Wealth Management
With the holidays quickly approaching, many of us feel overwhelmed by the season’s demands and struggle to stay present. Between long to-do lists and short days, it’s easy for joy to take a backseat to stress.
Modern parenting only amplifies this, with societal pressures and endless expectations creating a constant sense of overload. Add holiday preparations, and it’s no surprise that burnout feels imminent. The key to navigating this season lies in intentional moments—focusing on what truly matters, like creating joyful memories and embracing connection over perfection.
Small daily rituals, such as a quiet moment by the fire or a walk in the neighborhood, can help recenter us. With mindful choices, it’s possible to reclaim the peace and joy that make the holidays meaningful.
Finsum: I’ve found that mediation is also a healthy, simple, and fairly quick solution to help bring a more peaceful holiday season.
U.S. annuity sales remained robust in 2023, but life insurers struggled to grow their share of the retirement asset market. Annuity reserves held by life insurers rose 8.9% to $4.2 trillion, slightly lagging the 9% growth rate for total retirement assets.
Employer-sponsored pension and retirement plans saw a 10.3% increase, reaching $13 trillion, while individual retirement account (IRA) assets grew 13.4% to $13.6 trillion. Annuities maintained a 9.3% share of total retirement assets, unchanged from 2022, despite record sales and strong investment returns.
IRA assets allocated to annuities grew 9.6% to $614 billion, but their share within IRAs declined to 4.5% due to even greater growth in mutual funds and other investments.
Finsum: Overall, we believe annuities will continue to play a stable yet relatively modest role in the broader retirement landscape.
Category: Annuities
Tags: annuities, fixed annuities, variable annuities
Ethena has introduced USDtb, a new stablecoin backed predominantly by BlackRock’s tokenized BUIDL fund. Over 90% of USDtb’s reserves will consist of U.S. government debt, cash, and repos, with the remainder held in stablecoins and tokenized Treasuries.
Designed to complement Ethena’s synthetic dollar product, USDe, USDtb serves as a reserve asset to mitigate risks associated with USDe’s derivative-based strategy during unfavorable market conditions. The reserves for USDtb will be managed by Pallas, a BVI-based entity, while Ethena Labs will provide oversight and investment management through its subsidiaries.
The stablecoin has undergone independent security audits and is supported by major liquidity providers such as Jump and GSR Markets.
Finsum: While bitcoin is drawing a lot of crypto attention, stable coin could be a wonderful opportunity looking for slightly different in crypto.
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Actively managed fixed income ETFs have gained remarkable traction, with over $100 billion in inflows in 2024 and growing demand expected for 2025. These ETFs, favored for their flexibility and expertise, have helped the ETF industry surpass $300 billion in fixed income assets this year.
During VettaFi’s Market Outlook Symposium, 51% of advisors expressed plans to increase their exposure to actively managed funds next year, compared to only 20% for index-based options.
Core, core-plus, and multi-sector active ETFs, such as Fidelity’s Total Bond ETF (FBND) and iShares’ Flexible Income Active ETF (BINC), have outperformed comparable passive funds. Active ETFs like JPMorgan’s Core Plus Bond ETF (JCPB) balance investment-grade bonds with speculative assets to enhance returns.
Finsum: With strong performances and growing advisor interest, active fixed income ETFs are poised to remain a dominant force in fixed income investing.
Bitcoin surged past $107,000, hitting an all-time high following President-elect Donald Trump's pledge to create a U.S. bitcoin strategic reserve, mirroring the oil reserve system. This announcement, combined with the inclusion of Bitcoin-focused company MicroStrategy in the Nasdaq 100, fueled market optimism.
Bitcoin rose over 50% since the November U.S. election, while Ethereum also saw gains. Trump, who has shifted to a pro-crypto stance, hinted at plans to establish the U.S. as a global crypto leader, naming crypto-friendly officials to key regulatory positions.
Despite enthusiasm, analysts caution that implementing a bitcoin reserve could face significant delays and complexities.
Finsum: Bitcoin's value has soared over 150% this year, reflecting increasing investor confidence in its regulatory and market potential.
Bahl & Gaynor recently launched two new dividend-focused ETFs, the Bahl & Gaynor Dividend ETF (BGDV) and the Bahl & Gaynor Small Cap Dividend ETF (SCDV). Both funds aim to provide long-term dividend income and downside protection by investing in high-quality, dividend-paying equities.
BGDV focuses on large-cap stocks with a 0.45% expense ratio, while SCDV targets small caps with a 0.70% expense ratio. These funds use a bottom-up stock selection strategy, emphasizing factors like historical performance, competitive advantages, and future cash flow potential.
Sector exposure is not a primary focus but may tilt toward health care, financials, and industrials for SCDV and financials, industrials, and information technology for BGDV.
Finsum: The bond market could have a tumultuous Q1 and income investors might want to look elsewhere for returns.