Dana Leigh

Can’t beat the index? Enhance it! I joke, but mention the rise of 'active ETFs' and you risk talking about two very different things. One is the placing of fully active strategies inside an ETF wrapper, the other is offering something more akin to a halfway house with passive. This is the realm of enhanced index strategies. They are by no means unique to the ETF structure, but do account for a decent chunk of what we count as active ETF growth so far. I spoke to Nordea Asset Management's global head of institutional and wholesale distribution, Christophe Girondel about its BetaPlus range (launched as an ETF in June); Eric Papesh, CFA, a portfolio specialist in the US equities division of T. Rowe Price - which has a $90bn enhanced index franchise called Structured Research, dating back to 1999; and Monika Calay, Morningstar's head of manager research. Find it on Citywire Selector's Distribution page. 👉 https://lnkd.in/e8pfR-_x 👈 The last few years for active equities have been painful. ‘The Mag Seven has really hurt a lot and enhanced index or 'limited tracking error' strats are a strategic decision for clients to say, “I cannot afford to have this level of tracking error to the benchmark, because it’s just too painful in reality”. #insideassetmanagement #ETF #index #active #citywireselector #Mag7

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How did a can of Iron Bru land a dream financial planning client? 🤔👇 Jak Ali once flew to Luxembourg with a can of Iron Bru in his hand, just to get 20 minutes with a Scottish Vodafone exec who had ignored every call and email. No invite. No warm intro. Just belief and boldness. He found out the guy was speaking at a tech summit, bought a ticket, flew across Europe, and waited after the keynote. His icebreaker? 🧊🔨 The man’s favourite Scottish drink, of course - Iron Bru. 😆 “He clocked it straight away. I said, ‘Got 20 minutes?’ He looked at the Iron Bru and said, ‘Yep.’” 👍 That 20-minute chat turned into a long-term client. It’s bold. It’s a bit funny. And it perfectly sums up Jak Ali — someone who knows how to generate business through confidence, creativity, and a human-first approach. Jak is Managing Director of J.A. Financial Planning Ltd, a Partner Practice of St. James's Place Wealth Management, and in this week’s Financial Planner Life Podcast, he shares the strategies that built his career. 💡 From cutting his teeth in Dubai’s fast-paced finance (sales) culture 💡 To choosing teachers as his niche — and delivering a seminar that brought in 200+ leads 💡 To building a model based around faith, family, and finance 💡 To mentoring the next generation of advisers on how to generate clients without relying on cold lists 💡 And why authenticity often beats formality when building trust If you want to build a business on your own terms and learn how to take control of your client acquisition, this episode of the Financial Planner Life in partnership with St. James's Place Financial Adviser Academy is for you. links in the comments below 👇

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👏 Welcome to the NPIF II portfolio, Holdson! 🙌 We’re pleased to announce that NPIF II – Praetura Equity Finance (which is managed by us on behalf of the British Business Bank) has invested £500k into the advanced manufacturing business, as part of a strategic £1.5m round led by NPIF II. 🔩 Founded by Neil Dickinson and Aaron Holt (pictured below), Holdson is best known for its patented electroform™ process, an electromechanical finishing process to enhance the performance of metal parts, including cast and 3D printed components, by refining their surfaces and removing imperfections. 🛩️ Holdson’s work touches a number of major sectors, including the aerospace, defence, automotive and nuclear fusion industries, who rely on advanced parts that utilise Holdson’s electroform™ technology. 🗞️ Thanks to Insider Media for covering the news, which you can read in full here (https://lnkd.in/eM4GXEaZ). Thanks also to Laurence Tan, PhD. for all his work on the deal and to the British Business Bank North of England for their ongoing support. A final thank you to Mills & Reeve and Ward Hadaway for their work on the deal.

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A lot of people on here are announcing they're finally putting on their out of office replies this summer and I’m loving it. Real breaks and proper holidays. I’m imaging them disconnected, blissed out with family and friends and having fun. But let's be honest, setting an out of office is just the first step. What really makes the difference is not succumbing to your inbox at all. Because once you reply, even just a little, emails multiply. Once quick answer turns into a thread. And suddenly you're back in work mode. Sometimes the best way to switch off is simply... not to respond. As a long-time advocate of actual holidays, here are a few tips if switching off feels tricky: 1. Talk about your holiday early. I start sharing plans 4-6 weeks out. Aside from building excitement, it helps people get used to the idea that I'm going to be offline. 2. Set your OOO smartly. I include my personal number, but only for colleagues. It signals I'm here for urgent and important matters without inviting casual check-ins. 3. Silence your notifications. All of them. I even avoid LinkedIn when I'm away. Outlook, Teams? It's hidden on page 4 of my phone where I don't see the icons. 4. Be the colleague you want. If someone's on leave, resist the ping. Can it wait a week? Two? Set the tone. It pays back. And if you have to work while you're away, pick a time - morning, pre-dinner, whatever works. It helps contain it. But hopefully, you won't need to work at all. Pictured below: Me (not checking email) on vacation a couple weeks ago.

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I spent most of my early 20s winging it with my finances. In and out of overdrafts, opting out of my pension and impulsively spending. Working at Octopus Money, I’ve been lucky enough to get access to the kind of knowledge and support that’s made me feel more confident about pensions, investments and planning for the future. Most people don’t get that chance. And it’s not because they’re doing the wrong things… it’s because they’re not doing anything at all. Money procrastination is real (been there, done that, got the overpriced t-shirt). In fact, research from the FCA shows 92% of people don’t take action on their money because they feel overwhelmed. That is huge! The real difference comes from someone sitting down with you, cutting through the noise and and helping you take action. It’s why Octopus Money exists: to make money feel safe, human and accessible for everyone. And the impact when you launch it in your workplace? 💸 89% feel less worried about money at work 💸 74% see themselves staying at a company longer 💸 78% know how to stretch their salary further, without relying on a payrise Check out what this looks like in our new Guide to Employee Financial Wellbeing in the comments ⬇️

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