Cls's The Weighing Machine

Today Rusty & Robyn are joined by Matt Brown, Founder and CEO of CAIS. He has spent more than 30 years at the intersection of wealth management, alternative investments, and platform design. In 2009, Matt founded CAIS, the first truly open marketplace for alternative investments, where financial advisors and alternative asset managers can engage and transact directly on a massive scale.Matt believes entrepreneurship is the major driver of economic and social change. He has spent the better part of two decades working with Endeavor, the world’s leading organization for high impact entrepreneurs. During his tenure, he had the opportunity to mentor dozens of entrepreneurs from locations around the world, including Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Matt is honored to have been on Endeavor’s South African and Turkish Boards, which ultimately led to a position on the Global Board of Directors. This experience deepened his belief that helping entrepreneurs build and scale their businesses promotes econ

Today Rusty & Robyn are joined by Jason Mertz, Director and Fixed Income Investment Strategist at AllianceBernstein. Jason works extensively with the firm’s portfolio management, credit research and trading team to monitor and communicate portfolio positioning and analysis to clients around the US. Prior to joining AB in 2016, Mertz worked at BlackRock as a separately managed account analyst. He holds a BA in finance and international business from Muhlenberg College. Key Takeaways[03:15] - Jason’s professional background, what initially drew him to this industry and his current role at AllianceBernstein.[04:30] - What really sets AllianceBernstein apart from other firms?[07:26] - What is the current, overall state of the Municipal Market?[08:20] - What are some of the high level investment benefits that investors are able to capture in the Muni Market?[10:09] - What are the fastest growing segments of the Muni Market currently?[11:30] - Jason’s outlook for the Muni Market in 2024.[14:07] - How is AB posi

As Chief Investment Officer of Avantis Investors®, Eduardo is responsible for directing the research, design and implementation of our investment strategies, providing oversight of the investment team and the firm's marketing initiatives, and interacting with clients.Prior to Avantis Investors' establishment in 2019, Eduardo was Co-Chief Executive Officer, Co-Chief Investment Officer and Director at Dimensional Fund Advisors LP ("DFA") until 2017. While at DFA, Eduardo provided oversight across the investment, client service, marketing, and operational functions of DFA and oversaw their day to day operations, directed the engineering and execution of investment portfolios and was involved in the design, development and delivery of research that informed the firm's investment approach as well as its application through portfolio management and trading.Dr. Repetto earned a Ph.D. degree in Aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology, an MSc degree in Engineering from Brown University, and a Diploma d

This week, Rusty is joined by Josh Flade from Orion to discuss diversifying asset classes. Joshua is the Deputy Chief Investment Officer of Orion OCIO where he chairs the investment committee and oversees the firm’s four investment verticals: Public Equities, Fixed Income, ETF/Mutual Fund Models, and Private Investments. Previously, Joshua specialized in Fixed Income with 12+ years of experience and co-managed TownSquare Capital’s Fixed Income strategies as well as served as the vice-chair of the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to TownSquare Capital, Joshua was a Senior Analyst/Associate PM within the Fixed Income Team at Ensign Peak Advisors with global coverage of Financial Institutions, REITs, and Healthcare industries. Prior to working at Ensign Peak Advisors, Joshua was an Associate within the Credit Research Group at Goldman Sachs with coverage of Central Counterparties (CCPs), Financial Institutions, and Oil and Gas industries in Central Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.Joshua currently v

This week, Rusty and Robyn are joined by Frank Nickel and Tom LaBarbera from Orion Portfolio Solutions to discuss Direct Indexing. Frank is an experienced investment professional known for his expertise in portfolio management and a history of contributing positively to performance outcomes.. He believes that a rigorously designed, flexible and robust investment process can add value by exploiting market opportunities. Thomas LaBarbera is a Quantitative Portfolio Manager at Orion who manages 23 SMA strategies within Beta, Factor and Thematic Portfolios for qualified and non qualified assets. In addition, he works alongside marketing and sales to enhance distribution channels and raise AUM. Key Takeaways[03:20] - The guests’ professional backgrounds and what they are doing in their current positions.[04:36] - What is quantitative investing and what are some arguments for why it is an effective way to manage portfolios?[06:35] - How do Frank and Tom define, measure and manage risk?[09:25] - What do most people

Chris King is the founder and CEO of Eaglebrook Advisors. Eaglebrook is a crypto investment platform that provides RIAs with direct access to bitcoin and digital assets. The firm operates one of the largest SMA Platforms in the crypto market. Eaglebrook's investment platform offers access to tax optimized Bitcoin and Ethereum separately managed accounts (SMAs) and third-party investment manager strategies held at an institutional qualified custodian. Eaglebrook is an SEC registered investment advisor that works with over 70 RIAs and has over 700 financial advisors using Eaglebrook’s Platform. The company is backed by leading wealth management executives and financial institutions including Castle Island Ventures, Brewer Lane Ventures and Franklin Templeton.Key Takeaways[03:20] - Chris’ professional background and what drew him to digital assets specifically?[06:02] - What really drives Eaglebrook’s investment philosophy?[08:08] - What is the strategic, long term reason to own crypto?[12:40] - What is the inve

In this episode, Rusty Vanneman and Robyn Murray are joined by Fritz Folts from 3EDGE Asset Management. Fritz has over 20 years of experience at the investment committee level in the investment management industry. He was one of the co-founders of 3EDGE Asset Management, where he serves as the Chief Investment Strategist and Member of the Investment Committee.Prior to 3EDGE, Fritz was one of the first team members at Windward Investment Management, a pioneer in constructing globally diversified portfolios utilizing index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). After the acquisition of Windward by Charles Schwab in 2010, the name of the firm was changed to Windhaven Investment Management. Fritz became responsible for distribution of Windhaven's investment solutions throughout the entire Charles Schwab nationwide retail branch network. He and his team raised over $15 billion in new assets under management. Later, Fritz was named Chief Investment Strategist at Windhaven. He began his career at The Boston Company, where he

In this episode, Rusty Vanneman and Robyn Murray are joined by Ron Ahluwalia, Mili Rosen and Will Girton from Brinker Capital’s award winning due diligence team. Ron Ahluwalia is a Vice President, Senior Portfolio Manager at Brinker Capital, an Orion Company. In this role, he is responsible for the portfolio management, strategy planning, and communication of multi-asset class portfolios for high net worth clients and institutions. Ron has over 18 years of industry experience. Mili Rosen works on the Investment Due Diligence team as a Senior Investment Analyst covering a variety of managers on the firm's OPS/Brinker Capital platforms. Asset class coverage includes domestic and international equities, fixed income, real assets, alternatives, and private equity across various vehicles (i.e., SMAs, ETFs, Mutual Funds, LPs). Will Girton is an Investment Analyst on Brinker’s award winning Due Diligence team.Key Takeaways[07:12] - How many managers, strategies and research reports does the entire Brinker due dilige

As DoubleLine’s Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Jeffrey Sherman oversees and administers DoubleLine’s Investment Management sub-committee coordinating and implementing policies and processes across the investment teams. He also serves as lead portfolio manager for multi-sector and derivative-based strategies. Mr. Sherman is a member of DoubleLine’s Executive Management and Fixed Income Asset Allocation Committees. He can be heard regularly on his podcast “The Sherman Show” (Twitter @ShermanShowPod, ShermanShow@Doubleline.com) where he interviews distinguished guests, giving listeners insight into DoubleLine’s current views. In 2018, Money Management Executive named Jeffrey Sherman as one of “10 Fund Managers to Watch” in its yearly special report. Prior to joining DoubleLine in 2009, Mr. Sherman was a Senior Vice President at TCW where he worked as a portfolio manager and quantitative analyst focused on fixed income and real-asset portfolios. He was a statistics and mathematics instructor at both the Univers

On the podcast today, Rusty Vanneman and Robyn Murray are joined by Ron Temple. Ronald Temple is the Chief Market Strategist for Lazard’s Financial Advisory and Asset Management businesses. In this role, Ron provides macroeconomic and market perspectives to Lazard’s investment teams on a firm wide basis and works closely with Lazard’s Geopolitical Advisory group to assess economic and market implications of key geopolitical issues globally. Ron also advises clients of Lazard’s Asset Management businesses regarding macroeconomic and market considerations that are important to achieving their objectives.Ron has an MPP from Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Economics & Public Policy from Duke University. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, The Bretton Woods Committee, the Economic Club of New York, the CFA Society New York and is the chair of Duke University’s Graduate School Board of Visitors.Key Takeaways[02:33] - Ron’s professional background and what drives him

Alex Rabinovich, CFA has a diverse range of work experience in the finance industry. Alex is currently the Head of Enterprise Sales at Halo Investing, a position they have held since January 2023. Prior to that, Alex worked at Russell Investments for almost a decade. Their roles at Russell Investments include Head of Strategic Accounts, where they led a team focused on expanding distribution with national intermediary partners and was responsible for planning and executing business plans. Alex also served as Director of Strategic Accounts, where they initiated and launched new strategic relationships with top broker dealers/distributors. Additionally, Alex worked as a Senior Strategic Account Executive at Russell Investments, collaborating with senior-level contacts at partner firms to grow market share and lead partner-focused initiatives. Before joining Russell Investments, Alex held roles at Morningstar as Vice President of National Accounts and Director of National Accounts, and at AssetMark Investment Se

Phil Toews is Chief Executive Officer of the Toews Corporation and a Portfolio Manager of Toews Asset Management. His management strategies focus on creating “investor friendly” products designed to meet investors’ economic and behavioral needs. Phillip is the founder of the Behavioral Investing Institute, an organization devoted to helping advisors manage investor behavior through market challenges. Learn more at orion.com.Key Takeaways[03:55] - Phillip’s personal and career background.[04:58] - What really sets Toews apart from other asset management firms?[06:43] - Will this coming year be a case of the bears eating the “Goldilocks market?”[08:58] - What are the odds that a recession is on the horizon?[10:47] - Can we expect subsequent waves of inflation, as history might suggest?[12:47] - Why is global debt a problem and what should investors be doing about their portfolios because of it?[15:10] - What market scenarios do the terms “bezzle,” “bezzle fizzle” and “bezzle burst” describe?[18:44] - What does

As we move into the New Year, we take a closer look at the market’s historic year, offer a preview on the year to come, look at bond predictions, global investing and much more. Today on the podcast, Rusty and Robyn are joined by Jeff DeMaso - editor and founder of The Independent Vanguard Adviser. Jeff was previously the co-editor and research director of The Independent Adviser for Vanguard Investors. He also served as Portfolio Manager, Director of Research and the interim CIO at Adviser Investments, LLC—a leading investment advisory firm. He has been quoted in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, InvestmentNews and Kiplinger, to name a few. Citywire named him a Rising Star of manager research in 2019. Jeff graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University with a B.A. in economics in 2006 and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.Key Takeaways[03:04] - Jeff’s research, professional background and what drives him.[05:57] - What really motivates Jeff’s newsletter, The Independent Vanguard Adv

As 2023 comes to a close, this episode looks at what may be in store for the year ahead and covers things that investors and financial advisors should be considering going into 2024. Kim speaks to the state of the US market going forward and the outlook for international markets in the coming year. In addition, we take a closer look at why Kim views actively managed ETFs as superior, more tax efficient vehicles to mutual funds for investors. Lastly, we learn more about Main Management’s firm culture and how Kim, and his partners, have created such a sticky culture there.Key Takeaways[02:52] - Kim’s professional background and career highlights.[04:32] - What makes Main Management really stand out as a firm?[06:13] - Kim’s current thoughts on the economy and  his outlook for 2024.[08:02] - Kim’s view on interest rates and how investors should be treating their bond allocations.[09:26] - Advice for income oriented advisors who want to stick their investment dollars into money markets.[10:30] - The state of the

As we move into the New Year, and firms are in the process of creating formal growth plans and budgets, we take a closer look at what it takes to find and keep new talent. In this episode, Rusty and Robyn are joined by hiring expert Caleb Brown, Co-Founder and CEO at New Planner Recruiting in Athens, GA. Caleb weighs in on strategies for financial advisory firms looking to recruit top talent and strategies for talent to find the best firms.Key Takeaways[03:05] - Caleb’s diverse  professional background  and his role at New Planner.[05:39] - A macro assessment of the financial planning industry’s future growth[06:52] - What salary and hiring trends is Caleb seeing in the financial planning space?[08:29] - How might artificial intelligence impact the financial planning profession?[10:32] - How big of an impact does the CFP credential have on getting a job in the industry? How does it impact  your compensation level and attracting prospective clients?[14:02] - What advice does Caleb have  for financial planners

The case for investing in Texas goes beyond its iconic cowboy culture and vast scenery. It's deeply rooted in the state's business-friendly environment and thriving economic network. Capitalizing on its unique blend of tax advantages and unmatched potential for economic growth, Texas has emerged as an attractive destination for financial investments. Meanwhile, the ETF industry is expected to sustain its upward trajectory, with more assets flowing from mutual funds to ETFs.In this episode, Rusty and Robyn talk with Edward Rosenberg, Managing Director and Head of ETF and Funds Management at Texas Capital Bank. Edward believes that every firm needs to have ETFs in its offerings, whether they realize it or not. Why? ETFs offer trading flexibility, diversification, greater transparency, tax benefits, and lower operating costs than traditional open-end funds. There is so much room for expansion, and the possibilities are endless. Edward talks to Rusty and Robyn about the case for investing in Texas. He explains ho

The music industry is a powerful force, shaping culture and influencing society across the globe. As the industry experiences a golden age, driven by increased streaming subscriptions, the resurgence of live music, and the advent of digital technology, those with a keen eye for innovation recognize that investing in the music industry is not just about the present but also a journey into the future of exciting possibilities.In this episode, Rusty and Robyn talk with David Schulhof, Founder and CEO of MUSQ. David is an American music industry executive and investor with 30 years of experience in the field. David’s background in the music industry is extensive, having previously served as the president of music publishing at LiveOne, a global media company for live streaming and on-demand audio, video, and podcast content. He is also the former president of music at AGC Studios and IM Global Studios and was the co-founder and CEO of Evergreen Copyrights, where he pursued a global acquisition strategy of music p

Value investing has proven to be a successful strategy over the long term. While growth stocks have dominated the market, factors such as economic recovery, higher interest rates, inflation, and geopolitical risks could contribute to a sustained period of outperformance for value investing. By strategically investing in undervalued assets with strong upside potential, investors can navigate the complexities of the market, achieving superior returns over the long run.In this episode, Rusty and Robyn talk with Rand Wrighton, Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager at Barrow Hanley Global Investors. Rand began his investment career at Barrow Hanley as a research analyst covering the Industrials, Energy, and Technology sectors. In 2006, he joined an internal group at Barrow Hanley to lead the firm's expansion into non-U.S., Global, and Emerging Market investment products. In his current role, Rand manages portfolios for the Barrow Hanley Emerging Markets and Non-U.S. Value strategies.A value investor who f

Current economic conditions, marked by fluctuating interest rates and potential recessions, have sparked many investors to re-evaluate their investment strategies. By diligently monitoring trends and strategically adjusting asset allocations, investors can position themselves to not only weather the challenges but also capitalize on opportunities that arise from the ups and downs of the interest rate market.In this episode, Rusty and Robyn talk with Andy Smock, Chief Investment Officer and Managing Principal at Merganser Capital Management. Andy joined Merganser in 2003. Earlier in his career, he focused on researching and trading both residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities. In his current role, Andy oversees the company's investment team and is a portfolio manager for their longer-duration strategies. With extensive experience in the fixed-income market, Andy talks to Rusty and Robyn about fixed income and fluctuations in the interest rate market. He discusses the reasons behind the large swin

Building strategic partnerships with attorneys and accountants can be a game-changer for financial advisors with the power to redefine the trajectory of an advisor's career. By unlocking the code of how to build a strategic partnership with these professionals, financial advisors can have a consistent flow of high-net-worth referrals.In this episode, Rusty and Robyn talk with Brett Van Bortel, Director of Consulting Services at Invesco Consulting. Brett has been with Invesco since 2010 and specializes in helping financial professionals be more profitable, effective, and productive. He has developed and delivered numerous consulting programs designed to increase the profitability, effectiveness, and productivity of financial professionals. As a speaker and consultant, Brett focuses on helping financial professionals build strategic partnerships with attorneys and CPAs to create a pipeline of high-net-worth referrals.Brett joins Rusty and Robyn to discuss how financial advisors can build strategic partnerships