Goldman Sachs Asset Management is making a major push into the fast-growing buffer ETF market with a roughly $2 billion deal to acquire Innovator Capital Management. The acquisition will add about $28 billion in assets and 159 defined outcome ETFs, positioning Goldman among the industry’s largest active ETF providers once approvals are complete. 

Buffer ETFs, which use options to deliver preset downside protection and capped upside, continue to gain traction as investors seek greater predictability amid market uncertainty. 

Goldman has already expanded its presence with its own large-cap buffer strategies, seeing strong advisor demand for controlled-risk equity exposure. Industry projections point to defined outcome ETFs more than quadrupling by 2030, underscoring the category’s accelerating adoption. 

Finsum: This deal could provide innovator a global distribution platform and expanded reach, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution and mainstreaming of buffer ETFs.

Catholic investment managers and institutions have pledged to begin building a comprehensive set of faith-aligned investment services in 2025, aiming to align $1.75 trillion with Catholic Social Teaching. The initiatives stem from the second Mensuram Bonam conference in London, where leaders from 16 countries gathered to advance Christian-aligned financial practices. 

Key projects include a new Catholic market index, a proxy-voting consortium, long-term performance research, expanded fund identification, and a standardized reporting model to help investors monitor faith-consistent strategies more easily. 

These efforts reflect growing demand for portfolios that deliver competitive returns while avoiding activities inconsistent with Church teachings. 

Finsum:  With Christian assets large these initiatives could mark a turning point in building a global market for Catholic and Christian investors.

Private infrastructure—things like toll roads, utilities, and digital networks—can be a compelling “core-alternative” investment rather than a niche add-on. Private infrastructure assets generally produce predictable, long-term cash flows, supported by stable demand and often regulated pricing, which helps shield investors from market cycles. 

Because revenues tend to rely more on usage fees and long-term contracts than on economic growth, these assets can act as a hedge against inflation and equity volatility. 

Combining private infrastructure with traditional stocks and bonds can increase diversification and improve portfolio resilience, especially when public markets are unstable. For investors willing to accept lower liquidity in exchange for stable income and downside protection, private infrastructure offers a unique risk/return profile. 

Finsum: If traditional 60/40 portfolios feel too fragile, private infrastructure may be one of the closest things to a “stable core” available outside mainstream bonds and equities.

Stable value funds, bond portfolios wrapped with insurance guarantees to reduce volatility, are emerging as a prominent contender thanks to their steady crediting rates, principal protection, and daily liquidity. A recent white paper highlights that stable value funds can also serve as a predictable income source for systematic withdrawals. 

Although short-term returns have lagged money markets and traditional bonds amid elevated interest rates, stable value’s exceptionally low volatility has supported stronger relative performance over longer horizons. 

The strategy also benefits from being easy to integrate into existing plan infrastructure, avoiding the operational and fiduciary complexities of annuities. With applications ranging from smoothing target-date fund glide paths to serving as a retirement “income floor,” stable value offers flexibility for diverse participant needs. 

Finsum: As demand for retirement income solutions accelerates, its combination of familiarity, stability, and adaptability positions stable value as a central component of income-focused investment design.

Large brokerage firms are increasingly prioritizing shareholder value over advisor autonomy, creating an environment where advisors often no longer own their client relationships or control how they serve them. Years of gradual restrictions, including major firms withdrawing from the Broker Protocol, have made it harder for advisors to leave without legal or logistical barriers.

As compensation shrinks, support staff declines, and compliance tightens, many advisors find the economics of staying at large firms less compelling. Meanwhile, independent RIA platforms now offer robust infrastructure, modern technology, and far greater freedom, 

Clients themselves are more informed and loyal to their advisor rather than the firm, increasingly asking whether they can follow their advisor to independence. 

Finsum: With the heat rising in the wirehouse model, more advisors are recognizing that staying put could be the higher-risk choice.