driven the soaring valuations of stocks like NVDIA, but they have also demonstrated the potential to increase the efficiency of advisory practices.My guest today will provide an update on the latest in AI/ML and how solutions such as ChatGPT will positively impact financial professionals.  Prepare to be informed, inspired, and equipped with the knowledge to navigate the exciting horizons that lie ahead.-For more information, visit Osaic online at www.osaic.com A message from Advisor Perspectives and VettaFi: To learn more on this and other topics, check out our full schedule of upcoming CE-approved virtual events.

Investing in “smart beta” was the rage in the early 2000s, as small-cap-value stocks vaulted over large-cap-growth stocks. But like all supercharged investment strategies, it didn’t last. Factors premiums have not materialized since the financial crisis. For most of the last decade, value has underperformed growth, driving the underperformance of the largest category of smart-beta strategies.  We’ll go over the case for and against factors in this interview with long-term investment adviser, Rick Ferri.Here are a few links to resources:Rick’s PowerPoint presentation, “The Case Against Factor Investing”Rick's firm, Ferri Investment Solutions

As of last week, Morningstar Direct calculated that 391 new ETFs had begun trading in 2023. That's significantly higher than the 311 that had debuted by the final week of October in 2021, the year ETF launches set a record of 475. Active strategies are playing a key role in that record-breaking pace. Despite holding about 6% of total assets, actively managed ETFs still added almost one-third of total flows in September. Nearly 75% of the launches so far this year have been active ETFs.AllianceBernstein (AB) launched its first ETFs into that intensely competitive marketplace.  My guest, Noel Archard, is here to discuss the competitive dynamics of the ETF industry and his strategy to gain market share in the advisor intermediary channel.-AB ETFs Website: www.alliancebernstein.com/go/etfsA message from Advisor Perspectives and VettaFi: To learn more on this and other topics, check out our full schedule of upcoming CE-approved virtual events.

In mid-September, Rockefeller Asset Management, the asset management arm of Rockefeller Capital Management, and KraneShares, a leading global ETF provider specializing in China, climate, and uncorrelated assets, launched the KraneShares Rockefeller Ocean Engagement ETF (ticker: KSEA). The fund invests in public companies with significant impact on oceans and ocean resources, reflecting the meaningful investment opportunities within the blue economy. KSEA aims to generate competitive returns and improve ocean health through shareholder engagement activity focused on pollution prevention, carbon transition, and ocean conservation. Holdings include companies from diverse sectors such as aquaculture, commercial fishing, waste management, renewable energy, and logistics, among others.My guest, Casey Clark, will discuss this new ETF.-Here are a few links to resources:Rockefeller Capital Management’s website- https://www.rockco.com/Fact sheet for the KraneShares Rockefeller Ocean Engagement ETF (ticker: KSEA) - https://kraneshares.com/ksea/A message from Advisor Perspectives and VettaFi: To learn more on this and other topics, check out our full schedule of upcoming CE-approved virtual events.Diversification does not ensure a profit or guarantee against a loss.

Free-cash-flow yield is the surplus cash after expenses and investments divided by the price of the security. Free-cashflow yield has been used for a long time by active hedge funds. Now it has become part of the indexing landscape, competing for assets with other quantitative approaches. It has historically outperformed in markets that favored value stocks and shown resilience in growth markets. My guest today will explain why, in today's intangible asset-driven economy, traditional metrics like price to earnings and price to book face challenges, making free cash flow a more relevant valuation metric. We will discuss how advisors should think about free cash flow and the steps VictoryShares & Solutions has taken to enhance traditional approaches.All investments involve some degree of risk.-Here are some resources to learn more about VictoryShares:VictoryShares Free Cash Flow ETF (VFLO) Product Page- https://www.vcm.com/products/victoryshares-etfs/victoryshares-etfs-list/victoryshares-free-cash-flow-etfVFLO Brochure- https://www.vcm.com/content/dam/vcm/campaigns/intermediary/VS%20VLFO%20IB.pdfVFLO Factsheet- https://www.vcm.com/assets/etf/factsheet-pdf/VS%20VFLO%20FS.pdfVettaFi Free Cash Flow Channel- https://www.etftrends.com/free-cash-flow-channel/Distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC. Foreside is not affiliated with Victory Capital Management Inc. or its affiliates.A message from Advisor Perspectives and VettaFi: To learn more on this and other topics, check out our full schedule of upcoming CE-approved virtual events.