Investment Insights
A Fresh Perspective on Wealth Management
Whether you are just getting started on your wealth management journey or looking for a new direction, The ETF Store provides a diverse set of resources to help you make informed decisions. We pride ourselves on offering investment insights to both new and seasoned investors.
ETF Prime: A New Chapter
It’s hard to believe, but this summer marks ten amazing years since the launch of ETF Prime. Some already know the backstory, but the podcast actually began as a local radio show in Kansas City. Its roots go back to early 2011 when I found myself in a packed Starbucks discussing ETFs with a business acquaintance. Even though ETFs had been around since 1993, we were debating whether the average person even knew what an ETF was. After one too many cups of coffee, I decided to settle the argument. I approached the nearest person and simply asked, “Have you
One Year Later: Memes & Vaccines
After historic market chaos in 2020, investors would be forgiven if they assumed 2021 might be a tad calmer. Instead, events of the first quarter each read as their own outlandish movie script (and, in fact, big screen deals are already in progress): the Capitol Storming, Reddit message board traders battling hedge funds by piling into GameStop and other “meme” stocks, a massive container ship wedged into the Suez Canal, the family office Archegos blowing up… to name a few. These epic dramas unfolded one after another, captivating investors who surely thought, “ok, now, I’ve seen it all”. While blockbuster
ETF Prime – Upcoming Guest Lineup
One of the “most helpful plain-English resources for investors who want to demystify exchange-traded funds.” – Bloomberg BusinessWeek Subscribe to receive the latest ETF Prime podcast directly to your inbox. April 6th – Wes Gray, CEO of Alpha Architect, talks value rotation, momentum stocks, and the ETF white-labeling business. Nancy Davis, Founder & CIO at Quadratic Capital Management, discusses the current market environment and the Quadratic Interest Rate Volatility & Inflation Hedge ETF (IVOL). April 13th – Harry Whitton, Head of ETF Sales Trading at Old Mission Capital, explains his firm’s role in the ETF markets and offers unique insight
Individual Bonds vs. Bond Funds
We previously highlighted the basics of municipal bonds and their potential benefits to investors. The next question is, how do you actually get exposure to munis? Individual bonds? Mutual funds? ETFs? Which way is best? Ultimately, that depends on the investor. The advantages of individual bonds One advantage of individual bonds is the ability to control interest rate risk. Currently, a major concern for bond investors is low interest rates. Paltry bond yields mean less income and perhaps more importantly, if rates rise, the market value your bond portfolio declines. To lower potential interest rate risk, one option is to
Investing Opportunities in a Changing World
There have been substantial developments over the past decade in technology, commerce, and public policy. The global pandemic has only accelerated trends across each of these areas. Many of these advancements are now investable through Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). ETF Store Investment Advisors Brian Murray and Jason Lank discuss how to invest in a changing world, covering topics such as ecommerce, cannabis, artificial intelligence, and cryptoassets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM89ktXMO28&feature=youtu.be
Generating Investment Income in Retirement
With interest rates near historic lows, it has never been more challenging for investors to generate secure retirement income, while maintaining the opportunity for portfolio growth. ETF Store Investment Advisors Jason Lank and Brian Murray explain how “bucketizing” your portfolio can help solve this dilemma.
The “Real World”, Markets, & Certainty
What a year. A deadly global pandemic. Emotional protests and civil unrest. A cantankerous, disputed election. 2020 was a year most would like to forget. However, despite all of the “real world” challenges, financial markets kept chugging along with stocks and bonds delivering healthy returns to investors. A one-two combination of swift Federal Reserve monetary response and the government’s fiscal stimulus shepherded the markets through the darkest days of 2020’s Covid-induced crisis. The contrast was stark between the doom and gloom of March and investor euphoria driven by optimism on a vaccine and an anticipated economic reopening in November and
ETF Prime – Upcoming Guest Lineup
One of the “most helpful plain-English resources for investors who want to demystify exchange-traded funds.” – Bloomberg BusinessWeek In addition to the following guests, be sure to catch our weekly segment with the experts at ETF.com! Subscribe to receive the latest ETF Prime podcast directly to your inbox. January 12th – John Hoffman, Head of Americas ETFs & Indexed Strategies at Invesco, highlights the QQQ Innovation Suite which includes the Invesco NASDAQ Next Gen 100 ETF (QQQJ). Paul Kim, CEO & Co-Founder at Simplify ETFs, describes their unique lineup of options-based ETFs. January 19th – Doug Yones, Head of Exchange
Understanding Municipal Bonds
“Nothing is certain except for death and taxes.” – Benjamin Franklin Virtually all investment income outside of a qualified retirement account is taxable, except for income from tax exempt municipal bonds. Municipal (or “muni” for short) bonds are often overlooked, but can be an excellent cornerstone in taxable fixed income portfolios. Most investors think of munis as a boring investment found in your grandfather’s portfolio, but there is nothing boring about paying less in taxes than you have to. A well-crafted muni bond portfolio provides stability, diversity, and tax-exempt income. Investors in the top three tax brackets who own taxable
Challenges & Opportunities in Fixed Income – An Introduction
A growing number of people are either in or getting close to retirement. Half of the 73 million baby boomers are 65 or older and the other half will reach that age by 2030. This is exactly the time people need to increase their allocation to fixed income investments, usually in the form of bonds. However, the yields paid on bonds are at all-time lows, presenting an enormous challenge. It may be tempting to simply buy riskier bonds with the highest yields or underweight fixed income altogether and pursue dividend-focused stocks. These approaches would overlook the importance of a prudent
