Recent Whitepapers | Market and Economic Outlook
December 2020
Steps to customizing a long-term care plan
There are numerous options for long-term care, but it helps to understand how LTC benefits can be paid.
How to Select the Right Broker-Dealer Partner
Many financial advisors are frustrated with their broker-dealer for a number of reasons, profit squeezing, rising costs, lack of continuity and stability to name a few, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Download your free whitepaper and learn seven important characteristics to consider when choosing a broker-dealer partner. The paper covers the following:
- The challenges advisors face selecting a broker-dealer partner
- The seven characteristics of the ‘ideal’ broker-dealer
- Case studies and more
Every client is unique — shouldn’t their retirement strategy follow suit?
IRA rollovers are very popular. However, that doesn’t make them appropriate for every client or every scenario. Transamerica’s Guide to IRA Rollovers — with its convenient checklist — can help your clients decide if an IRA rollover is right for them. We’re here to help you help your clients make informed decisions.
In focus: U.S. inflationary forces
Recessions are rarely associated with inflation, but that’s the environment that we find ourselves in. Much of the disconnect can be traced back to the nature of the current recession, where demand recovered more quickly than supply as lockdown measures were lifted. Meanwhile, policy measures introduced to limit the economic damage impact of the pandemic has likely ushered in an era where fiscal policy will exert more influence over price levels than monetary policy. These developments suggest investors might need to think about inflation differently as existing frameworks may no longer be relevant—new lenses may be required.
November 2020
Help your clients add wisdom to their years with sound financial information.
Getting older presents challenges and opportunities. With Transamerica’s convenient guide — The Milestones of Retirement — you can help your clients make informed decisions every step of the way and maximize every opportunity. Transamerica is committed to helping clients make clear, rational financial decisions. The key is helping clients by teaching them to think and behave differently about investing.
The Truth About Cybersecurity
Regulators are handing out significant fines for advisors and firms who aren’t taking appropriate precautions to secure data. While most advisors take security threats seriously, many do not understand the complexity of the problem, or what resources are available to address it. Topics covered:
- The changing cybersecurity environment
- What you should know about cybersecurity
- What can you do to reduce the risk of cyberattacks
- The evolution of cybersecurity
Bridging the Diversity Divide With a Plan
Improving investor outcomes by encouraging gender diversity in the investment management profession has been a key pillar for CFA Society Atlanta over the past several years.
How Responsible Investing can help grow your business.
With clients’ interest in the category growing, Responsible Investing is an opportunity for advisors to differentiate their business, attract new clients, strengthen ties with existing ones and connect with the next generation of investors. Boost business and retention by connecting with new prospects and legacy clients on issues they care about.
Greenwashing: is Responsible Investing walking the walk?
The dramatic increase in Responsible Investing options. Understanding and identifying greenwashing. Strategies for avoiding a “greenwashed” portfolio.
Guide to Online Advertising
For financial professionals looking to reach new leads and grow their business, online advertising is among the best channels to achieve those goals.
In this ebook, FMG Suite presents a comprehensive step-by-step guide through paid advertising; from brainstorming, to setting up the ads, to evaluating the success and improving ads for the next round. This guide makes it easy for anyone to start promoting a financial services firm and increase its online presence.
Whether there's an interest in Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads, or paid search, this ebook has financial advisors covered to start advertising with confidence.
October 2020
Open Architecture – Custodial Choice Means Lower Cost for Your Clients
The key to scalability, profitability and practice efficiency is open architecture with no propriety platforms, no mark-ups and no revenue-sharing!
See why Aite named Tamarac as the only ‘Best-in-Class’ provider for RIA Trading and Reporting solutions.
Portfolio management and reporting platform, Tamarac, ranks the unequivocal leader in client retention and feedback in this excerpt from the latest Aite Group Matrix Report. Download now and receive a personal demo.
September 2020
Understanding the Responsible Investing landscape.
Responsible Investment strategies. Research & data approaches. Corporate engagement philosophies.
Secure the Future of Your Practice
Is your practice ready for tomorrow? Crafting a formal, written succession plan is essential to preserving the value of your practice. If you are like most advisors, you do a great job planning for your clients, but you haven't given much thought to what will happen to your practice when you retire or die. Statistics show that 93% of Advisors do not have a legally binding contract in place for their succession! Get the process started today! Download your complimentary white paper and learn the keys to creating an efficient succession plan in just 4 steps.
A Behavioral Guide to Market Volatility:
How Behavioral Science Can Help Advisors During Market Turmoil
How can advisors ensure clients’ emotions don’t get in the way of their better judgement when making financial decisions during market turmoil? Morningstar’s behavioral insights team created a guide to help advisors work around investing biases during times of volatility.
Develop A Stronger Value Proposition with a Financial Planning Strategy
As a financial advisor, you understand the value of financial planning. But do your clients?
Effective marketing is the key to a successful financial planning offering. In this whitepaper, we’ll explore guidelines and best practices for implementing a powerful marketing strategy around your financial planning service.
August 2020
Corporate IAR vs Independent RIA – Which Model is Right for You?
As clients demand unbiased advice and freedom of choice from their financial professionals, both the Corporate IAR and Independent RIA models have been very successful. Learn the pros and cons of each and which one is truly best for your business.
The Power of Disruption…and Sound Fundamentals
Understanding technological shifts and changes in consumer behavior is important when evaluating businesses, but we believe staying grounded in fundamental analysis is essential.
July 2020
The COVID-19 Recession: Becoming More Relevant to Customers
How to Select the Right Broker-Dealer Partner
Frustrated with your Broker-Dealer? Choosing a Broker-Dealer is a big decision and isn’t one you have to make alone! Download this helpful report and learn:
- What will you gain by changing your Broker-Dealer
- How to evaluate a potential Broker-Dealer
- Learn seven important characteristics to consider when selecting a broker-dealer Partner
June 2020
Choosing technology
Full integration is key to advisor success
If chosen wisely, technology helps boost efficiency, but if not manual processes are common. Explore how E*TRADE Advisor Services can help you choose wisely.
May 2020
M&A INTEGRATION DURING VOLATILE FINANCIAL MARKETS
The right strategies to achieve synergies
Preparing for an acquisition
In this volatile financial market, it might be the right time to acquire another firm. However, before you begin searches, conference calls, due diligence, negotiations, spreadsheets, and contracts, there are some important factors to keep in mind as you prepare for this exciting and challenging journey. While the art and drama of making the acquisition will become fodder for cocktail war stories when the deal is done, the real work will begin with the integration of the now single business. Integration is the most critical part of an acquisition strategy, yet it is often short changed because so much energy is expended on the acquisition itself. This whitepaper will walk you through the areas to consider as you begin preparing and planning for an acquisition during this unsettled time period.
The Truth About Cybersecurity
Learn how to properly secure client data so it meets industry standards and keeps clients – and your reputation – safe!
April 2020
Open Architecture – Custodial Choice Means Lower Cost for Your Clients
The key to scalability, profitability and practice efficiency is open architecture with no propriety platforms, no mark-ups and no revenue-sharing!
March 2020
Secure the Future of Your Practice
Are your client’s asking what happens to me if something happens to you? A strategy for efficient succession planning broken down into 4 manageable steps!
A Matter of Interpretation:
Exploring the SEC’s New Rules for Investment Advisors
This paper discusses the SECs new milestone rules and what they mean for investment advisors.
Direct Indexing
An Essential Part of Your Model Portfolio for the Mass Affluent
Learn how you can become part of the growing trend of customized, tax-optimized portfolios for the next generation of investors.
February 2020
It’s All About Choice:
Corporate IAR vs Independent RIA
January 2020
How to Select the Right Broker-Dealer Partner
Frustrated with your broker-dealer? Learn seven important characteristics to consider when selecting a broker-dealer Partner.
December 2019
Are Companies With Positive ESG Profiles Also Good Investments?
In this interview, Parnassus CIO Todd Ahlsten and Director of Research Matthew Gershuny share insights about the relationship between ESG analysis and stock performance based on their 36 years of combined ESG investment experience.
Advisory Firms in 2030: The Innovation Imperative
Insights into how our profession is — and isn’t — anticipating evolving client needs.
Financial planners who get ahead of “what’s next” will likely thrive. The rest may get left behind. Most financial planners are too caught up in the now to look ahead to tomorrow, much less five or ten years down the road. That’s what our online survey respondents told us. In fact, 55% said they don’t even have a business plan in place yet (though they’ve been meaning to do so).
Coach Through Biases — Yours and Your Clients’
Coach Through Biases — Yours and Your Clients. So you think you know "goals-based?" You might be a little biased. A true goals-based wealth management approach can help you recognize biases — both yours and your clients’ — and drive client outcomes. Keep your focus on the end game. Download Coach Through Biases — Yours and Your Clients' to learn how to reframe your client experience through ongoing engagement and conversations about risk — the risk of not meeting goals that is.
November 2019
Leveraging Technology to Secure Family Relationships
Advisors can miss a crucial piece of growing their business—building relationships with the next gen of investors.
The Value of Cash Flow Planning Across all Life Stages
Learn how your clients can better determine where their money went and where it will go to help fund their life goals with cash flow planning.
Best Practices for Stopping Risk in Its Tracks
In times of rapid technological growth and expansion in communications tools, it pays to stay ahead of the latest developments. Utilizing cutting-edge communications tools will allow your organization to reach as broad an audience as possible, but you’ll also need to be prepared to deal with any potential risk a new tool might present.
As you’re preparing your strategies for tackling the newest compliance challenges, there are a few best practices you should keep in mind. Download Best Practices for Stopping Risk in Its Tracks to learn more!
Is the Low Volatility Anomaly Universal?
Low volatility investing gained immense popularity in the last decade. A proliferation of passive investment vehicles based on this concept attracted more than $70 billion in assets globally as of the end of February 2019.
The low volatility phenomenon is not, however, a new concept; academics first wrote about it more than four decades ago. Low volatility strategies are familiar in the investment world; portfolio managers have sought volatility reduction, explicitly or otherwise, for as long as there have been portfolio managers.
Muni Bonds: making every basis point matter
Municipal bonds helped fund construction of some of our nation’s largest public works projects. Today, these investments can help you build a tax-efficient income portfolio. Strong flows and year-to-date performance in this sector, however, may have investors wondering if it’s too late to invest. This whitepaper discusses why municipal bonds are still an attractive investment for investors today, especially for those in high tax brackets and high tax states.
Muni 360: The comprehensive view of the municipal bond market.
In today’s rate environment, many investors are looking at municipal bonds as a way to balance concerns about risk with the need to generate income. In this comprehensive report, our award-winning fund managers, MacKay Municipal Managers™, provide an unrivaled perspective of the municipal bond market, including: their top 5 muni market insights for this year, monthly and quarterly updates, key market developments, regional views, and state-by-state stats.
October 2019
AsiaNow: The China Edition
This report dispels myths about China as an investment destination and captures what it is today: a modern market economy powered by entrepreneurial companies and a thriving middle class.
A Fundamental Look at S&P 500® Dividend Aristocrats®
Dividends have interested market participants and theorists since the origins of modern financial theory. As such, many researchers have investigated the various topics related to dividends and dividend-paying firms. Previous studies by S&P Dow Jones Indices have shown that over a long-term investment horizon, dividend-paying constituents of the S&P 500 have outperformed the non-dividend payers and the overall broad market on a risk-adjusted basis.1
1 Soe, Aye, “Dividend Investing and a Look Inside the S&P Dow Jones Dividend Indices,” September 2013, S&P Dow Jones Indices.
Smart money: AI transitions from fad to future
PwC and Wavelength discuss the use of AI and Quantitative Factors to stay ahead of the fast changing world of fixed income.
Generating Alpha Through Impact Investing
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 created sweeping changes to the tax code substantially impacting both individuals and corporations. Major elements of the Act include increasing the standard deduction and family tax credits, limiting property and mortgage interest deductions, and several other changes that impact a large percentage of Americans.
Fee-Based Insurance
The Missing Asset Class for a Holistic Financial Plan
In a world where advisors increasingly face questions about what they do that’s indispensable, the use of fee-based insurance products can be an important differentiator.
Connecting Clients to Liquidity
The Advisor's Guide to Fearless Investing
Warren Buffett probably said it best. “Stocks are the only thing consumers refuse to buy when they’re at their cheapest and only want to buy when they’re at their most expensive.” This is a model that can’t work, and statistically, it doesn’t. In this eGuide you'll discover why current investment methods are broken due to mainly stereotyping investors, why we've done it this way, and how Riskalyze is changing the way the industry looks at risk versus return by implementing the Third Wave of Advice and empowering the world to invest fearlessly!
The Billion Dollar Formula
The billion-dollar RIA is both a standard of success and an educational model for advisors of all stripes. The reputation of billion-dollar firms is well-earned, and hitting this milestone is a testament to hard work and vision on the part of the advisors that reach this goal. That said, there is no map to success for building a billion-dollar RIA. However, Riskalyze looked for patterns and like characteristics between billion-dollar firms to see if there was a winning formula. Using their data, they were able to identify nine traits these RIAs have in common and how firms can utilize them on their path to a billion.
Market Volatility: How to communicate with clients in times of market uncertainty
During periods of market uncertainty, it’s important to keep the lines of communication open. Explore how E*TRADE Advisor Services can help you successfully navigate market volatility conversations with clients.
Guide to Generating Income
Markets are volatile. Interest rates are uncertain. If you and your clients are seeking income investments in unexpected places, you are part of Generation Income. Look to our Guide to Generating Income for proven income strategies for an uncertain environment. With our guide, you can explore solutions to help meet your clients’ investment needs.
So be a part Generation Income. Get the Guide to Generating Income here.
