Strategic Investor Radio

Disruptive Innovation With Cathie Wood

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Cathie Wood. Ms. Wood is the CEO and CIO of Ark Invest, which is headquartered in New York City. She has more than two decades worth of experience as an economist, equity research analyst, and portfolio manager. In 2014, Ms. Wood founded Ark Invest, which she says is focused on only one thing: Disruptive innovation.

The company’s five big themes are:

- DNA sequencing
- Next-generation Internet
- Automation and artificial intelligence (“AI”)
- Energy storage (she predicts the demise of the internal-combustion engine in the next 10-20 years)
- Blockchain and bitcoin

Indeed, Ms. Wood says Ark Invest probably knows more about blockchain, bitcoin, ether, and ethereum than most buy-side institutions.

Investing in Alternatives With Bob Hennessey

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Bob Hennessey of San Diego-based Coastal Capital. Bob started out in the 1990s as a financial planner and advisor, but then started wholesaling for a variety of asset management shops some years later. Around five years ago, he went into business for himself with Coastal Capital, and now he works as an independent wholesaler, representing funds to the advisory community.

Bob is an alternative investments specialist. He says he likes alternatives because of their low correlation to traditional asset classes, such as stocks and bonds, and their ability to “dampen the volatility” of a portfolio. He loves liquid alternatives for expanding access to alternative asset classes and strategies for everyday investors, and he notes how as recently as the late 1980s, retail investors’ only real options were stocks, bonds, and real estate. Host Charley Wright also notes that alternatives provide a “smoother ride” during volatile times, such as the period immediate following the Brexit vote.

Small and Micro-Cap Investing With Alan Stone

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Alan Stone of Wall Street Research. Mr. Stone’s firm, which is headquartered in Los Angeles, publishes newsletters and reports focused on small- and micro-cap stocks. These stocks may trade on major exchanges or over-the-counter, or they may be entirely private.

Mr. Stone graduated from Wharton, where he studied economics and finance. He had a notable career on Wall Street before relocating to Los Angeles more than a quarter-century ago, which is when he purchased the then-fifteen-year-old Wall Street Research brand from its original owner. Stone repurposed the newsletter as an online publication, and twenty-five years later, his site – WallStreetResearch.org – is the top listing for the popular Google search “Wall Street research.”

Trading Illiquid Assets With Taylor Garrett

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright talks with Taylor Garrett. Mr. Garrett is Managing Director of Central Trade & Transfer, a Salt Lake City-based firm that operates an “eBay-type” auction system for non-publically traded assets.

Garrett explains that Central Trade & Transfer began as a marketplace for limited partnerships (“LPs”). Then, after the Financial Crisis, the firm reorganized in its “2.0 version” as an online auction platform for illiquid assets like non-traded real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and business development companies (“BDCs”), private equity funds, venture capital funds, individual real estate assets, entire companies, and “all shapes and sizes of LPs.” Garrett says most of Central Trade & Transfer’s business has been with domestic assets, but there have been some international assets sold through its auction system, as well.

Multi-Family Housing Investing With Sanford Coggins

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Sanford Coggins, the founder and president of VisionWise Capital. Mr. Coggins has over three decades worth of experience in commercial real estate and a background as a registered investment advisor (“RIA”). He combines his expertise from both fields to make VisionWise a sort-of “RIA of real estate.”

Coggins has always been a high achiever. He played quarterback for the University of Texas Longhorns and then went into commercial banking right out of college. From there, his career path took him into commercial real estate right ahead of a big downturn for the market, when he moved to Merrill Lynch. Shortly thereafter, Coggins started his own RIA firm, but then decided that real estate was his preferred asset class, so he founded VisionWise.

Real Estate Investing with Suneet Singal

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Suneet Singal, founder and managing partner of First Capital Real Estate Investments, which is headquartered in New York City. Mr. Singal says he started working at age 11 and hasn’t looked back since. He began his career working for a Fortune 500 firm but quickly decided he wanted to work for himself. Since 2001, he’s been a loan officer, a manager, a broker, a securitizer, and he’s built both a wholesale and real estate platform, totaling 15 years’ experience in real estate financing and operations.

Attracting the Institutional Investor With Sandra Powers

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Sandra Powers, Ark Global’s founder and CEO. Ms. Powers has close to two decades of experience in the financial services industry, with roughly half of that time spent at State Street Global Advisors, where she was responsible for marketing and communications related to the firm’s largest pension plan clients. In 2007, she founded Ark Global, which provides consultation to investment managers looking to raise institutional capital, and to institutional investors looking for high-quality, differentiated investment managers.

Liquid Alternatives With Tom Florence of 361 Capital

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Tom Florence, president and CEO of 361 Capital. Mr. Florence began his career as an advisor with Merrill Lynch in 1985, before moving to Fidelity. Later, he had the pleasure of serving as managing director of Morningstar, working under company founder Joe Mansueto. Florence says it was his idea for Morningstar to get in the asset-management business, and the firm now manages several billion dollars for advisors and advisors’ clients. 

Allocating to Alternative Investments With Dick Pfister

Dick Pfister, founder and CEO of AlphaCore Capital, is Charley Wright’s guest on this episode of Strategic Investor Radio. Mr. Pfister has nearly a quarter-century of experience in alternative investments, starting as a floor trader in Chicago and later becoming a partner at Altegris, and he says he was inspired to start AlphaCore when he had a “personal liquidity event” upon selling his prior company. Advisors were essentially serving up “60/40” solutions, and in Pfister’s view, that approach is outdated and alternatives are essential. [read more]

Highland Capital Managerment

Listen to Brian Mitts who discusses the wide variety of investments offered by Highland to the marketplace and, more specifically their Healthcare BDC.  This interview was done at the ADISA Conference in San Diego

Griffin Capital Corp

Randy Anderson discusses real estate opportunities for Griffin Capital Corp.  This interview was done at the ADISA Conference in San Diego.

The Passco Companies

Listen to Bill Passo, founder  and CEO of The  Passco Companies, is a longtime real estate investment firm.  This interview was done at the ADISA Conference in San Diego.  

John Grady, President Elect of ADISA

Listen to John Grady, founder and president of Asset Management Advisory Co and President Elect of ADISA, discuss the agenda and important of ADISA.  This interview was done at the ADISA Conference.

Inland Private Capital Corp

Listen to Keith Lampi discuss the 1031 Exchange and DST market for Inland Private Capital Corp, during the ADISA Conference in San Diego.

Captial Square Realty Advisors

Listen to Louis Rogers, founder and CEO, focusing on 1031 Exchanges and Delaware Startutory Trusts (DST's).  This interview was done at the ADISA Conference in San Diego.

Robert A. Stanger & Co.

Listen to this interview with Kevin Gannon, President of RAS, and most importantly, a staunch Irishman.  Stanger and Co. is an Investment Banking Firm focused on the Non-Traded REIT and Business Deveopment Company marketplaces.  This interview was done at the ADISA Conference in San Diego.

MCI Megatel Capital

Listen to Michael Roman tell about MCI Megatel's home building business in the Texas marketplace.  This market is red hot, with loads of opportunity.  This short interview occured at the ADISA Conference in San Diego.

Tactical Investing With Joe Childrey of Probabilities Fund Management

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Joe Childrey. Mr. Childrey is the CEO and founder of Probabilities Fund, and a three-time guest of the show.

Conventional wisdom teaches that investors can’t reliably time the market, but Mr. Childrey has a strategy that’s unconventionally wise. The Probabilities Fund enters and exits the broad market, primarily through the Vanguard S&P 500 index fund, moving to cash or even going short during bear markets, and using leverage to amplify long positions during bull markets. Morningstar says the fund has 1,000% annual turnover – that’s an active strategy. [read more] 

Impact Investing With Fran Seegull of ImpactAssets

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Fran Seegull, chief investment officer for ImpactAssets. Impact is a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the flow of capital and democratizing access to impact investments, which are investments that seek to maximize social, environmental, and financial impact. [read more]

Oil, Gas and Real Estate Investing With Ryan Wright

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Ryan Wright (no relation), the founder and CEO of Fig Tree Capital Ventures. Dallas-based Fig Tree is focused on direct investments in oil, gas, and real estate.

Ryan says oil and gas investors tend to be emotional, and this partially accounts for the commodities’ volatility. His firm is focused on the Stack area in Oklahoma, which isn’t as famous as other patches like the Bakken in North Dakota. But Ryan says the Stack produces higher-quality oil in accordance with the West Texan Intermediate (“WTI”) standard, whereas oil from North Dakota trades at a $7-8 per-barrel discount. [read more]

Risk Managed Investing With Randy Swan

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Randy Swan of the eponymous Swan Global Investments. Randy is the founder and president of the Durango, Colorado-based firm, as well as a portfolio manager. He started the company in 1997 after beginning his career as a CPA, but his interest in investing runs much deeper: Randy says he has been an “avid investor” since he was 14 years old, and his experience through the market’s ups and downs – including the 1987 crash – helped him develop the risk-mitigation strategies he implements at Swan Global Investments.

Closed End Fund Investing With Chris Lakumb of RiverNorth

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Chris Lakumb of RiverNorth Capital. The Chicago-based firm, founded in 2002, specializes in closed-end fund (“CEF”) strategies bundled in mutual funds, closed-end funds, and private funds. Beginning in 2004, RiverNorth set its focus on research, development, and analysis of CEFs. This is a comparatively inefficient market, which presents opportunity for disciplined investment managers. 

Exploring Unique Alternative Investments with Don Deans

Don Deans is a CPA tax strategist from Charlotte, North Carolina. In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews Mr. Deans as he explains four unique opportunities for accredited investors: Oil and gas drilling partnerships, passive activity, micro-captive insurance companies; and conservation easements.

Tactical Investing With Andrew Gogerty of Newfound Research

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright talks with Andrew Gogerty of Boston-based Newfound Research. The firm was founded in 2008 and is known for its tactical investment models and the mutual funds that are based on them. Prior to joining Newfound, Mr. Gogerty spent a decade analyzing alternative investment strategies for Morningstar.

What exactly is meant by “tactical” investing? In Newfound’s case, the term refers to using sector momentum and asset-class volatility to inform investment decisions. The models are based on the premise that investors always care about capital preservation, no matter what their other investment objectives may be.

Newfound’s tactical models generally work across all asset classes and represent strategic “tilts” toward either better returns or more safety – whatever suits the investor’s needs. The firm originally provided research and sub-advisory services, but in 2013 it built its own suite of strategies that are now available in both mutual funds and separately managed accounts (“SMAs”).

When asked were the optimal conditions for the Newfound models’ success, Gogerty cited consistent trends, either up or down. The worst conditions for the strategies are when markets are choppy, with big swings up and down but no consistent pattern.

No investment strategy can be right 100% of the time, and that’s why Newfound dollar-cost-averages into and out of positions. According to Gogerty, every time the S&P 500 has gone up or down 20%, the index has taken more than a year to complete the move – thus, an incremental, dollar-cost-averaging approach to entering or exiting positions doesn’t present a great deal of timing risk.

When asked what keeps him up at night, Gogerty said people who “invest walking backwards through time.” He drove home the point with a Yogi Berra quote: “The future ain’t what it used to be.” Just because “60/40” worked in the past, doesn’t mean it will in the future.

Gogerty also cited Research Affiliates projections for ultra-low returns from the stock and bond markets over the next ten years, and added that the “FANG” stocks – Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google – accounted for the vast majority of the S&P 500’s gains in 2015.

Real Estate Investing with James Hanson

In this episode of Strategic Investor Radio, host Charley Wright interviews James Hanson, the president and CEO of Morristown, NJ-based Hampshire Real Estate Company. Mr. Hanson is co-chair of the Rutgers University Center of Real Estate Studies and an advisor to multiple endowment funds and pension plans throughout the company. Hampshire is a third-generation family company, founded by Mr. Hanson’s grandfather in 1922, and it currently has more than 100 employees managing 259 properties in 28 states.

Mr. Hanson offers a very sobering view on the future of real estate. He’s concerned that the U.S. is likely to enter another recession in the next four years, and that “yield chasing” has made attractive investment opportunities more difficult to find. He’s bearish on multi-family real estate, for which he says supply has outstripped demand; and even industrial properties, previously a favorite area of his firm, may be overbought.

James Hanson, President and CEO, Hampshire Real Estate Company

The areas Hanson likes include triple-net leases, necessity-based retail, and self-storage.

1. The first refers to single-tenant leases to investment-grade corporations, with 15-20-year terms, that are net of taxes, insurance, and operating income.

2. The second refers to retailers that deal in the necessities of life: i.e., grocery stores.

3. The third, self-storage, is part of what Hanson refers to as real estate “alternatives,” along with senior living and student housing.

Hampshire has experience in a wide array of real estate properties, but not senior living and student housing. Hanson says he likes self-storage because it addresses life emergencies that happen during economic good times and bad (i.e., divorce).

When asked what investors should look for when investing with a real estate company, Mr. Hanson listed three things:

• Track record (in good times and bad)
• Depth of operational experience
• Strength of the team

When asked what keeps him up at night, Hanson’s answer was simple: “The economy.” With no real trend or pattern, but plenty of volatility, it’s difficult to plan. He also noted that the supposed recovery from the previous recession has been much weaker than previous recoveries.