Services Tags: Investment Consulting

Dave Smith Speaking at 2018 529 Conference 9/24

On Monday, September 24th, Dave Smith, CFA, will be speaking at the “529 Essentials Seminar” preceding the fifth annual 529 Conference, “Education Financial Planning: Required Insight for the 529 Industry.

The presentation, “Structuring & Evaluating the Investment Line-Up”, will cover topics including plan structure in philosophy and in practice; defining key terms and differentiating factors; investment type and management style trends; and the impact of fees, new asset classes and other trends on selection.

The one-day pre-conference seminar will unpack the mechanics of 529 college savings plans. The session is designed to provide a clearer understanding of the ever-evolving tax, regulatory, governance, financial aid, investment and operational implications driving the market today.

For more information, please visit the 529 Conference event page.

Luncheon Keynote with Mohamed El-Erian


Excerpts from Mohamed El-Erian’s Keynote Presentation at Marquette’s 2019 Investment Symposium

Mohamed El-Erian is Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz, Chair of President Obama’s Global Development Council, author of two New York Times bestsellers, and former CEO and co-CIO of PIMCO.

Please contact your consultant or send our marketing team an email for the password to view the excerpts.

A Prism of Capital Market Views: Portfolio Manager Panel

Marquette’s 2019 Investment Symposium opened with a portfolio manager panel hosted by Marquette’s director of research, Greg Leonberger, FSA, EA, MAAA, and featuring:

  • John W. Rogers, Jr., Chairman, Co-CEO & Chief Investment Officer at Ariel Investments
  • Olga Bitel, Partner and Global Strategist at William Blair
  • Matthew J. Eagan, CFA, Executive Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Loomis, Sayles & Company

Third Quarter Review of Asset Allocation: Risks and Opportunities

The third quarter saw mixed results for financial markets. Economic fundamentals generally remain strong but signs of deterioration are starting to emerge. Unemployment currently hovers around 3.5%, and inflation is near the Fed’s target of 2%. However, 3Q GDP growth was under 2% (though the 1.9% figure exceeded the 1.7% estimate), and the PMI index has been below 50 since August (a reading under 50 is indicative of contraction in the manufacturing sector). Overall, the most important global trends we see are the following:

  • The U.S.-China trade conflict continues to weigh heavily on both countries as talks remain ongoing;
  • The Federal Reserve (“Fed”) reversed course by cutting interest rates and further cuts are still possible;
  • The U.S. Treasury yield curve inverted briefly, which historically has signaled a recession over the subsequent 12–24 months;
  • Brexit negotiations were extended to January 31, 2020, therefore further perpetuating the uncertainty around the UK’s exit from the EU;
  • Negative interest rates continue to grow in prevalence around the world.

The impact of these shifting dynamics is explored further in this newsletter as we review third quarter performance and expectations going forward for each of the major asset classes.

Read > Third Quarter Review of Asset Allocation: Risks and Opportunities

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

3Q 2019 Market Briefing

Live Webinar – Thursday, October 24, 2019 – 1:00-2:00 PM CT


Please join Marquette’s asset class analysts for a live webinar based on our 3Q 2019 Market Environment. This webinar series is designed to brief clients on the market as soon as possible after quarterly market data becomes available.

The overall U.S. economy will be discussed, along with fixed income, U.S./non-U.S. equity, hedge funds, private equity, real estate and infrastructure.

Featuring:
Greg Leonberger, FSA, EA, MAAA, Partner, Director of Research
Jeffrey Hoffmeyer, CFA, Lead Analyst, Asset Allocation
Ben Mohr, CFA, Director of Fixed Income
Samantha Grant, CFA, CAIA, Senior Research Analyst, U.S. Equities
David Hernandez, CFA, Senior Research Analyst, Non-U.S. Equities
Joe McGuane, CFA, Senior Research Analyst, Alternatives
Jeremy Zirin, CAIA, Senior Research Analyst, Real Assets
Brett Graffy, CAIA, Research Analyst

Who should attend: Institutional investment stewards, private clients, investment managers

Live webinar attendees will be able to submit questions to the presenters and vote in audience polls during the event. Questions will be answered during the final 15 minutes of the webinar, as time allows.

If you are unable to attend the webinar live, you can also view it afterward on demand. Registrants will automatically receive a follow-up email shortly after the end of the webinar to notify them of webinar recording availability

Dave Smith Speaking at AIMSE 2018 Annual Conference 5/1

On Tuesday, May 1, Dave Smith, CFA, will be speaking at the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives’ (AIMSE) 41st Annual Marketing & Sales Conference in Miami.

Dave will speak as a panelist during the session, “The Changing Landscape of Healthcare”. The panel will consist of investment professionals from health organizations and consultants with a focus on the health care space. Topics of discussion will include the following are designed to address the changing landscape of healthcare institutions, an evolving distribution channel for asset managers:

  • Ideal structure for strategic partnerships between allocators and asset managers
  • AHCA and its potential implications on various hospital and healthcare plans
  • Whether healthcare plans constitute as ERISA and why
  • Changing landscape due to increased M&A activity
  • How plans leverage resources among different groups with various pools of assets
  • How data can affect the financial sufficiency of healthcare organizations

For more information, please visit the AIMSE event page.

Marquette Speaking at AIMSE 2018 Annual Conference 5/1

On Tuesday, May 1, Julianna Paterra, CAIA, will be speaking at the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives’ (AIMSE) 41st Annual Marketing & Sales Conference in Miami.

As a Consultant Roundtable speaker, Julianna will engage in lively discussions with participants by sharing investment manager search activities, organizational updates, and methods for effectively communicating with research and field consultants. A hallmark of AIMSE conferences, the consultant roundtables feature both traditional and alternative professionals.

The AIMSE seeks to provide an educational forum for those employed in the investment management sales and marketing services profession worldwide.

For more information, please visit the AIMSE event page.

Jeremy Zirin Speaking at 2018 Central States Institutional Forum 3/20

On Tuesday, March 20, Jeremy Zirin, CAIA, will be speaking at the Markets Group 5th Annual Central States Institutional Forum in St. Louis.

Jeremy will join the panel, “Evolving Infrastructure Environment”, and explore how investors are assessing the infrastructure’s longer-term impact on returns and positioning their portfolios to avoid potential risks.

Following the financial crisis, strategies to incorporate infrastructure into the portfolio construction and asset allocation processes continue to evolve as governments seek partnerships and third-party financing to develop energy, water, transportation and social projects critical to economic growth. The panelists will also examine specific strategies investors are using to integrate infrastructure investments into portfolios.

For more information, please visit the Markets Group event page.

Catastrophe Bonds

Institutional investors are constantly searching for additional asset classes that may help diversify a portfolio and enhance returns. Catastrophe (“cat”) bonds may be such an asset class that could help diversify a portfolio’s interest rate, credit/equity and currency risk by providing non-correlating natural event risk. Cat bonds are typically issued by insurance companies that pool property and casualty policies. They pay coupons to the bondholder using the policy premiums received. When a natural event occurs — such as a hurricane or an earthquake — part of the principal of a cat bond may be used to pay the insurance claims on the pool of policies. In other words, the investor is paid to assume a part of the risk associated with natural events. Historically, cat bonds average 5% to 10% return annually.

This paper discusses the benefits of cat bonds and the mechanics of how they work, along with their market size. The characteristics of cat bonds and the types of cat bond strategies will also be examined. The paper will provide details about cat bonds’ merits and risks to help investors make informed decisions about whether to consider this asset class. It will conclude with a discussion of recent and long-term performance.

Read > Catastrophe Bonds White Paper

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

 

Investing 101 Video Series

Our Investing 101 video series covers the fundamentals of investing. This series aims to create a knowledge base for trustees, staff, and other investors of the key terms and concepts that they encounter most frequently, with guidance provided by several of Marquette’s research analysts and directors.

The series covers:

Marquette encourages open dialogue with our consultants and research team. For more information, questions, or feedback, please send us an email.