Women & Planning

Read Harold Evensky's latest NewsLetter.

What else should I be doing to ensure inclusion and openness among my team members?

Franklin Templeton’s 2020 US Retirement Income Strategies and Expectations survey revealed the importance of having a plan to help reduce financial-related stress—particularly relevant amid today’s uncertainties. Our Felix Touchard discusses some findings of the survey, and how respondents feel about their financial future.

Cambiar Investors Senior Analyst Charmaine Chan, who holds a doctorate in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University, details the latest on possible vaccines, the likeliness of a second wave of coronavirus and the next steps for the U.S. on the road to recovery.

In their effort to improve things/prevent pain, Fed officials past and present financialized the economy. That, along with more unintended consequences from government debt and regulatory interventions (all well-intentioned, you understand) brought us to where we are today. We can’t walk it back without a great deal of pain no one wants to take, including your humble analyst.

It is imperative that all Americans see recent events around racial inequality as a call for action and work to ensure equality for people of color. In his latest memo, Howard Marks shares his thoughts and pledges to heed this call.

As expected, the Federal Reserve kept rates unchanged at 0-0.25% and said it will keep them near zero through at least 2022, in a unanimous vote.

With everything going on in Minneapolis and the rest of the world, what should our messaging be?

There is a parallel between today’s stock market and Fischer random chess.

While investors have been pushing companies to disclose and address climate risk, most companies have been caught flat-footed around both the pandemic and recent racial justice issues.

Research from genetic-testing giant 23andMe Inc. found differences in a gene that influences a person’s blood type can affect a person’s susceptibility to Covid-19.

More widespread support today for change may reduce racial injustice, says this writer.

The CEO of one of the oldest responsible-investing firms says ending racism in America is a responsibility of corporations and that his company will press them to disclose information about their racial diversity.

Many companies worry they’ll fall out of step with customers and employees if they don't take a public stand.

The new regional head of private wealth in New York says women entrepreneurs, multigenerational families are becoming more common.

Fatal police encounters fueling protests nationwide have prompted executives from almost every major bank and investment firm to speak out. And behind the scenes, it’s driving conversations in an industry that wants to be viewed as more socially responsible, even as it struggles to deliver on promises to improve diversity within its ranks.

High-achieving female advisors have five things that they focus on daily.

I have analyzed data that improves our understanding of LTC needs and informs the decision-making about insurance.

A new study examined the impact of emotions on investments, financial risk and life in general, providing important insights and lessons for advisors.

It’s your job to figure out why someone wants to engage in your services.

Bonnie Wongtrakool, Global Head of ESG Investments at Western Asset Management, digs into a post-COVID world when it comes to ESG investing and what factors investors should evaluate in companies moving forward so they’re better positioned to add value to their clients over future economic cycles.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the renowned investment firm Tweedy Browne. The firm was originally a broker, and one of its clients was Benjamin Graham. I interviewed six members of Tweedy, Browne’s investment committee.

The bitcoin halving that occurred this past Monday is only the third such event in the cryptocurrency’s 11-year history. In the months following the first and second halvings, bitcoin prices surged as it became abundantly clear that at some point in the near future, new bitcoin issuances will come to a halt.

Here are five financial and business realities that have figured in a majority of the counsel I’ve offered my female entrepreneur clients as they launch and refine their businesses.

In investing, uncertainty is a given – how we deal with it will be critical. Read Howard Marks’s latest memo, in which he discusses the value of understanding the limitations of our foresight and “investing scared.”

The recent market volatility has caused stress, fear and even panic. But that emotional toil can be alleviated by constructing what we call “dedicated portfolios,” rather than blindly following the precepts of modern portfolio theory.

Will inflation soar? Will monetary policies work as intended, and what precedent are they setting?

As many of Advisor Perspective’s readers and contributors can testify, direct experience with the laws and regulations governing fiduciaries often leads to the conclusion that these rules were of, by and for the financial interests of the lawyers who made them.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic governments imposed shelter in place rules for their citizens and issued orders to close all but essential business in their country. The collective impact resulted in an unprecedented global plunge in economic activity that threatens the existence of many small and medium size businesses...

Low Price to Something investing, or “value” investing as it has come to be known since Fama/French introduced the “value” factor has been a disaster for investors over the past 10 plus years.

The investment scene is beginning to resemble the 1929 market crash and the early 1930s Great Depression. This pandemic is likely to be the most disruptive financial and social event since World War II with equally long-lasting consequences.

I am working on five key action items with clients to address some of the financial uncertainty many are experiencing.

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved during the first quarter, the municipal bond market experienced one of its most volatile periods in years. Here, the Franklin Municipal Bond Department shares how they plan to navigate the market, which they think is likely to show signs of distress and elevated volatility for some time.

Bear markets beget portfolio losses, unhappy clients and, sadly, lawsuits against advisors. If you relied on any of the popular risk tolerance products to construct that portfolio, here’s how you are likely to fare under the careful scrutiny of an arbitrator.

The health of our planet depends on responsible investing. On Earth Day and every day, it has our full support.

When it comes to equitable distribution among couples – especially high-net worth couples – there are details to know before approaching the negotiation table.

How does caring for a 70-, 80-, or 90-year old parent affect the retirement plans of a 40-, 50-, or 60-something woman (especially a woman navigating a major transition)?

Let’s address some of the biggest financial concerns your clients have as a result of current events, so they can take action and keep control financially.

But as internship programs shift online, some are questioning their quality.

While this may not come as a surprise, many US small businesses that are shuttered right now face a financial disaster. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly clear that millions of small businesses may not be able to reopen their doors when the economic lockdown ends.

Here are the top five things you can do to retain more control over the future of your business, while simultaneously supporting your clients.

I am going to tell you how to win over female clients by not losing them at the onset.

Some 6.6 million additional workers filed for jobless claims this week, but it’s always darkest before the dawn. There’s ample reason to keep hope alive that conditions will be improving sooner than expected.

The $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package that President Donald Trump signed into law on March 27 is just the beginning. The Treasury Department is now seeking some $250 billion more to replenish small business loans, and there’s hope that the president and House Democrats can agree on a “Phase Four” spending deal, one that may target infrastructure.

When it comes to ESG, not all issues matter equally across industries. We believe our newly updated ESG scoring methodology best captures the issues that are truly material to companies.

He contends the lockdowns intended to contain the coronavirus pandemic are worse than the disease itself.

I’ll focus on how to best serve your female clients in these unprecedented times.

What about all the other components of your referral network beyond clients and COIs? Don’t succumb to wearing referral blinders.

Switching to a tax system where all people filed individually would increase the women’s labor-force participation far more than subsidizing childcare, the IMF found.

In times of uncertainty, good leaders lean into crisis and are able to fully engage, motivate, and inspire their team. The serious and stressful challenge of the COVID-19 crisis demands that leaders embrace flexibility, curiosity, and openness to diverse perspectives.

Visibly absent from the media coverage of the coronavirus crisis is a plan to address the emotions that are overwhelming our clients. Indeed, doing so is an implied mandate of our profession.

I’m going to guide you through a process to overcome the four major ways planning for female executives gets derailed.

Numerous surveys show that women often defer to their male partner regarding financial decisions. By doing so, they may be tragically unprepared to deal with their financial affairs in the event of divorce or death of a spouse. But there’s a solution: get women involved in financial planning by sharing your knowledge. Our free checklist details key steps toward helping female clients understand and gain control of their finances.

The coronavirus will accelerate the changes to the wealth management industry predicted by McKinsey & Co.

There are three key areas where the allocation requirements of passive fixed-income vehicles have an impact on the market.

While the country and the stock markets reel from the impact of the Coronavirus, many economists and politicians are calling for the government to fight the pandemic as if we had to fight the Second World War all over again.

More than 350,000 fitness instructors and trainers in the US have turned to streaming to keep their businesses afloat. Here are nine of the best online workouts.

In a world at war with the coronavirus, your worst enemy is the game your mind plays with itself.

Postcard from Vietnam: On a research trip to Vietnam before the coronavirus crisis, our analysts discovered what it takes for manufacturers to outsource successfully.

We are given the rare opportunity to prioritize what is most important to us without guilt. The material world is on pause, at least for a few weeks.

Here’s why the market crashes even without more bad news, like it did in October 1987 and from late 2007 through March 2009. But this time is different because there is a new set of actors on the stage, exacerbating the problem.

Our Q&A webinar featured Julie Parsonnet, a top infectious disease specialist at Stanford University. We have posted the transcript for your reference and you can still listen to the replay.

Today in the real world, we also face a dark, implacable, powerful foe. It is a microscopic virus that we now know is a threat, a very serious one. We in the United States have just seen the beacons. The warning travelled not just a few hundred miles but around the world: from China and Korea, to Italy and Spain, and now here.

The industries almost entirely shut down by the virus are disproportionately staffed by women.

The first big step in financial planning is examining your clients’ passions and pursuits.

Short of losing a child, losing your spouse is the most painful event someone can experience. The sorrow is overwhelming and often times debilitating. It never goes away, but over time most people learn to peacefully co-exist with it.

Consistent with misapprehensions expressed during other recent market crises, there has been a chorus of alarmist speculation about the actions and state of risk-parity strategies during the current crash. We felt it would be helpful to revisit the concept of risk parity and take a snapshot of how a typical global risk parity strategy might have been expected to behave this year.

This year feels so much like late in 1981, late in 1999 and late in 2008 to us. The first reaction by investors was to flush whatever they had left in economically sensitive stocks. Then, as if there hadn’t been enough torture for value investors today, Saudi Arabia decided to chop the knees out from under the oil industry in the U.S.

What happens to environmental, social and governance-oriented investment in a market shock? We’re about to find out.

Falling oil prices can be a double-edged sword in terms of economic impact: welcomed by consumers, but not by producers. Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity’s Bassel Khatoun shares his thoughts on the impact of lower oil prices on emerging market economies and some considerations for investors

Compared to past viral outbreaks, COVID-19 appears to be less fatal, yet it has received far more media coverage. Paradoxically, that may be part of the reason why it’s had a much bigger impact on public health and the economy relative to those other diseases.

Future-oriented planning serves a purpose, but it misses the central question: What do your clients want their lives to look like?

Why do good people make bad choices? There are plenty of examples of bad conduct, both in the security industry and by corporate titans.

We held a conference call yesterday to discuss the market and economic impact of COVID-19. In case you missed it, each of our speakers shared their key takeaways.

In recognition of International Women’s Day on 8 March, Cady Johnson shares her perspective on gender equality in the financial services industry.