Videos & Podcasts

Shop Talk: Life settlement as a wealth management tool

Did you know that almost 88 percent of universal life insurance policies do not result in a payment or claim? In 2014, $602 billion of individually owned insurance benefits lapsed or were surrendered. Life settlement companies are trying to change that by purchasing existing life policies in return for cash. GWG Holdings executives Michael Freedman and Bill Acheson explain how it works. (06/2016)

Shop Talk: Is water the new oil?

Seth Siegel, author of the bestselling book "Let There Be Water," sees water as both a business opportunity and a looming geopolitical crisis that will result in failed foreign governments and renewed rounds of refugee crises. He joins us to discuss how Israel turned itself into a water superpower and why the United States and other nations are failing to master the production and conservation of a chemical compound that is essential to life on earth. (06/2016)

Inside the Edition: Jim Steiner, president, Abbot Downing

This is an edited version of a cover profile interview conducted by Real Assets Adviser editor Mike Consol with Jim Steiner, president of $38 billion Abbot Downing. Also participating in the discussion is Sandy Deem, senior vice president and communications director of the firm. Steiner’s cover profile appears in the June 2016 edition of Real Assets Adviser. (06/2016)

Shop Talk: Integrating real assets into investment portfolios

How does one define "real assets?" What hard assets will perform best during the next five years? Why don't more wealth advisory firms deal in real assets? Daniel Wildermuth, CEO of Kalos Financial, discusses those and other issues surrounding the endowment model of investing. (05/2016)

Shop Talk: Reverse mortgages as a financial planning tool

The reverse mortgage industry missed the mark when it featured celebrity pitchmen in TV advertisements focused on the financially troubled segment of the homeownership market, according to our guest, David Peskin, president of Reverse Mortgage Funding LLC. But that has changed, he says, and reverse mortgages are gaining steam amongst wealth advisers as a better option than traditional lines of credit for maintaining their clients’ cash flow. (05/2016)

Inside the Edition: Pablo Sanchez, head of retail banking and private wealth, HSBC Bank USA

This is an edited version of a cover profile interview conducted by Real Assets Adviser editor Mike Consol with Pablo Sanchez, head of retail banking and private wealth at HSBC Bank USA. Also participating in the discussion is Jeremy Balkin, head of communications for retail banking and private wealth. Sanchez’s cover profile appears in the May 2016 edition of Real Assets Adviser. (05/2016)

Shop Talk: The commercialization of water technologies

We are joined by Melinda Kruyer, executive director of Confluence, a Cincinnati-based non-profit organization that runs a water technology innovation effort in the Ohio River Valley. The consortium includes federal water laboratories, research universities, water-related business, water utilities and regional development agencies, among other organizations. Confluence brings together 6,000 researchers and nearly $4 billion in annual research spending. (05/2016)

In Focus: Susan Ansel on the multifamily market

Susan Ansel, president and CEO at Gables Residential, discusses the trends in the multifamily sector. (05/2016)

Author Spotlight: Jeremy Balkin on investing with impact

Jeremy Balkin, author of the book "Investing with Impact: Why Finance is a Force for Good," recently grabbed attention at the 9th Annual Axiom Business Book Awards, which honored Mr. Balkin with its Gold Medal for Business Ethics 2016, making him the first Australian author to receive the prestigious international literary prize. He is also a sought-after keynote speaker whose TEDx Talk in New York went viral on YouTube with more than a quarter-million views. He previously served as an…

Shop Talk: The art of mentorship and sponsorship

Mentorship has been a staple of professional advancement for decades, though it is still sorely underused, according to many observers. Then there is "sponsorship," which is a step past mentorship and little understood. To explore these subjects we are joined by Deborah Froling, a financial industry attorney with Kutak Rock LLP, and an advocate of mentorship and sponsorship, especially for the under-represented ranks of women in the financial professions. (04/2016)

Author Spotlight: Peter Frankopan on China's new silks roads

Heads up infrastructure investors and those involved in thematic investment strategies. In his new book, The Silk Roads, historian Peter Frankopan asserts that China is reestablishing a modern-day network of its historic silk roads that connected much of the world and fostered the spread and integration of culture and commerce. This time, though, China is expanding its influence in the form of a trillion dollars in global infrastructure projects in an effort to supply its own vast need for resources…

Shop Talk: What to expect from the DOL's regulatory ruling

What impact will the new U.S. Department of Labor ruling have on brokers and advisers? Is the ruling likely to go through future revisions? What are the remaining unknowns about the ruling? And why did this decision end up in the Department of Labor at all? For answers to those questions we turned to John Grady, president-elect of ADISA and chairman of the organization’s legislative and regulatory committee. (04/2016)

In Focus: Thomas Masthay on the Texas Municipal Retirement System

Thomas Masthay, director, real assets, at the Texas Municipal Retirement System, discusses Texas Municipal’s involvement in real assets, an overview of the real estate portfolio, their recent investment volume/activity and what the investment plans/strategies are for 2016. (04/2016)

Inside the Edition: The co-CEOs of Pathstone Federal Street

This is a slightly edited version of a cover profile interview with Pathstone co-CEOs Steve Braverman and Allan Zachariah discussing the recent merger between Pathstone Family Office and Federal Street Advisors to create the $6.5 billion multi-family office named Pathstone Federal Street. Their cover profile appears in the April 2016 edition of Real Assets Adviser. (04/2016)

Inside the Edition: Airbnb's impact on the hotel business

How do Airbnb users and hotel guests differ? Which markets are most vulnerable to Airbnb? Which types of hotels are most at risk? Is Airbnb reducing hotel asset prices? How can hoteliers fend off the Airbnb challenge? Peter Zabierek, the CEO of Presima, joins us to elaborate on his organization’s research on the subject. (04/2016)