It’s that time of year again, when we reflect on where we’ve gone and how far we’ve come. When I look back at all that VettaFi has accomplished this year, well, it’s hard not to get a little starry-eyed.
In 2022, we not only debuted our new brand but also hired industry superstars like Brian Coco, Jon Fee, and Peter Dietrich; we won the ETF Express award for best U.S. ETF research and Erdos & Morgan’s award for the most-read e-newsletter by financial advisors; we acquired the leading RIA-centric publisher, Advisor Perspectives; we debuted a new corporate website; and we even announced the return of our game-changing ETF conference, Exchange.
Most importantly, we did it all while staying focused on our #1 priority – the investor – helping them navigate truly challenging markets.
Also this year, we welcomed three new staff writers — Elle Caruso, James Comtois, and Nick Peters-Golden — as well as a new head of research, Todd Rosenbluth, and an energy research analyst, Philip Segal. We launched several new regular editorial features, including Bull vs. Bear, VettaFi Voices On…, and Todd Rosenbluth’s Chart of the Week.
We accomplished all that while publishing thousands — literally! — of articles on investments, strategies, fund launches, market moves, outlooks, trends, signals, and much more.
While I’m excited about what’s in store for 2023, I can’t help but indulge in a bit of nostalgia as this breakneck year comes to a close. It’s been a wild ride, and I’m grateful to have been on it with you. Thank you, readers, for continuing to devour our articles, engage with our research and toolsets, and embrace us as your guide through this sometimes wacky, always wonderful financial industry. We strive every day to be worthy of that trust. We wouldn’t be here without you.
Enough mushiness. Without further ado, here’s a round-up of our most-read stories of the year.
Top 3 Advisor Perspectives Articles of 2022
The Trial of Ken Fisher for Crimes Against Annuities
Co-founder of the Retirement Income Industry Association David Macchia takes noted investor Ken Fisher to task, while giving a passionate defense of annuities as a source of retirement income, especially for constrained investors.
Five Ways to Respond When Someone Ignores Your Emails
Who doesn’t hate it when their emails go unanswered? Marketing consultant Sara Grillo explains the reasons why clients ignore emails, and what subject lines are more likely to grab attention and make readers click that “open” button.
The 4% Rule Just Became a Whole Lot Easier
In 2022, real yields on TIPS went from negative to positive, meaning investors could use them (finally) to achieve the much-desired 4% withdrawal rate. Wealth Logic’s Allan Roth walks readers through how to build and implement a 30-year TIPS ladder — by putting his own money on the line.
Top 3 ETF Database Articles of 2022
The SEC Approves Single-Stock Leveraged ETFs
ETFs are baskets of securities — or are they? In July, the SEC granted approval for the first single-stock leveraged ETFs, thus evolving the definition of what an ETF can and cannot hold. (The first single-stock ETFs launched days later.)
UFO Moves Through Increasingly Crowded Space
While it’s hard to imagine now, not too long ago Elon Musk was considered a respected voice in the tech industry. Following comments made by the SpaceX CEO about Starlink’s long-term viability, James Comtois dug into the holdings of UFO, the oldest pure-play space industry ETF.
Let Volatility Generate Income With This ETF
Top 3 ETF Trends Articles of 2022
3 ETFs That Track the Dow Jones Industrial Average
In 2022, U.S. equity indexes nosedived, but the blue chip-studded DJIA held firmer than most. Year-to-date, the Dow has only fallen 9%, compared to 20% for the S&P 500 and 34% for the Nasdaq 100. Readers flocked to this round-up of the few Dow-linked ETFs, including DIA, NDJI, and DDM.
China Proposes Changes That Could Prevent U.S. Delisting
All year, concerns swirled that Chinese stocks would be delisted from U.S. exchanges, leaving foreign investors in the lurch. In April, Karrie Gordon covered proposed audit changes to prevent this delisting. (In December, the U.S. announced that China had reached regulatory compliance, putting this risk mostly to bed.)
New ETF Looks to DRLL Into Energy Sector
As the ESG backlash’s poster child, Strive’s U.S. energy ETF, DRLL, launched with plenty of media attention. Using shareholder engagement and proxy voting, the fund’s managers aim to influence the companies they own to eschew ESG data and goals in corporate decision-making.
VettaFi’s Most Read Article of 2022
Let’s close out with the most-read article of 2022 across the entire VettaFi platform and all our web properties. Drumroll, if you please…
On May 9, we officially launched our new brand, VettaFi. In retrospect, it was a big risk to combine several well-established brands into the “Voltron” of financial services. But your overwhelmingly positive response blew us away.
Our brand announcement was, by far, the most-read story of 2022. Even now, it continues to see readership, month after month. (By the way, if you want to learn more about VettaFi’s what, how, and why, check out our recently revamped corporate site, VettaFi.com.)
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to connecting with you all in the new year!
For more news, information, and analysis, please visit VettaFi | ETF Trends.