Like a phoenix rising reborn from the ashes - Unfiltered Finance is back! Join us as we strip away the jargon and dive into markets and investing – focusing on small and mid-cap stocks while keeping it honest and real with no hype or hidden agendas.By Casey Dylan

Welcome to the series finale! After more than six years, we are concluding the Unfiltered Finance podcast. It has been our sincere pleasure to inform both our investors, and financial advisors with this offering. Joining our host Tom Romano, for this proverbial curtain call, is Casey Dylan, Consultant from Story Market Services & the original host …

Welcome to part two of our podcast episode - "Navigating Global Markets". Many investment professionals believe it is imperative for investors to globally diversify their portfolios, and not put all of their proverbial eggs into one basket. We are joined by Symmetry's Brendan Kruh, Investment Associate, to conclude our discussion on the necessity o…

With recent turmoil in the Middle East, the continued war in Ukraine, and global inflation, investors want their portfolios to feature more U.S. stocks. After all, domestic investments have performed well as of late. In this episode of Unfiltered Finance we are joined once again, by Symmetry's Brendan Kruh, Investment Associate, for a discussion on…

Rising oil prices have animated market participant’s fears of reinvigorated inflation pressures, increasing the chances that the Federal Reserve will impose more interest rate hikes. Join Casey Dylan, CIMA®, Investment Communications Strategist (Consultant), and Tom Romano our Head of Strategic Relationships & Product Development, for a detailed re…

Markets were off to one of the best start in decades during the first half of 2023—then came the third quarter. The Federal Reserve resumed increasing rates, bringing them to a 22-year high at the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting at the end of July. This led to ongoing elevated interest rates through August, pushing bond yields higher a…

"KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON." Not only is this a beloved motto, it's also a great rule of thumb for maintaining your portfolio allocations. Once again, we are joined by Symmetry's Brendan Kruh, Investment Associate, and Eide Bailly Wealth’s Brett Myer, CFA, CIMA®, Investment Strategy Director. In this second of two episodes, we'll be discussing why you…

Once again, investors are faced with the same debate. Should I invest my money in large scale growth companies (e.g. Apple, Google), or, should I keep faith in the little guy and invest in some smaller companies (that seem poised to grow over time)? In this episode of Unfiltered Finance, we are thrilled to host not just one, but two special guests;…

There is risk involved in trying to time markets. We believe it's best to apply multiple decades of research when making investment decisions. Today we are joined by Symmetry's Dr. John B. McDermott, Executive Director of Investments, to conclude our discussion about Evidence-Based investing. This episode will feature a detailed overview of the res…

This week, we work to define evidence-based investing, and explain some of the potential benefits of using this strategy. In part one of this two-part episode, our own Tom Romano, Head of Strategic Relationships and Product Development, is joined by Dr. John B. McDermott, Executive Director of Investments, for a historical retrospective on this fas…

In this final installment discussing Q2 of 2023, we dive into current events, and their potential effects on the Stock Market. Our hosts, Tom Romano, Head of Strategic Relationships & Product Development and Casey Dylan, CIMA®, Consultant sit down for a discussion of the "magnificent seven" growth stock winners, the current state of inflation, inte…

Despite a somewhat lackluster April and May, equities markets ended one of the better first halves of a year in quite some time by the end of June. The Nasdaq, S&P 500, and Dow were up 32.32%, 16.89%, and 4.94% for the year, respectively. It was the Nasdaq’s best first half of a year since 1983, primarily due to growth in tech stocks driven by the …

Two weeks ago, we held another successful week of AdvisorFest - an annual, week-long live-streaming event where we cover some of the most pressing issues Financial Advisors are presently facing. This year, we decided to host a live panel discussion about the experiences women have when creating long-term financial plans, and asserting an equal amou…

Today we conclude our discussion on women investors from AdvisorFest 2023. Symmetry's Andrea Loin, Associate Director of Marketing, leads a discussion along with financial advisors Diana Bacon, CFP®, CDFA®, MBA, and Joyce Bloomquist, CDFA® of Apella Wealth, on some of the critical factors, and life experiences, that should be incorporated into a wo…

Financial Advisors don't work for free. Depending on how their practice is structured, investors will be charged an assortment of fees for a financial advisor's services. In this episode of Unfiltered Finance, we are joined by JT Lavery, Symmetry's Associate Director of National Sales, to discuss how fees are structured and how advisors can work to…

Alternative Investments are not just "cool" or intriguing products to own. In truth, they have the potential to help you endure tumultuous markets. In this episode, we are joined once again by Philip McDonald, CFA, CAIA, Managing Director of Research Investments & Portfolio Manager, to discuss how Alternative Investments can mitigate risk in your p…

Today, we talk about an area of the market that many people have heard of, but haven’t chosen to invest in as of yet. Specifically, we’re talking about “Alternative Investments” - investment strategies that are different from and diversifying to, traditional asset classes. In this first half of this two-part episode, our own Tom Romano is joined by…

Stories of historically atypical interest rate hikes, and multiple bank failures, concerned many advisors in the early days of 2023. Join us for the second (and final) part of our discussion with Casey Dylan, CIMA®, Consultant, and the host of Unfiltered Finance, Tom Romano, Head of Strategic Relationships, as we discuss some of the more prominent …

The sudden failure of Silicon Valley Bank in March jostled investors' confidence in the market. But, the overall performance of various tech stocks in Q1, such as Tesla, Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, Salesforce, AMD, and Broadcom, served to revive optimism for the stock market's near future. Join Casey Dylan, CIMA®, Consultant, and our host Tom Romano, H…

Not all financial advisors are created equally. Some have certified credentials, some charge their clients fees, and others may get paid on commission (if they offer investment products). In part two of this podcast episode, our own Tom Romano, Head of Strategic Relationships and Product Development, is joined by Symmetry’s Michael Storer, Senior R…

As financial professionals, we’re often asked one simple question: “do you know what I should buy right now?” In truth, we don’t believe it’s possible to successfully predict market behaviors most of the time. But, we do believe that a qualified financial advisor can help you devise a plan for long-term success. In this episode of Unfiltered Financ…

In our last episode, we discussed the importance of a portfolio’s asset allocation, and, how that relates to “Reducing Your Tax Bill”. In part two of this episode, we are joined once again by Symmetry’s Managing Director of Research and Investments, Philip McDonald, CFA, CAAIA & Glenn Shirley, CAIA, Head of Investor Relations for Quantinno Capital …

The “Tax-Man” cometh! As this tax season proceeds ever forward, many investors are asking themselves the same question - “am I going to take a large tax-hit this year?” We cannot say how much you’ll be taxed on your present investments. But, we believe it’s possible to structure your portfolio in a manner that mitigates tax-loss, and, leaves more m…

Government bonds saw one of the single greatest drops since their inception and international stocks were adversely affected by foreign conflicts. It was a challenging year to say the least. But, we firmly believe that a well-researched strategy of diversification (across asset classes of all types) can help investors endure these down market perio…

For most investors, 2022 has felt like a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad” year. International conflict, inflation, and historically paced interest rate hikes, have made this a challenging year for markets. While finishing the quarter with positive returns, the gyrations of markets in the fourth quarter did little to assuage investors’ genera…

While the efficient market hypothesis was derived from historical studies, we firmly believe that it is still applicable to our current approach to long-term investment planning. We are once again joined by Symmetry’s Brendan Kruh, Research Associate, to talk about current events such as, inflation, rising interest rates, the present war in Ukraine…

Investors, and active money managers, rarely outperform capital markets on their own. The data to prove this point is both ubiquitous and vast. We believe that markets are efficient, and investors are best served with a well-diversified portfolio that owns the market for decades a time. In this episode of Unfiltered Finance, we are joined by Symmet…

Open-ended Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds are both popular investment vehicles. They carry a number of similarities, including; their "basket-like" structure, and exposure opportunities. But, there are critical differences between the two, which, can impact the way you invest your hard earned money. Joining our own Tom Romano is Symmetry’s …

No investor wants to work with a financial advisor who is content with settling for less. In this episode of Unfiltered Finance, our own Tom Romano is joined by Symmetry’s Associate Director of Marketing, Andrea Loin, to explain why, and how, financial advisors should work to continuously develop their businesses. We’ll give you a hint, it can impr…

For investors, the following statement is self-evident, “my portfolio is better off in the hands of a well-informed and skilled advisor.” This is the fundamental belief that led us to hold our educational conference - Summit 2022. From November 9th - November 10th, we covered any number of topics including marketing, client service, and direct inde…

While some online technologies can prove to be valuable assets for investors, and their advisors, the internet is not exactly void of malicious actors. In this episode we are once again joined by Symmetry's Director of Operations and Technology, Robert Hawke, and our Director of Operations, Mark Longmore, for an in-depth discussion about cybersecur…

There is no magic bullet solution to the technological component of investing. In reality, solutions come from diligent research, testing, and a focus on developing quality investor experiences. Today we take a look behind the curtain to see how various technologies can be used to service both financial advisors and investors. Symmetry's Director o…

Welcome Back to Unfiltered Finance for "Part Two" of our episode - Popular Questions About Investing. Symmetry’s Tom Romano, Director of National Sales, is joined once again by the founder of Story Market Services & CEO of Empirica Solutions Group, Inc., Casey Dylan, CIMA®, to discuss the value of seeking qualified (and accredited) insight before m…

In this episode of Unfiltered Finance, Tom Romano, Symmetry Partners’ Director of National Sales is joined by the founder of the newly formed Story Market Services & CEO of Empirica Solutions Group, Inc., Casey Dylan, CIMA®, to address some of the questions we frequently receive from both investors and financial advisors. This is the first of a two…

For the financial advisors in our audience, it's a cornerstone of quality service to address clients' concerns and meet their needs when customizing portfolios. In this episode of Unfiltered Finance, Symmetry's Tom Romano, Head of Strategic Relationships, and Phil McDonald, CFA, CAIA, Managing Director of Research Investments & Portfolio Manager, r…

Many high-net-worth individuals, and their families, have specific requirements, tax considerations, and investment preferences, that cannot be addressed by conventional investment options. Welcome back to Unfiltered Finance! In the first installment of this two-part episode, Symmetry's Tom Romano, Head of Strategic Relationships, and Phil McDonald…

In many ways, the virtual reality space, Web 3.0, holds both experiential and financial opportunities for the future. But how can we tell the difference between those opportunities that are authentic and those which are not? In this episode, we are joined by VR content creator Brody Parksua, to discuss the economic potential of Web 3.0. *Symmetry i…

The second quarter of 2022 has been challenging for investors as markets responded negatively to shifting interest rates, supply chain snarls, inflationary pressures, and geopolitical challenges. Join us for this episode of Unfiltered Finance as we discuss these issues, among others, in this quarterly review. Visit us at https://www.symmetrypartner…

“Alternative Investments” are those that do not fall into one of the conventional investment categories of stocks, bonds, and cash. While you may be familiar with Crypto and NFTs, what you may be less familiar with are some of the more unusual categories such as; art, wine, specialty real estate like farmland, rare books…and sneakers?! Today, we ar…

As we all know, no single market trend lasts forever. Even the online streaming industry has fundamentally changed in recent weeks (on the heels of the pandemic). In this episode, we are joined once again by Symmetry's Andrew Willard, Research Analyst, to debate the topic of Netflix's recent financial performance as compared to other, more diversif…

"Story Stocks" can be described as investments of artificially inflated value. From time to time, mass media coverage of a given stock will bolster its popularity by way of broad speculation and forecasting. In this first half of a two-part episode on the subject, we are joined by Symmetry's Andrew Willard, Research Analyst, to discuss the importan…

Markets reflected a host of investor concerns during the first quarter of 2022. Over the past four decades, U.S. investors have experienced declining interest rates, benign inflation, globalization of trade, and relative stability among the world’s superpowers. During the first quarter of 2022 those trends were upended as markets were faced with ri…

In this special installment of Unfiltered Finance, we are joined by William Chettle, Symmetry's Director of Experience and Engagement, to explore the ramifications of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine, including the immediate and potential longer-term impact for investors, markets and the global economy. Visit us at www.symmetrypartners.com. You can…

The cost to attend college gets more and more expense every year, and roughly 40% of families cite cost as the “most important” criteria when choosing where and how to pursue college education. On this episode we are joined by Jim Femia, the Director of College Planning for Apella Capital, to get his thoughts about saving for and funding college. V…

Equities markets have gotten off to a decidedly ugly start to the year, as various indices flirt with correction, if not bear market, territory. On this episode we explore causal factors for market corrections and crashes from both an academic and practical standpoint with Dr. John McDermott. Visit us at www.symmetrypartners.com. You can also find …

Investors experienced a roller-coaster ride, replete with dramatic drops and historic highs, over the final months of 2021. On this episode we review market performance for the quarter, and explore several key issues that were impactful, and may continue to be into 2022. Visit us at www.symmetrypartners.com. You can also find us on Facebook, YouTub…

As another year comes to an end, it is critical for investors to take an inventory of their financial priorities, and, plan for the future. On this episode of Unfiltered Finance, we are joined by Symmetry's Director of Experience and Engagement, and, host of The Evidence-Based Marketer, William Chettle, to discuss our "Year-End Checklist". Download…

No one can completely predict the direction of inflation expectations. This fact makes speculative investing a risky proposition. In this episode, we continue our discussion of a potential interest rate increase, and the possible effects bond investors may face. Once again we are joined by Symmetry’s Chief Investment Strategist, Dr. John McDermott,…

Rising inflationary pressures associated with the post-COVID reopening have driven central banks like the Fed to begin to unwind some of the extraordinary steps they had taken to provide liquidity and stabilize markets during the pandemic. One of the primary tools available to central banks to combat inflationary environments is the ability to infl…

Digital assets have grown to over a $2 trillion market value, and new ETFs based on Bitcoin futures could bring crypto into the mainstream. On this episode we are joined by analyst Andrew Willard for an update on the current state of the crypto market, and where things in this space might be headed. Visit us at www.symmetrypartners.com. You can als…