On 3 November, US voters go to the polls. The presidency will be determined once again by 14 swing states and six of them really matter.

While it may not be a new approach, ESG investing creates risk-aware portfolios that are more likely to outperform over the long term.

Post GFC, inflation risk skewed to the downside with central banks fighting against disinflation and deflation – and the market is potentially under-pricing inflation risks going forward.

Traditional business models will increasingly be challenged. To win, companies will need to spend for the future and investors will need to take a longer term view to define ‘value’.

Post Covid-19, Australian company dividends were cut by 30% overall but it is still possible to achieve 5% cash yields with up to 2% franking credits from a well constructed portfolio.

The Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating pre-existing consumer trends. The new world winners will be those businesses which focus on culture and purpose, and which aspire to make a positive difference.

Understanding what has really changed in people's values as a result of Covid-19 and the influence of emotions will prepare us for the increasingly polarised economic, geopolitical, social and environmental new world order.

Since the early 1980s, developed market government bond yields have broadly been falling, with investors voicing concerns that the asset class offered little or no value. Continually, they have been proven wrong.

Investors should not attempt to time, but rather allocate to well-diversified and balanced multi-factor portfolios and provide consistent exposure to targeted factors.

Covid has accelerated tech adoption on an unprecedented scale and while the winners have been broad, not all are equal. Short-term investors with simple valuation techniques are missing the bigger picture.

Unlike ESG investing, impact investing accelerates the allocation of capital to solve the world’s climate and social challenges.

Driven by Covid-19, 2020 saw economics 101 meet market psychology. Today, fear and greed set up a rich opportunity set on long and short sides.

In the US, a durable and economic bottom has formed, and global investors are well-served to re-frame their mindset towards the incipient economic expansion now underway.

These two papers provide a more sophisticated, behavioural understanding of time discounting, to enable more nuanced conversations with clients about current and future consumption, and help mitigate the potentially negative impacts of present bias.

It turns out that 'retiring’ and withdrawing from productive life actually conflicts with our own natural drivers of well-being. The concept of ‘retirement’ is an obsolescent by-product of the industrial era that needs to be retired.

These two research papers present insights into how advisers can better assess and guide how clients think about and structure goals - including savings goals.

Market pricing goes to the heart of everything we do in constructing portfolios. But the risk-free rate is artificial as central bank manipulate interest rates to stimulate economies. The implications for asset allocation are significant.

The first All Things Considered webinar was foundational. Our panel of expert portfolio construction practitioners and academics made the case for questioning our investing activities, and identified some “sacred cows” that are most consequential to investment outcomes AND in greatest need of revision.

Humans categorise and form stories about their world - including their financial lives. Two recent papers emphasise the implications of mental accounting, particularly for any investment professional in a client-facing role.

Two research papers exploring regret can help us improve how investment decision-making and outcomes are framed with clients and offer deeper insight into clients' personal and financial goals and priorities.