Key Takeaways

• What is Adam’s favorite home-cooked meal or recipe?
• Adam’s professional background and more on the multi-asset group he leads at Janus Henderson
• As Adam steps back, and looks forward to 2026, what does he see as the most important macro drivers investors should be focused on right now?
• As Adam thinks about the Fed’s policy path going forward, how is he thinking about Fixed Income positioning in 2026?
• How does Adam’s multi-asset group at Janus Henderson broadly think about diversifying away from the Agg when searching for new opportunities in the fixed income market?
• From Adam’s perspective, are high-valuations in AI-related equities a major challenge for multi-asset portfolios? Does he see some fundamental strengths still justifying that enthusiasm?
• From an active perspective, how is Adam thinking about separating the durable AI beneficiaries from those that are more momentum driven ?
• How is Adam thinking about balancing the allocation to AI-driven growth versus exposure to smaller mid-caps and non-US equities?
• How is Adam looking at opportunities in Europe right now?
• What are key drivers that Adam is looking at in Emerging Markets? Is he seeing continued strength there?
• As Adam is thinking about blending public and private allocations together, within a portfolio, what role do private markets play and how does this look to him in terms of a long-term allocation?
• Outside of portfolio construction, is there a key biggest mistake that Adam sees investors making as they look to private allocations?
• Piecing it all together, how is Adam thinking about a broad, multi-asset portfolio going into next year? Also, is there one guiding principle for long-term portfolio success in Adam’s mind?

Links

• Adam Hetts on LinkedIn
• Janus Henderson Investors
• Janus Henderson Investment Outlook 2026

Connect with Us

• Meet Ben Vaske, Manager Investment Strategy
• Check Out All of Orion’s Podcasts
• Power Your Growth with Orion

Disclosure(s)

Wealth management services provided by Orion Portfolio Solutions, LLC (“OPS”), a registered investment advisor. Orion OCIO services provided by TownSquare Capital, LLC (“TSC”), a registered investment advisor. OPS and TSC are affiliates and wholly owned subsidiaries of Orion Advisor Solutions, Inc.

Orion Portfolio Solutions, LLC d/b/a Brinker Capital Investments a registered investment advisor.

This podcast is sponsored by BlackRock, Inc. Orion Advisor Solutions, Inc. (“Orion”) or its affiliates and subsidiaries received compensation from BlackRock, Inc. for the placement of this advertisement content. BlackRock, Inc. and Orion are not affiliated companies, and the advertisement is not a recommendation or endorsement by Orion for any of the services referenced or provided.

Compliance Code: 3498-R-25351

Today on the podcast, Ben Vaske is joined by Jason Mertz from AllianceBernstein. Jason Mertz is a Vice President and Investment Strategist for AB’s Municipals team, covering all mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and separately managed account solutions. He works extensively with the firm’s portfolio management, credit research and trading team to monitor and communicate portfolio positioning and analysis to clients around the US. Prior to joining AB in 2016, Mertz worked at BlackRock as a separately managed account analyst. He holds a BA in finance and international business from Muhlenberg College.

Key Takeaways

• What is Jason’s favorite home-cooked meal or recipe?
• Learn about Jason’s career journey and how he ended up in his current role at AllianceBernstein.
• Did being the captain of his lacrosse team in college teach Jason any lessons that he has carried forward to the present day?
• What were some of the drivers behind the underperformance of Municipal bonds for the first 7-8 months of the year?
• If Jason is not seeing great opportunities in the Municipal bond market, are there other areas in the market that he can lean into and what would spark him to do that?
• As an active manager, how is Jason thinking about balancing all of the unique risks present in today’s environment?
• How is Jason generally viewing broad, municipal credit health right now? Are there any real pockets of concern around the credit space?
• As Jason is thinking about his outlook for the next 12 months or so, how do Municipal bonds fit into the portfolio and where is he seeing that part of the portfolio acting in the next year?
• What is some of the proactive tax management that Jason and his team at AB are doing?
• What kind of technology and tools does AllianceBernstein use to allow them to manage tax-aware SMA’s for their plethora of clients?
• Learn more about AB’s advisor partnership model and how it works within the broader Orion community.
• When someone thinks of AllianceBernstein Municipal Bonds, what should be the first thing they think about? Also, as they think about partnerships what is the key takeaway there as well?

Links

• Jason Mertz on LinkedIn
• Alliance Bernstein

Connect with Us

• Meet Ben Vaske, Manager Investment Strategy
• Check Out All of Orion’s Podcasts
• Power Your Growth with Orion

Jason Mertz: Air Fryer Salmon Recipe

Ingredients: Salmon, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Soy Sauce, Teriyaki and Lemon (optional)

1. Boil water and pour over the skin of the salmon for easy removal of the skin (salmon hack!)
2. Cube the salmon into 1 inch pieces and toss into a bowl
3. Marinate the salmon with salt, pepper, garlic, soy sauce, and a touch of teriyaki. Lemon squeeze optional
4. Toss the Cubes into the air fryer for 8-10 minutes (I normally rotate halfway through)
5. ENJOY! The salmon should be crispy on the outside with a soft center.

Disclosure(s)

Wealth management services provided by Orion Portfolio Solutions, LLC (“OPS”), a registered investment advisor. Orion OCIO services provided by TownSquare Capital, LLC (“TSC”), a registered investment advisor. OPS and TSC are affiliates and wholly owned subsidiaries of Orion Advisor Solutions, Inc.

Orion Portfolio Solutions, LLC d/b/a Brinker Capital Investments a registered investment advisor.

This podcast is sponsored by BlackRock, Inc. Orion Advisor Solutions, Inc. (“Orion”) or its affiliates and subsidiaries received compensation from BlackRock, Inc. for the placement of this advertisement content. BlackRock, Inc. and Orion are not affiliated companies, and the advertisement is not a recommendation or endorsement by Orion for any of the services referenced or provided.

Compliance Code:

Today on the podcast, Ben Vaske is joined by Kim Arthur, CEO and Portfolio Manager of Main Management. Kim D. Arthur is a founding partner of Main Management, LLC. He currently serves as Main’s CEO and Portfolio manager. In 2009 Kim was recognized by Institutional Investor Magazine as a “Rising Star” of Foundations and Endowments. Kim is a regular speaker at national conferences and was a featured speaker at the Inside ETFs conference in Hollywood, Florida in January 2018. Kim has been profiled in articles by Index Universe and referenced in Barron’s, Wall Street Journal, Business Week and Fortune Magazine among others. Kim began his financial career in 1987 when he joined Montgomery Securities in their Institutional Sales division, marketing U.S. equities to Japanese institutions. He was promoted to Managing Director of Institutional Sales in 1997 during the period when Montgomery was purchased by Nations Bank. By 1999 he had advanced to the transitional head of International Sales for Banc of America Securities, following Bank of America’s takeover of Nations Bank. From 2000-2001 Kim was named the head of the Institutional Sales and Trading Department overseeing 60 sales traders in 6 cities. From January 2002 through August 2002 he was appointed the head of Equity Product Marketing. He served on the Investment Policy Committee and the Executive Management Committee at Banc of America Securities from 2000-2002.

Key Takeaways

• What is Kim’s favorite home-cooked meal or recipe?
• Kim’s career journey, how he found his way into the industry and what led him to become a co-founder of Main Management back in 2002.
• What are some of the things Kim learned by being thrown into the deep end of managing people early on?
• When it comes to retaining talent, what are Kim’s words of advice for retaining your best employees for the long haul?
• How does Kim maintain his energy and a work life balance while wearing so many hats?
• Are there any skills from Ben’s home-remodeling project that he’s been able to apply to his professional role?
• How have Kim and Main Management thought about the extraordinary market in the year thus far?
• What kind of catalyst might make our national debt and the interest payments on it an issue, or does Kim think we are okay for now?
• Where is Kim seeing opportunities in the market right now?
• What does Kim believe the role of Active Management is today?
• How does Main Management emphasize their client focus across their culture, their events and their operations?
• For advisors listening, what is a foundational checklist to take a few steps to ensure that they’re working towards providing exceptional client service?
• What is Kim’s “why” that drives him everyday?

Links

• Kim Arthur on LinkedIn
• Main Management

Connect with Us

• Meet Ben Vaske, Manager Investment Strategy
• Check Out All of Orion’s Podcasts
• Power Your Growth with Orion

Disclosure(s)

Wealth management services provided by Orion Portfolio Solutions, LLC (“OPS”), a registered investment advisor. Orion OCIO services provided by TownSquare Capital, LLC (“TSC”), a registered investment advisor. OPS and TSC are affiliates and wholly owned subsidiaries of Orion Advisor Solutions, Inc.

Orion Portfolio Solutions, LLC d/b/a Brinker Capital Investments a registered investment advisor.

This podcast is sponsored by BlackRock, Inc. Orion Advisor Solutions, Inc. (“Orion”) or its affiliates and subsidiaries received compensation from BlackRock, Inc. for the placement of this advertisement content. BlackRock, Inc. and Orion are not affiliated companies, and the advertisement is not a recommendation or endorsement by Orion for any of the services referenced or provided.

Compliance Code: 3148-R-25321