In recent weeks, REITs like other rate-sensitive sectors have been pummeled as long-term yields have surged higher due to the resilience of inflation, a hawkish Fed, and expectations of substantial Treasury supply hitting the market later this year. 

But some contrarians are pointing out that there have been some positive developments for the sector on a long-term basis. First, most of the damage for the sector has come from high rates as earnings have continued to hold steady. This has led to valuations becoming quite attractive.

Additionally while the timing of the Fed’s pivot is unknown, it’s certainly close to the end of its hiking cycle. And just as the start of the hiking cycle led to steep losses for REITs, it’s likely that the start of rate cuts will send shares soaring higher.

Finally, it’s also interesting to note that at the start of the rate hike cycle, the sector was extremely correlated to Treasuries. But this relationship has considerably loosened and has led to a bullish divergence. 

Remarkably, the broad-based Schwab US REIT ETF has been making higher lows, while Treasury yields have been making higher highs. This is an indication of demand and that institutions are using the weakness to accumulate shares.

Finsum: REITs are not making lower lows despite the breakout in Treasury yields. Some contrarians see this as a bullish signal from the market. 

There’s a war for talent in the financial advisor space. It can certainly be challenging for practices that are looking to expand, but here are some tips to increase your chances of success from SmartAsset’s Rebecca Lake, CEFP.

The first focus should be on understanding your goals in order to help you evaluate candidates and make the best decision. Try to think about what key responsibilities will the new hire handle, and how will he or she be integrated into the firm. 

Next, it’s important to consider your company’s culture and assess candidate’s personalities to determine whether they would be a good fit. Then, Lake recommends creating an ideal candidate profile which can include an overview of their skills, experience, personality, and values. This will help you decide if the candidate would be accretive to thecompany’s culture. 

The next step is to invert the process and think about what a prospective candidate sees when looking at your company. These include compensation, work setup, flexibility, vacation policy, parental leave benefits, education opportunities, career training, etc. 

Once these steps are complete, it’s time to start investigating various recruitment channels. Often, the best strategy is to start with your network and professional colleagues as this can yield the best talent in the least amount of time with minimal cost. If that fails, then the other paths can be pursued. 

Finsum: For financial advisor practices that are dealing with a surge of growth, here are some tips on hiring and recruiting new advisors.

Most fixed income investors are waiting on a Fed pivot before getting aggressively bullish on long-duration fixed income. Others are studying economic data to see any indications of a slowdown which would presage a pivot and also push bonds higher.

However, they may be missing an opportunity in municipal bonds according to Columbia Investments. These are one way to take advantage of higher yields and the recent selloff in long-duration bonds. Further, they offer unique tax advantages especially when buying debt in your own state and/or municipality. Currently, the average yield for municipal debt is 3.5% which is quite generous considering its after-tax. 

This is above the historical average. Additionally, history shows that default rates are quite low with municipal debt. Finances at the state and local level remain quite solid, and there have been more upgrades than downgrades so far this year, indicating that finances continue to improve. 

This state of affairs is leading to lower supply for municipal debt. Whenever the Fed does decide to pivot, this is a key factor in why municipal debt is likely to outperform as demand will certainly surge. 

Finsum: Given the steep losses in fixed income over the past couple of months, many investors may be overlooking a very unique opportunity in municipal bonds. 

Perfecto. A perfect 10.

And that’s not to mention the “perfect investment?”, which, in all likelihood, you’d like to see manifest in, among other things, high returns and low risk. While such an investment – despite the development of all; sorts of methods and strategies – might be all but unattainable, modern portfolio strategy or MPT’s come as close as any, according to investopdia.com.

Looking at the expected risk and return of one specific stock falls short of the mark, according to MPT. Rather, sock your money in more than one; that way, an investor can reap the benefits of diversity. That includes shoring back the risk of the portfolio.

Probably not surprisingly, like pretty much everything else, MPT has its limits, according to yourwealth.com. Its perceived positives aside, in the clutches of economic downturns, certain aspects of MPT could be placed under a microscope. Not to mention the fact of when various asset classes don’t necessarily balance one another.

Nevertheless, potentially, MPT can smooth out the returns of a portfolio and put a lid on volatility while, perhaps, dispending earnings down the road.

What’s good for the goose is good for….financial advisors?

On one hand, they adroitly help clients navigate their future, but when it comes to their firms, well, they might not be quite so vigilant, according to smartasset.com.

Only 27% of financial advisors have a succession plan – or formal preparations to segue from the business -- at all, according to a 2018 report from the Financial Planning Association.

Consequently, it begs the question: with a gaggle of advisors closing in on hanging it up, what’s their legacy strategy?

Among key findings from financial advisors on SmartAsset’s platform:

The number of financial advisors with a succession plan has increased.

Most financial advisors without a succession plan intend on creating one at some point in the future

Financial advisor succession planning is not top-of-mind for most individuals.

Meantime, probably not surprisingly, women, it seems, are making a major mark in the financial terrain.

The essential role of women agents in furthering the cause of financial inclusion and fostering business growth for financial service providers was confirmed through a plethora of research studies done worldwide, according to findevgateway.org.

What’s more, female agents are the ones of choice among female customers, while agents serving more women customers derive more income and satisfaction on the job.