In this episode of In Good Order, Ben Braverman is joined by Laurence Black, founder of Index Standard, for a deep dive into one of the most misunderstood parts of modern investing: index construction and volatility control.

As risk control and volatility-managed indexes become more common inside annuities and structured products, many advisors struggle to understand what they actually own — and why results often differ from traditional benchmarks.

Laurence breaks down:

• Why most index analysis relies too heavily on historical performance

• How forward-looking forecasts from multiple asset managers provide better context

• What advisors commonly misunderstand about exposure, excess return, and volatility control

• Why comparing risk control indexes to equity benchmarks can be misleading

• How changing correlations, interest rates, and market regimes impact outcomes

This conversation isn’t about predicting markets or promoting products. It’s about helping advisors gain clarity, ask better questions, and improve client conversations by understanding how indexes really work.

If you work with annuities, structured products, or portfolio construction, this episode will sharpen how you evaluate risk and performance.