How long have you been in the ETF industry?
I started working as an intern at ETF Database towards the end of 2010…so it has been a full decade at this point, and counting!
How do you stay on top of current market trends?
I love to read a wide range of sources, starting with the usual major financial outlets and then drilling down into some specifics like: The Rotation Report, CB Insights, and all of the MIT Newsletters.
What do you think a pitch needs in order to get a reporter’s attention?
A successful pitch needs to have the following:
- Concise + punchy subject line that tells me what the pitch is about, but leaves me asking more questions (so I have to open the email..)
- So what? Every pitch needs a clear thesis that answers the question – “why should I care about this?” Get to the point quickly.
- Helpful for the reporter. The pitch needs to provide something valuable for the reporter, and therefore their readers, instead of solely promoting the spokesperson or their investment strategy. You have to provide something of value; that can be a compelling opinion, a controversial stance about a timely event, a unique dataset, etc.
What do you think are the biggest misconceptions about ETFs?
That ETFs are somehow making “the already overvalued market even more overvalued”…in general people don’t have a deep understanding of the primary vs. secondary market that ETFs operate in, so they still blame them when there is a sharp sell-off on Wall Street.
What’s your prediction on the next generation of thematic ETFs?
More Options, literally. I think we have just scratched the surface with covered call ETFs that provide some degree of income. We are probably going to see more ETFs that take tried-and-true options strategies and implement them in an easy to use way so investors just worry about buying 1 ticker instead of opening and closing multi-legged spreads on their own.
If you could only have three apps on your smartphone, which ones would they be and why?
I’m a self-proclaimed (& proud) “laggard” when it comes to adopting new smartphone apps. My must have apps are:
- Spotify – for escape & entertainment
- AllTrails – I love to go hiking and it helps to not get lost (too much)
- ThinkorSwim – I’m passionate about investing