Separately Managed Accounts

At the time of year where everyone is reflecting on the things that matter most to them in their personal lives, it is important to also consider what matters when it comes to investing. In this investment commentary, Johnson Financial Group shares what really matters as you put your money to work.

A conversation with our stock selection team, part two.

Newly released research from State Street Global Advisors breaks down why financial advisors are embracing model portfolios more this year.

The transition from bank-dominated lending to a diversified financing ecosystem offers unprecedented opportunities for private credit investors.

An enduring image from 2024 will be the capture of the SpaceX booster rocket by the Mechazilla robot arms on its return to Earth. This achievement served as a powerful metaphor for the year: the improbable not only became possible but redefined expectations.

CEO Ali Dibadj highlights the three macro drivers that investors must navigate in 2025 and beyond, as well as the importance of actively positioning for a brighter investment future.

Historical trends are being permanently broken in real time as mega forces, like the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), transform economies.

Over the past few years, I’ve written numerous articles and given numerous presentations on Direct Indexing.

Will the Fed make one more rate cut to end 2024? One more cut would top off what has been a very positive fall for rate cut hopefuls considering how long the Fed waited.

We launched QuantStreet a little over three years ago, and our first accounts went live as of December 2021.

We compare investor risk-taking behaviors at the start of the bull market with those nearly 16 years later. We also analyze key market areas that can offer essential diversification to help manage overall portfolio risk.

When it comes to personalized investment strategies, multiple perspectives come into play: the client, the provider and the advisor.

Policy changes could reshape return potential for companies across the US market. Here’s how investors can start thinking about the challenges ahead.

As students across the country start to prepare for year-end exams, there are valuable lessons we can take from the classroom.

Generosity knows no season. But as the year-end holidays approach, many of your clients may be thinking about making a charitable donation or increasing their charitable giving.

Rick Raczkowski, PM, Relative Return Team, Loomis, Sayles & Company, discussed how the team views fixed income investing looking ahead.

Why the equity market rally following the U.S. presidential election could continue into year-end.

The inverse correlation between bonds and stocks has returned, broadening potential for risk-adjusted returns in multi-asset portfolios.

The 2024 Global Survey of Financial Advisors from Natixis revealed the ongoing hesitance of investors to move out of cash and into bonds.

From stock picking to benchmark selection, the construction of an active thematic equity portfolio will play a crucial role in its ability to deliver on a theme’s return potential.

A year-round focus on taxes can unlock value for investors in higher brackets—and it can help advisors prove their own value.

Recent insights from Natixis Investment Managers breaks down a few fixed income risks that investors may not be aware of.

In this article, we’ll remind you what listed real assets are, explain how they fit into an asset allocation, and help you understand why we believe now is an attractive time to invest in the asset class.

In this article, Russ Koesterich discusses why he believes U.S. exceptionalism is a trend that is likely to continue.

With Direct Indexing, you can help your clients prepare for life-changing transactions and minimize capital gains taxes by selectively harvesting losses to offset those gains, and implementing tax-efficient trading strategies.

The most common questions we’ve been asked as the election approaches are generally about the Federal debt and deficits. Many investors worry about a looming “day of reckoning” for US debt. They fear the US’s fiscal imprudence will eventually force a sudden and dramatic repricing of US debt. In this insight, we explore the modern history of US debt to GDP across several Presidential administrations and outline why investors should not be worried about a financial apocalyptic abyss.

Many investors today use EM debt for the wrong reasons, manage it imprudently, or overlook the best parts.

Volatility creates a number of challenges for advisors and investors, but also opportunities for those who know where to look.

Fixed income experts at Natixis Investment Managers recently weighed in with outlooks on rate cuts and how to approach bonds.

The tendency to blindly follow these rules has led investors towards prematurely de-risking and over-estimating the likelihood of recession.

Markets changed character to broad-based optimism relating to the economy. The economic picture began to come into focus with inflation continuing to moderate as the economy maintains steady growth and employment. The result was a stark turnaround for economically integrated or interest rate sensitive assets, which resulted in a great quarter for diversified multi-asset portfolios. New Frontier sets a major milestone in Q4, marking 20 years of investing at the end of October.

In this article, Russ Koesterich discusses gold may continue to serve as a store of value in the current environment.

Cash strategies may seem safe, but inflation can bite into returns. Instead, investors can try to outperform inflation with equities.

Commodity returns are hard to predict, yet all commodities have something in common—prices that tend to return to their long-run average, a characteristic described as mean reversion. For investors, this behavior could offer an exciting opportunity to improve long-term performance potential.

For decades, a key component of many investors’ portfolios was a fixed income ladder. It was intended to provide ballast to the more volatile equity allocation and help reduce interest-rate risk.

The 2022 broad market downturn across major asset classes came as a nasty surprise to investors. Historically, such an event is very rare, and no one was expecting to see almost all asset classes down for the year. Yet, even though it might seem as if diversification was of no help in 2022, the story changes if we look beyond the major headline asset classes.

The puck has certainly moved since our last market commentary. This month, we argue that the needle on portfolio construction should move with it. Equities have been the driver of returns for much of the last few years.

Alpha (α) is a fundamental yet poorly understood concept in finance. Simply put, it is the difference between the return of an investment and that of a risk-adjusted benchmark. In a more advanced definition, alpha is the residual in an asset pricing equation (see Appendix A). Alpha is what active managers strive to achieve and passive managers do not pursue.

If climate portfolios are positioned in the same giant US stocks held in broad equity allocations, investors may unwittingly double down on risk.

Investors can use this Natixis ETF to lock in robust income and capital appreciation, while generating security against equity volatility.

The major market event in September was the Fed's 50 basis point rate cut following the September 18th Federal Open Market Committee meeting. There was broad consensus the Fed would cut rates, though the 50 basis points (as opposed to 25) and perhaps the tone of Jay Powell's press conference surprised to the upside...

About eight in 10 investors (81%) believe they must fund their own retirement as opposed to relying on private and public pensions.

The last two years brought challenges for investors across all walks of life, but particularly for retirees.

While agency mortgage-backed securities offer compelling valuations, not every mortgage is created equally.

Strategies and best practices for equity portfolios.

A new wave of opportunity seems set to flow into private credit markets, which could enhance risk-adjusted returns and diversify portfolios. What's driving this potential?

In theory, growing a pool of wealth over decades – whether for a family, an endowment, or a pensioner – is a straightforward endeavor.

Taxes may be the biggest fee your tax-sensitive clients are paying on their investment portfolios. And neither they nor you, their advisor, may be aware of just how big that fee is.

Now that the Fed has begun the rate-cut cycle, investors can use option income ETFs to provide long-term income and risk protection.

While the beach version of SoCal has had an epic, non-marine layer summer, it seems to have been enjoyed by few locals who instead violate the cardinal rule of adult life without children living at home and nevertheless travel to Europe in summer. We haven’t missed you.

The last five years have bombarded investors with a seemingly never-ending array of challenges. Yet despite all these obstacles the S&P 500 is up almost 90% as of this writing.

With attractive valuations, emerging market equities look like a good opportunity. A factor investing strategy, designed well, may enhance performance and help manage some key risks.

In this article, Russ Koesterich discusses why the next bout of market volatility may last a bit longer than previous downturns and how to best position your portfolio against this backdrop.

Due to balance sheet concerns, the higher-for-longer interest rate environment has been a significant headwind for the relative performance of U.S. small-cap equities.

Certificates of deposit (CDs) and Treasuries both can offer steady, predictable investment income—but how to decide between them? Here are five factors to help you choose.

With U.S. equities perhaps calling for diversification, an active international ETF like TOUS could play a helpful role.