Content Provided by Kostya Etus, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager

Below are the top five most read blogs at CLS in 2018 along with a link to each and a brief summary. Looking over them provides an idea of the big themes and ideas that highlighted the year.

#5 Three Reasons Not to Get the Jitters about Market Volatility by Joe Smith, CFA – Deputy Chief Investment Officer

After historically low volatility in 2017, it roared back with a vengeance in early 2018. Joe was there to calm investors with some helpful hints: market volatility is good for active management, higher volatility creates greater opportunities for diversification, and market participants can behave irrationally despite no change in the key data.

#4 Millennials Ruin Everything by Michael Hadden – Investment Research Analyst

Millennials are the future of retirement saving, and financial advisors are still trying to crack the code on how to get through to this generation. Millennials catch a lot of grief for “ruining things,” but having established great saving habits, they are well on their way to being great investors.

#3 The Rock Stars at CLS Investments by Rusty Vanneman, CFA, CMT – President / Chief Investment Officer

At CLS, we are often told that our team is young. But the youngest of our portfolio managers is older than some industry greats. Bottom line: our team has skills. It has energy. It has talent. And, most of all, it has experience.

#2 DOL Rule: UPDATE by Mike Forker, Chief Compliance Officer

The Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule remained a top topic in 2018, and our compliance team was on top of the developments. Our interpretation of the rule is that regardless of the outcome, advisors should consider switching to fee-based management as there are multiple benefits versus commission-based business.

#1 What Should Investors Read? by Jackson Lee, CFA – Quantitative Associate Portfolio Manager

This one is truly a must read! It addresses the age old question: with all the countless information sources out there, what should investors really be reading? In short, avoid the noise that arises from market speculations, and spend more time reading articles and books that are unbiased and relevant in the long term.

Honorable mention to #6, since I wrote it: Reason to Invest Internationally #18: Wider Opportunity Set by Kostya Etus, CFA – Senior Portfolio Manager

While international outperformed the U.S. in 2017, it lagged in 2018. It was important to remind investors of some of the benefits of investing abroad. With close to 40,000 companies to invest in outside of the U.S, compared to only about 4,000 domestically, is that really an opportunity set that you want to miss out on?

BONUS. Did you know that we also regularly publish articles on ETFTrends.com? Here are the top five most read articles we have posted there in 2018. I will leave you in suspense and let you investigate these articles on your own:

#5 Not Everything in ETFs is Growing by Grant Engelbart, CFA, CAIA – Director of Research & Sr. Portfolio Manager

#4 Is it Time to Buy Turkey? by Kostya Etus, CFA – Senior Portfolio Manager

#3 3 Interesting ETFs You May Have Missed by Grant Engelbart, CFA, CAIA – Director of Research & Sr. Portfolio Manager

#2 The Winds Are Changing for Active Management by Rusty Vanneman, CFA, CMT – President / Chief Investment Officer

#1 The Evolution of the ETF Industry by Mark Matthews – Investment Research Analyst

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