Topic

Direct Indexing

34 posts

Cartoon showing long/short alpha flowing into a direct indexing portfolio like a cash infusion that refreshes basis

Tax-Aware Long-Short

Long/short: alpha acts like a cash infusion

May 27, 2026

Crowded tax-aware long/short strategies facing a simultaneous squeeze from coordinated deleveraging

Tax-Aware Long-Short

Long/short: No one is talking about "coordinated deleveraging"

May 17, 2026

Cartoon tool showing the wide distribution of portfolio underperformance hidden behind a 1% tracking error figure

Direct Indexing

What does 1% tracking error really mean?

Jan 29, 2026

Cartoon comparing the step-up in basis at death to a free life insurance payout, drawn from a 1993 paper

Direct Indexing

Is step-up in basis like free life insurance?

Jan 25, 2026

Cartoon charting the rampant AUM growth of tax-aware long/short as it challenges direct indexing for SMA dominance

Tax-Aware Long-Short

Tax-aware long/short AUM update "rampant growth"

Nov 14, 2025

Direct indexing crowded with vendors and fees falling into loss-leader territory

Direct Indexing

Direct indexing is a loss leader

Nov 7, 2025

Cartoon questioning whether less rebalancing means less tax and whether asset allocation truly matters

Direct Indexing

Less rebalancing, less tax?

Oct 17, 2025

Cartoon showing tax-aware long/short leaders pulling away as AUM grows faster than earlier estimates

Tax-Aware Long-Short

Ha... tax-aware long/short is growing faster than I thought

Aug 15, 2025

Graphic on direct indexing ossification and how factor rebalancing sustains tax-loss harvesting over time

Tax-Loss Harvesting

Is tax-loss harvesting valuable after the first few years?

Jul 29, 2025

Direct Indexing

Marketing tax-aware products

Jul 18, 2025

Cartoon framing a taxable wealth revolution, tying revolutionary themes to modern tax-aware investing strategies

Concentrated Stock

The taxable wealth revolution

Jul 4, 2025

Cartoon on the tracking-error trap of tax-loss harvesting a volatile holding like Nvidia

Tax-Loss Harvesting

Should you ever tax-loss harvest Nvidia?

Jul 1, 2025

Investment capital returning to direct indexing with long/short acquisitions on the rise

Direct Indexing

Adventure capital returns to direct indexing

Jun 27, 2025

Cartoon showing a direct indexing portfolio ossifying into an expensive index fund as basis falls from harvesting

Direct Indexing

How does direct indexing become an expensive index fund?

Jun 17, 2025

Cartoon on the FTSE Russell direct indexing survey and its overstated AI tax-efficiency claims

Direct Indexing

Direct indexing FTSE Russell survey is interesting, but AI claims are 💩

May 30, 2025

Cartoon on Betterment acquiring Rowboat Advisors to add direct indexing to its platform

Direct Indexing

Betterment acquired Rowboat Advisors for a quicker path to direct indexing and to "do it all"

May 21, 2025

Cartoon on AQR's finding that direct indexing completion portfolios poorly hedge concentrated stock risk

Concentrated Stock

AQR's latest: direct indexing "largely ineffective" at culling single-stock risk

May 16, 2025

Cartoon fielding five reader questions about tax-aware long/short strategies like the 130/30 and 250/150

Tax-Aware Long-Short

Five big questions from readers about tax-aware long/short strategies

May 4, 2025

Graphic mapping the four growth areas driving taxable wealth: direct indexing, ETF share classes, long/short, concentration

Direct Indexing

These 4 growth areas are driving taxable wealth

Apr 30, 2025

Cartoon showing more than a quarter of advisors declining direct indexing despite its $864 billion in assets

Direct Indexing

More than one-quarter of advisors (26%) choose not to use direct indexing

Apr 25, 2025

Cartoon showing householding consolidating client accounts to unlock tax, risk, and rebalancing advantages

Direct Indexing

Householding unlocks valuable tax and risk perks

Mar 9, 2025

Cartoon mapping the adviser camps split over direct indexing and its supposed tax-return complexity

Direct Indexing

"Direct indexing makes tax return prep harder"

Feb 16, 2025

Graphic framing the direct indexing debate as Ethic crosses $6 billion AUM

Direct Indexing

Is direct indexing good but inconvenient?

Feb 7, 2025

Cartoon roundup of taxable-wealth news led by Parametric expanding its Custom Active SMA strategies

Direct Indexing

Parametric grows its support for active strategies - taxable wealth weekly

Jan 31, 2025

January 2025 direct indexing market map showing new entrants, partnerships, and Morningstar's exit

Direct Indexing

Direct indexing market map - Jan 2025 edition

Jan 24, 2025

Cartoon on a locked-up direct indexing portfolio drifting into a high-cost index fund and the fixes available

Direct Indexing

Has your direct indexing portfolio become a high-cost index fund?

Jan 12, 2025

Cartoon pitting direct indexing with tax-gain harvesting against a 529 plan using an unused kiddie tax benefit

Direct Indexing

Can direct indexing + tax-gain harvesting beat the 529 plan?

Jan 5, 2025

Graphic on Section 351 conversions letting locked-up SMAs roll into ETFs in-kind without realizing gains

Section 351 Exchanges

ETFs Could Soon Bail SMAs Out of Lockup

Oct 13, 2024

Cartoon on a consolidated direct indexing vendor directory delivering tax efficiency on tap

Direct Indexing

The Direct Indexing Vendor Directory

Sep 15, 2024

Cartoon arguing direct indexing growth is overhyped while ETFs remain a strong alternative

Direct Indexing

Direct Indexing Is Not A Rocket Ship

Aug 25, 2024

July 2024 direct indexing market map plotting providers and the $1M to $5M account sweet spot

Direct Indexing

The Direct Indexing Market Map

Jul 2, 2024

A skeptical look at when tax-loss harvesting fails to pay off across lower tax brackets

Tax-Loss Harvesting

When Tax-Loss Harvesting Goes Wrong

Jun 16, 2024

Cartoon on tax-aware long/short outproducing direct indexing on harvested losses yet remaining niche

Tax-Aware Long-Short

Tax-Aware Long-Short Delivers

Jun 2, 2024

Cartoon showing tax-loss harvesting overshadowing the other quiet tax advantages that funds and SMAs deliver

Tax-Loss Harvesting

Tax-Loss Harvesting Gets Too Much Attention

May 26, 2024