REITs have faced a tough stretch over the past five years, weathering both the COVID-19 pandemic and a sharp rise in interest rates. Despite these challenges, their core purpose remains unchanged: to deliver steady income through rental-generating assets that distribute at least 90% of profits. 

For income-focused investors, REITs function like long-term bonds, offering regular payouts from stable property portfolios. When evaluating REITs, focus on strong sponsors, consistent distribution per unit (DPU) records, and appropriate position sizing based on your risk tolerance. 

 With many Singapore REITs now trading at discounted valuations, the current environment may offer long-term investors an attractive opportunity to lock in 6–7% yields and grow passive income.

Finsum: Timing also matters, you can either build positions gradually or take advantage of market pullbacks to invest more heavily

High-net-worth clients face financial challenges that extend far beyond investing — from tax strategy and estate planning to philanthropic giving and risk management. The tricky part is, they often don’t realize what’s missing until something goes wrong. 

That’s where an advisor steps in — not necessarily as an all-knowing expert, but as a skilled generalist who knows how to ask the right questions and rally the right specialists. The best advisors lead like point guards: coordinating tax professionals, estate attorneys, and insurance experts to keep the client’s entire financial picture aligned. 

They play offense and defense — identifying blind spots, managing risks, and preparing families for wealth transfer long before a crisis hits. 

Finsum: With the right team, proactive mindset, and a client-first playbook, you can position yourself as the go-to strategist for high-net-worth households.

Value investing may have struggled in the U.S., but it’s been quietly thriving in international markets. While U.S. growth stocks—especially the “Magnificent Seven”—have soared thanks to tech-driven narratives and rising valuations, overseas markets have favored banks, energy companies, and industrials that benefit from higher rates and more modest expectations. 

Regions like Europe, Japan, and emerging markets have seen value stocks consistently outperform growth, driven by sectors like financials and energy rather than mega-cap tech. The absence of trillion-dollar giants abroad has meant more balanced index compositions, allowing traditional value sectors to shine. 

Dan Rasmussen’s point is that value investing isn’t broken—it’s simply been overshadowed in an exceptional U.S. environment dominated by innovation waves and monetary policy tailwinds. 

Finsum: Global performance trends remind us that style leadership is cyclical, and value’s apparent decline may be more about regional concentration than a fundamental flaw.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a fixture in the financial advisory space, with over three-quarters of firms already using or exploring it. Rather than viewing AI as a threat, advisors should see it as a valuable ally that enhances efficiency and allows more time for meaningful client engagement. 

AI tools can streamline research, summarize documents, and provide fast answers to complex client questions, saving hours of manual effort. During meetings, AI-driven transcription services like Zoom AI Companion and Jump AI can capture notes and action items, allowing advisors to stay fully present. 

In marketing, platforms like Canva and Mailchimp now use AI to create polished content quickly, while tools like ChatGPT can also help formalize internal documentation and standardize processes.

Finsum: By embracing these tools, advisors can elevate service quality, boost operational efficiency, and increase the long-term value of their firm.

In a turbulent macroeconomic environment, fixed income investments are regaining popularity for their ability to provide income, diversification, and potential capital appreciation. 

Experts at American Century Investments argue that active fixed income ETFs, like the American Century Multisector Income ETF (MUSI), offer strategic advantages over passive counterparts. Active managers can navigate beyond index constraints, tapping into overlooked sectors and exiting positions when valuations peak, unlike passive ETFs tied to benchmark requirements.

MUSI, in particular, leverages a data-driven approach to invest across diverse bond sectors—ranging from high-yield corporates to emerging market debt—with the goal of optimizing risk and return. 

Finsum: Expectations of upcoming interest rate cuts further strengthen the case for bonds, as falling rates could enhance bond yields.

Treasury yields declined on Tuesday as investors grew more confident that an immediate escalation in the U.S.-E.U. trade conflict might be avoided. The 30-year yield fell to 4.984% and the 10-year to 4.475%, coinciding with a rise in stock futures. 

This drop in yields suggests renewed investor demand for government bonds, signaling reduced risk sentiment and a preference for safety. The shift followed President Trump’s decision to delay imposing new tariffs on the European Union, pending further negotiations. 

While E.U. officials expressed optimism about a potential deal, recent trade tensions have already rattled markets, leading to weak demand for U.S. Treasurys in last week’s auction. 

Finsum: Compounding concerns is a major Republican policy proposal moving through Congress that lacks full funding, raising additional doubts about America’s fiscal outlook.

Growth ETFs offer a simplified way to invest in high-potential stocks without the time-consuming analysis required for picking individual winners. Key factors to consider when choosing a growth ETF include its long-term performance, sector diversification, expense ratio, and top holdings. 

The best ETFs typically maintain strong five- and ten-year returns, low costs, and broad exposure to tech-heavy but diversified portfolios. Notable examples include the iShares Russell Top 200 Growth ETF (IWY), Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF (SCHG), and Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF (MGK), all boasting annualized 5-year returns near or above 18%. 

While many of these funds are concentrated in companies like Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft, they differ in fees, yield, and sector weightings. 

Finsum: Overall, growth ETFs offer an efficient path to access strong market performers with minimal effort and competitive returns.

Vanguard has introduced a generative AI-powered tool designed to help financial advisors create personalized, compliant client communications more efficiently. The tool generates tailored summaries of Vanguard’s most-read market insights, adjusting for client knowledge level, life stage, and preferred tone. 

It also automatically includes the appropriate disclosures, streamlining the compliance process. Lauren Wilkinson, head of advisor technology, emphasized that this beta-tested tool reflects Vanguard’s broader push to integrate innovative technologies that support both advisors and clients. 

Beyond AI, Vanguard is also exploring cutting-edge fields like spatial computing, quantum technology, and blockchain to enhance investor outcomes and deliver deeper personalization.

Finsum:  AI can enhance advisor effectiveness by enabling more customized and meaningful client interactions.

In a market rattled by volatility in both stocks and bonds, dividend ETFs are drawing attention as a middle ground between growth and income strategies. While passive giants like Vanguard’s VIG and Schwab’s SCHD dominate with low fees and broad exposure, a growing number of active ETFs—like T. Rowe Price’s TDVG—are betting they can outperform by handpicking high-quality dividend payers. 

TDVG blends income with potential capital appreciation and holds familiar names like Apple and Microsoft, offering tech exposure without overconcentration. Active managers argue their flexibility allows them to adapt to changing market conditions in ways passive index funds cannot, especially when navigating risks like dividend cuts or sector shifts. 

Although passive dividend ETFs still attract more investor flows due to cost advantages, actively managed funds are slowly gaining traction, particularly among investors seeking income stability amid rising macroeconomic uncertainty. 

Finsum: For those dependent on income—like retirees—dividend strategies remain appealing, but experts caution that yield alone shouldn’t drive decisions.

Thrivent is ramping up its recruiting efforts to hire nearly 600 new financial advisors in 2025, aiming to counteract the anticipated wave of advisor retirements expected across the industry. 

While the broader advisor workforce has grown only 0.3% annually over the past decade, Thrivent’s hiring initiative would represent a 2% increase, far outpacing the trend. The firm is targeting early-career professionals for salaried virtual advisor roles in key cities like Denver, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Dallas. These roles are intended to serve as stepping stones to more advanced positions, either within Thrivent’s employee structure or through its independent RIA, the Thrivent Advisor Network. 

With over a third of U.S. advisors projected to retire within the next ten years, Thrivent is focusing on building a younger, more diverse advisor base aligned with future client demographics. 

Finsum: It’s worth noting this trend in recruiting and what incentives are offered to attract this talent.