CLS Blog
The First P: People
June 16, 2016
Content provided by Rusty Vanneman, CFA, CLS Chief Investment Officer I’m often asked to describe the role of a Chief Investment Officer (CIO). A short answer that seems to work in many parts of the country (especially here in Nebraska) is that a CIO is like a football coach. The CIO is accountable for the…
A Family Business
June 15, 2016
Mike, his wife Teri, and their children, Cody (7), Luke (8), and Kate (5). Content provided by Robyn Murray, Freelance Writer Mike Vitallo began his career in the printing industry. In a small town outside Chicago, he printed catalogues and brochures with his two brothers at a company founded by his father. Mike Vitallo Sr.,…
The Importance of Tax Management
June 9, 2016
Content provided by Grant Engelbart, CFA, CLS Portfolio Manager Managing portfolios for tax sensitivity is an often overlooked area of investment management, however this time of year, more than the rest, investors definitely seem to tend to notice if their portfolio was not managed with regards to taxes. Many holders of traditional mutual funds received…
The Pros and Cons of Fixed Income ETFs
June 2, 2016
Content provided by Marc Pfeffer, CLS Senior Portfolio Manager Currently, there are nearly 300 fixed income exchange traded funds (ETFs) in the marketplace. That is four times as many as in 2008. Demand continues to be strong for fixed income ETFs, and for some good reasons. The Pros: Liquidity, Diversity, Price, and Efficiency Fixed income…
Gold, Emotions, and Poor Behavior
May 27, 2016
Content provided by Paula Wieck, CLS Portfolio Manager Gold is up about 20% so far this year. This is about the time when investors start asking if we have gold exposure in our portfolios. Whether we do or do not isn’t the point I want to drive home (we do have exposure to gold miners…
In His Counting House
May 26, 2016
Andrew, with his wife Stephanie, are expecting their first child in September Content provided by Robyn Murray, Freelance Writer It’s Christmas morning, and brightly colored wrapping paper lies in shredded swirls as four kids sit around the tree tearing through presents. Ribbons, papers, and boxes fly around the room, while 7-year-old Andrew Reisdorff keeps a…
Story Telling
May 18, 2016
Content provided by Brian Towner, CLS Separate Account Product Manager In the financial industry there are three key components or phases in the client/advisor relationship: Proposal: Define the client’s financial goals and how the advisor can help achieve them. Client Review: How has the advisor helped the client progress toward his or her goals? What…
The Makings of a Good Smart Beta ETF
May 11, 2016
Content provided by Joe Smith, CFA – CLS Senior Market Strategist Smart beta ETFs continue to be a popular topic in the investment industry. They’ve created excitement because they follow indexes that intentionally deviate from a market-cap-weighted index and have deep roots in academic and institutional investment circles. This provides opportunities for additional risk management…
International Fund Team, Assemble!
May 5, 2016
Content provided by Kostya Etus, CLS Portfolio Manager As you may already know, I’m a pretty big movie buff. I usually watch at least one movie every day and I’ve pretty much seen every movie since 1980, feel free to quiz me sometime by guessing one I may not have seen. I also really like…
Benefit of Factor Based ETFs in a Challenging Market Environment (4 of 4)
May 4, 2016
1510-CLS-4/14/2016