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.

As 2023 is nearing its end, tax-loss harvesting season is in full swing. This is often top of mind for advisors and their clients.  But Capital Group is seeing some advisors hesitate to harvest losses due to ongoing volatility in the equity and bond markets, and general uncertainty about 2024.

My guest, Courtney Wolf, joins me today to talk about why to deploy cash and use tax-loss harvesting via active fixed income ETFs. Courtney is a muni portfolio manager at Capital Group and the principal investment officer for the firm’s active muni ETF, CGMU. With nearly two decades of muni investing experience, Coutney will offer her forecast for munis more broadly in 2024 as well.

Here is a link for more information about Capital Group and its resources on active ETFs and tax loss harvesting:

• Meet the suite: Get to know Capital Group's ETFs- https://www.capitalgroup.com/advisor/investments/exchange-traded-funds/resources/meet-the-suite.html 
• Capital Group Municipal Income ETF- https://www.capitalgroup.com/advisor/investments/exchange-traded-funds/details/cgmu 
• Active ETFs to pursue more control over your clients' tax liabilities- https://www.capitalgroup.com/advisor/investments/exchange-traded-funds.html?cid=p73043655040&ad_id=620524608858&ext_id=&ds_rl=1292280&gclid=CjwKCAjwg-GjBhBnEiwAMUvNWzh8XQRd_WZ2v1JKROrAAb3gOQL6II-7iVU0RLtEZFtlAW8qDkFNkxoCtxMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds 
• 5 ways to pursue greater tax efficiency with ETFs- https://www.capitalgroup.com/advisor/investments/exchange-traded-funds/resources/5-ways-to-pursue-greater-tax-efficiency-with-etfs.html 
• Capital Ideas Insights – How to harvest tax losses in pursuit of portfolio efficiency- https://www.capitalgroup.com/advisor/investments/exchange-traded-funds/resources/tax-loss-harvesting-improved-efficiency.html 
• Capital Group 2024 Outlook- https://www.capitalgroup.com/advisor/insights/webinars/2024-outlook.html 

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.

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.

Finding a cost-effective way to reward key people is challenging. Qualified plans have preferential tax treatment, but an employer must generally include all employees and follow participation and administration requirements. Today we are going to talk about two alternative executive benefit compensation strategies – executive bonus and non-qualified deferred compensation.

My guests today are two members of the MassMutual team. Kathryn Wakefield is a director of advanced sales at MassMutual. Lina Storm is an advanced sales and sales enablement marketing director dedicated to MassMutual’s Strategic Distribution team.

Click here to learn more about MassMutual Whole Life Insurance- https://cloud.mm.massmutual.com/wlpp

Here is information about the compensation survey mentioned in the podcast:

Nolen, M. C. (November 11, 2020). Executive compensation in 2021: The most important thing private companies should do now. StrategicCFO360. https://strategiccfo360.com/executive-compensation-in-2021-the-most-important-thing-private-companies-should-do-now/

Here is information about the cash value of life insurance policies mentioned in the podcast:

Distributions under the policy (including cash dividends and partial/full surrenders) are not subject to taxation up to the amount paid into the policy (cost basis). If the policy is a Modified Endowment Contract, policy loans and/or distributions are taxable to the extent of gain and are subject to a 10% tax penalty.

Access to cash values through borrowing or partial surrenders will reduce the policy’s cash value and death benefit, increase the chance the policy will lapse, and may result in a tax liability if the policy terminates before the death of the insured.

Equities are the building blocks of any successful portfolio. Advisors must understand the best way to wield equities if they want to succeed. Join VettaFi and other industry-leading experts on Wednesday, MARCH 13 for their “Equity Symposium!” Register for Free at etftrends.com/webcasts/equities-symposium-2024

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.
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Here are some resources to learn more about Practice Intel and its offerings:

• Practice Intel home page- https://pracintel.com/home
• Tom 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/about
• An article about Practice Intel: "Putting Your Clients First"- https://www.wealthmanagement.com/client-relations/putting-your-clients-interests-first

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.

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.

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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 LinkedIn
  • www.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.
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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.

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AB ETFs Website: www.alliancebernstein.com/go/etfs

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.

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.
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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.