Wealth Management
The Trump administration plans a series of “historic deals” with the U.S. mining sector to expand domestic production of critical minerals vital to national defense and high-tech industries. Earlier moves included taking equity stakes in companies developing lithium, rare earths, and other strategic resources as part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, particularly China.
Officials argue that strengthening domestic supply chains is essential for economic security and long-term competitiveness. Momentum is already building, with plans underway to construct the first U.S. minerals refinery in decades with federal financial backing.
The strategy also includes accelerating major mining projects in states such as Alaska and Arizona, including large-scale copper developments led by global miners.
Finsum: Together, these initiatives signal a concerted push to revitalize U.S. mining and lead to a sectoral boost.
Institutional investors are increasingly prioritizing global macro strategies, with surveys showing more than 40% planning to raise allocations in the year ahead. The appeal stems from a market environment marked by geopolitical risk, policy divergence across regions, and the breakdown of traditional stock-bond diversification.
Global macro strategies offer flexibility to invest across currencies, rates, commodities, and equities, allowing managers to exploit dislocations that long-only approaches often cannot. Historically, macro strategies have demonstrated resilience during periods of market stress and have the potential to benefit from higher interest rates through both trading opportunities and carry income.
As correlations rise and uncertainty grows, institutions view macro as a stabilizing, diversifying allocation rather than a niche exposure.
Finsum: Strong risk management and disciplined execution make global macro a leading choice for portfolios positioning for 2025 and beyond
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.
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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.