Putnam Investments is initiating an ongoing dialogue with the financial services industry, advisors and clients entitled “New Ways Of Thinking” that is designed to spur a discussion of issues regarding investing and innovation in a changing market.
 
The drive is part of an effort by the firm’s CEO, Robert Reynolds, to find new opportunities in an evolving environment. “Embracing innovative thinking is no longer optional—it’s imperative,” Reynolds said.
 
Since taking the helm at Putnam shortly before the financial crisis in 2008, Reynolds has introduced a series of risk-controlled investments and risk management tools that have repositioned the big Boston-based investment company. The firm has also rolled out 20 new mutual funds and investment vehicles, including a series of absolute return funds and several so-called Spectrum funds, the latter of which examine undervalued, leveraged companies and seeks to find pockets of value within different layers of their capital structure.
 
Reynolds notes that the post-financial crisis environment has been dynamic and that volatility and uncertainty have paralyzed many investors. “The last five years have brought extreme swings in market conditions driven by a confluence of factors that left many investors shell-shocked and ill-prepared to either seize unprecedented investment opportunities or protect their portfolios from downside risk,” he said.
 
He believes that, until recently, most people would be surprised to learn that many major equity indexes have doubled in value since 2009. He is also convinced that many conservative investors would be surprised to learn that, if interest rates go up 1 percent, 10-year Treasury bonds would fall by about 9.3 percent.
 
At Putnam, Reynolds has sponsored research embodied in a series of white papers that have attempted to focus advisors and investors on goal-oriented issues regarding retirement. The new awareness-building campaign will feature a number of content-driven, multi-media vehicles and will include advertising.