Invest Well, Be Well

Tom Lydon - From ETF Trends to Life’s Second Mountain: Lessons in Investing and Living Well

Episode Summary

A podcast for wiser investing and stronger living. Success in the markets and in life requires sound investments — in our portfolios and our personal wellness. A weekly show, Invest Well, Be Well explores the principles of long-term investing, behavioral finance and peak performance with top-performing investment professionals and cross-industry leaders. Hosted by investment executive Rusty Vanneman and seasoned journalist Robyn Murray, each episode offers practical strategies for building wealth and prioritizing well-being, so you can make better decisions, grow your resilience and elevate your life. In this episode, we spoke with Tom Lydon. Tom Lydon has been the President of Global Trends Investments as well as editor and proprietor of ETFtrends.com. With more than 25 years experience in asset management, Mr. Lydon began his career with Fidelity Investments Institutional Division prior to launching Global Trends Investments and ETF Trends which is now part of VettaFi.com. Mr. Lydon is a frequent contributor to major print, radio and television media including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Barron’s, MarketWatch and Investment News. His popular seminar, “How to Manage a Million Dollar Portfolio” has been attended by thousands of investors around the country. As the author of iMoney and The ETF Trend Following Playbook, Mr. Lydon is a highly sought after speaker. His frequent appearances on CNBC, Yahoo Finance and Fox Business make him one of the most recognized and well-respected commentators in the ETF industry. He is the the expert behind the ETF of the Week with Tom Lydon podcast, Mr. Lydon has been a high profile presenter at the largest industry trade shows and investment conferences, as well as a moderator of webinars. He is an ETF influencer and industry luminary.

Episode Notes

Tune in to hear:

In this episode, we discuss Tom’s career, how certain ETF strategies can stand out in an increasingly crowded space and David Brooks’ idea of “The Second Mountain” and what that looks like for Tom.

If Tom had to describe his career journey in a single sentence, what would that sentence be?
What drew Tom to investing, in general, and more specifically to ETFs? Was there a moment or person early on that really shaped his philosophy?
What does Tom see as the next big chapter in the ETF space, both for investors and ETF providers?
ETFs are becoming an increasingly crowded space, so what factors separates the winners from the losers in Tom’s experience? What does it take to build a successful ETF in today’s market?
What are the habits, or characteristics, of successful long-term ETF investors? What do they get right that others miss?
How should advisors be using ETF flows to have conversations with their clients about market psychology?
Why is simplicity often underrated by investors, or even advisors?
Borrowing from David Brooks, what does Tom’s “second mountain” of his life look like for him both professionally and personally?
Why would Tom say to other experienced professionals who are looking to transition from the “first mountain” of their lives to that “second mountain?”
What is Tom’s routine, or philosophy, for maintaining mental and physical personal wellness?
What is one piece of advice that Tom has received that has really stuck with him through the years?
If Tom could offer one message for investors and advisors hoping to invest well and live well, what would it be?

Quote

“The covered call, buy/write area – enhanced income, synthetic income, everyone’s got different names for it. There are a bunch of new strategies that are out there, all active in nature, that produce wonderful monthly dividends, above average of what you’re going to get in the fixed income market place, but they all have core equity or fixed income core indexes that are tied to them. The neat thing is: there are a ton of choices, they’re all different and the way that they get that income is different depending on what options you buy. ” - Tom Lydon

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