In The News
Could A Recession Be Necessary To Fix Inflation?
"There’s one metric that is particularly worrisome to Federal Reserve officials, as it indicates progress made toward stamping out inflation—the output gap."
- Ivan Illan for Forbes, Published February 27, 2024
CIO Ivan Illan Speaks on Macro Trends & Outlook Panel at Titan Investors Los Angeles Exchange
SoCal based financial advisors, manager research analysts, and a suite of blue-chip fund managers sharing perspectives across diverse asset classes.
It's Normal That The Stock Market And Economy Are On Different Pages
"Too often when you hear folks talking about the condition of the economy, they’re using the stock market as a proxy and illustration of that condition."
- Ivan Illan for Forbes, Published January 24, 2024
InvestmentNews 2023 Hot List Recognizes Ivan Illán In Top 100 Best and Brightest In The Business
"InvestmentNews narrowed the list down to 100 movers and shakers whose contributions have helped shape the wealth industry over the past 12 months. From innovators at the forefront of change to leaders who are transforming the way the industry does business, this year’s Hot List represents the best the industry has to offer."
- InvestmentNews, Published December 12, 2023
Very few financial advisors actually manage money
"There’s a stark contrast between clients’ perceptions and the actual practices of many financial advisors. Here’s why transparency is needed now."
- Ivan Illan for Fast Company, Published December 15, 2023
For Decades Fed Funds Remained Higher Than The Inflation Rate
"Between November 1980 and November 2002, the Fed Funds Rate consistently exceeded the U.S. inflation rate."
- Ivan Illan for Forbes, Published December 11, 2023
On-Air Interview: Ivan Illan on The Conversation with Bruce Cook on KLAA AM830
Original Air Date: Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 6:30PM PST
Watch CIO Ivan Illan's Guest Appearance on KTNV's Morning Blend
What A Flattening Yield Curve Means For Future Fiscal Fitness
"It’s a delicate balance and a self-reflexive cycle. Household worries lead to business worries, which lead to household worries." Published October 19, 2023
Watch CIO Ivan Illan on Pix11's "Founder's Story"
US Manufacturing Contributes To Economy Same As 70 Years Ago
On an inflation-adjusted basis, manufacturing continues to provide a meaningful contribution to the economy. Read CIO Ivan Illan's full article in Forbes...
Watch CIO Ivan Illan on "How Winners Win" Episode 127: Wealth Mastery Unveiled
Less Restrictive US Debt Capital Markets Are Pouring Gasoline On Fire
"As interest rates around the globe have swelled from record lows just three short years ago, companies must be extra vigilant of their cash flows from operations and cash flow from financing.” - Ivan Illan
The Case Of The Disappearing Equity Risk Premium
"When you do this simple conversion, something quasi-magical happens. You are now able to evaluate whether an investment is deserving of your hard-earned money.” - Ivan Illan
Finance Professionals May Find A Research Assistant In AI
"For data-based roles, AI can provide some assistance in data collection.” - Ivan Illan
Capital Destruction: A Necessary Evil
"The focus of this article is on liquid capital that must be necessarily destroyed in the aftermath of the Fed’s aggressive financial engineering.” - Ivan Illan
In Bond Markets, Where’s The Risk?
"With all the uncertainty regarding the Federal Reserve’s next move to quell inflation, as well as the broader concerns on domestic and international economic conditions, why is the bond market acting as if there’s no risk in sight?”
Economic Green Shoots Could Be Daffodils, Or Just Pesky Weeds
"Green shoots” in economic parlance could mean that data is showing signs of new growth and that overall conditions are improving. But not all green may be good.”
Building Client Loyalty through Personalized Relationships
"It’s one thing to be an active manager but quite another thing to package your active management into a program that’s easily digestible for clients,” Illán says. “Our clients demonstrate their loyalty by sharing our content with others. They become almost like disciples. We never need to ask for referrals—they refer us to family and friends on their own."
The Dark Side Of Recent Jobs Growth
“If you’ve heard about the January jobs report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it was likely accompanied with some positive cheer. Payrolls increased by 517,000 to start the year, which was significantly higher than the monthly figures seen since August 2022. But don’t get too excited."
Advisors Divided on SEC's Proposed Outsourcing Rule
“Ivan Illan, the founder and chief investment officer at Los Angeles-based firm Aligne Wealth Advisors Investment Management, said one little secret in the planning industry is that many advisors devote the bulk of their time to maintaining relationships with current clients and trying to bring in new ones. The actual work of investing is outsourced to services like turnkey asset management programs, third-party firms that provide various asset-management services in return for fees. If the SEC's proposed outsourcing rule requires advisors to be more forthcoming about how they operate, Illan said, so much the better."
Bond Maturation And Business Spending: Critical Economic Issues For 2023
“Instead, paying close attention to basic economic data and their shared risks could significantly impact how prepared your finances may be on a forward-looking basis. Two issues that are of heightened concern include a wave of corporate bonds maturing in 2023 and a potentially correlated dramatic shift in business spending.” - Ivan Illán
The Unexpected Gift Of Currency Devaluation
“Taking advantage of currency devaluation for operational savings need not be a thing reserved for sophisticated multinational corporations who may be more eager to identify a foreign acquisition target rather than a domestic one.” - Ivan Illán
Treasury Bonds Now Pay More Than What Global Stocks Have Returned Across Over 2 Decades
“[During our research], we stumbled across one perspective that is surreal. Global stocks have returned substantially less than a 30-year U.S. Treasury bond since Dec. 31, 1997.” - Ivan Illán
Though Hard To See, International Stock Markets Are Finally Showing Low Correlation
“Though no one can have a perfectly clear vision of what comes next, it is prudent to familiarize yourself with the various and often obscured dynamics today that may impact investment values tomorrow.” - Ivan Illán
Advisor Interview with Ivan Illán for Proactive Advisor Magazine
Employing intellectual capital on behalf of clients by David Wismer
“Our ability as capital allocators drives our mission. …” - Ivan Illán
Higher Taxes On Corporations May Be The Proverbial Straw To Break Economy’s Back
“Both proposed taxes are not necessarily bad in the long-term, but the timing to institute them leaves something to be desired based on [these] three critical macroeconomic market dynamics.” - Ivan Illán
Understanding Why Financial Advisors Show Hypothetical Portfolio Performance History
"Most investors, regardless of their sophistication or experience, do not realize that most FAs do not even have a particular portfolio performance history that they are able to formally share with the public.” - Ivan Illán
Revisiting ‘Is Inflation Finally On The Horizon?’
“Inflation has become more virulent and obnoxious than most had imagined.” - Ivan Illán
LPL Financial Welcomes Aligne Wealth Advisors Investment Management (AWAIM®)
“LPL’s Hybrid RIA … allows us to communicate substantively with our clients, which is even more important given the shifting dynamic of capital markets.” - Ivan Illán