Advisor Success Series

In this episode, we are pleased to be joined by first time guest Phil McInnis, Chief Investment Strategist at Avantis Investors. Phil shares research on why investors should stay the course during periods of market volatility like what we recently witnessed following the trade tariff announcements on April 2 "Liberation Day." He reminds listeners the importance of maintaining a strategic mindset when investing in risky assets, such as equities, as the inherent risks are the reasons why stocks outperform bonds and cash over the long run. We also discuss their research into additional market risk premiums that have historically rewarded investors with higher returns such as value and cash flow profitability. 

In this episode, we are rejoined by Wes Crill, Senior Investment Director at Dimensional Fund Advisors to discuss the latest performance challenges for the Fama/French factor premium framework, namely small cap value within the U.S. market. Wes provides context for these performance challenges, especially in light of positive performance of the premiums outside the U.S. and for investors to stick with the premiums over the long run.

In this episode we are pleased to be joined by Jay Jacobs, Head of Thematic and Active ETFs at BlackRock, as we explore the firm's 2025 outlook for thematic investing. Key topics include opportunities driven by a lower interest rate environment, a renewed focus on improving U.S. physical infrastructure for transportation and manufacturing, and the buildout of artificial intelligence capabilities. We'll also cover essential factors to consider when incorporating thematic exposure into your portfolio.

In this episode, we are joined by Massimo Santicchia, Co-Founder of Alpha Quant specializing in systematically-managed portfolios using a quantitative approach. We discuss the current environment where U.S. large caps have handily outperformed small caps over the last decade and why the environment is shaping up to favor small caps over large caps. We also discuss why one should be more selective with respect to fundamental characteristics when building a small cap portfolio.

In this episode, we are pleased to be joined by Chad Farrington, Co-Head Municipal Bond Investment Strategy at DWS Asset Management. Chad provides an update on the federal tax-exempt bond market, which includes issuers spanning state and local municipalities to public use facilities such as mass transit, airports, and toll roads. We also discuss the interest rate environment in light of Federal Reserve policy and the upcoming federal elections. 

In this episode, we are rejoined by Taylor Lukof, CEO and Founder of ABR Dynamic Funds, to discuss the spike in market volatility catalyzed by the Bank of Japan's decision to raise interest rates that precipitated a sharp unwinding of Japanese yen-funded risk positioning. Taylor mentions how difficult it was for both professional and retail volatility traders to navigate around both the spike in market volatility as well as its quick reversion back to low levels. What happened in August is but another reminder of the challenges for do-it-yourself traders trying to positioning themselves to take a directional view on market volatility.

In this episode, we discuss the current market environment with Brian Weisenberger, Senior Market Strategist at Kensington Asset Management. Brian shares how Kensington assesses the equity and fixed income markets through a systematic lens. Although the current environment remains conducive for risk-on positioning across equities and fixed income, he does highlight some potential pockets of turbulence and why investors should incorporate some tactical strategies to navigate through this turbulence. 

In this episode, we are joined by John Davi, founder of Astoria Portfolio Advisors. Following three years of John consistently and accurately forecasting inflation would persist, he now shares his revised outlook for the current challenging environment and actionable recommendations for investors. We believe this interview will help advisors to navigate between slowing growth and elevated inflation. Astoria studies economic and business cycles and emphasizes diversification across asset classes and investment styles but favors higher quality segments of the market as long as interest rates remain elevated.

In this episode, we hear about growth opportunities outside the U.S. market, which has been dominated by U.S. technology firms, primarily those investing in generative artificial intelligence. Shane Duffy, Lead Portfolio Manager for J.P. Morgan's International Equity Growth strategy, identifies growth opportunities overseas, not just in technology but in other economic segments across industrials and consumer discretionary.

In this episode, we are joined by Lewis Stocks, portfolio specialist with WestEnd Advisors, who specializes in managing strategies built around the economic cycle. Lewis shares the firm's outlook on the U.S. and international landscape and how they are positioned for a slow but steady phase of the economic cycle with an emphasis on U.S. sector positioning.

In this episode, Brian Mulberry shares with our audience the insights that can be gleaned from earnings estimate revisions as well as the need to contextualize earnings revisions with other data to provide a more robust market outlook. Zacks recognizes the headwinds of higher interest rates and a deceleration in post-pandemic spending, so investors should be mindful of the quality of the companies, such as whether those companies can weather the storm of higher costs of capital while growing their earnings.

As we kick off the 2024 season, we are pleased to be joined by Eben Burr, President of Toews Asset Management. In this episode, we discuss Toews' approach to dynamically managing downside risk in both equities and fixed income allocations within a balanced portfolio. Eben also provides his outlook on the challenges facing capital markets, especially around fiscal and monetary uncertainties heading into this year's U.S. election.

In the final episode for 2023, we are pleased to be joined by first-time guest Taylor Lukof, Founder and CEO of ABR Dynamic Funds. We discuss the basics of what it means to invest in Volatility Strategies, how to consider such strategies within a traditional asset allocation framework, and whether any market insights can be gleaned from the behavior of volatility pricing.

In this episode, we have the pleasure of catching up with Wes Crill, Senior Investment Director at Dimensional Funds. We address some of the latest academic reviews of factor investment research, specifically research for what's driving the factor performance/variability. We also discuss the challenges 2023 is posing on the factor premiums such as value and size.

In this episode, we catch up with prior guest Jason Bloom, Head of Fixed Income and Alternative Asset ETF Strategy at Invesco. We discuss the current market landscape and economic backdrop for cross-asset class positioning. Hear why Jason was not surprised by this year's rise in interest rates and why investors are being paid to park in fixed income and commodities.

The real estate sector has come under increasing pressure due to a combination of higher interest rates, tightening credit conditions, and uncertain outlooks over certain sub-sectors, particularly commercial office properties. However, with uncertainty comes opportunity and more compelling valuations for a sector that could see brighter days ahead should nominal interest rates see a peak over the next year. Listen in as we discuss the real estate outlook with Brian Cordes from Cohen & Steers, a specialty investment firm with a long history in real estate investing.

In this episode, we discuss the economic and market environment with David Cervantes of Pinebrook Capital. David brings a broad market perspective having spent most of his career on Wall Street covering fixed income and cross-asset sales at Morgan Stanley, UBS, and JPMorgan. David now focuses on asset allocation and manages systematic trading strategies for his own private capital and is an active commentator on social media. He shares with us where and why the economic consensus got the U.S. recession call wrong and the implications for asset allocation positioning looking ahead.

In this episode, we focus on thematic investing with Scott Helfstein, Head of Thematic Solutions at Global X ETFs. Scott brings a unique multi-faceted perspective to the thematic landscape having previously served as an analyst at the Federal Reserve, worked in investment banking, and taught international politics and policy at West Point Academy. We discuss the current macro environment as well as investment themes that have captured investor attention such as generative artificial intelligence and robotics.

In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Ken Shinoda, Chairman of the Structured Products Committee at DoubleLine and co-manager on the firm's Total Return, Opportunistic Income, Income, Opportunistic MBS and Strategic MBS strategies. Ken will be sharing his thoughts on current Fed policy and its eventual effects on economic activity and inflation. He will also provide an update on the state of the securitized lending market covering autos, credit cards, and residential / commercial real estate.

In this episode, we discuss the market and economic landscape with Jeff Weniger, Head of Equity Strategy at WisdomTree. At the time of this recording, we find ourselves at an inflection point between peak inflation, peak economic activity, and peak central bank tightening - or are we? Jeff shares his views through a cross-sectional analysis of housing, labor, production, and valuations and where the risk/reward looks most favorable and unfavorable.

We are pleased to kick off our 2023 season of the Advisor Success Series Podcast with Dave Nadig and Todd Rosenbluth from VettaFi. Both Dave and Todd are veterans of the fund industry and share their perspectives on prevailing industry trends such as ETF adoption, active versus passive management, and how advisors are shifting their practices to an ever-changing landscape.

In this episode, we welcome Andrew back to our podcast series as we discuss the economic and investment landscape for 2023. We discuss why the U.S. economy will just skate by on real (inflation-adjusted) economic growth, why inflation will come down but not as fast as implicitly priced in by financial markets, and their preferences for how asset allocators should be positioned in a less certain environment for economic and earnings growth. 

In this episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Rahul Hemrajani, Product Manager at Fitch Group, Inc.  Over a short period of time, Rahul has established a prominent profile within the ‘FinTwit' community serving as host to his popular Twitter Spaces forums discussing the latest market-moving headlines.  We also discuss the current investment landscape as asset allocators must contend with an uncertain environment replete with high global inflation and central bank tightening. 

In this episode, we take an opportunity to turn inward and discuss our recent acquisition by Freedom Advisors, the owner of EQIS Capital which runs an investment platform for independent financial advisors.  We discuss how our platforms complement one another to offer a wide breadth of services for advisors and reaffirm the importance of the independent advisory model. 

In this episode, we follow up with Wes Crill, Head of Investment Strategists at Dimensional Funds, from our May 2022 podcast episode in light of the continuing market volatility during the 1st half of 2022.  We address investor misconceptions and behavioral tendencies in the face of steep market sell-offs, both in equities and fixed income.  We caution investors to not react to short-term market volatility and evaluate how risk is being priced in equities and fixed income in the face of greater uncertainty on inflation and economic growth outlooks. 

In this episode, we are pleased to be joined by Tony Crescenzi, Market Strategist and Generalist Portfolio Manager at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO).  In addition to providing an updated outlook on the fixed income market, Mr. Crescenzi helps our listeners get a more intuitive understanding of Quantitative Tightening (“QT”), or the Federal Reserve's initiative to begin reducing its nearly $9 trillion balance sheet as part of a broader campaign to tighten monetary policy in the face of persistently high inflation.  How are we to understand both the impact of QT on capital markets functioning as well as on overall borrowing costs?  Have a listen to better understand the uncertainty that even financial professionals, let alone the layperson, struggle with in trying to gauge the potential impact of QT. 

In this episode, we catch up with Wes Crill, Head of Investment Strategists at Dimensional Funds, to discuss the client communication challenges financial advisors are facing in the wake of market volatility, especially in fixed income which has typically served as a ballast to equities, but not so much so far in 2022.  We also discuss how advisors might address client inquiries into cryptocurrency / digital asset investing when viewed within the context of expected risk/returns applied to traditional assets. 

In this episode, Bonnie Treichel, Chief Solutions Officer at Endeavor Retirement, joins us to discuss retirement plan compliance. Endeavour Retirement is a consulting firm dedicated to solving problems for plan sponsors, advisors, and service providers. Her background and experience give her a unique and informed perspective on the retirement plan industry. Our conversation covers timely topics such as PTE 2020-02, ESG Investing, and much more around the compliance landscape. 

In this episode, we have the opportunity to hear from American Century's Joyce Huang, Portfolio Specialist on the Emerging Market Fixed Income Management team.  We discuss the current investment landscape for the emerging markets following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting spillover into other regions.  Joyce Huang shares with our listeners how the team has been able to navigate the market turmoil (hint: the team had hedged their Russian debt exposure prior to the invasion) and some of the opportunities they are finding following the broader sell-off in emerging market fixed income. 

We are pleased to be joined by Michael Green from Simplify ETFs to discuss the decision by the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates for the first time following the March 2022 meeting.  We dig into the rationales for the course of action the Fed has committed itself to as it seeks to help restore price stability through tighter monetary policy actions without tipping the U.S. economy into recession.  We provide our views on the challenges the Fed faces given signs of an economic slowdown, largely a result of the higher prices feeding into a more expensive basic cost-of-living environment that many are struggling to keep up with.  What the Fed will do and what it ought to do is subject to much debate as we try to move past the 2020 pandemic shutdowns.   

In this episode, we catch up with ETF industry veteran Dave Nadig from ETF Trends to discuss the latest developments within the fund industry.  Of particular interest is the attempt by the investment industry (the public markets ecosphere) to create product giving access to the digital world whose innovation and evolution is occurring with lightning speed.  Can the public sphere and regulators keep up with the innovation, technological changes, and lower levels of transparency that have given a Wild West feel to digital asset investing?  Should the two spheres be crossed or kept separate from an investment perspective?  We also discuss some social media ‘disagreements' concerning possible negative fallouts from the popularity of indexing and target-date funds as well as disagreements over what constitutes the proper role of ‘stewardship' by vis-à-vis shareholder proxy voting and shareholder activism. 

To kick off 2022, we have the pleasure of speaking with Nancy Davis, CIO of Quadratic Capital Management, to discuss what is top-of-mind in capital market pricing, namely persistently high inflation and the U.S. Federal Reserve's response.  We discuss the inflationary/deflationary pickle global central banks find themselves contending with and how one can be positioned for both a rising rate environment and a less-than-aggressive central bank response over fears of going overboard on monetary tightening. The information, statements, comments, views, and opinions expressed or provided in this podcast are not necessarily those of 3D/L, and may not be current. 3D/L does not make any representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any of the information, statements, comments, views, or opinions contained in this podcast. 3D/L does not endorse any products or securities mentioned.

3D/L's President, John O'Connor and CIO, Benjamin M. Lavine, CFA, CAIA, RICP recently hosted a webinar with Jordan Farris of Nuveen, and John Braccio of Wright-Pierce to discuss the state of ESG investing and real-world applications. The full webinar video can be watched here

On this episode, we are joined by Jillian DelSignore, CIMA, the Managing Director, Head of ETFs & Indexing at FLX Distribution. FLX is a unique technology platform that brings together asset managers, distribution professionals, wealth advisors, and advisors. Prior to joining FLX, Jillian was worked at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, BlackRock iShares, and Goldman Sachs. Jillian currently serves on the Board of Women in ETFs, Inc, the first women's group for the ETF industry, and serves as an Independent Board Member for the Uncommon Investment Funds Trust. 

In this episode, we catch up with Nate Geraci, President of the ETF Store and host of the ETF Prime podcast.  We discuss the latest buzz around digital asset ETF product launches, how to manage investor behavior in the face of volatility, and whether ETF product development has been largely tapped out. (Hint: it hasn't so far).

In this episode, Wes Crill, Head of Investment Strategists at Dimensional Funds, joins us to discuss the latest issues surrounding value investing.  Stocks trading at low price/book valuations have historically outperformed the broader market due to their inherent riskiness, whether due to the cyclical nature of their businesses, capital intensity, or higher financial leverage.  However, an increasing number of academics and investors are questioning the relevance of book value (assets less liabilities) as the basis for measuring company valuation as opposed to earnings, cash flow, sales, etc.  As global economies transition to the digital age with capital investments increasingly focused on research and development and software licenses, is book value still relevant as a valuation metric for today's investors?

In this episode, we are joined by Ross Marino. Ross is the founder of Transitus Wealth Partners and has been working as an advisor for over 30 years. We discuss Ross' philosophy around decision making, how to prioritize, and how he works with clients in the moments that come up unexpectedly. He is also the founder of Advisor 2x, a company that has hosted over 1000 events and conferences for financial advisors. His new book: Shaping Change: How to Respond When Life Disrupts your Retirement Plan, which he co-wrote with Susan Bradley, is available now. 

In this episode, Matt Shute is joined by Korrine Kohm of Compliance Solution Strategies. They discuss the regulatory climate, new updates, marketing, and what is in store for advisors and advisory practices going forward. Korrine currently holds the position of Director of Retail Wealth Manager Services for Compliance Solutions Strategies (CSS). 

In this episode, we have the pleasure of catching up with David Braun, Senior Portfolio Manager at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO).  Inflation has emerged as one of the key risks to the market narrative as it remains top of mind by many Americans as expressed in recent polling.  We discuss PIMCO's outlook on inflation and why current elevated readings will likely prove to be ‘transitory' rather than permanent and also discuss the firm's views on interest rates and fixed income spread sectors such as corporate and mortgage-backed bonds.

In this episode, we are pleased to be joined by Andrew Little, research analyst at Global X, to discuss investment opportunities around water technology such as sourcing, distributing, and increasing productivity of usage. The ESG movement has led to plenty of investor capital funneled into ‘green' technologies focused on sustaining our living standards (e.g. energy and transportation) rather than sustaining basic living itself such as providing living needs around food, water, and affordable housing.  This episode covers the broader landscape for how investors should think about investing in water-based technologies as well as some of the exciting innovations taking place.

Are dividends still relevant in today’s market environment more fixated on ‘splashier’ investment themes, whether SPACs, cryptocurrencies, or the next dominant technology play? We have the pleasure of hosting Nathan Eigerman who recently published a white paper on the importance of dividend investing, even in today’s market environment where dividend payouts seem like an afterthought for realizing total returns in the equity markets.  You may be surprised that dividend investing has generally been a winning strategy over the last two decades, how dividends reflect positive signals on the part of company management, and how dividends can be systematically incorporated into an index designed to provide a higher yielding portfolio with comparable market risk.  Value Line Disclosure

In this episode, we catch up with Dimensional Funds on Sustainability Investing, following up on our December 2019 podcast.  We discuss the landscape of ESG investing and the current challenges facing investors given the increased popularity.  We discuss the tradeoffs to ESG investing and what investors are potentially giving up.  In particular, we focus on how investors can invest for sustainability while maintaining exposures to dimensions of higher expected returns (i.e. Fama/French risk factors). 

It’s been just over a year when we last spoke with Jason Bloom at Inside ETF right before the pandemic shutdown.  Part retrospective, part forward-looking, we discuss the market environment from what we saw a year ago versus what we’re seeing today.  Listen to Jason’s thoughts on the reflation trade that has propelled commodity prices from their pandemic lows while also driving up interest rates. 

In this episode, we catch up with Dave Nadig, Chief Investment Officer and Director of Research at ETF Trends and ETF Database (owned by ETF Flows, LLC).  We discuss how exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) fared during the March 2020 market meltdown, Dave’s outlook for the fund industry looking ahead, how we might see renewed interest in traditional active management, and the fund disintermediation threats posed by up-and-coming financial technologies such as direct indexing and digital assets. 

In this episode, we are pleased to be joined by Ric Edelman, Founder of Edelman Financial Engines and, more recently, Founder of RIA Digital Assets Council (RIADAC).  We dive into the recent surge in investor appetite for digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies embodied by Bitcoin and Etherium, discuss the differences between digital assets and stable coins, and hear about Ric’s goal of providing digital asset education to the financial advisor community.

In this episode, Matt Shute is joined by his colleague Ed Schweitzer to discuss the behavioral "coach" role that financial advisors take on when working with clients. Ed recently joined the firm and brings a great deal of insight into how successful advisors work with clients to ensure they reach their financial goals. 

In this episode, we catch up with Larry McDonald, former Lehman Brothers bond trader and current proprietor of the Bear Traps Report.  We discuss the shifting market landscape that could see a handoff from the government to the private sector as the world recovers from the coronavirus epidemic.  A bigger debate concerns whether the world’s infrastructure has the capacity to accommodate a post-COVID recovery, especially meeting near-term energy demands in the face of declining output.  And as payment moratoriums roll-off by year-end, will financial pressures across commercial real estate weigh down the broader credit markets?

In this episode, we dive into PIMCO’s newly released Secular Outlook and why we should expect a lower for longer scenario as the world tries to move past the COVID-19 pandemic.  We discuss implications around 1) China’s continuing emergence as a global economic growth driver, 2) continued electoral pressures stemming from populism, 3) rising climate-related risks with respect to corporate governance and capital raising, and 4) technological disruptions.  We also discuss opportunities and challenges for investing in today’s fixed income environment and why the pressures faced by the commercial real estate sector do not present the same systemic risks to the financial system versus what happened with subprime mortgages during the 2008 financial crisis.

Since the mid-March/April coronavirus pandemic market meltdown, broad basket commodities (precious and industrial metals, energy, agriculture) have enjoyed a strong recovery alongside other reflationary asset beneficiaries like equities.  Robert (Bob) Minter, Head of Investment Strategy at Aberdeen Standard Investments, shares his outlook on how the second act for commodities plays as we face some near-term headwinds such as U.S. government impasse over further pandemic spending and a renewed upswing of COVID-19 positive cases.   

In this episode, 3D discusses late-stage venture financing opportunities with Christian Munafo, CIO of SP Investments Management, the asset management arm of SharesPost.  In this episode, we discuss why retail investors should consider late-stage venture financing as part of an overall equity growth strategy, how they can access private companies through retail investment vehicles like interval funds and SPACs, and the investment opportunities presented in SP’s current portfolio of companies focused on innovation and disruption across large addressable markets.  Disclaimer:  Some of the names discussed are not held by the Fund, please consult the Fund's web page for a complete list of current Fund holdings. https://sharespost.com/marketplace/individual-investors/buying-private-assets/sharespost-100-fund/

We have the pleasure of catching up with Bob DeRochie, Fixed Income Specialist – Client Portfolio Manager at First Trust Advisors, to discuss the state of the fixed income markets following the significant recovery in credit risk during Q2.  Although much of the market is trading at rich levels, Bob still sees relative value opportunities across hybrid fixed income such as high yield, convertibles, and preferred equities.  But credit selection will be paramount as much of the ‘liquidity’ issues have been addressed by aggressive fiscal and monetary responses to the coronavirus pandemic.