Private equity’s long-standing infatuation with oil and gas appears to be cooling. In the first quarter of 2024, only five energy-focused funds reached final close, and notably, none raised over $1 billion—a stark departure from the sector’s 2014 heyday, when fundraising totals topped $78 billion globally. 

Today, traditional hydrocarbons are taking a back seat as investor interest pivots toward renewable energy and broader energy transition strategies. This shift reflects growing pressure from institutional investors and ESG-conscious stakeholders who are increasingly wary of fossil fuel exposure. 

The fundraising gap highlights more than just a cyclical downturn; it signals a structural change in capital priorities. With clean energy rising to the top of the private capital agenda, oil and gas funds may need to reinvent their value proposition—or risk being left behind.

Finsum: CNL Strategic Capital is focused on value creation so this might be a great opportunity to explore the latest trends in PE. 

Edward Jones has expanded its separately managed account (SMA) offerings by adding 51 new strategies, bringing its total to around 120 as part of a broader effort to modernize and attract wealthier clients. 

These SMAs, overseen by third-party asset managers, offer financial advisors more flexibility and personalization options, with plans to grow the lineup to 300 by year-end. Roughly 8,800 of the firm’s 20,280 brokers currently use SMAs, which appeal to higher-net-worth clients due to benefits like tax efficiency and tailored portfolios. 

While Edward Jones doesn’t disclose specific SMA asset figures, about $860 billion of its $2.16 trillion in assets are held in advisory accounts. Edward Jones also introduced a proprietary SMA program last fall and continues to lower barriers for entry as SMA minimums become more accessible to a broader client base.

Finsum: These SMA offerings could be a game changer in the wealth management space. 

Once viewed as a fringe asset, bitcoin is rapidly gaining traction with Fortune 500 firms, many of which are now embracing it as a legitimate component of corporate finance. Major players like Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) and GameStop have turned to convertible notes and other financing mechanisms to amass sizable bitcoin holdings, effectively using the asset as both a store of value and a treasury strategy. 

This shift has catalyzed the development of sophisticated instruments like structured notes—offering downside protection or leveraged upside—alongside Bitcoin-backed loans and custodial accounts with embedded yield features. While these tools may seem like responsible financial innovations, they walk a fine line between risk management and speculative engineering, especially as regulatory and accounting treatment remains murky. 

The entrance of mainstream institutions and the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs have brought new legitimacy, but corporate treasurers still face complex questions about liquidity, governance, and portfolio fit.

Finsum: Whether bitcoin serves as a smart hedge or a risky gamble depends on each company’s capital strategy, tolerance for volatility, and long-term vision.

Estate planning varies significantly by net worth, with high-net-worth individuals requiring complex trust-based strategies to reduce estate taxes and control asset distribution, while mass-affluent clients generally need simpler documents like wills and healthcare directives. 

Because legal costs can be a barrier for these simpler needs, tech startups such as Wealth.com and Trust & Will have emerged to help financial advisors offer affordable estate planning at scale. Charles Schwab recently acquired a minority stake in Wealth.com to provide self-directed estate planning tools for its mass-affluent retail clients, potentially competing with RIAs that use Schwab as a custodian. 

While this move could delay when clients feel they need to hire an advisor, many RIAs haven’t widely adopted estate planning tech due to low client usage and unclear ROI. Some advisors view Schwab’s actions as retail encroachment, but others see minimal threat since clients rarely update estate documents and often don’t view the service as highly differentiating. 

Finsum: Ultimately, Schwab’s investment reflects a growing DIY market segment, raising strategic questions for advisors about how and when to compete—or collaborate—with such tools.

A shifting economic and demographic landscape is prompting financial advisors to evolve their strategies, particularly as women are set to control $34 trillion in U.S. assets by 2030. Yet, advisors currently manage a smaller share of female wealth, with many women engaging financial planners later in life. 

Remote work has also changed the profession, with more advisors and clients opting for virtual meetings, while new talent is emerging in nontraditional markets. Advisors are increasingly launching independent RIA firms and exploring complex tax strategies like delayed RMD withholding to better serve clients. 

Building strong, trusting relationships is now seen as more valuable to clients than investment advice alone, according to recent surveys. 

Finsum: As the great wealth transfer accelerates, buying and selling books of business is also gaining importance, with success hinging on transition planning, client retention, and profitability.

The bond market is undergoing a profound transformation as actively managed fixed-income ETFs gain traction among investors looking for more agile solutions. These funds combine strategic bond selection with the flexibility and transparency of the ETF format, offering a powerful tool for navigating an environment defined by volatility and uncertainty. 

Unlike passive strategies tied to static benchmarks, active managers can explore underfollowed sectors of the bond market, aiming for higher yields and stronger risk management. The ETF Rule of 2019 opened the floodgates for innovation, helping fuel a surge in actively managed ETF launches and inflows, particularly in fixed income. 

Investors are drawn to the structure’s real-time trading, lower embedded costs, and resilience in stressed markets—traits that are increasingly valuable in a dynamic rate environment. 

Finsum: Active fixed-income ETFs are becoming a key component of modern portfolio construction, reshaping how investors engage with the bond market.

Private credit has grown so large and intertwined with banks and insurers that it now poses a systemic risk in future financial crises, according to a new Moody’s Analytics study co-authored by economists and regulators. 

The report warns that the opaque nature of private credit and its deepening ties to traditional finance could amplify financial shocks due to increased interconnectedness. Since the 2008 crisis, banks have reduced lending amid tighter regulations, creating room for private credit funds—often lending to riskier, heavily indebted companies—to flourish with less oversight. 

Researchers used business development companies as a proxy for the sector and found their market behavior is now more correlated with broader financial stress than in the past. Although private credit firms argue they are less prone to panics due to their long-term investor base, banks are still deeply exposed through indirect relationships like fund financing and risk transfers. 

Finsum: While private markets tend to be insulated from recessions compared to their public counter parts it’s important to keep this risk in mind when investing

Despite recent political pushback, institutional support for ESG (environmental, social, and governance) investing remains strong, with many large investors continuing to prioritize sustainability. 

This is good news for ESG-focused ETFs like the Invesco ESG Nasdaq 100 ETF (QQMG) and the ESG Nasdaq Next Gen 100 ETF (QQJG), which could see more adoption as political resistance fades. A 2025 BNP Paribas survey found that 87% of institutional investors have not altered their ESG goals, and 84% expect sustainability progress to continue or accelerate through 2030. 

Furthermore, 85% of respondents said they now integrate sustainability criteria into their investment processes. However, challenges persist, including concerns about ESG data reliability, greenwashing, and balancing short-term performance with long-term sustainability. 

Finsum: ETFs that aim to address those concerns by tracking transparent, sustainability-aligned indexes with performance in line with their non-ESG benchmarks.

Small-cap stocks have struggled in early 2025, hurt by trade tensions and economic sensitivity, but a broadening equity market may set the stage for recovery. Despite current volatility, small-caps could benefit from their domestic focus—nearly 80% of Russell 2000 revenues come from within the U.S.—which offers insulation from global trade disruptions. 

Historically, small-caps have outperformed during periods when large-cap dominance fades, and current signs of market broadening echo those conditions. To navigate uncertainty, investors should favor high-quality small-cap stocks with strong fundamentals, as they tend to hold up better in downturns and outperform in recoveries. 

Market timing, however, remains risky, missing just a few key months can erase most gains, making long-term commitment crucial. 

Finsum: Patient investors who focus on quality and use active management may be best positioned to capture small-cap upside as market conditions evolve.

A new Goldman Sachs Asset Management survey shows insurers are increasingly focused on annuities as a retirement income solution amid ongoing market volatility. Sixty-four percent of respondents rank annuities among their top three priorities, with many already offering or considering in-plan annuity options. 

Integration into managed accounts and target-date funds is rising, and automatic plan defaults are viewed as key to driving adoption during retirement decumulation. Registered index-linked and guaranteed variable annuities are gaining popularity, and insurers are diversifying underlying indices, with rising interest in AI strategies and international markets. 

AI is also being widely adopted, with 90% of insurers seeing it as vital for improving investor understanding, education, and operational efficiency. 

Finsum: Registered investment advisers have become the leading growth channel for annuity distribution, surpassing independent firms.