WrapManager's Wealth Management Blog

JP Morgan Quarterly Guide to the Markets JP Morgan’s Guide to the Markets for the second quarter of 2017 is now available. The comprehensive guide includes pages of charts illustrating: Returns and valuations by style and by sector Fixed income yields and returns Annual returns and intra-year declines of the S&P 500 [+] Read More

There’s a popular saying that people often use to characterize or describe human behavior: “we are our own worst enemies.” This phrase probably wasn’t created with the original intent of describing investor behavior, but one thing’s for sure—it often hits the nail on the head. You have probably read before that investors’ emotions often get in the way of sound long-term decision making. During times of pronounced market volatility or downturns, investors often get worried (understandably) about sustaining too many losses, and they will alter their long-term strategy as a result. In other words, experiencing declines in the market often leads to the feeling of needing to “do something to stop the losses,” which means making knee-jerk reactions. Research shows, however, that those knee-jerk reactions can cost investors quite a bit over the long-term. [+] Read More

Is your portfolio well-positioned to take advantage of international opportunities? Brandes Investment Partners believes there are compelling reasons why now is the time to cast a longer look at international equities. Including: Access to more opportunities Diversification potential Return reversion potential [+] Read More

Congratulations to Newfound Research for winning the 2016 award for Best ETF Strategist with their QuBe portfolios. Editor’s Note: WrapManager does not provide direct investment access to the QuBe portfolios. WrapManager provides investment access to several other Newfound products, including the Risk Managed Sector Series. After the announcement of the winners of the 2016 ETF.com awards WrapManager spoke with Newfound Research about their place in the rankings. Answers were provided by Justin Sibears the Portfolio Manager at Newfound. A frequent speaker on industry panels and contributor to ETF Trends, Justin holds a Master of Science in Computational Finance and a Master of Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University as a well as a BBA in Mathematics and Finance from the University of Notre Dame. [+] Read More

Once you’ve realized that hiring a financial advisor is worth it, the next step is choosing the right one for you. When you began your search you may have noticed that there is a wide variety of different acronyms that come after their name. For investors of all types, the alphabet soup of financial credentials can be confusing, especially if you’re searching for a wealth manager or financial advisor with a particular skill set. Read on to learn about the difference between a Certified Financial Planner®, a Certified Wealth Strategist®, and a Chartered Financial Analyst®. [+] Read More

In the first quarter of 2016, investors feared that weak conditions in many emerging markets, commodities and global manufacturing would deteriorate into a full blown recession across the developed world and China. As stock markets struggled, equity investors overwhelmingly preferred defensive stocks and gave an unusually generous discount to companies vulnerable to weak economic activity and low interest rates. But the recession never arrived. Reduced fiscal austerity and continued easy monetary policy, coupled with greater confidence in the industrial sector and increased bank lending, have reignited global growth. Commodity prices have rallied, and the outlook for corporate profits now appears better than it has in several years. Though equity markets have moved quickly to price in the welcomed shift, we still see opportunities, especially outside the U.S., after many years of substantial returns for the S&P 500. Read the entire market commentary here. [+] Read More

The WrapManager Top Equity Money Manager Picks Report for second quarter 2017 includes three different money managers with diverse strategies. As we do every quarter, the WrapManager Investment Policy Committee (IPC) has selected three money manager strategies to highlight as an opportunity for you to learn about money managers that you may not be familiar with, as well strategy types that may be of interest to you. This quarter, the IPC has selected three strategies to highlight, including: A concentrated growth approach seeking to invest in market leading companies. A small cap equity strategy that focuses on stock selection. A mid cap value portfolio that seeks to invest in companies with favorable valuations. [+] Read More

Global growth expectations are on the rise, and we see room for more upside surprises... Reflation is going global. The signs include a rebound in inflation expectations, a bottoming out in core inflation and wages, and a synchronized pick-up in economic activity indicators and corporate earnings estimates. Read the key points of BlackRock's analysis below. Or, download the complete commentary (PDF). [+] Read More

Quizmaster, Doug Hutchinson, presents his quiz for the month. Here, Doug explores donating appreciated stock versus selling the stock and donating the cash. [+] Read More