CLS Blog
Time is on Your Side
March 4, 2016
Content provided by Case Eichenberger, CLS Client Portfolio Manager I’m looking to buy a house. It’s a big move for me, as a 31-year-old single guy, but I know my financial advisor is right. Interest rates are at historically low levels, and now is a good time to jump into the housing market. I’ve spent…
What Does Smart Beta Mean For Individual Investors?
February 25, 2016
Content provided by Joe Smith, CFA, Senior Market Strategist Smart beta ETFs are a popular topic in the ETF industry. This year’s Inside ETFs Conference, which drew almost 2,200 advisors and investment professionals, focused heavily on smart beta ETFs and what they mean for the industry. In breakout sessions and presentations, most of the conversation…
How to Save You from Yourself
February 23, 2016
Content provided by Kostya Etus, CLS Portfolio Manager At CLS, our focus on global markets and balanced portfolios has faced tough headwinds over the past year. But does that mean we should abandon ship? If we tossed our investment plans overboard every time the waters got rough (to stretch a metaphor here), we would be…
The Battle to Reach the Pinnacle
February 19, 2016
Content provided by Robyn Murray, Freelance Writer When Mark Matthews goes home for the holidays, there’s a routine. First, eat. Second, find the nearest basketball court. “We’re very competitive,” Matthews says, “everyone plays sports; everyone sings in the choir; everyone knows how to cook.” Home, for Matthews, is Detroit and a family of five sisters…
Three Thoughts On The Primary Season
February 18, 2016
Content provided by Scott Kubie, CFA, CLS Chief Strategist Now that primary season is in full swing, the politically interested among us can practice switching channels to see who is saying what, while reading FiveThirtyEight to dissect the polls. As the Iowa and New Hampshire caucus results rolled in, my thoughts moved to what this…
The CLS Investment Team Goes To the Movies: The Big Short
February 12, 2016
Content provided by Rusty Vanneman, CFA, Chief Investment Officer Recently, the CLS Investment Team went to the movies (after the markets closed, of course!). It’s a great time of year for high-quality movies, and our choice was the critically acclaimed, The Big Short. The movie is about the financial crisis that stemmed from the real…
Is It Really a Chinese Crisis?
February 1, 2016
Content provided by Paula Wieck, CLS Portfolio Manager The financial media has used some colorful language to describe China’s stock market this year. The words “turmoil,” “bloodbath,” “wreaking havoc,” and “ripples of panic” have shown up in quite a few headlines. But that might be slightly overstated. China is important; but it’s not everything. Why…
DOL Prepares to Finalize Fiduciary Rule
January 29, 2016
Content provided by Mike Forker, CLS Chief Compliance Officer The Department of Labor (DOL) has finalized their proposed fiduciary rule, which would impose a fiduciary standard on all advice given to retirement plans and IRAs. This morning, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced that they had received a final rule from the DOL titled…
2015: A Look Back At Income-Producing Strategies
January 29, 2016
Content provided by Case Eichenberger, CLS Client Portfolio Manager 2015 was no doubt a tough year for the stock market. In fact, the average investor lost about 3% for the year. While not even close to bear market territory, these are disappointing gains nonetheless. Of the major asset classes, only the S&P 500 had a…
January’s Market Volatility
January 25, 2016
Content provided by Case Eichenberger, CIMA, Client Portfolio Manager What’s scaring market participants today? Will this be known as the China scare of 2016? The oil crash of 2016? It’s always hard to blame market turmoil on one event, but slowing global growth is usually a culprit. When combined with slumping demand for oil/an overabundance of…