(Washington)

A new fiduciary rule has been in the back of all advisors’ minds for several months now. In February…see the full story on our partner Magnifi’s site

(New York)

Financial technology is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the market…see the full story on our partner Magnifi’s site

(Las Vegas)

Tesla Inc. Stock dropped recently after…see the full story on our partner Magnifi’s site

(New York)

The whole market—including advisors—has pretty much been panicking lately about to invest in what could be a period of high inflation. The duress is understandable considering we haven’t had significant inflation in decades. However, those trying to diversify into assets which are likely to thrive during inflation should look no further than the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE). The normally sleepy sector is surging this year, up 37% versus the S&P 500’s 11%. The reason why is simple: higher rates mean better earnings for banks, which earn the majority of the revenue from interest income.

FINSUM: If you think inflation is going to stay elevated, this is a great hedge. However, if it falls, it is easy to imagine regional banks tumbling in value.

(New York)

BAML’s chief investment office has put out some comments on how to help position ESG for clients. The ESG sector is plagued by misinformation and vagueness which clouds the overall value proposition. Accordingly, the best way to approach it is to have a matter-of-fact conversation to demystify things. According to BAML, “Advisors find clients are generally looking to avoid certain areas depending on their preferences, or because they have found investments score poorly by ESG metrics; favor investments they think will benefit various social or environmental practices; or help contribute to measurable outcomes around such an initiative”. They continued “It's an opportunity to demystify the conversation and also to keep it in a dialogue, because where we find this goes awry is when anyone feels like there's a moral superiority or mandate going on as opposed to a dialogue around your personal preferences”.

FINSUM: It is easy to get lost in the world of things claiming to be ESG. The best way to approach the sector is to be specific (e.g. I want a portfolio without fossil fuels), or at least specifically vague (I only want to invest in companies with high ESG scores).