Better conversations. Better outcomes. | Presented by BMO Global Asset Management

Every fall, BMO brings together investment strategists, economists, and leaders from across the industry to develop a medium-term outlook on the global markets.  With topics ranging from decarbonization and climate change to globalization and the risk of a U.S. recession, the Global Investment Forum helps paint a comprehensive picture of what may drive your clients’ portfolios in the years ahead.

Our guest is Mike Dowdall, Investment Strategist and Portfolio Manager with BMO’s Multi-Asset Solutions Team, based out of Chicago. We discuss the key takeaways from this year’s forum and what we’ll be watching as we enter the new year.

To view the report, go to https://www.bmogam.com/us-en/advisors/gif-2019/

For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.bmogam.com/us-en/advisors/news-and-insights/themes-from-the-2019-global-investment-forum/.

Over the last year, China’s equity markets gained greater global presence when China-A shares were listed on the MSCI and FTSE indices. Yet, the government has been slow to open more investment opportunities to foreigners.  In this episode, we explore this rapidly evolving economy and how U.S. investors should view China in the context of their emerging markets exposure.

Our guest is June Lui, a Portfolio Manager for the Greater China Strategy at LGM, which is one of BMO’s specialized investment teams.  We couldn’t think of a better person to ask about current events in China and uncover some actionable ideas for how advisors can incorporate China into a well-diversified portfolio.

For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.bmogam.com/us-en/advisors/news-and-insights/opening-for-business-china-a-shares-and-a-diversified-portfolio/.

The independent RIA channel has had sustained growth for over two decades. The desire for independence, innovative service models and transparency has fueled rapid growth.  Bernie Clark, Head of Schwab Advisor Services has been at the forefront of this evolution from a cottage business to over a 4 trillion dollar industry today. Bernie’s passion for helping independent advisors succeed in this space makes him the perfect person to share perspective and offer actionable advice for independent RIAs and those considering the move towards independence.

For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.bmogam.com/us-en/advisors/news-and-insights/forces-shaping-the-future-of-advice-with-schwabs-bernie-clark/.

What does an inverted yield curve tell us? And how much should we plan for a recession? In this episode, we dive into current events in the fixed income markets and what it means for portfolios and clients.

Our guest is Scott Kimball, Senior Portfolio Manager with BMO’s fixed income team. We discuss the recent FOMC meeting, the interest rate cuts and how advisors should be looking at fixed income going into 2020.

For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.bmogam.com/us-en/advisors/news-and-insights/a-brave-new-fed/.

Sometimes, simply educating people about how to save and budget isn’t enough to incentivize healthy choices with their money. There are deeper, more advanced strategies that advisors can use to help clients improve their financial security and wellness.

Today our guest is Wendy De La Rosa. Wendy is the co-founder of Common Cents Lab, a financial research lab that uses behavioral science and cognitive psychology to develop interventions that help people make better financial decisions. Wendy has a ton of actionable advice for working with clients, and it’s all backed up by data from studies that Common Cents has run with a variety of partners in the industry.

For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.bmogam.com/us-en/advisors/news-and-insights/how-advisors-can-influence-change-in-client-behaviors/.

78% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, 43% of student loan borrowers are not making payments and nearly half of all employees can’t cover a $400 emergency. In an effort to help employees understand and improve their personal financial health, many plan sponsors and their advisors are turning to workplace financial wellness programs.

Phyllis Klein is a senior director at Captrust Financial Advisors, a firm that specializes in institutional advisory work.  In this episode, Phyllis discusses the benefits and challenges of helping employers implement financial wellness programs for their employees.

For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.bmogam.com/us-en/advisors/news-and-insights/its-personal-the-growing-need-for-financial-wellness-programs/.

As a financial advisor, you have a lot of responsibilities in managing your clients. At times you might not even feel like you have the time and resources to shift your priorities to grow your business further. 

Enter Matt Halloran, CEO of Top Advisor Marketing. Matt’s mission is to help businesses “rise above the noise” with a digital marketing strategy built on focused, custom content creation.  Today we’re talking with him to learn the most important tips about developing a marketing strategy.

For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.bmogam.com/us-en/advisors/news-and-insights/modern-marketing-components-of-an-advisor-marketing-strategy/.

CFP, CPA, CLU, ChFC, RICP. You likely know what these designations are, but do your clients? And how important are these designations when prospective clients choose a financial advisor? 

Mike McGlothlin from the Society of Financial Service Professionals joins the podcast to discuss how designations act as a reinvestment in yourself and can provide outward credibility for your practice.

For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.bmogam.com/us-en/advisors/news-and-insights/the-power-of-designations/.

Talking about life insurance as part of a financial plan isn’t always easy, but it is important. What steps can you take to ensure these difficult conversations make it into your client’s financial plan? 

We’re joined by Alison Salka and Jeremy Barlow to discuss both the consumer perspective and the advisor perspective on the topic of life insurance. Together, these perspectives can help enhance your conversations with your clients and ensure their financial plan has an effective risk management plan in place in the event of an untimely passing.

For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.bmogam.com/us-en/advisors/news-and-insights/risk-management-life-insurance/.

Morningstar is one of the best-known research organizations in the financial services industry. They're a company you probably interact with every week in some shape or fashion, whether you're checking out ratings of a fund or digging deeper into analysis using one of their platforms. 

We’re joined by Jeff Ptak, Global Director of Manager Research at Morningstar, to discuss insights around manager research that may help you improve your research and portfolio construction process.

For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.bmogam.com/us-en/advisors/news-and-insights/inside-the-research-of-morningstar/.