In The News

Captives gain advantage as OEMs shift to build-to-order sales

October 4, 2021

“If a manufacturer wanted to be extremely aggressive, they could potentially limit build-to-order transactions only to people who use a particular lender, whether it’s a captive or otherwise,”

Will the 3% Surtax Hurt Bank and Insurance Stocks?

October 1, 2021

Daniel Gonzalez, a wealth analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research, views the tax proposal as minor. He added that affected corporations in the financial sector will find ways to minimize the impact. He estimates the big banks to pay $1 billion in...

Betterment is ready to burn cash like its 2008

September 29, 2021

The money is flowing freely and at low cost these days. Betterment and its dedicated cadre of capital backers are not drunk on cheap money; however, quite the contrary.

Grayscale shreds the hype about Bitcoin's power to 'democratize' finance

September 28, 2021

It makes sense because [iCapital] is following the money. Grayscale is the largest digital currency asset manager … [iCapital’s] partnering up with a leader. The value proposition Grayscale offers is established SEC reporting, customized allocations...

Schwab Pilots Direct Indexing and Plans Advisor Launch

September 28, 2021

Schwab’s pilot program is a “signal moment” for direct indexing, said William Trout, director of the wealth management division at Javelin Strategy & Research. “What Schwab is trying to do is create essentially a starter package for young,...

iCapital Buys Structured Notes Firm Axio Financial

September 21, 2021

iCapital’s acquisition of a structured notes technology provider like Axio is in the “sweet spot” for the former. Earlier this month, Trout published a report called “Digital Platforms and the Guaranteed Income Conundrum” on the topic of annuities...

PayPal's 'super app' escalates battle against banks, fintechs

September 21, 2021

"If PayPal adds investing to their app sooner rather than later it will be good. By centralizing all of its services in a single app, PayPal is combating the commoditization of traditional credit and debit while creating a venue for expansion into...

PayPal's 'super app' escalates battle against banks, fintechs

September 21, 2021

By centralizing all of its services in a single app, PayPal is combating the commoditization of traditional credit and debit while creating a venue for expansion into value-added areas such as investing, said Marco Salazar, Director of Payments at...

The ESG Phenomenon - Royal Bank Of Canada, Refinitiv

September 16, 2021

"The expectations of a new generation of investors are reverberating up the asset management value chain. These center on investing to environmental, social and governance criteria and the digital experience in general. Today’s investors are far...

After freemium-like beginnings, Vanguard Group is priming its $243-billion RIA as a profit engine

September 7, 2021

New thinking appears to be talking hold in Malvern. There is revenue pressure, and Vanguard faces competition for the VPAS investor dollar on a number of fronts, including from increasingly popular asset classes like crypto and private capital...