Most Recent Articles

Measuring the Cost of Socially Responsible Investing by Adam Jared Apt

Quite apart from its motivations, the consequences of socially responsible investing have intrigued analysts. The actual results, as distinct from the desired results, cannot be taken for granted. Mark Kritzman has written about the subject, but his research was little noticed until recently, when SRI achieved renewed prominence in the form of popular demands that institutional portfolios divest themselves of investments in fossil-fuel companies. Kritzman’s point, and the conclusion of his analysis, is that SRI, properly understood, incurs a cost to the portfolio.

Most Recent Commentaries

Earnings Study by Mark Ungewitter of Charter Trust Company

Are modern investors over-anticipating a new secular bull market? Given trailing-GAAP multiples of 7x in 1950 and 8x in 1980, today’s 19x doesn’t leave much room for error.

Does Behavioral Investing Make Sense Anymore? by Kevin Simms, Joseph Paul of AllianceBernstein

Value investing has faced a crisis of confidence after five tough years. Here’s why we think the behavioral investing principles that underpin the discipline are more relevant than ever.

Europe's Lost Keynesians by Kenneth Rogoff of Project Syndicate

There is no magic Keynesian bullet for the eurozone’s woes, despite what many commentators and much of the public seem to believe. The eurozone’s difficulties stem from European financial and monetary integration having gotten too far ahead of actual political, fiscal, and banking union not exactly a problem that Keynes tried to address.

ING Fixed Income Perspectives May 2013 by Christine Hurtsellers, Matt Toms, Mike Mata of ING Investment Management

How do you like them apples? By pointing out some Excel blunders in the data of Harvard economists Reinhart and Rogoff, a UMass-Amherst grad student appears to have gotten their number and in the process discredited their seminal work touting the merits of austerity. Though Good Will Hunting fans may be amused to see a couple of Harvardians get their comeuppance, you don’t need the titular character’s wicked smarts to deduce that harsh government spending cuts may not be the best way to pick up your economy.

Investing in Gold: Does It Stack Up? by Team of Knowledge@Wharton

Gold has a timeless allure -- especially if you worry about stock market volatility, inflation, a decay of ordinary currency or the collapse of civilization. Yet not everyone agrees that gold offers the safe haven its promoters describe. How reliable can demand be for a commodity that very few people actually need? What is the proper role for gold in an investment portfolio? Why has its price been falling?

Chart of the Week: S&P 500 versus Expected CPI by Mark Ungewitter of Charter Trust Company

In the post-crash environment, US equities have shown a remarkable 70% correlation with TIPS breakeven spreads. This compares with a 0% correlation in the four years preceding March 2009.

Weekly Market Commentary by Scotty George of du Pasquier Asset Management

All in all, one’s track record of success, or defeat, is defined by the consistency of one’s methodology and the frequency of positive pulsebeats one can amass over a specific duration.

QE from 35,000 Feet by Scott Minerd of Guggenheim Partners

Quantitative easing has benefited from global macro events and appears likely to continue for the rest of the year. Markets, though, will continue to anticipate how the current policies will eventually be unwound.

A Cry for Help from Income Investors by Sponsored Content from Legg Mason Global Income Survey

Confronted with the stark realities of income investing now, affluent investors all over the world are rethinking their approach, notes Legg Mason’s just-released Global Income Survey. Yet the Survey also found income investors hungry for more knowledge and ideas -- creating opportunities for savvy financial advisors.

Do Annuities Reduce Bequest Values? by Joe Tomlinson

The widely held view that annuities reduce bequest values is too narrow. Adjustments can be made in retirement portfolios to reduce retirement risk without sacrificing the value of one’s bequest. Here’s how retirees can purchase annuities, adjust allocations in remaining assets and achieve improved retirement outcomes.

How Responding to Client Requests is Like Returning a Sweater to Sears by Dan Richards

A source of frustration for many advisors is the amount of time that’s consumed by mundane administrative requests – things that clients don’t value and chew up a ton of time. But there is a way to take the time spent on routine matters and turn it into something that clients see as delivering quantifiable value. A veteran advisor told me how he did exactly that – and enhanced relationships with the accountants for key clients in the process.

Social Media Best Practices: Slow and Steady Wins the Race by Wendy Cook

If a website is the center of your marketing universe, social media is the gravitational force pulling your audience into the world you’ve created for them. But social media is easily a full-time endeavor of its own. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ … Where do you begin? Equally important, where should you leave off?

Five Tips for Winning in the “Trust and Value” Economy by Meridith Elliott Powell

In this our economy, the consumer is in control. What advisors sell is a luxury, and an advisor’s competitive advantage is how he or she sells it. Success depends on your ability to build and expand relationships in what I call the “trust and value” economy.

Does Your Firm Need a COO? by Beverly Flaxington

I run a 15-person firm. A consultant come and prepared a growth plan for our future. The number-one recommendation was that I create a role for a chief operating officer and hire this person. But I don’t see how a COO helps a firm that is as small as mine. This seems the solution for a firm of 50 or above, and I can’t afford a high-paid individual repeating what I already do.

Career Opportunities by Advisor Perspectives

We are posting career opportunities for firms that seek to add financial advisors and planners to their staff. Read more to find out how to post opportunities at your firm.