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Structured annuities are a category within annuities that are a popular investment vehicle due to their balance of protection and upside, achieved by protecting a portion of downside in return for participation in the upside. They are used for what's called defined outcome investing.

The media loves to create headlines designed for shock value. In general, we know the body of evidence suggests the vast majority of active equity funds regularly underperform their benchmark.

The media loves to create headlines designed for shock value. In general, we know the body of evidence suggests the vast majority of active equity funds regularly underperform their benchmark.

As this piece is being written, we are coming into the homestretch of the 2020 U.S. elections. It seems that this election has stirred more emotions and captivated more voter interest than any other election in recent memory. We have certainly received a fair amount of clients' questions about the election and what impact it may have on the financial markets and the broader economy. We attempt to address these issues in the thoughts below.

The stock market rally continued with only a minor hiccup in the third quarter. Despite a September swoon that saw big name technology issues sell off. The Nasdaq-100 Index continued its reign of dominance over broader large-cap indexes, powering to a 12.6% total return during the quarter compared to an 8.9% gain for the S&P 500 Index.

There has been a significant ongoing litigation that involves several trusts that were organized by JP Morgan. This litigation is at its end-stage, and, at this point, there are minor court rulings coming out. The court rulings involve the timing as well as the amount of the settlement that needs to be paid out to each trust by JP Morgan. ESM is constantly looking at these bonds when they are offered into the market.

The asset management industry is dominated by a buy-hold-hope mentality, which makes sense in most cases because, statistically, the equity markets go higher 80% of the time. We are taught that to achieve great long-term returns, we must be willing to ride through periods of high volatility and that corrections happen along the way. Considering that the long-term average peak-to-trough drawdown in the S&P 500 is 14%, I believe that most financial advisors and clients would agree that a smoother ride would be the preferred way. Strong returns with lower volatility along the way sounds a lot like having your cake and eating it too. What if this might be possible?

The asset management industry is dominated by a buy-hold-hope mentality, which makes sense in most cases because, statistically, the equity markets go higher 80% of the time. We are taught that to achieve great long-term returns, we must be willing to ride through periods of high volatility and that corrections happen along the way. Considering that the long-term average peak-to-trough drawdown in the S&P 500 is 14%, I believe that most financial advisors and clients would agree that a smoother ride would be the preferred way. Strong returns with lower volatility along the way sounds a lot like having your cake and eating it too. What if this might be possible?