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.

Investor interest in ESG, environmental, social and governance, continues to surge, driving rapid growth in ESG-focused ETFs that bundle stocks based on sustainability and responsible business practices.

Some ESG ETFs have delivered standout performance this year, while others appeal to cost-conscious investors with expense ratios as low as 0.05%. Supporters argue that ESG investing empowers individuals to influence corporate behavior while still pursuing competitive long-term returns, a point underscored by research showing ESG portfolios outperforming traditional ones over multiyear periods. 

Choosing the right ESG fund requires evaluating active versus passive strategies, aligning the fund’s mission with personal values, and understanding how it fits into an existing portfolio. 

Finsum: Investors who want their capital to reflect their priorities can use ESG ETFs as a straightforward and scalable way to invest responsibly.

With market swings driven by lofty AI valuations and shifting expectations around future rate cuts, many investors are turning to dividend-paying stocks for steadier income and ballast. 

MPLX offers one of the most attractive income profiles in the large-cap MLP universe, supported by an 8%+ yield and continued EBITDA growth driven by major midstream expansion projects and Gulf Coast assets. 

ConocoPhillips delivers a blend of rising dividends, deep global resource optionality, and strong free cash flow growth powered by cost cuts, LNG expansion, and decades of high-quality drilling inventory.

 IBM rounds out the list with a long history of shareholder returns, consistent free cash flow, and renewed momentum from its transformation into a software- and consulting-led enterprise with emerging tailwinds from AI and quantum computing. 

Finsum: Resilient balance sheets, visible cash-flow pathways, and multi-year catalysts are good ways to select dividend players potential anchors for income-oriented portfolios.