Economy
Looking for exposure to a gaggle of securities? With fixed income ETFs, you’ve scored, according to etf.com.
From speculative emerging market debt to “top notch” U.S. government debt, these ETFs blanket the corners of the market, the site continued.
Homing in on this ETF works much like tabbing any other asset class does; it starts with nailing down your targeted exposure or the kinds of bonds that float your boat. From there, it’s a matter of contemplating the credit ratings and interest rate risk the underlying securities of the ETF.
Sovereign, corporate, municipals and broad market are, broadly speaking, the four categories into which ETF’s fall.
Fixed income investments are leveraged by many investors to balance risk and to generate regular income, according to finance.yahoo.com.
Almost like a smorgasbord, while some investors opt for individual bonds, others pluck down their money on bond mutual funds, the site continued. Then there’s a fixed-income ETF, which keys on a less expensive diversified pool of funds.
There’s no backburner when it comes to ETFs; they immediately can be purchased or unloaded. That way, you can time effectively manage your portfolio, according to the site.
Sure, money makes the world go round….and round, but when it comes to financial advisors changing firms, while cash, of course, speaks, it’s not alone, according to smartasset.com.
They also take into account the way in which their financial well being and personal wealth will be impacted by a transaction.
While it always should land high on the list, the financial recruiting package is among a number of factors it’s incumbent upon advisors to study, the site continued. The package also is impacted by elements such as true payouts, hanging onto clients and office and staff.
That said, according to average annual earnings, the bulk of financial advisors fall in the 90th percentile of U.S. workers, reported smartasset.
The bottom line: last year, the average advisors raked in around $120,000, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Conversely, the same year, the average joe brought in $58,300.
Last year, Barron’s reported that the market for financial advisors had been stoked due partly to new rivals entering the mix and a spark in the competition among wealth managers,
Foremost -- besides their wallet -- advisors eyeing moving to new firms are strongly intent on gaining “freedom and control,” said Mindy Diamond, the founder and CEO of Diamond Consultants, according to thinkadvisor.co.
One of the hallmarks of this year’s bear market has been heightened volatility, but that appears to be easing during the rally that started in mid-June. The CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX, is a calculation designed to produce a measure of the constant 30-day expected volatility of the U.S. stock market. The VIX, also called the fear gauge, is hovering around 21, far below the 35 reading earlier in the year, and well below the 85 reading during the height of the pandemic. In fact, the VIX is trading well below its 200-day simple moving average. Volatility has been retreating due to a rebound in the market, with the S&P 500 up 12.5% since its June 16th low. However, a reading over 20 still reflects a heightened sense of fear over the short-term with many market observers believing the summer bear market rally may be short-lived.
Finsum: While market volatility appears to be easing based on recent VIX readings, this may be short-lived with the summer bear market on its last legs.
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Based on a recent case study performed by Morningstar, tax-managed model portfolios exhibited a significant boost in after-tax returns. The fund research firm reported that 275 models list tax management as an objective in their database, with 46 tax-managed models launched last year, the most in the past five years. These models typically use Muni bond funds for most of their fixed-income exposure. The models also don’t trade as often as their taxable counterparts. This is to reduce capital gains. For the case study, the firm examined the performance of both types of model portfolios before and after taxes from January 2019 through June 2022. Before taxes were accounted for, the 20% equity/80% fixed income tax-efficient portfolio outperformed the tax-agnostic portfolio by $22,261. However, once taxes were factored in, the tax-managed model portfolio saw a huge boost in performance, outperforming the tax-agnostic model by $38,382, a 72% increase.
Finsum: A recent case study by Morningstar affirmed that tax-managed model portfolios outperformed tax-agnostic portfolios when taxes are accounted for.
The SEC published a staff bulletin on Wednesday that seeks to clarify how brokers and advisors must address conflicts of interest when providing advice to investors. The guidance, which is looking to set expectations, clarifies advisor obligations around disclosing conflicts of interest under the Investment Advisor Fiduciary Standard and its Regulation Best Interest rule. An SEC official stated, "The steps firms take to address conflicts of interest need to be tailored to their particular business model." Companies are also expected to identify areas in their business where their interests’ conflict with their customers and determine what steps they must take to address those conflicts. The bulletin is designed to help with this process. The guidance identifies some of these common sources of conflicts of interest by outlining factors companies can consider in determining if a particular conflict needs to be vacated and possible approaches to dispute mitigation if that is necessary.
Finsum: The SEC recently published a bulletin with guidance for broker-dealers and advisors clarifying the Investment Advisor Fiduciary Standard and its Regulation Best Interest rule.
Look down the road. You just might see the new fiduciary rule kicked there.
According to thinkadvisor.com, the proposal won’t be sent to the Office of Management and Budget until December for review, which can span as many as 90 days.
“I interpret that [regulatory agenda] as meaning in the future, but still on the agenda,” said ERISAattorney Fred Reish, partner at Faegre Drinker in Los Angeles, according to the site.
That said, in an email to ThinkAdvisor, Micah Hauptman, director of investor protection at ConsumerFederation of America said it behooves labor to move quickly to propose updates to its fiduciary rule.”It’s a matter of the clock potentially running on the current administration, he explained. Consequently,“retirement savers need protections against advisory conflicts of interest more than ever.”
The Obama administration originally instituted the law, according to moneyunder30.com, updated last month. It expands the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Financial advisors working with retirement accounts are requited to become fiduciaries, under the act.
Bear in mind that, traditionally, dates laid out in reg flex agents are placeholders, notedthinkadvisor.com. Meaning they might be altogether different from the actual date of the release of a fiduciary plan.