solutions that work

It was recently reported that assets in Blackrock’s Style Advantage, a factor based hedge fund, nearly doubled in the first half of 2017 to reach an impressive $1.6 billion. The fund’s performance was reasonably strong but the boost in interest is likely to have been driven also by pricing. With a 0.95% investment management charge

At Optima Group, we often look outside financial services for inspiration in how consumers are served best. While companies such as Amazon or Apple are often cited as classic examples of the move from disruptor to market leader, another telling example comes from an unlikely source, the world of vacuum cleaners. More specifically, the work

PriceMetrix recently released the firm’s annual report on key growth, pricing and market trends in the wealth management industry. What distinguishes the report is that it is based on a large sample of actual accounts. (The survey sample includes data drawn from 24 North American wealth management firms employing a total of 60,000 financial advisors,

So announces this week’s Wealth Management.com. The headline refers to a new report from Boston Consulting Group that reveals both revenues and profits of the asset management industry have declined for the first year since the financial crisis. It turns out the culprit is passive investing. Active core investing, as high as 60% in 2003,

The spending habits of the U.S. consumer is changing as millennials enter the work force and their wallets grow. Purchases and gifting of experiences versus “things” is growing rapidly. Research by Eventbrite of millennials (defined by them as Americans born between 1980 to 1996, although definitions vary depending on the source) revealed that 78% of

U.S. Trust conducts an annual survey of high and ultra-high-net-worth Americans, targeting individuals with at least $3 million in investable assets. This year’s survey includes some interesting findings with regard to generational differences in portfolio allocations. The chart below shows the distribution of investments across broad asset classes for each generation. Notable is a dramatic

The Liar’s Box is the repository of market research findings that you know are false even though respondents declare them to be true. We recall a vivid example: In a market survey, avid skiers dismissed the importance of graphics on their skis. Research reported that the desirability of skis was all about the shape, size,

Anyone with a teenager or young adult in their family has probably at least heard of Venmo (a PayPal company), a person to person/peer to peer (P2P) payment network, where all you need is one simple piece of information such as a person’s email or cell phone number to initiate a payment. Venmo is the