Archives for September 2014

Humor & Simplicity…Everyone Loves Yogi

Posted on 09.30.14 |

Michael F. Sciortino, Sr.
Executive Vice President, Managing Director, Head of Distribution
CMG

This weekend we were in beautiful Boston visiting friends. However, it was no ordinary Fall Boston weekend. It just so happened that the town was full of excitement for the final Red Sox home series as they hosted certain Hall of Famer and retiring Yankee Derek Jeter and his Yankees. I saw several fathers and sons that were there to witness this special moment in history.

I still remember like it was yesterday the evening my dad brought me to see my first professional baseball game. The Yankees had come to town. What a night! Prior to the start of the game, as we stood along the rail by the field, Yogi came over, smiled and shook my hand. Wow, as a kid, was I pumped! Little did I know then that I was meeting one of the premier thought leaders of our generation. Who doesn’t love Yogi? He played 19 years for the Yankees, played in 10 World Series Championships and is a Hall of Famer.

How You Can Help Your Clients Make Dreams Possible

Posted on 09.25.14 |

Michael F. Sciortino, Sr. Executive Vice President, Managing Director, Head of Distribution, CMG

Mark Twain once said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” On a recent trip to Mexico with family and friends, we did just that. We went zip lining and rappelling. There’s always a new challenge to keep us motivated. We were all in with no turning back!

Mark Twain
American Writer
1835-1910

After we completed this thrilling adventure, I thought about how similar this was to our client’s journey to accomplish their dreams and reach financial freedom. The zip lining adventure was completed because of the safety precautions our guides had implemented. They knew what the critical threats and challenges were and accounted for them. They took the time upfront to explain to us what to expect and how to maneuver effectively. In our business, I find that the most successful advisors set clear expectations for their clients.

Throughout our adventure, our guides were with us all the way offering advice and guidance. As we zip lined, we stayed connected to the cord as we traversed through the jungle and across deep and wide canyons. Your clients have a similar experience when the market delivers times of volatility. They encounter unexpected twists and turns. This is when you fulfill your obligation to them to keep them on course. Like investing, we held on through highs and lows on our way to a safe landing as might be the case for our clients as they move toward a well planned and comfortable retirement.

Closing Out A Great #FPABE in Seattle

Posted on 09.23.14 |

CMG Capital Management Group Banner at FPA BE Seattle

CMG Banner at FPA BE Seattle

We had a great time in Seattle at the annual Financial Planning Association Conference (#FPABE). We met financial planners, financial planning students, investment managers, and service providers supporting the financial industry. The Financial Planning Association does a tremendous job of furthering the planning industry with a full schedule of educational workshops. It was good to see all the enthusiasm and innovation in the planning field.

Some trends we noticed:

Advisors are looking for creative ways to promote themselves and their business through social media and digital marketing. The digital marketing offerings for advisors is truly impressive. These tools give enterprising advisors the tools they need to grow their network, gain stature in the industry, and increase AUM.

Advisors want creative solutions to constructing diversified portfolios for their clients. As we get into the late stages of the current bull market, investors seek ways to protect against the sort of precipitous market slide we experienced in 2008. Hedging strategies and tactical investing was widely discussed.

We enjoyed exploring the wonderful city of Seattle, especially on Sunday when the Seahawks were playing the Broncos. Seahawks fans were dressed in all their wild regalia to support their hometown team. You see “12” banners throughout the city, in honor of the loudest fans in the NFL.

CMG Capital Management Group continues with a year-long Conference schedule throughout the U.S. We enjoy meeting financial planners who seek investment solutions structured to capture upside market moves, while mitigating losses that occur in steep declines. – Michael Sciortino

CMG On Its Way to #FPABE In Seattle

Posted on 09.19.14 |

FPA BE Seattle 2014 Mobile App

I’m at the airport, ready to board a plane to Seattle to meet more than 2,000 financial professionals this weekend at Financial Planning Association Annual Conference.

I look foward to learning about the challenges that advisors face in constructing diversified portfolios for their clients. Stop by Booth #930 if you’re at the Conference.

Here at CMG Capital Management Group we offer time-tested tactical strategies structured to enhance portfolio diversification, lower correlation, and manage risk.

Tactical investing strategies are gaining favor now because investors seek an alternative to the traditional 60/40 buy/hold model and want greater diversification and flexibility in their portfolios.

Over the past 15 years a host of new, liquid investment solutions have become available, and advisors (and investors) have access to investment options that, until recently, were the exclusive province of institutions. These investment vehicles can help you build more diverse, resilient portfolios designed to enhance return and reduce overall portfolio risk.

4 Keys to Unleash Your Potential

Posted on 09.17.14 |

Michael F. Sciortino, Sr. Executive Vice President, Managing Director, Head of Distribution, CMG

Your mind is such a magnificent instrument that science has barely probed the surface of its tremendous power and potential.Occasionally, a rare coach or mentor comes along that has a unique ability to inspire his players to reach their potential.

The legendary coach John Wooden was one of those rare coaches. He used to say, “Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.” Coach Wooden was a master at helping players realize their true potential. He believed when you learn something, you must be quick to implement what you learned.

Applying many of his lessons, several of his players achieved success on the court and later in life beyond their wildest dreams. Coach Wooden led the UCLA Bruins to ten national championships in a twelve year period. During this period his teams won a record 88 consecutive games.

Blumenthal At Morningstar ETF Conference

Posted on 09.16.14 |

Steve Blumenthal, CEO, CMG Capital Management Group

CMG Capital Management Group CEO Steve Blumenthal will be at the Morningstar ETF Conference in Chicago tomorrow through Friday.

Some of the ETF landscape’s sharpest minds will be on hand to help sort out the complexities, theories, and opportunities surrounding ETFs.

If you’re at the Conference catch Steve on a panel discussion. Steve joins Robert Smith, from Sage Advisory, and Morningstar moderator David Sekera on Friday, Sept. 19, 9:40 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. for Breakout Session 5, Managed Portfolios. Facing the Fed-induced Headwinds.

Follow the Conference on Twitter: #MStarETFUS.

Lessons Learned From a Wise Professor

Posted on 09.12.14 |

Michael F. Sciortino, Sr. Executive Vice President, Managing Director, Head of Distribution, CMG

Sometimes, to achieve the greatest success, you have to embrace the prospect of failure. You can gain courage, perspective and wisdom with each failure to take on even greater challenges.

“I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but by how high he bounces when he hits bottom.” – George Patton

In college, I had a professor who served as Patton’s assistant. He taught us a lot about the quote above. It was probably one of my best classes ever and it prepared me well for our industry. I offer three key lessons he taught us:

Give thanks for your problems and challenges. By facing our challenges and overcoming them, we grow stronger, wiser and more compassionate. Many times we get things right by analyzing what went wrong. He used to say, “One of the best ways to learn math is to be given problems to solve. One of the best ways to prepare for an athletic event is to practice with a strong, competitive opponent.”
Failure produces results or outcomes you can learn from each time. View failure as an entry point for learning so you may continue growing. He used to say, “You haven’t failed until you stop trying.”
Disappointment and failure are just the feedback that gives us the opportunity to change. Oftentimes, failure is necessary for real learning to occur. Learning to overcome these obstacles is the very thing that forms character.

Join Us At FPA’s BE Seattle 2014

Posted on 09.10.14 |

Join CMG Capital Management Group in Seattle for the FPA BE, the largest gathering of CFP® professionals. When: Sept. 20-22, 2014. Find us at Booth #930.

We’ll be happy to discuss how our tactical investing strategies help you build diversified portfolios for your clients. Ask for our complimentary White Paper Introduction to Tactical Investing Strategies.

Bonds A Buy Says Blumenthal In Forbes

Posted on 09.09.14 |

How Can America’s Top Economists Be So Wrong?

That’s the question Steve Blumenthal, CEO Of CMG Capital Management Group, ponders in his latest Forbes article Why Bonds Are A Buy And Everybody Had It Wrong.

Not a single Wall Street analyst polled in December 2013, predicted rates lower than 2.90% by the end of 2014. Goldman Sachs’ estimate was for a 3.25% yield by year-end. Then, the yield was 2.99%. It’s at 2.40% today.

If America’s top economists have been so wrong (so far) about interest rates, what chance does the average investor have? Where can we look, if not to economists, for signals that will guide investment decisions in this dicey interest rate environment?

China Flashing Red Part II

Posted on 09.03.14 |

PJ Grzywacz President, Chief Compliance Officer, CMG Capital Management Group

PJ Grzywacz
President & CCO
CMG

In last month’s post, we highlighted real estate and slow growth warning signs of what seems to be an inevitable economic crash in China. The scariest part about these flashing signs is that there are plenty more indicators we hadn’t touched on. Let’s look deeper into some of the unemployment and debt issues China faces as it moves towards a tipping point of what could be an economic crisis.

Fewer workers moving to cities: The workforce contracted in 2012 and 2013 by 3.45 million and 2.27 million workers, respectively. The Japanese bank, Nomura, states that the number of migrant workers has halved from 12.5 million to 6.3 million over the past four years.

Debt, debt and more debt: Total bank debt has grown from $14 trillion in 2008 to $25 trillion today. This represents the equivalent of adding the entire US banking system in the past 6 years. A recent S&P report in June announced that China now has the largest corporate debt market in the world (although there are some questions regarding the validity of data). Furthermore, the Bank for International Settlements, has indicated in its recent annual report that China’s financial system is “flashing red” as private sector debt to GDP is 23% higher than its long run norm.