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Industry Spotlight > Women in Wealth

Market and Other Madness Is in the Air

By Janet Levaux

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Yes, March was a big news month: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit voted 2-1 on the 15th to vacate the Labor Department’s fiduciary rule. But more on that later — after sports.

As a diehard San Antonio Spurs fan, I usually don’t follow college basketball. But this year, the NCAA Men’s Final Four games take place in my hometown (also known as the Alamo City), so I’ve been paying a bit more attention.

There have been plenty of upsets, but none more notable than No. 16-seed University of Maryland Baltimore County’s defeat of the No. 1-ranked University of Virginia. I like this kind of underdog story and was disappointed that UMBC went on to lose to Kansas State.

I don’t have an alma mater to root for in this tournament, so I started following what’s happening with NCAA Women’s Basketball. The UCLA team is doing well, and since my tuition dollars are supporting my younger son’s studies there, I’m giving it my backing.

Of course, Connecticut is favored to win the women’s tournament, having won four national championships in a row (2013–2016). Plus, the team has the longest winning streaks of any gender in college basketball.

Building and maintaining a dynasty like this is an incredible feat. In UConn’s case, coach Luigi “Geno” Auriemma deserves much of the credit.

In the financial-services industry, we have lots of leaders with strong records of achievement. We look forward to highlighting a group of the best of them in our next issue of Investment Advisor.

This year, we are asking readers to vote online for the 2018 IA25. By April 9, please share your preferences for which industry leaders are the most influential at: www.thinkadvisor.com/2018/03/12/vote-now-for-the-2018-ia25.

Among the VIPs in the IA25 survey this year is DoubleLine Capital CEO Jeffrey Gundlach, who recently said that the markets were at an important crossroads. Noting that the Volatility Index (or VIX) closed below its ’17 high on March 9, he asked on Twitter: “Genie back in the bottle? I’m skeptical.”

Investment advisors and portfolio managers dig into the volatility of 2018 in this month’s cover story, written by Ginger Szala, the freshly appointed executive managing editor of Investment Advisor and the former editor-in-chief of Futures Magazine Group. Looking at the issue of rising interest rates, The American College of Financial Services Dean and Chief Academic Officer Michael Finke describes a variety of strategies that advisors can consider in his feature article.

Washington Bureau Chief Melanie Waddell highlights the latest legal twists and turns surrounding the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule in both Washington Watch and The Playing Field, while contributor Tim Welsh describes fintech accelerator ScratchWorks and three ventures that took center stage at a recent industry event in Industry Insights. And in The Fast Track, columnist Angie Herbers also discusses technology and goal-setting in her latest piece on advisor growth strategies.

Lastly, industry insider Mark Tibergien writes about the importance of team building in Formulas for Success. He urges us to look at the high turnover in the White House and ask what legacy we want for the groups we are leading — a thought-provoking and valuable exercise.

Janet Levaux

@Think_JanetL