solutions that work

In recent weeks an online neo-bank aptly named Aspiration launched a national TV ad campaign. The pitch is distinct and, we think, worthy of attention for the following reasons: ○ Unlike other financial institutions, even those that offer socially responsible products, Aspiration is a financial services firm whose core brand and value proposition is social responsibility. As its mission

Sources:1 Corporate Executive Board2 Biznology3 Gartner Group4 Biznology 5 LinkedIn6 CMO Council7 LinkedIn

Zara is getting a lot of press for its new logo. If by some chance you haven’t seen the hailstorm of negative attention, you may want to Google it to see what all the hubbub is about. Or just search#zaralogo where you can find some truly funny and entertaining comments. We won’t join in on the

Continuing to honor of the passing of index fund champion, Jack Bogle, we would like to point out the likelihood of an upcoming milestone. Sometime this year, or the beginning of 2020, investments in passive domestic equity mutual funds and ETFs will outstrip those in actively managed mutual funds for the first time ever. The

Much has been written this past week about Jack Bogle, who passed away on January 16, 2019, and his achievements. In addition to founding fund giant, Vanguard, he has been credited with practically inventing indexed mutual funds. A few years ago, Warren Buffett credited him with saving investors tens of billions of dollars over time.

Callan recently published its 20th Anniversary Edition of The Callan Periodic Table of Investment Returns. This chart has become ubiquitous as an illustration for the case for diversification and is widely used in marketing, particularly with individuals. The chart shows annual returns for an array of major asset classes, ranked from best performing for the

We draw attention to the chart below, taken from the latest Financial Planning technology survey of financial advisors. The findings are indicative of the ongoing shift in the focus of advisors from tech as a back and middle office solution, to tech as a facilitator of the (increasingly digital) advisor-client relationship. CRM, Financial Planning and Client

We couldn’t let the New Year ring in without a follow up to our previous words of the year (WOTY) post to let you know of Merriam-Webster and Cambridge Dictionary’s recently announced WOTY. Liberty and JUSTICE for all Merriam-Webster anointed “justice” as its 2018 word of the year. Varied in meaning and something we seek,