Multiple decades have passed since John “Jack” Bogle revolutionized investing and taught us that index-like returns should be the bare minimum our clients should expect from their portfolios. High-fee products that couldn’t generate long-term outperformance no longer met “the standard.”
Since then, indexing strategies have grown exponentially, particularly within ETFs. If an investor felt their manager was not meeting their expectations of index-or-better returns, there were many substitutes that could.
Municipal bonds, a fragmented asset class, was slower to mature in the passive trend. For a long time, many considered the concept of “municipal indexing” an oxymoron.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Because with nearly 1 million bonds in this market, every buy decision within a portfolio presents a large benchmark-relative overweight and therefore benchmark-relative risk.
Even Vanguard offered only active strategies for municipals for decades.
However, recent improvements in technology, data, systematic trading and risk analytics have enabled a more effective set of conditions for municipal indexing to be successful.
Flows have acted accordingly. Assets in passively managed municipal ETFs stand at $118 billion, nearly tripling over the last five years.
Over this time, the number of ETF products hasn’t expanded as rapidly. Instead, the rise in assets is attributable to incumbent products becoming larger, more diversified and more liquid.
Just as it did for other asset classes decades ago, indexing is now setting the “Bogle standard” for municipal investing: Do not settle for less than index-level returns!
Investors now have a variety of at-scale passive municipal strategies at their fingertips across investment-grade state and national exposures.
Regardless of vehicle (mutual funds, ETFs, direct bond purchases and SMAs), high earners should recognize the evolution of this market, with this new standard for municipal investing, and reassess their expectations for investment outcomes.
Our clients should now be asking for more from their municipal investments, unwilling to compromise for anything less than index-or-better returns.
A few last thoughts to round out the picture:
- We use the phrase “index-or-better returns” to capture the idea that active managers are still highly valuable in this fragmented market, but investors should require such managers to outperform over full market cycles net of fees.
- Some managers will deliver excess beta within supposed investment-grade strategies and call it alpha. Be discerning, look at benchmark-relative drawdowns and ensure the strategy is what you think it is.
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
Although the income from a municipal bond fund is exempt from federal tax, you may owe taxes on any capital gains realized through the fund's trading or through your own redemption of shares. For some investors, a portion of the fund's income may be subject to state and local taxes, as well as to the federal Alternative Minimum Tax.
Related Content
-
Buffered ETFs for a Rocky MarketBuffered ETFs provide protection during market downturns, but in exchange, your gains are capped.
-
Time to Spring-Clean Your Finances: A Financial Professional's Four Steps to Tidy Them UpA midyear review of everything from spending to saving, with adjustments as needed, can set you on track to financial security. Plus, don't forget to check in on your workplace benefits.
-
Why a Law Firm Secretly Recording Client Conversations Is Wrong (and Illegal)A law firm that has been recording client conversations without the clients' knowledge or permission and has threatened employees if they speak out faces legal and ethical challenges.
-
Stock Market Today: Markets Discount Another U.S. DowngradeAfter Friday's closing bell, Moody's followed Standard & Poor's and Fitch and cut its rating on U.S. government debt.
-
Donating Complex Assets Doesn't Have to Be ComplicatedIf you're looking to donate less-conventional assets but don't know where to start, this charity executive has answers, such as considering a donor-advised fund (DAF) for its tax benefits and ease of use.
-
What's Next for Stocks After a Chaotic SpringA chaotic tariff policy buffets investors looking for clarity on the economy and inflation.
-
Think a Repeal of the Estate Tax Wouldn't Affect You? WrongThe wording of any law that repeals or otherwise changes the federal estate tax could have an impact on all of us. Here's what you need to know, courtesy of an estate planning and tax attorney.
-
In Your 50s? We Need to Talk About Long-Term CareMany people don't like thinking about long-term care, but most people will need it. This financial professional recommends planning for these costs as early as possible to avoid stress later.
