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.