Alternative Allocations with Tony Davidow

In this special feature episode live from the NYSE, Tony and Jeb engage in a discussion focused on the current state and future outlook of private real estate, focusing on a positive overall outlook as declining valuations made asset values more attractive. They highlighted favorable sectors such as industrial, multifamily, and life sciences, while the office sector faced challenges. Jeb explains how the industrial sector showed resilience due to shifting trade patterns and long-term fundamentals, including e-commerce growth, the persistent housing shortage, and the trend of near-shoring and on-shoring. 

Jeb Belford, Managing Director, is the Chief Investment O...

In this Alternative Allocations podcast episode, Christine and Tony discuss the evolving landscape of high-net-worth client demands, particularly their growing interest in alternative investments. Christine emphasizes the importance of advisors developing a strategic approach to alternatives, including the need for client education and the role of IWI in providing training and resources. The episode also highlights the challenges and benefits of incorporating alternatives into investment strategies and the rise of specialized teams in wealth management.

Christine Gaze, CFP®, CIMA,® is the Founder and Managing Partner of Purpose Consulting Group, where she leads the development of innovative practice ma...

In Episode 23 of the Alternative Allocations podcast, the tables are turned, and Tony is interviewed by the producer of the show, Julia Giordano. The episode focuses on Tony's new book, “Private Markets, Building Better Portfolios with Private Equity, Private Credit and Private Real Estate,” which discusses the evolution of the wealth management industry and the growing importance of private markets. Tony shares insights from his career, why he wrote this book, and what else makes him tick. 

Enjoying Alternative Allocations? Please take a moment to rate and review us. Your feedback helps us deliver more insightful episodes on al...

In this episode of Alternative Allocations, Tony and Aaron discuss the Total Portfolio Approach (TPA), which shifts from traditional strategic asset allocation to a more goal-aligned investment strategy. They explore key aspects of TPA, including governance, culture, a factor-based lens, and competition for capital. The episode highlights both the challenges and opportunities for advisors in adopting TPA, such as the need for a cultural shift and technical expertise, but also the potential for improved client outcomes and more flexible portfolio construction. Practical steps for implementing TPA, such as making incremental changes and reorganizing the investment team, are also discussed.<...

In Episode 21 of the Alternative Allocations podcast, Jonathan shares DCALTA's mission to enhance diversification and fairness in defined contribution plans through the promotion of alternative investments. He highlights the organization's focus on educating stakeholders and developing industry principles to facilitate the integration of these investments. Tony and Jonathan discuss the importance of liquidity and accurate valuation of illiquid assets to empower participants with better investment choices. 

DCALTA is led by Jonathan Epstein, who has served in the defined contribution community for almost 30 years. He is the founder and president of the Defined Contribution Alternatives Association (DCALTA) where h...

In Episode 20 of the Alternative Allocations podcast, Mark Steffen from Wells Fargo Investment Institute shares insights on the market environment and opportunities in private markets. He provides a positive macro outlook for 2025, predicting U.S. economic growth and a soft landing. Mark shares areas of opportunity, including private equity, private credit, certain hedge fund strategies, infrastructure assets, and secondary investments. He also emphasizes the importance of diversifying portfolios with alternatives, and highlights the increasing accessibility of these strategies to average investors.

Mark Steffen is a global alternative investment strategist for Wells Fargo Investment Institute (WFII), which is...

This special episode of Alternative Allocations features host Tony Davidow and guests Richard Byrne of Benefit Street Partners, Taylor Robinson of Lexington Partners, and Rick Schaupp of Clarion Partners considering the forthcoming landscape of private markets. The conversation hones in on the role of secondaries in private equity, present and future trends in real estate, and the opportunities in real estate debt. It explores the necessity for liquidity in private markets, the portfolio-strengthening attributes of private real estate, and the potential of real estate credit within the multifamily housing sector. The episode further dissects macroeconomic shifts, such as demographic...

In Episode 18 of the Alternative Allocations Podcast, Taylor and Tony discuss the importance and growth of the secondary market in private equity. They talk about slowing exits (M&A and IPO's) and the role of secondaries in providing liquidity to institutions. Taylor highlights the potential benefits of secondary investments, such as diversification and predictable returns, and talks about the evolving market dynamics, including GP-led deals. He also stresses the significance of size and scale in executing transactions and the strategy of acquiring quality assets at reasonable prices to help achieve desired returns.

Taylor Robinson is a Partner...

Scott Welch of Certuity joins Tony in episode 17 of the Alternative Allocations podcast to provide his perspective on allocating to alternative investments. They discuss the growth of evergreen products, the importance of due diligence when selecting a private fund manager, and the evolution of the alternative investment industry. Scott also provides insight into how he thinks about portfolio construction and where private funds and alternatives fit into an overall portfolio. 

Scott Welch, CIMA®, Chief Investment Officer & Partner, Certuity. As the head of Certuity’s investment strategy team and member of the firm’s risk management team, he is act...

In episode 16 of the Alternative Allocations podcast, Kate Huntington joins Tony to discuss her years of experience partnering with family offices, endowments and foundations and how she approaches incorporating alternative investments into her clients’ portfolios. They delve into the importance of due diligence and understanding the role of each asset class when working with clients to determine the best strategy for each situation. Whether it’s an individual investor or large family office, often the investment thesis is the same – it’s about enhanced returns, diversification, and having a long-term mindset.

Kate Huntington, Managing Director, Head of Advisory...

Nick Veronis joins Tony in episode 15 of the Alternative Allocations podcast series to discuss the evolution of alternative investments solely being available to institutions to now becoming more accessible to the wealth channel. They delve into the changes in product structures, the introduction of technology to simplify operations, and the emergence of educational opportunities to help advisors understand the role alts play in client portfolios.

Nick is Co-Founder and one of the Managing Partners of iCapital, where he is Head of Portfolio Management. He is also a member of the company’s Operating Committee. Nick spent 11 years at...

In episode 14 of the Alternative Allocations podcast series, Richard shares reasons why the current disruptive market environment offers a great opportunity for commercial real estate debt, such as better risk adjusted return potential, low to negative correlation to traditional investments, and higher income. Understanding the opportunity, Tony and Richard review the many roles that commercial real estate debt can play in client portfolios.

Richard Byrne is President of Benefit Street Partners, a Franklin Templeton Company, and serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FBRT), Benefit Street Partners Multifamily Trust, and F...

Episode 13 of the Alternative Allocations podcast series includes Tony’s discussion with Will Dillard from Mercer, along with Will hosting a panel with Tony at CAIS Live in Atlanta. Will’s experience working with institutions allowed him to share valuable insights into how institutions allocate to capital, conduct due diligence, and consider the benefits of diversification across alternative investment strategies. Tony and Will discuss their respective market outlooks, along with things to consider when allocating to alternatives. 

Located in Mercer's Atlanta office, Will Dillard, Senior Principal, Investment Consultant, is focused on working with Private Wealth firms as well...

In episode 12 of the Alternative Allocations podcast series, Tony and Daniil discuss the greater focus on alternative investments by asset managers, the wealth management community, and individual investors. With the development of new structures and increasing access to these investment options, they consider the evolution of the industry and both foresee an ever-increasing adoption of alternative investments in the coming years.

Daniil is a director of Cerulli’s Product Development practice, where he works on the identification, analysis, and reporting of asset management industry trends with a focus on alternative investments.

Prior to joining Cerulli As...

In episode 11 of the Alternative Allocations podcast series, Tony and Ben cover a great deal around allocating capital and the opportunities in private markets. Ben provides his perspective on handling conversations with clients and stresses the importance of providing transparency into the operational side of alternative investments, the features and benefits of these new structures, and the merits of the proposed underlying asset class.

Ben Webb, CFA® Ben Webb, CFA®, is a Director on Balentine's Investment Strategy Team. In this role, he conducts research, data aggregation, portfolio analysis, and performance attribution. Prior to joining Balentine, he spent mo...

In episode 10 of the Alternative Allocations podcast series, Tony and Matt Brown of CAIS share their enthusiasm for alternative asset classes and strategies and discuss the evolution of the alternative investment landscape. With product innovation and further demand for access, the need for world class managers becomes ever more important to continue to provide opportunities to more and more advisors. 

Matt Brown is the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of CAIS. He has spent over 30 years at the intersection of wealth management, alternative investments, and platform design. He began his career as a financial advisor at Shearson Lehman B...

In episode 9 of the Alternative Allocations podcast series, Tony sat down with Patrick McGowan of Sanctuary Wealth, to discuss the importance of educating advisors on alternative asset classes. Patrick shared his thoughts on structure versus strategy as well as the importance of conducting due diligence.

Patrick McGowan is a Managing Director, Head of Manager Research and Alternative Investments at Sanctuary Wealth. In this role, Mr. McGowan oversees a team responsible for all alternative investment matters including manager sourcing, due diligence, selection, and monitoring. He serves as a member of the Alternative Investment Committee. Previously, Patrick was a...

Check out episode 8 of the Alternative Allocations podcast series, Tony had the opportunity to sit down with Jeb Belford, CIO of Clarion Partners, to discuss the challenges and opportunities with commercial real estate. They discuss the headwinds, rising interest rates and a challenging office sector, and where Jeb sees opportunities in the coming years.

Jeb Belford, Managing Director, is the Chief Investment Officer of Clarion Partners. He is an equity owner in the Firm, chairman of the Firm’s Investment Committee, and a member of the Executive Board. From 2013-2021 Jeb was the lead Portfolio Manager of the...

Check out episode 7 of the Alternative Allocations podcast series, focusing on evaluating and allocating alternatives with my guest Jackie Klaber. Jackie and I discuss a range of topics including communicating to clients, the role and use of alternatives, product evolution, and allocating to alternatives in today’s market environment. 

Jackie C. Klaber is a Managing Director and Head of Alternative Investments at Rockefeller Capital Management. She is a member of the firm’s Management Committee and Chair of the Manager Approval Committee. Jackie is responsible for sourcing and structuring differentiated alternative investment opportunities for the firm’s clients...

We recently hosted a group of global institutional clients from 23 different countries for an educational event in our San Mateo headquarters. This feature episode is a panel discussion that Tony moderated with Brooks Ritchey, chairman of K2 Advisors, and Peter Blue, head of Alternative Solutions at Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions. We hope you enjoy this special edition of our podcast series.

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Brooks Ritchey joined K2 Advisors (a hedged strategies division of Franklin Templeton) in 2005 and is currently a Portfolio Manager and Chairman. He is also a voting member of the K2 Investment Committee. Prior responsibilities at K2...

In Episode # 5 of the Alternative Allocations podcast series, focusing on the opportunities in secondaries with my guest Taylor Robinson, we discuss the diversity and opportunities in the secondaries market. We discuss how the extraordinary growth in private equity, coupled with slowing exits, has created opportunities for secondaries managers to acquire assets at attractive valuations.   

Taylor Robinson is a Partner of Lexington Partners, primarily focused on sourcing, negotiating, and executing secondary transactions. Taylor joined Lexington Partners in 2008 from JPMorgan, where he was in investment banking and leveraged finance. Aside from his investment focus and other Firm responsibilities, he is...

In this episode of the Alternative Allocations podcast series, Aaron and I discuss asset allocation and portfolio construction, and the merits of goals-based investing. We also dive into the current market environment, the versatility of alternatives, the need for education, and total portfolio allocation.   

Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CFP®, CIPM, FDP oversees UniFi by CAIA™, a learning platform dedicated to educating the private wealth management industry on alternative investments.

Aaron is a frequent speaker and writer on various topics of alternative investments and his work has been published in CAIA’s educational programs, numerous academic journals...

In episode 3 of the Alternative Allocations podcast series I discuss democratizing alternative investments with my esteemed guest Jenny Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Franklin Templeton. Jenny and I chat about opportunities in the wealth management channel, the need for advisor education, and why she is committed to growing Franklin Templeton’s alternatives business. 

In a career spanning 35 years, Jenny has been a key driver of the company's transformation to what is now one of the largest global investment managers with over U.S. $1.4 trillion in assets under management.

During the course of her care...

Check out episode 2 of the Alternative Allocations podcast series, focusing on the opportunities in alternative credit strategies with my guest Rich Byrne. Rich and I explore the current market environment, and the opportunities in direct lending, distressed, and real estate debt. 

Rich Byrne is President of Benefit Street Partners, a wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN), and serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Franklin BSP Lending Corporation, Franklin BSP Capital Corporation, Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FBRT), and Benefit Street Partners Multifamily Trust.

Prior to joining Benefit Street Partners, Ri...

In this inaugural episode of Alternative Allocations, host Tony Davidow interviews John Bowman from the CAIA Association (CAIA), discussing “The State of the Alts Industry.” According to research conducted by CAIA, over the last twenty years, total investable assets allocated to alternative investments have increased 150% with alternatives now representing about 15% of the total investable universe. Davidow and Bowman discuss the “democratization” of alternatives and lessons learned from institutions. They discuss the growth of alternatives across the wealth management community, and the confluence of events that make this an ideal time to consider allocating to alternatives – the current market environment, product inn...

We’re excited to introduce our new podcast series “Alternative Allocations” focused on helping advisors make better-informed decisions about the role and use of alternative investments. Join host, Tony Davidow, Senior Alternatives Strategist with the Franklin Templeton Institute, for this monthly podcast series designed specifically for sophisticated advisors who are seeking alternative investments to meet their clients’ goals and objectives.

To learn more, please visit alternativeallocationspodcast.com.