Liquid Alts; Women and Money; Growth by Design: Investment Advisor August Features—Slideshow

After stocks’ performance the past few quarters, some investors might be tempted to stick with what looks like a good thing. However, Ben Warwick, founder and CEO of Quantitative Equity Strategies, sees three reasons they might want to diversify with some alternatives.

Despite women holding powerful positions in finance, the average female investor still reports low levels of financial literacy. Clearly it’s not genetic, so what’s the problem? Olivia Mellan and Sherry Christie talk to journalists Katty Kay and Claire Shipman about their new book, which tries to make sense of a persistent “confidence gap” between women and men.

This month also features the first article outlining the results of the 2014 Growth by Design study from FA Insight. Look for more articles on building firms that can grow sustainably in the coming months.

Alts Are the Answer

Pity the diversified investor in 2013. Who needed international equities or fixed income or real estate when the stock market only traded to the upside? Not only were domestic stocks among the best performing asset classes last year, they also boasted minimal volatility, making them the no-pain, all-gain investment.

The first six months of 2014 looked like a repeat performance. So is it time to take money off the table or press one’s bets? Ben Warwick shares three reasons why it makes sense to reduce equity beta in favor of a more all-weather portfolio.

Read the full article.