Putnam

Best Blogs of the Week

Posted by Anu Heda on Sep 17, 2012, in Best Blogs of the Week , tagged with , ,

Three posts this week that do not touch on QE3 since Mike addressed the topic nicely on Friday.

  • Columbia – Award for the best blog title of the week. I won’t give it away: post.
  • Putnam – This post provides a rare non-investing post. The author reminds FAs of difference succession planning options available to them. For any FA with entrepreneurial clients, this is a critical topic.
  • Russell – This post provides advisors with survey data about advisors and their opinions on global investing.

Best Blogs of the Week

Posted by Anu Heda on Aug 27, 2012, in Best Blogs of the Week , tagged with , ,

This week’s best blogs refresh a few topics, not covered often. The list includes a rare 529 sighting. Though an important investment vehicle, 529 plans rarely show up on industry blogs.

  1. JPMorgan – Making a first time appearance, this post shares easy-to-digest information about US returns versus non-US. The chart is a helpful reminder about how correlated global equity markets have been in 2012.
  2. Putnam – This post discussed the intersection of family trusts and 529 college savings. It’s probably an esoteric topic, but valuable to some advisors.
  3. Wells Fargo – This post challenges conventional investment wisdom succinctly.

Improve Your Blog (3 of 5)

Posted by Anu Heda on Jul 06, 2012, in Thoughts , tagged with , ,

In the last year, industry blogs have improved dramatically. We’ve seen firms inject personality (our first part in this series) and increase the frequency of posts (our second part in this series). This post covers including graphics (not stock photography).

Most blog posts topics cover (or begin with) macroeconomic issues. That makes sense for a few reasons. First, macroeconomic issues don’t worry compliance too much. An analysis of Greek debt has no inherent product push or firm advertisement. Second, investment teams are (often) analyzing big themes for investment opportunities, so the blog post can be a natural output from the analysis.

Yet, many of these macroeconomic blog posts are solely prose. We think that’s a mistake. One or two straightforward graphics enable the viewer to understand the author’s perspective and quickly decide to read (or not) the prose. A well-placed graphic increases the likelihood a blog post is read (especially when the post is more than 1 – 2 paragraphs).

 … [read more]

Best Blogs of the Week

Posted by Anu Heda on Jul 02, 2012, in Best Blogs of the Week , tagged with , ,

By Friday morning, only 1 asset manager addressed the Affordable Care Act – Wells Fargo. That’s impressive and deserves top-billing. Additionally, we found two compelling posts that would be immediately beneficial for most FAs.

Top Billing – Wells Fargo – This post adds an economic lens to the Affordable Care Act’s political battle. Dr. Jacobsen fixates a bit on 49-person versus 50-person, nonetheless, the content is highly valuable.

 

  • BlackRock – This post provides 3 reasons to expect higher volatility in the 2nd half of 2012.
  • Putnam – This post includes a visual that quickly clarifies the massive differences in government bond yields.

 

Best Blogs of the Week

Posted by Anu Heda on Jun 26, 2012, in Best Blogs of the Week , tagged with , ,

Fiscal cliff? Until this weekend’s paper and morning talk shows, I hadn’t heard that term. And then two of last week’s best blogs reference the fiscal cliff. A third blog introduces a straightforward but unusual manner for FAs to discuss returning from “all cash” positions.

  • BlackRock – This post covers four reasons not to expect a double dip recession, and touches on the fiscal cliff.
  • Putnam – This post is a video Q&A that starts with the fiscal cliff.
  • Russell – Many FAs and clients will be immediately turned off by an algebra formula. But those who are not may find this post a clear way to discuss re-entering the markets.