Wealth Management
In an article for USA Today, Jessica Guynn summarized the current debate between those who advocate for ESG investing and those who see it as a disguise for ‘woke capitalism’. In contrast, supporters of ESG see these factors as being critical to their investing process. For instance, they see preparations for climate change as part of a managers’ fiduciary duty given its potential impact on asset values.
These tensions came up at the House Oversight Committee meeting last week as Representative Rankin was critical of anti-ESG attacks which he said were coming at the behest of the fossil fuel industry. In turn, Republicans were equally harsh as they countered that asset managers should only consider financial information and that by considering non-financial factors, they were risking the retirement savings of American workers.
At the state level, 17 Republican Attorney Generals jointly filed a motion to block Blackrock from advocating for ESG principles for utility companies.
Many of those opposed to ESG see it as preventing energy companies from making sufficient long-term investments that are necessary to continue fossil fuel production and blame it, in part, for the inflation and oil spike during 2021.
Finsum: ESG investing continues to be a source of political conflict. These tensions came to a head at a contentious House Oversight Committee meeting.
In an article for Investopedia, Justin Kuepper shared some strategies for financial advisors to grow their practices. This type of planning is important to ensure that daily activities are aligned with your long-term financial goals as well as your client’s. Without consistently investing in these efforts, it’s likely that your practice will start to erode as clients who leave are not replaced.
Instead, advisors should focus on carving out a specific niche such as focusing on a particular community, industry, or demographic. This will lend more expertise and credibility and lead to more curiosity and comfort from clients and prospects. You will also have less competition and be able to develop a brand which can be difficult given that financial advisors offer many of the same services.
The next growth strategy is to provide exceptional service to your clients as it can lead to referrals which is the most effective form of marketing. Some advisors make the mistake of focusing too much on new business and see high rates of attrition when existing clients don’t feel valued. Putting these strategies in place also means that advisors don’t need to compromise on price as they will be offering a premium, differentiated service.
Finsum: Growing a financial advisory business takes planning and strategic thinking. Here are some tips to ensure success.
In an article for FinancialPlanning, Dan Shaw covered FINRA expelling SW Financial of Melville, NY for a variety of violations of industry rules. FINRA cited the firm selling private placement IPOs that were unsuitable for some of its customers. This is a violation of Reg BI, where brokers can only sell private shares to wealthy or accredited investors.
As of April 2023, SW Financial had 38 representatives, 4 branches, and had been operating since 2007. SW Financial’s co-owner and CEO Thomas Diamante was suspended from the financial industry for 9 months and fined $50,000. Diamante and SW Financial agreed to the settlement without admitting or denying guilt.
FINRA also said that the firm notified clients that it was receiving a 10% commission on the private placement but not that it would be getting an additional 5% in selling compensation. This is another violation of industry rules, where 10% is the most commission that can be earned.
In total, the firm received about $2 million in compensation that created a ‘conflict of interest’ for the firm and its clients. They were also cited for a failure to conduct proper due diligence.
Finsum: FINRA expelled SW Financial for failing to follow Reg BI and churning customer accounts.
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In an article for AdvisorPerspectives, Edward Perks of Franklin Templeton shared his reasoning for why fixed income should outperform equities in the near term.
First, he sees that inflation is trending lower, but there still needs to be more progress before the Fed would actually start cutting rates. Further, he acknowledges recent stress in the banking system but doesn’t see it spreading to other sectors and becoming a more significant issue which would force rate cuts.
This should lead to a positive scenario for fixed income with longer-term rates bending lower, short-term rates plateauing, and inflation gently moving lower. However, he does believe that the economy will keep slowing so that corporate earnings will soften into the second-half of the year and 2024.
Due to these factors, he recommends a 60/40 allocation with a larger tilt for fixed income over equity. It’s also possible that the allocation could change even more if the economy stumbles into a recession. The firm is particularly bullish on investment grade credit as it offers compelling value with strong upside especially if Franklin Templeton’s base case economic scenario plays out.
Finsum: Franklin Templeton is quite constructive on fixed income but less so for equities. Here’s why it’s recommending a 60/40 allocation tilted towards bonds.
In an article for BankRate, Karen Bennett discussed whether CDs or annuities are the best option for someone saving for retirement. Both are low risk compared to other options, however there are some important differences.
A CD pays a guaranteed rate of return for a certain amount of time, but the funds are completely locked up for the entire term at which point the principal is returned. However if the money needs to be accessed early, then there is likely to be a penalty which negates the earned interest and even potentially cuts into the interest.
In contrast, an annuity is a contract that guarantees a certain amount of income for an upfront cost. Typically, annuities last for the remainder of one’s life, or it can be for a pre-set length of time. Typically, the counterparty in an annuity is an insurance company. Annuities also come in many forms. They can be structured to allow one to build wealth in a retirement account, or it can be like life insurance and pay out a benefit upon death.
Some differences to consider are that annuities typically pay higher rates than CDs, offer similar amounts of security, higher taxes on income from CDs, and higher penalties for annuities if you need to access your principal.
Finsum: Annuities and CDs are low risk ways to build wealth for retirement. Here are some differences to consider.
In an article for ThinkAdvisor, Dinah Wisenberg Brin shared some tips from experienced financial advisors on the best way to integrate model portfolios into your practice. The category has seen rapid growth in recent years with nearly $400 billion in assets as of January 2023 which was up more than 20% over the previous year.
In many ways, model portfolios level the playing field between large and small firms. While some clients will always require a personal touch, model portfolios can be valuable in serving clients who have more typical goals and circumstances. Additionally, model portfolios allow advisors to focus more on enhancing the client experience and growing their business rather than managing investments.
Another advantage is that they give smaller practices the ability to leverage tools and resources of major asset managers. These portfolios are also scalable and also leads to more optimal and efficient asset allocation.
However, one clear disadvantage of model portfolios is that they cannot be customized especially in terms of allocations, time horizon, and risk tolerance. Therefore, they may not be appropriate for clients who have special circumstances or unique goals.
Finsum: Model portfolios are a new innovation and are exploding in popularity. Find out if they are a good fit for your clients.