Advisor Success Series: Recent Episodes

3D/L Financial Group

Hosted by 3D/L Financial Group, LLC. we bring you innovative ideas from investment experts and practice and business management leaders.  Check back often to hear from fellow financial advisors talk about what is working for them; service providers describing best of breed technology, product and practice solutions; as well as, economists, portfolio managers, analysts and investment product specialists from all ends of the industry spectrum, from mega global managers to small but innovative boutique firms.

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In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Som Priestly, Head of Multi-Asset Solutions at T. Rowe Price. Som discusses their approach to market positioning, emphasizing the importance of being both realistic and diversified, particularly when investing across the artificial intelligence theme. He highlights potential shifts in the firm's AI thesis, including the pace of innovation and broader corporate adoption of AI technologies. Som also shares insights on portfolio structuring, noting their strategic overweight in high-yield credit and their recent adjustments, including reducing precious metal exposure while increasing investments in small-cap stocks and emerging markets. He expresses cautious optimism about inflation and discusses the team's ongoing efforts to align portfolio views and identify opportunities across various market scenarios.

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Continuing our special series on post retirement income planning, we sit down with Sheryl O'Connor (CEO and co-founder of IncomeConductor) and Phil Lubinski (CFP, co-founder, former retail advisor specializing in retirees, and developer of the time-segmented income strategy that underpins the platform).

Sheryl provides some high level industry trends including: 1) Increased Focus on Healthcare & Long-Term Care, 2) Longevity & Personalized Financial Projections, and 3) Growing Annuity Adoption. Phil speaks frequently with advisors and he finds a growing shift among advisors to 1) offer comprehensive, client-centered retirement expertise with 2) tools enabling precise, integrated modeling of guarantees, growth, and risks.

Additional points brought up in this episode:

  1. Modern retirees want engagement in plan development (vs. passive in the 1980s).
  2. Time-segmented approach aligns with goal-based planning (like accumulation for multiple horizons).
  3. More guaranteed income boosts willingness to take risk and gives "permission to spend" (reducing underspending in "go-go" early retirement phases).
  4. Proactive tax planning addresses "retirement's tax trifecta" (RMDs, spousal death bracket jumps, generational transfers).
  5. Competition (targeting 50+ demographic) drives advisors toward specialization over compliance fears; technology/AI enables scalable, deeper planning.

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In this episode, we are please to be joined by Sam Rines, Macro Strategist at WisdomTree. Sam shares his career journey from working at several hedge funds to joining WisdomTree as their macro strategist. We discuss how geopolitical and fiscal policies intersect to influence investment strategies, covering various geopolitical topics including Europe's industrial landscape, energy reliance, and defense capabilities, as well as the impact of tariffs on businesses and the outlook for the Asian defense industry. We conclude our discussion with insights on artificial intelligence applications in business, the current state of the business cycle, and what could surprise investors in the coming year.

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In this episode, we welcome back Dave Nadig, fresh from a brief retirement and now President of ETF.com. Dave is an industry stalwart, having seen the industry through decades of ETF product development and transformation. We discuss the current landscape for product development targeting institutional, financial intermediaries (aka advisors), and retail. We cover hot product areas such as non-traditional income, leveraged, private alternatives, and structured products such as autocallables and barriers as well as the expected approval of ETF share class launches of existing mutual funds.

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In this episode, we are pleased to be joined by first time guest, JoAnne Binaco, Partner and Senior Investment Strategist at BondBloxx ETFs. Recorded in early October 2025, we discuss the recent headlines around high profile collapses of some subprime lenders and how such collapses do not necessarily portend a systemic risk to the broader corporate lending environment and how investment opportunities may emerge with the rise in credit volatility.

BondBloxx disclaimer: Carefully consider the Funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Funds' prospectus or, if available, the summary prospectus, which may be obtained by visiting https://bondbloxxetf.com/prospectuses/ or calling 800-896-5089. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. The Funds are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC. There are risks associated with investing, including possible loss of principal.

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In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with David Blanchett and Daniel Gutman from Prudential Investment Management and Prudential Retirement Services, respectively. We discuss recent innovations within the insurance product space to provide an "insurance overlay" on top of investment managed programs, affording retirees deferred lifetime income with the flexibility in managing their existing investment programs. Our guests also share recent insights into post-retirement spending patterns based on a May 2025 research paper, "Retirees: Doing Better with Less," which can be found at https://www.davidmblanchett.com/research.

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Welcome back to the Advisor Success Series Podcast. After a brief hiatus, we are pleased to be joined by Jeremy Schwartz, CIO of WisdomTree Investments. In this episode, we cover the expanding scope of WisdomTree's knowledge offerings from positioning for key geopolitical themes to emerging trends in ETF product development such as return stacking and digital tokenization.

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In this episode, we are pleased to be joined by first time guest Phil McInnis, Chief Investment Strategist at Avantis Investors. Phil shares research on why investors should stay the course during periods of market volatility like what we recently witnessed following the trade tariff announcements on April 2 "Liberation Day." He reminds listeners the importance of maintaining a strategic mindset when investing in risky assets, such as equities, as the inherent risks are the reasons why stocks outperform bonds and cash over the long run. We also discuss their research into additional market risk premiums that have historically rewarded investors with higher returns such as value and cash flow profitability.

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In this episode, we are rejoined by Wes Crill, Senior Investment Director at Dimensional Fund Advisors to discuss the latest performance challenges for the Fama/French factor premium framework, namely small cap value within the U.S. market. Wes provides context for these performance challenges, especially in light of positive performance of the premiums outside the U.S. and for investors to stick with the premiums over the long run.

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In this episode we are pleased to be joined by Jay Jacobs, Head of Thematic and Active ETFs at BlackRock, as we explore the firm's 2025 outlook for thematic investing. Key topics include opportunities driven by a lower interest rate environment, a renewed focus on improving U.S. physical infrastructure for transportation and manufacturing, and the buildout of artificial intelligence capabilities. We’ll also cover essential factors to consider when incorporating thematic exposure into your portfolio.

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In this episode, we are joined by Massimo Santicchia, Co-Founder of Alpha Quant specializing in systematically-managed portfolios using a quantitative approach. We discuss the current environment where U.S. large caps have handily outperformed small caps over the last decade and why the environment is shaping up to favor small caps over large caps. We also discuss why one should be more selective with respect to fundamental characteristics when building a small cap portfolio.

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In this episode, we are pleased to be joined by Chad Farrington, Co-Head Municipal Bond Investment Strategy at DWS Asset Management. Chad provides an update on the federal tax-exempt bond market, which includes issuers spanning state and local municipalities to public use facilities such as mass transit, airports, and toll roads. We also discuss the interest rate environment in light of Federal Reserve policy and the upcoming federal elections.

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In this episode, we are rejoined by Taylor Lukof, CEO and Founder of ABR Dynamic Funds, to discuss the spike in market volatility catalyzed by the Bank of Japan's decision to raise interest rates that precipitated a sharp unwinding of Japanese yen-funded risk positioning. Taylor mentions how difficult it was for both professional and retail volatility traders to navigate around both the spike in market volatility as well as its quick reversion back to low levels. What happened in August is but another reminder of the challenges for do-it-yourself traders trying to positioning themselves to take a directional view on market volatility.

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In this episode, we discuss the current market environment with Brian Weisenberger, Senior Market Strategist at Kensington Asset Management. Brian shares how Kensington assesses the equity and fixed income markets through a systematic lens. Although the current environment remains conducive for risk-on positioning across equities and fixed income, he does highlight some potential pockets of turbulence and why investors should incorporate some tactical strategies to navigate through this turbulence.

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In this episode, we are joined by John Davi, founder of Astoria Portfolio Advisors. Following three years of John consistently and accurately forecasting inflation would persist, he now shares his revised outlook for the current challenging environment and actionable recommendations for investors. We believe this interview will help advisors to navigate between slowing growth and elevated inflation. Astoria studies economic and business cycles and emphasizes diversification across asset classes and investment styles but favors higher quality segments of the market as long as interest rates remain elevated.

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In this episode, we hear about growth opportunities outside the U.S. market, which has been dominated by U.S. technology firms, primarily those investing in generative artificial intelligence. Shane Duffy, Lead Portfolio Manager for J.P. Morgan's International Equity Growth strategy, identifies growth opportunities overseas, not just in technology but in other economic segments across industrials and consumer discretionary.

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In this episode, we are joined by Lewis Stocks, portfolio specialist with WestEnd Advisors, who specializes in managing strategies built around the economic cycle. Lewis shares the firm's outlook on the U.S. and international landscape and how they are positioned for a slow but steady phase of the economic cycle with an emphasis on U.S. sector positioning.

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In this episode, Brian Mulberry shares with our audience the insights that can be gleaned from earnings estimate revisions as well as the need to contextualize earnings revisions with other data to provide a more robust market outlook. Zacks recognizes the headwinds of higher interest rates and a deceleration in post-pandemic spending, so investors should be mindful of the quality of the companies, such as whether those companies can weather the storm of higher costs of capital while growing their earnings.

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As we kick off the 2024 season, we are pleased to be joined by Eben Burr, President of Toews Asset Management. In this episode, we discuss Toews' approach to dynamically managing downside risk in both equities and fixed income allocations within a balanced portfolio. Eben also provides his outlook on the challenges facing capital markets, especially around fiscal and monetary uncertainties heading into this year's U.S. election.

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In the final episode for 2023, we are pleased to be joined by first-time guest Taylor Lukof, Founder and CEO of ABR Dynamic Funds. We discuss the basics of what it means to invest in Volatility Strategies, how to consider such strategies within a traditional asset allocation framework, and whether any market insights can be gleaned from the behavior of volatility pricing.

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In this episode, we have the pleasure of catching up with Wes Crill, Senior Investment Director at Dimensional Funds. We address some of the latest academic reviews of factor investment research, specifically research for what's driving the factor performance/variability. We also discuss the challenges 2023 is posing on the factor premiums such as value and size.

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In this episode, we catch up with prior guest Jason Bloom, Head of Fixed Income and Alternative Asset ETF Strategy at Invesco. We discuss the current market landscape and economic backdrop for cross-asset class positioning. Hear why Jason was not surprised by this year's rise in interest rates and why investors are being paid to park in fixed income and commodities.

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The real estate sector has come under increasing pressure due to a combination of higher interest rates, tightening credit conditions, and uncertain outlooks over certain sub-sectors, particularly commercial office properties. However, with uncertainty comes opportunity and more compelling valuations for a sector that could see brighter days ahead should nominal interest rates see a peak over the next year. Listen in as we discuss the real estate outlook with Brian Cordes from Cohen & Steers, a specialty investment firm with a long history in real estate investing.

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In this episode, we discuss the economic and market environment with David Cervantes of Pinebrook Capital. David brings a broad market perspective having spent most of his career on Wall Street covering fixed income and cross-asset sales at Morgan Stanley, UBS, and JPMorgan. David now focuses on asset allocation and manages systematic trading strategies for his own private capital and is an active commentator on social media. He shares with us where and why the economic consensus got the U.S. recession call wrong and the implications for asset allocation positioning looking ahead.

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In this episode, we focus on thematic investing with Scott Helfstein, Head of Thematic Solutions at Global X ETFs. Scott brings a unique multi-faceted perspective to the thematic landscape having previously served as an analyst at the Federal Reserve, worked in investment banking, and taught international politics and policy at West Point Academy. We discuss the current macro environment as well as investment themes that have captured investor attention such as generative artificial intelligence and robotics.

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In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Ken Shinoda, Chairman of the Structured Products Committee at DoubleLine and co-manager on the firm's Total Return, Opportunistic Income, Income, Opportunistic MBS and Strategic MBS strategies. Ken will be sharing his thoughts on current Fed policy and its eventual effects on economic activity and inflation. He will also provide an update on the state of the securitized lending market covering autos, credit cards, and residential / commercial real estate.

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In this episode, we discuss the market and economic landscape with Jeff Weniger, Head of Equity Strategy at WisdomTree. At the time of this recording, we find ourselves at an inflection point between peak inflation, peak economic activity, and peak central bank tightening - or are we? Jeff shares his views through a cross-sectional analysis of housing, labor, production, and valuations and where the risk/reward looks most favorable and unfavorable.

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We are pleased to kick off our 2023 season of the Advisor Success Series Podcast with Dave Nadig and Todd Rosenbluth from VettaFi. Both Dave and Todd are veterans of the fund industry and share their perspectives on prevailing industry trends such as ETF adoption, active versus passive management, and how advisors are shifting their practices to an ever-changing landscape.

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In this episode, we welcome Andrew back to our podcast series as we discuss the economic and investment landscape for 2023. We discuss why the U.S. economy will just skate by on real (inflation-adjusted) economic growth, why inflation will come down but not as fast as implicitly priced in by financial markets, and their preferences for how asset allocators should be positioned in a less certain environment for economic and earnings growth. 

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In this episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Rahul Hemrajani, Product Manager at Fitch Group, Inc.  Over a short period of time, Rahul has established a prominent profile within the ‘FinTwit’ community serving as host to his popular Twitter Spaces forums discussing the latest market-moving headlines.  We also discuss the current investment landscape as asset allocators must contend with an uncertain environment replete with high global inflation and central bank tightening. 

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In this episode, we take an opportunity to turn inward and discuss our recent acquisition by Freedom Advisors, the owner of EQIS Capital which runs an investment platform for independent financial advisors.  We discuss how our platforms complement one another to offer a wide breadth of services for advisors and reaffirm the importance of the independent advisory model. 

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In this episode, we take an opportunity to turn inward and discuss our recent acquisition by Freedom Advisors, the owner of EQIS Capital which runs an investment platform for independent financial advisors.  We discuss how our platforms complement one another to offer a wide breadth of services for advisors and reaffirm the importance of the independent advisory model. 

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In this episode, we follow up with Wes Crill, Head of Investment Strategists at Dimensional Funds, from our May 2022 podcast episode in light of the continuing market volatility during the 1st half of 2022.  We address investor misconceptions and behavioral tendencies in the face of steep market sell-offs, both in equities and fixed income.  We caution investors to not react to short-term market volatility and evaluate how risk is being priced in equities and fixed income in the face of greater uncertainty on inflation and economic growth outlooks. 

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In this episode, we are pleased to be joined by Tony Crescenzi, Market Strategist and Generalist Portfolio Manager at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO).  In addition to providing an updated outlook on the fixed income market, Mr. Crescenzi helps our listeners get a more intuitive understanding of Quantitative Tightening (“QT”), or the Federal Reserve’s initiative to begin reducing its nearly $9 trillion balance sheet as part of a broader campaign to tighten monetary policy in the face of persistently high inflation.  How are we to understand both the impact of QT on capital markets functioning as well as on overall borrowing costs?  Have a listen to better understand the uncertainty that even financial professionals, let alone the layperson, struggle with in trying to gauge the potential impact of QT. 

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In this episode, we catch up with Wes Crill, Head of Investment Strategists at Dimensional Funds, to discuss the client communication challenges financial advisors are facing in the wake of market volatility, especially in fixed income which has typically served as a ballast to equities, but not so much so far in 2022.  We also discuss how advisors might address client inquiries into cryptocurrency / digital asset investing when viewed within the context of expected risk/returns applied to traditional assets. 

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In this episode, Bonnie Treichel, Chief Solutions Officer at Endeavor Retirement, joins us to discuss retirement plan compliance. Endeavour Retirement is a consulting firm dedicated to solving problems for plan sponsors, advisors, and service providers. Her background and experience give her a unique and informed perspective on the retirement plan industry. Our conversation covers timely topics such as PTE 2020-02, ESG Investing, and much more around the compliance landscape. 

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In this episode, we have the opportunity to hear from American Century’s Joyce Huang, Portfolio Specialist on the Emerging Market Fixed Income Management team.  We discuss the current investment landscape for the emerging markets following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting spillover into other regions.  Joyce Huang shares with our listeners how the team has been able to navigate the market turmoil (hint: the team had hedged their Russian debt exposure prior to the invasion) and some of the opportunities they are finding following the broader sell-off in emerging market fixed income. 

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We are pleased to be joined by Michael Green from Simplify ETFs to discuss the decision by the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates for the first time following the March 2022 meeting.  We dig into the rationales for the course of action the Fed has committed itself to as it seeks to help restore price stability through tighter monetary policy actions without tipping the U.S. economy into recession.  We provide our views on the challenges the Fed faces given signs of an economic slowdown, largely a result of the higher prices feeding into a more expensive basic cost-of-living environment that many are struggling to keep up with.  What the Fed will do and what it ought to do is subject to much debate as we try to move past the 2020 pandemic shutdowns. 

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In this episode, we catch up with ETF industry veteran Dave Nadig from ETF Trends to discuss the latest developments within the fund industry.  Of particular interest is the attempt by the investment industry (the public markets ecosphere) to create product giving access to the digital world whose innovation and evolution is occurring with lightning speed.  Can the public sphere and regulators keep up with the innovation, technological changes, and lower levels of transparency that have given a Wild West feel to digital asset investing?  Should the two spheres be crossed or kept separate from an investment perspective?  We also discuss some social media ‘disagreements’ concerning possible negative fallouts from the popularity of indexing and target-date funds as well as disagreements over what constitutes the proper role of ‘stewardship’ by vis-à-vis shareholder proxy voting and shareholder activism. 

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To kick off 2022, we have the pleasure of speaking with Nancy Davis, CIO of Quadratic Capital Management, to discuss what is top-of-mind in capital market pricing, namely persistently high inflation and the U.S. Federal Reserve’s response.  We discuss the inflationary/deflationary pickle global central banks find themselves contending with and how one can be positioned for both a rising rate environment and a less-than-aggressive central bank response over fears of going overboard on monetary tightening.

The information, statements, comments, views, and opinions expressed or provided in this podcast are not necessarily those of 3D/L, and may not be current. 3D/L does not make any representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any of the information, statements, comments, views, or opinions contained in this podcast. 3D/L does not endorse any products or securities mentioned.

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3D/L's President, John O'Connor and CIO, Benjamin M. Lavine, CFA, CAIA, RICP recently hosted a webinar with Jordan Farris of Nuveen, and John Braccio of Wright-Pierce to discuss the state of ESG investing and real-world applications. The full webinar video can be watched here

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On this episode, we are joined by Jillian DelSignore, CIMA, the Managing Director, Head of ETFs & Indexing at FLX Distribution. FLX is a unique technology platform that brings together asset managers, distribution professionals, wealth advisors, and advisors. Prior to joining FLX, Jillian was worked at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, BlackRock iShares, and Goldman Sachs. Jillian currently serves on the Board of Women in ETFs, Inc, the first women’s group for the ETF industry, and serves as an Independent Board Member for the Uncommon Investment Funds Trust. 

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In this episode, we catch up with Nate Geraci, President of the ETF Store and host of the ETF Prime podcast.  We discuss the latest buzz around digital asset ETF product launches, how to manage investor behavior in the face of volatility, and whether ETF product development has been largely tapped out. (Hint: it hasn’t so far).

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In this episode, Wes Crill, Head of Investment Strategists at Dimensional Funds, joins us to discuss the latest issues surrounding value investing.  Stocks trading at low price/book valuations have historically outperformed the broader market due to their inherent riskiness, whether due to the cyclical nature of their businesses, capital intensity, or higher financial leverage.  However, an increasing number of academics and investors are questioning the relevance of book value (assets less liabilities) as the basis for measuring company valuation as opposed to earnings, cash flow, sales, etc.  As global economies transition to the digital age with capital investments increasingly focused on research and development and software licenses, is book value still relevant as a valuation metric for today’s investors?

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In this episode, we are joined by Ross Marino. Ross is the founder of Transitus Wealth Partners and has been working as an advisor for over 30 years. We discuss Ross' philosophy around decision making, how to prioritize, and how he works with clients in the moments that come up unexpectedly. He is also the founder of Advisor 2x, a company that has hosted over 1000 events and conferences for financial advisors. His new book: Shaping Change: How to Respond When Life Disrupts your Retirement Plan, which he co-wrote with Susan Bradley, is available now.

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In this episode, Matt Shute is joined by Korrine Kohm of Compliance Solution Strategies. They discuss the regulatory climate, new updates, marketing, and what is in store for advisors and advisory practices going forward. Korrine currently holds the position of Director of Retail Wealth Manager Services for Compliance Solutions Strategies (CSS). 

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In this episode, we have the pleasure of catching up with David Braun, Senior Portfolio Manager at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO).  Inflation has emerged as one of the key risks to the market narrative as it remains top of mind by many Americans as expressed in recent polling.  We discuss PIMCO’s outlook on inflation and why current elevated readings will likely prove to be ‘transitory’ rather than permanent and also discuss the firm’s views on interest rates and fixed income spread sectors such as corporate and mortgage-backed bonds.

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In this episode, we are pleased to be joined by Andrew Little, research analyst at Global X, to discuss investment opportunities around water technology such as sourcing, distributing, and increasing productivity of usage. The ESG movement has led to plenty of investor capital funneled into ‘green’ technologies focused on sustaining our living standards (e.g. energy and transportation) rather than sustaining basic living itself such as providing living needs around food, water, and affordable housing.  This episode covers the broader landscape for how investors should think about investing in water-based technologies as well as some of the exciting innovations taking place.

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Are dividends still relevant in today’s market environment more fixated on ‘splashier’ investment themes, whether SPACs, cryptocurrencies, or the next dominant technology play? We have the pleasure of hosting Nathan Eigerman who recently published a white paper on the importance of dividend investing, even in today’s market environment where dividend payouts seem like an afterthought for realizing total returns in the equity markets.  You may be surprised that dividend investing has generally been a winning strategy over the last two decades, how dividends reflect positive signals on the part of company management, and how dividends can be systematically incorporated into an index designed to provide a higher yielding portfolio with comparable market risk. 

Value Line Disclosure

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In this episode, we catch up with Dimensional Funds on Sustainability Investing, following up on our December 2019 podcast.  We discuss the landscape of ESG investing and the current challenges facing investors given the increased popularity.  We discuss the tradeoffs to ESG investing and what investors are potentially giving up.  In particular, we focus on how investors can invest for sustainability while maintaining exposures to dimensions of higher expected returns (i.e. Fama/French risk factors). 

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It’s been just over a year when we last spoke with Jason Bloom at Inside ETF right before the pandemic shutdown.  Part retrospective, part forward-looking, we discuss the market environment from what we saw a year ago versus what we’re seeing today.  Listen to Jason’s thoughts on the reflation trade that has propelled commodity prices from their pandemic lows while also driving up interest rates. 

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In this episode, we catch up with Dave Nadig, Chief Investment Officer and Director of Research at ETF Trends and ETF Database (owned by ETF Flows, LLC).  We discuss how exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) fared during the March 2020 market meltdown, Dave’s outlook for the fund industry looking ahead, how we might see renewed interest in traditional active management, and the fund disintermediation threats posed by up-and-coming financial technologies such as direct indexing and digital assets. 

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In this episode, we are pleased to be joined by Ric Edelman, Founder of Edelman Financial Engines and, more recently, Founder of RIA Digital Assets Council (RIADAC).  We dive into the recent surge in investor appetite for digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies embodied by Bitcoin and Etherium, discuss the differences between digital assets and stable coins, and hear about Ric’s goal of providing digital asset education to the financial advisor community.

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In this episode, Matt Shute is joined by his colleague Ed Schweitzer to discuss the behavioral "coach" role that financial advisors take on when working with clients. Ed recently joined the firm and brings a great deal of insight into how successful advisors work with clients to ensure they reach their financial goals. 

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In this episode, we catch up with Larry McDonald, former Lehman Brothers bond trader and current proprietor of the Bear Traps Report.  We discuss the shifting market landscape that could see a handoff from the government to the private sector as the world recovers from the coronavirus epidemic.  A bigger debate concerns whether the world’s infrastructure has the capacity to accommodate a post-COVID recovery, especially meeting near-term energy demands in the face of declining output.  And as payment moratoriums roll-off by year-end, will financial pressures across commercial real estate weigh down the broader credit markets?

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In this episode, we dive into PIMCO’s newly released Secular Outlook and why we should expect a lower for longer scenario as the world tries to move past the COVID-19 pandemic.  We discuss implications around 1) China’s continuing emergence as a global economic growth driver, 2) continued electoral pressures stemming from populism, 3) rising climate-related risks with respect to corporate governance and capital raising, and 4) technological disruptions.  We also discuss opportunities and challenges for investing in today’s fixed income environment and why the pressures faced by the commercial real estate sector do not present the same systemic risks to the financial system versus what happened with subprime mortgages during the 2008 financial crisis.

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Since the mid-March/April coronavirus pandemic market meltdown, broad basket commodities (precious and industrial metals, energy, agriculture) have enjoyed a strong recovery alongside other reflationary asset beneficiaries like equities.  Robert (Bob) Minter, Head of Investment Strategy at Aberdeen Standard Investments, shares his outlook on how the second act for commodities plays as we face some near-term headwinds such as U.S. government impasse over further pandemic spending and a renewed upswing of COVID-19 positive cases.   

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In this episode, 3D discusses late-stage venture financing opportunities with Christian Munafo, CIO of SP Investments Management, the asset management arm of SharesPost.  In this episode, we discuss why retail investors should consider late-stage venture financing as part of an overall equity growth strategy, how they can access private companies through retail investment vehicles like interval funds and SPACs, and the investment opportunities presented in SP’s current portfolio of companies focused on innovation and disruption across large addressable markets. 

Disclaimer:  Some of the names discussed are not held by the Fund, please consult the Fund's web page for a complete list of current Fund holdings.

https://sharespost.com/marketplace/individual-investors/buying-private-assets/sharespost-100-fund/

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We have the pleasure of catching up with Bob DeRochie, Fixed Income Specialist – Client Portfolio Manager at First Trust Advisors, to discuss the state of the fixed income markets following the significant recovery in credit risk during Q2.  Although much of the market is trading at rich levels, Bob still sees relative value opportunities across hybrid fixed income such as high yield, convertibles, and preferred equities.  But credit selection will be paramount as much of the ‘liquidity’ issues have been addressed by aggressive fiscal and monetary responses to the coronavirus pandemic. 

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In this episode, we had the pleasure of catching up with ETF Industry veteran Chris Hemstead, now Director of Institutional Business Development at IndexIQ, part of New York Life Investment Company.  Chris reflects on last March’s market meltdown and how ETFs performed during this tumultuous period.  He also shares his optimism about the growth of the ETF market and the potential for innovative product development such as actively-managed ETFs.  Finally, Chris explains how active management can pick up nuances overlooked by pure passive-based approaches to portfolio construction, such as in the area of ESG (Sustainability) Investing. 

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In this episode, Richard Taormina, Head of the Tax Aware Strategies team at JPMorgan Asset Management, will discuss the state of the U.S. municipal bond market during and after the mid-March capital markets meltdown and why much of the market has not fully recovered from the first quarter sell-off. The muni market is not fully out of the woods but is also presenting compelling opportunities.

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In this episode, Matt Shute is joined by Andy McFetridge, National Sales Manager at John Hancock Investment Management. Andy provides insights into the advisory world and how advisors can efficiently and effectively communicate their value propositions to clients. To learn more about how John Hancock Investment Management and how they are helping advisors go to: https://www.jhinvestments.com/

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3D sits down with Steve Sachs, Managing Director and Head of ETF Capital Markets at Goldman Sachs.  Steve shares his views on why he believes ETF capital markets largely functioned the way they were designed to do despite the significant price and liquidity dislocations during the depths of the March bear market.  We also debate about the Federal Reserve’s role in providing emergency lending and liquidity support and whether the Fed will be able to extricate themselves without causing major disruptions. 

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We had the pleasure of speaking with WisdomTree Investment’s Kevin Flanagan, Head of Fixed Income Strategy, and Michael Barrer, Associate Direct in Capital Markets.  In this special episode, we discuss the disruptions seen across fixed income market pricing and liquidity – one of several fallouts from the Coronavirus pandemic.  In addition, we discuss the longer-term implications of the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury Department’s emergency initiatives to unclog the financial plumbing and making sure businesses do not get cut off from lending. 

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We are pleased to be joined by Jeremy Schwartz, Global Head of Research, and Will Peck, Head of Corporate Strategy, at WisdomTree.  In this episode, Jeremy provides his take on how to make sense of the extreme market volatility this past month.  We then discuss WisdomTree’s foray into the digital asset ecosystem with their recent investment in Seccurency, a blockchain-based financial infrastructure company focused on the compliance side of how digital asset transactions do not run afoul of applicable laws and regulations such as know-your-customer.  One of WisdomTree’s goals is to position for a possible integration of blockchain technology into the ETF ecosystem that would revolutionize how investors can gain access to ETFs beyond the traditional custodial/brokerage account set-up.

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3D attended the 2020 Inside ETF Conference down in Hollywood, FL, and took the opportunity to interview some of the attendees for our Advisor Success Series podcast.

  1. [00:00] Matt Hougan, Global Head of Research, Bitwise Asset Management, provides an update on the crypto-currency landscape including the recent launch of insured custodial services for institutional crypto-currency accounts, the emergence of stable coins and tokenization of financial assets, and movements on the regulatory front to launch retail investment vehicles.
  2. [11:35] Jason Bloom, Senior Director, Global ETF Strategy and Research at Invesco, provides an update on the commodity and fixed income markets in light of the January 2020 coronavirus outbreak in China.
  3. [22:51] Ed Rosenberg and Rene Casis, responsible for ETF Offerings at American Century, provide an outlook on trends in ETF product development including the launch of semi-transparent active ETFs.

-The opinions expressed are those of American Century Investments (or the fund manager) and are no guarantee of the future performance of any American Century Investments fund. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. The third parties listed are independent companies and are not affiliated with American Century Investments. Listing them does not suggest a recommendation or endorsement by American Century Investments.

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In this episode, we are joined by Damien Dormer, U.S. Equity Portfolio Manager and Vice President at DFA, to discuss DFA’s approach to sustainability and socially responsible investing.  We discuss the importance of data integrity and efficient implementation of equity and fixed income portfolios oriented toward sustainable investing.

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In this episode, we discuss Bob’s overall outlook on the fixed income market as well as cover some less-followed areas of fixed income and where he sees attractive relative value.  In addition, Bob shares his outlook on interest rates heading into 2020 and why investors should expect a steeper yield curve. 

There is no guarantee that past trends will continue or projections will be realized.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Asset allocation and diversification may not protect against market risk, loss of principal or volatility of returns.

This information is subject to change and does not guarantee future results. The information presented is not intended to constitute an investment recommendation for, or advice to, any specific person. By providing this information, First Trust is not undertaking to give advice in any fiduciary capacity within the meaning of ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code or any other regulatory framework. Financial advisors are responsible for evaluating investment risks independently and for exercising independent judgment in determining whether or not the allocations are appropriate for their clients.

FOR INSTITUTIONAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION.

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In this episode, we welcome back John Davi, Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Astoria Advisors. We discuss Astoria’s market outlook, why it’s difficult to predict recessions, and how to position for the coming year.

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In this podcast episode, Matt Hougan provides an update on the crypto-currency landscape and why he is not concerned over the SEC’s latest rejection of Bitwise’s proposal for a crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF).  Matt also provides valuable insights on the latest crypto-currency trends, increases our understanding of the crypto-currency investment ecosystem, and clears up some misconceptions.

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In this podcast episode, Andrew Opdyke from First Trust shares a more sanguine outlook for the U.S. economy and equities despite lingering concerns over US-China trade conflicts and global manufacturing slowdown.

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On this podcast, Matt Shute is joined by Brian Cooper from ProAdvisor Coach. Brian has an extensive background in financial services; coaching advisors and teams. Brian discusses ProAdvisors' keys to success for advisors and how they approach problem areas to bring the most out of any practice.  

For your free MindScan review- Text 79-79-79, or email Brian directly at Brian@ProAdvisorCoach.com !

https://proadvisorcoach.com/

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In this episode, we sit down with Hardeep Walia, founder and CEO of Motif.  Hardeep discusses Motif’s approach for applying artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and deep data analytics to build global thematic indices tied to the Next Wave of Innovation.  This podcast highlights the increased systematization of the asset management industry by advancements in artificial intelligence and big data processing. 

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In this episode, Rich Farr, Chief Market Strategist at Merion Capital Group, shares his latest market and macroeconomic outlooks. Listen to why Rich is cautious in the near-term about stocks and credit pricing. Although he is not forecasting a recession, he believes gold and cash are preferable to taking on further equity and fixed income risk.

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On this episode, Ben Lavine sits down with Brendan Ahern to discuss specific investment themes tied to China’s growing economy.  Brendan also shares some counterpoints to some bear market arguments concerning China’s sensitivity to a slowdown in global trade activity and China’s ability to manage its significant debt levels. 

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On this episode, Ben Lavine sits down with Phil to discuss his perspectives on some of the hot issues facing the markets as well as how an independent ETF provider can remain competitive in a sea of big box providers.

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On this episode, Matt Shute is once again joined by Phil Lubinski from IncomeConductor. Phil has been a life-long financial advisor and a true pioneer in retirement income planning using time-segmentation. Besides retirement income planning, they discuss the changing landscape for advisors, the importance of succession planning, and technology. To learn more about IncomeConductor, visit- https://www.incomeconductor.com/

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We are pleased to be joined by Larry McDonald, New York Times bestselling author and CNBC contributor. Larry is the founder of 'The Bear Traps Report', an investment newsletter focused on Political and Systemic Risk with actionable trade ideas and Macro perspective. We discuss with Larry some of the hot macro investment topics covering China, Brazil, Brexit, the U.S. Federal Reserve, reflation versus recession, and the state of the fixed income markets. Larry also reveals where he believes the next bear market will likely emerge from.

https://www.thebeartrapsreport.com/

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On this episode, Matt Shute is joined by Mike Lecours the co-founder of fpPathfinder. fpPathfinder creates checklists and flowcharts to help advisors be more diligent in the planning process. He is also a financial advisor and planner.

Check him out here: https://www.fppathfinder.com/

As an added bonus, Mike sent over a couple of samples Here and Here.

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We are, once again, joined by Matt Bartolini, Head of SPDR Americas Research at State Street Global Advisors.  Matt shared with us some new research into sector-based investing from their business cycle analysis, using the Conference Board’s Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). 

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For this episode of the Advisor Success Series Podcast, Matt Shute is joined by Matt Eilers of USA Financial. Matt is the Chief Business Development Officer at USA Financial, and head of the Coaching & Consulting division. This episode dives into advisory best-practices for a wide arrange of topics including seminar marketing, introductions, and many more. Be sure to check out Matt's podcast called the Advisor Elevation Podcast here:

https://advisorelevation.com/podcast/

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Part 2 of our series at the Inside ETFs Conference includes:

[0:48] Ed Rosenberg and Rene Casis, responsible for ETF Offerings at American Century, discuss their outlook for Federal Reserve rate hikes in 2019 and why investors should emphasize ‘quality’ when positioning their portfolios.

[6:27] Lukas Smart, Portfolio Manager at Dimensional Funds and Manager of the John Hancock Multifactor ETFs, discusses some of the differences on how Dimensional’s strategies are implemented between the Dimensional mutual funds and John Hancock ETFs.

[11:07] Gene Podkaminer, Head of Research Strategies at Franklin Templeton, provides his macro outlook for a global GDP convergence between the U.S. and the rest of the world as well as his views on multi-factor construction.

[23:47] Luke Oliver, Head of Capital Markets at DWS, sees slowing global growth but opportunities within emerging markets, particularly China, and high yield fixed income as well as trends in ETF product development.

[31:28] Matt Bartolini, Head of SPDR Americas Research at State Street Global Advisors, shares with our audience some new research into sector-based investing using business cycle analysis.

[35:30] Alisa Maute, Head of Distribution, and Jeremy Schwartz, Global Head of Research at WisdomTree Investments, update our audience with their innovation of “modern alpha” and their development of advisor tools.

Disclosures:

-WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WisdomTree Investments”) is the sole owner of WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., a registered investment adviser, and is a substantial minority owner of AdvisorEngine Inc. (“AdvisorEngine”), a digital wealth management platform. WisdomTree and/or its affiliates has a financial interest in AdvisorEngine and its business.

-The opinions expressed are those of American Century Investments (or the fund manager) and are no guarantee of the future performance of any American Century Investments fund. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. The third parties listed are independent companies and are not affiliated with American Century Investments. Listing them does not suggest a recommendation or endorsement by American Century Investments.

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3D attended the February 2019 Inside ETF Conference down in Hollywood, FL, and took the opportunity to interview some of the attendees for our Advisor Success Series podcast.  Part 1 includes interviews with the following:

  1. [00:00] Matt Hougan, Global Head of Research, Bitwise Asset Management, discussing the current state of crypto-currency.
  2. [11:56] Jay Jacobs, Head of Research & Strategy, Global X Funds, discussing the latest trends in thematic-based investing.
  3. [18:48] Phil Bak, CEO, & Charles Ragauss, Managing Director, Exponential ETFs, on how smaller ETF providers can compete for investor shelf space.
  4. [25:10] William Rhind, Founder and CEO, Graniteshares, on the state of the commodity markets.
  5. [35:09] Nick Kalivas, Senior Equity ETF Strategist, Invesco, shares his thoughts on the current market environment and how ETF marketing will shift from products to implementation

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Once again, we have the pleasure of hosting Tom Psarofagis, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst covering the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) Industry. In kicking off Season 2 of our investment-focused podcasts, Tom will share with us the an update on the latest developments within the ETF industry as well as key trends to be mindful of as we start the new year

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In this episode, Matt Shute is joined by Chris Shea, CFA of CataMetrics. CataMetrics provides financial advisors and firms with tailored investment solutions and white-labeled sales and marketing collateral to help drive scalability and brand awareness.  Chris has over 18 years in the investment management industry and has been involved in security research, portfolio construction consulting, investment product sales and portfolio management throughout his career. 

View their website here!

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In this episode, Tom Goodrum, Institutional Fixed Income Strategist at DFA, will share with us the firm’s perspective on the importance of understanding the key risks that drive fixed income.  Many investors are familiar with the Fama-French risk premium framework that explains the majority of expected returns within global equities, but fewer are familiar with how this same risk-based framework applies to fixed income investing.  Tom and I discuss how term premiums across government and credit yield curves can explain the bulk of expected returns in fixed income as well as DFA’s views on the state of trading fixed income and why DFA hedges its currency risk across most of their global fixed income strategies. 

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In this podcast episode, we are joined by Kevin Orr, Nathan Eigerman and Joe Demmler, Managing Partners at Lee Capital Management. We discuss LCM’s approach to managing tactical, risk managed portfolios through sector positioning and why investors will want to consider such strategies given the current market environment. You can learn more about Lee Capital by visiting their website http://leecapitalmgmt.com/ .

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In this episode, Ben Lavine is joined once again by John Davi, Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Astoria Advisors to discuss the market turmoil experienced throughout October and share our firms’ outlooks on some of the risks facing investors going forward.  

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Today Ben Lavine is joined by Lukas Smart, portfolio manager at Dimensional Funds or DFA. In today’s podcast, Lukas shares with us his perspectives on the importance of maintaining a long-term investment focus for capturing the historical drivers of equity and fixed income risk-based returns – a particularly challenging exercise when many of those historical drivers, such as value and small cap, are not being rewarded in a period of technology disruption and social media-driven headlines.

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On this episode, Matt Shute is joined by Steve Lewczyk of Trizic. Trizic is technology platform offering end-to-end digital wealth solutions to advisors and institutions. Steve is currently the CRO of Trizic and has spent his career within financial services and more specifically providing software solutions to the industry.

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In this eposide, Ben Lavine is joined by Matt Bartolini, Head of SPDR Americas Research at State Street Global Advisors and John van Moyland, Head of Financial Products at Kensho Technologies, which was recently acquired by S&P Global Indices. Matt and John will share with us their perspectives on how sector indexing is evolving with the advent of artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and deep data analytics to arrive at more refined sector memberships that better capture the emerging technology landscape.

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In this episode, Matt Shute is joined by Annalee Kruger and Bob Mauterstock. Annalee and Bob run Plan 4 Life (https://plan4lifenow.com/ ), a firm that focuses on educating financial advisors for the future. Specifically, they educate advisors on aging clients and have created an extensive curriculum for financial advisors entitled: The Elder Planning Specialist program.

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In this podcast Ben Lavine is joined by Tom Psarofagis, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst covering the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) Industry. Tom shares with us the latest developments within the ETF industry and key trends that investors should focus on in the coming year.

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In this episode, Ben is joined by Darshan Bhatt, deputive chief investment officer at Glovista Investments based in Jersey City. Darshan will share with us his perspectives on the state of emerging markets and where he sees opportunities and challenges in the face of U.S. Federal Reserve tightening, higher commodity prices, and local unrest.

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In this episode, Matt Shute is joined by Phil Lubinski. Phil is known as a pioneer in retirement income planning and more specifically the time-segmentation approach. Phil has appeared on PBS Nightly Business Report and has provided the intellectual capital for the creation of commonly used retirement income tools and he most recently cofounded IncomeConductor. He is considered a leading authority on retirement income strategies and has trained thousands of advisors throughout his career.

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In this episode, Ben Lavine is joined by Arun Daniel, portfolio manager at JO Hambro Capital Management. Arun will share with us his perspectives on the state of the active management industry as well as his views on what constitutes running a successful franchise in an industry under siege from a passive indexing.   

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In this episode, Ben Lavine is joined by John Davi, Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Astoria Advisors. They discuss John’s transition from sell-side ETF strategist with stints at Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch to buy-side ETF model builder.   In addition, they also discuss John’s views on the state of the current markets and why he believes we’ve entered into a new period for risk asset pricing.

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On this episode of our Advisor Success Series Podcast, we are joined by Paul Berard. Paul is the head of distribution for the TAMP and ETF Strategist divisions of FlexShares, a division of Northern Trust Asset Management. Over the last 30 years he has worked with a diverse group of industry firms, teams, and advisors. In this podcast Paul shares his extensive knowledge of sales and best practices for financial professionals. 

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In this episode, Ben Lavine and our guest Justin Sibears will discuss an article published by Justin in August 2017 titled “Impact of High Equity Valuations on Safe Retirement Withdrawal Rates.” They will focus on how a common retirement income strategy adopted by many financial advisors, the so-called 4% systematic withdrawal approach, is at risk of not meeting retirement income goals assuming a more muted outlook for U.S. stock and bond returns.

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In this podcast, Ben Lavine is joined by Jay Jacobs, Director of Research at Global X Funds. They discuss the investment landscape for energy infrastructure, or the private enterprises focused on the transportation and storage of oil and natural gas. In addition, they discuss the major issues surrounding the general and master limited partnership structures, which represent the primary investment entities for how capital is funneled to the energy infrastructure space.

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We are pleased to host Nick Hopwood, CFP, President and CEO of Peak Wealth Management, LLC, to discuss his path towards independence following his departure from LPL Financial and turning Peak Wealth Management into a successful hybrid RIA practice.   Nick shares with us his insights into the successes and challenges he faced in making this transition, how he uses technology to run his practice more efficiently, why he outsources most of his investment management services, and why a more holistic approach to financial planning enhances the overall client experience.