Wealth Management

More than anyone else, financial advisors intuitively understand the value of planning in order to create successful outcomes. Their entire career is built around that concept, and they provide that service for their clients on a daily basis to help them reach their financial goals and attain a comfortable retirement.

 

So, it’s a conundrum that many advisors don’t apply the same rigor when it comes to their practices especially as it may impact their ability to recruit and retain clients if they are at a more mature age. Succession planning can also help advisors maximize the value of their business when it comes to selling, but it can be overwhelming given the variety of options. 

 

A good intermediate step for advisors who are just beginning the process is to have a management succession plan and a buy/sell agreement in the event of a death or disability. A management succession plan details who will take control of the business in terms of operations. Typically, it’s an employee or possibly a trusted colleague in the industry. The buy/sell agreement is usually funded by life insurance and is a legal document that clarifies how ownership of the business is transferred if the principal unexpectedly leaves the business. 

 

Both steps are essential as it guarantees the successful continued operation of the business, while assuring that the interests of the advisors’ heirs and family are also taken care of. 


Finsum: Ironically, many financial advisors don’t take succession planning seriously. It’s understandable given the variety of options and implications, but here are some small steps to get you started.

 

A major theme of 2023 has been the constant compression in volatility. In fact, the volatility index (VIX) is now lower than when the bear market began in January of 2022 despite the S&P 500 being about 10% below its all-time highs.

 

However, the consensus continues to be that these conditions won’t persist for too long. The longer that rates remain elevated at these lofty levels, the higher the odds that something breaks, causing a cascade of issues that will lead to a spike in volatility and a probable recession. According to Vanguard, a shallow recession remains likely to occur sometime early next year. 

 

For fixed income, it will certainly be challenging. So far this year, the asset class has eked out a small gain despite rates trending higher due to credit spreads tightening and low default rates. However, more volatility is likely if rates keep moving higher which would likely lead to selling pressure or if inflation does cool which would result in the Fed loosening policy, creating a generous tailwind for the asset class.

 

Given this challenging environment, active fixed income is likely to outperform passive fixed income as managers have greater discretion to invest in the short-end of the curve to take advantage of higher yields while being insulated from uncertainty. Additionally, these managers can find opportunities in more obscure parts of the market in terms of duration or credit quality. 


Finsum: Fixed income has eked out a small gain this year. But, the environment is likely to get even more challenging which is why active fixed income is likely to generate better returns than passive fixed income.

 

UBS shared its outlook on fixed income and high yield credit in a strategy piece. Overall, the bank is moderately bullish on the asset class, especially at the short-end of the curve, but doesn’t believe returns will be as strong as the first-half of the year.

 

Overall, it attributes strength in the riskier parts of the fixed income universe to a stronger than expected US economy which has kept the default rate low. This has been sufficient to offset the headwind of the Fed’s ultra-hawkish monetary policy. 

 

The bank attributes the economy’s resilience to lingering effects of supportive fiscal and monetary policy and the strong labor market. It’s a different type of recovery than what we have seen in the past where financial assets inflated while the real economy struggled. 

 

However, UBS believes that the default rate should continue to tick higher so it recommends a neutral positioning. It also sees a correlation between equity market volatility and high-yield credit. While this was a tailwind in the first-half of the year, it believes that it should be a headwind for the remainder of the year given high valuations. 

 

Overall, it sees a more challenging environment for high-yield credit and recommends sticking to the short-end of the curve to minimize duration and default risk.


Finsum: In a strategy piece on high-yield credit, UBS digs into its strong performance in the first-half of the year, and why it expects a more challenging second-half. 

 

Page 56 of 252

Contact Us

Newsletter

Subscribe

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

Top
We use cookies to improve our website. By continuing to use this website, you are giving consent to cookies being used. More details…