For those in the advisory business, today’s market conditions present a unique set of opportunities. Demand for financial advisors’ services is growing at a robust pace, thanks in no small part to the ongoing transition of some 76 million baby boomers into retirement. The pace of innovation in investment products and services is also accelerating. Nowhere is this more evident than in the booming market for exchange-traded funds, where more than 1,800 ETFs are now listed in the United States.
Along with those opportunities, advisors are now facing more challenges than ever before. Badly shaken by two stock market collapses over the course of 10 years, investors are seeking out new investment solutions to help avoid a repeat of another “lost decade” of equity returns. The needs of retirees and pre-retirees are shifting dramatically, from an almost exclusive focus on savings and accumulation, to a much heavier emphasis on income generation and principal protection. Meanwhile, global markets are more interconnected than ever, adding another layer of complexity to the investment process. Increasing client demands for service and a greater regulatory burden are weighing on most advisory practices.
To meet the growing needs of clients in this rapidly changing environment, leading advisors are embracing innovative approaches to investment management. ETF strategists — who research, design and manage ETF portfolios — are offering many of these cutting-edge advisors access to institutional-caliber portfolios, with better transparency and daily liquidity. Strategists are quickly gaining traction in the advisory world: assets in ETF managed portfolios have topped $100 billion as of mid-2014.
The ETF Strategist Channel seeks to:
• Describe the ETF Strategist space and the role they play in the ETF ecosystem
• Educate financial advisors on the benefits of working with ETF Strategists to enhance portfolio construction with today’s changing markets
• Share market, economic, investment analyses and strategies with financial advisors in hope of building respect and trust
• Provide due diligence guidelines and contact information for all of the participating ETF Strategists
• Have ETF Strategists address the current market environment and how their select strategies are poised to reduce risk and take advantage of potential opportunities
• Provide a hub to explore the top ETF Strategists
Click here to check out the official ETF Strategist Channel!
