Displaying items by tag: taxes

A recent Goldman Sachs survey reveals that investors are enthusiastic about separately managed accounts (SMAs). Financial advisors appreciate SMAs for their professional management, customization, transparency, tax efficiency, and diversification benefits. 

Chris Mankoff of JTL Wealth Partners finds SMAs advantageous for aligning with clients' preferences and optimizing tax strategies. While there have been challenges in the past with SMAs but the recent technological advancements have made them more accessible and effective. 

Direct indexing, a step beyond SMAs, leverages technology for customized tax management and ESG preferences. Despite their benefits, SMAs may not be suitable for all clients, particularly those with smaller portfolios or predominantly pretax investments.

Finsum: While SMAs might not be for all, with a sizeable portfolio technology makes them easier for advisors to manage. 

BlackRock (BLK) has unveiled plans to acquire SpiderRock, a prominent provider of technological solutions tailored for financial institutions. This acquisition is set to bolster BlackRock's Aladdin platform, a key player in the world of separately managed accounts (SMAs). 

By integrating SpiderRock's state-of-the-art technology into Aladdin, BlackRock aims to enhance its SMA capabilities, particularly in risk management and trading strategies. According to Cerulli Associates, SMAs are projected to see their assets under management surge to $4 trillion by 2026 from $2.7 trillion, driven primarily by heightened client demand for personalized portfolios offering tax advantages. This strategic move underscores BlackRock's commitment to leveraging advanced analytics within the management sector, enabling clients to optimize operations and mitigate risks more effectively. 

Through this acquisition, BlackRock is poised to pioneer innovative SMA solutions, driving efficiency and productivity across operations and meeting the demand for tax optimization. This development signals a significant step forward in BlackRock's journey toward becoming a leader in SMA, offering tailored solutions to address the evolving needs of investors and wealth managers worldwide.

Finsum: SMAs are fighting atop the industry with model portfolios to be the customized solution. 

A recent survey of financial advisors showed that separately managed accounts (SMAs) are seeing more traction in comparison to model portfolios. Only 22% of advisors plan to increase reliance on model portfolios, a 5% drop from the previous year. In contrast, allocations to SMAs are forecast to reach 26% in 2025 from 18% currently. The trend is more pronounced among advisors serving high net-worth clients who see allocations reaching 31% in 2025 from 23% now.

Some of the reasons cited by advisors in the survey for less interest in model portfolios were higher fees, underperformance, a need for customization, and more investment options. The survey is an indication that model portfolio uptake and growth have stalled as only 29% of advisors using model portfolios report increasing use over the past year. 

The survey was conducted by Cogent Syndicated in October and November of last year. The firm surveyed 403 registered financial advisors with an active book of at least $5 million. The report suggests that model portfolio providers are losing ground as many advisors and clients are gravitating towards direct indexing and SMAs due to their customization and tax optimization, while model portfolios fall short in these regards despite offering other advantages for advisors and clients. 

Finsum: A survey of financial advisors showed that model portfolio adoption has stalled. Here are why advisors are gravitating towards SMAs instead.

The most common reasons to choose a tax-deferred annuity are that it allows for accumulation while also ensuring security. Since taxes are delayed till retirement, there is more compounding to augment returns. Upon retirement, the annuity payouts begin. The downside is that these vehicles can underperform during periods when market returns are robust. Additionally, inflation above historical averages would also erode the purchasing power of annuity payouts. 

In contrast to tax-deferred annuities, immediate annuities involve a single lump-sum payment and then payments begin, typically, within a year of purchase. Deferred annuities work differently. After the purchase of the annuity, regular contributions are made. The value of the account grows due to these contributions and earned interest. 

Once the deferred annuity buyer is ready for payments, typically during retirement, the annuity seller begins making payments depending on the terms of the annuity and the total amount of funds accumulated in the account. 

Ordinarily, earned interest is taxed. This is not the case with a tax-deferred annuity. The result is more compounding and principal growth. However, taxes do have to be paid on income received from the annuity or on the accumulated interest, depending on the structure of the specific annuity. 

Finsum: Tax-deferred annuities offer certain advantages such as more accumulation and security. But there are also some disadvantages such as underperformance vs the broader market and inflation eroding the purchasing power of payouts.

Schwab conducted a survey among its ETF-investing clients. Among the takeaways is that Millennial investors are quite partial to ETFs, relative to other generations. 37% of their portfolios are allocated to ETFs. 89% said ETFs were their investment vehicle of choice, while 25% of Millennials plan to increase their exposure to ETFs next year. 

Another interesting finding from the survey is that Millennials also have a strong interest in more personalized investment options. 88% said that they are somewhat or very likely to personalize their portfolios. 78% want their investment to align with their personal values. This is much higher than older generations. 

The survey also showed substantial interest in direct indexing among Millennials. This isn’t too surprising considering that 65% of Millennials said it’s extremely important to have more control over investments, 61% want greater ability to customize their investments, and 61% want their investment to be managed to optimize taxes. 

Currently, 87% of Millennials are familiar with direct indexing, an increase from 80% in last year’s survey. Additionally, 53% of Millennials are extremely interested in learning more about direct indexing, while only 34% of Gen X and 22% of Boomers feel the same way. 69% of ETF investors, not investing with direct indexing, said that they are likely to invest in one next year. For Millennials, 80% feel this way.

Finsum: Schwab conducted a survey among its ETF-investing clients. Among the findings, Millennials are partial to the asset class and also have strong interest in direct indexing.