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Fixed Income Insights
Interest rates: Lower for longer...or forever?
This piece is approved to use with clients.
On September 16, 2020, the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) left interest rates near zero and signaled that it expects to hold them there through at least 2023, adding outcome based guidance. The statement follows the new long-term policy framework announced by Chair Jay Powell in August at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s annual Jackson Hole conference. The Fed notes that rates will remain near zero “until labor market conditions have reached levels consistent with the Committee’s assessments of maximum employment and inflation has risen to 2 percent and is on track to moderately exceed 2 percent for some time.” We didn’t get a precise definition of what a moderate overshoot would look like, allowing the Fed to retain some flexibility.
Fixed Income Insights
Fixed Income Market Update - September 2020
This piece is approved to use with clients.
In our view, in a landscape of improved risk sentiment and strong demand for yield, U.S. corporates appear attractive even noting the recompression of spreads since the first quarter. While corporates have retraced a significant portion of their year to date widening, other sectors and asset classes have gone further, leaving corporates relatively well positioned.
Fixed Income Insights
Fixed Income Market Update
This piece is approved to use with clients.
In our view, monetary and fiscal policy have done a tremendous job in papering over fundamental uncertainty. Read more for the news & nuggets
Fixed Income Insights
Municipal Fixed Income: Bluebirds fly
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We focus on the strong recovery in the muni market over the second quarter, which proved to be illuminating to municipal investors on a couple fronts.
Fixed Income Insights
May 2020 Fixed Income Market Update
This piece is approved to use with clients.
In our view, the markets feel much healthier at the end of April than a month ago, but underappreciated in the improved sentiment is not only the scale of March policy action, but its continuation into April. Actions announced in April would ordinarily have remained in headlines and discussion for weeks, but the nearly half trillion dollar U.S. fiscal stimulus package has been treated almost as a footnote to its much larger cousin in March. Similarly, Fed and other central banks not only continued to implement the massive programs initiated last month, but significantly expanded on them.
Fixed Income Insights
Municipal Yields Have Converged
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Over the past several weeks, yields between short- and intermediate-term Municipal Bonds have converged. This may be an opportunity for investors to significantly reduce interest rate risk while sacrificing minimal income since shorter-term bonds typically have less sensitivity to rates.
Fixed Income Insights
Neither bulls nor bears last forever
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While bull markets don’t last forever, neither do bear markets. Since 1928, the strength and duration of S&P 500® bull markets has meaningfully outweighed that of bear markets.
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Goals/Needs-Based Investing
It’s personal: The growing need for financial wellness programs
78% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, 43% of student loan borrowers are not making payments and nearly half of all employees can’t cover a $400 emergency. In an effort to help employees understand and improve their personal financial health, many plan sponsors and their advisors are turning to workplace financial wellness programs. Phyllis Klein is a senior director at Captrust Financial Advisors, a firm that specializes in institutional advisory work. In this episode, Phyllis discusses the benefits and challenges of helping employers implement financial wellness programs for their employees.
Fixed Income Insights
Did the Fed just go Minority Report?
We believe the Fed is taking a risk — one we hope works — in shifting from reactive to preemptive monetary policy. It was not that long ago that the Fed was more forthright about the uncertainty inherent in economic forecasting as Chairman Powell used the analogy of walking into a dark room and slowing down to avoid furniture as an analogy for the Fed’s situation. Today, they seem more certain that they know the future and aim to alter it.
Goals/Needs-Based Investing
Risk management: Life insurance
Talking about life insurance as part of a financial plan isn’t always easy, but it is important. What steps can you take to ensure these difficult conversations make it into your client’s financial plan?
Goals/Needs-Based Investing
Managing wealth for same-sex couples
Of course, working with same-sex clients is largely no different than working with any other group of clients, but in order to properly serve this community, advisors should understand the mindset, key issues, and changing laws and policies that directly impact their money and wealth.
Client Experience
Becoming a local thought leader with educational workshops
The educational workshop can be an effective marketing practice and a way to provide education to your local community, helping to grow your business by creating a loyal client base that views you as a leader in financial planning.