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Michael Schoonover, COO & Portfolio Manager

31 posts

Michael Schoonover is Chief Operating Officer of Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC and Rational Advisors, Inc. and Portfolio Manager of a share buyback strategy fund at Catalyst Funds. He began his association with Catalyst in 2011 as a research consultant supporting the implementation and back testing of quantitative strategies. In March 2013, he became a senior analyst at Catalyst to provide investment research for several mutual funds. From 2005-2011, he served in various technical and scientific management roles with the Perrigo Company. Mr. Schoonover has an MBA with high distinction from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and a BS from the University of Michigan.

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1 min

The Case for Senior Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities

Legacy or seasoned senior RMBS were issued prior to the U.S. housing market collapse in 2007. Today, these bonds are supported by a resilient housing market, are backed by seasoned mortgages with lower LTVs, possess low interest rate sensitivity, and can benefit from refinancing/prepayment because they tend to trade at a discount.

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1 min

Diversifying Fixed Income Exposure with Non-Traditional Income

Many bond portfolios consist of investments that replicate the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (the “Agg”), which does not include about two-thirds of the investable fixed income space. These bond portfolios leave many investors under-exposed to the broader fixed income universe and with concentrated risk exposure to rising interest rates.

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12 min

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Financial Advisor Roundtable Part II: Addressing the Global Pandemic, Market Conditions, and Key Challenges Facing FAs and their Clients in 2020

In this second installment of the quarterly roundtable, Michael Schoonover, Chief Operating Officer of Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC and Rational Advisors, Inc. asked these leading advisors to provide their unique perspective on some of the key issues and challenges facing FAs and their clients in these unprecedented times and financial market environment.

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5 min

Explaining to Clients Why Chasing the S&P 500 May Not Work in the 2020’s

This past decade has been a tremendous run for the S&P 500, remarkably like the path of U.S. equities in the 1990’s. When looking at the other major asset classes, however, the 2010’s have not been nearly as exciting.

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7 min

What Golf and Investing Can Tell Us About the Benefits of a Hybrid Approach

Despite being practically nonexistent 20 years ago, hybrid golf clubs are now used by most professional golfers, regularly part of a golfer’s set, and in two-thirds of golf iron sets sold today.

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5 min

Why the 60/40 Investment Portfolio May Not Survive the 2020s

It’s no secret that the S&P 500 index has been on a bull market run since the global financial crisis. In fact, the index is currently having its best streak in six years. Against the backdrop of geopolitical concerns, trade wars between China and the U.S., and recession worries, however, investors have pulled a record $135.5 billion from U.S. stock-focused mutual funds and exchange traded funds so far in 2019, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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8 min

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Financial Advisor Roundtable: Addressing Key Issues and Challenges Facing FAs and their Clients Heading into 2020

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5 min

Will the Low Cost, Passive Equity Trade Unwind in the 2020’s?

Clients should understand that the 2020’s may be another lost decade for equities, and passive strategies may prove to be underperformers.

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3 min

Stock Buyback Drop Indicating Rising Trade War Concerns

2018 was a record-setting year for buybacks, and the kickoff to 2019 showed signs of continuing, if not breaking, that trend. But the strong rebound in equities in Q1 was followed by a large uptick in volatility in May, a repercussion of trade war concerns.

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5 min

What Investors Should Look for in a Record Buyback Environment

With more than 900 U.S. companies announcing $1.08 trillion in buyback authorizations, 2018 was a record-setting year for buybacks. This year is also off to a similarly strong start with more than 300 companies authorizing more than $360 billion in buybacks as of April 30.