Factors and Advisors Portfolios
Posted: 2 Aug 2019
Date Written: July 15, 2019
Abstract
In the approximately 10,000 advisor portfolios that we analyze at the security level, we find there are large common patterns and significant exposures to just a few factors. Advisor portfolios are heavily exposed to economic growth, which is mostly accessed through equities, and could obtain better factor balance by including other diversifiers. Within equities, the only significant style exposure is small size; advisors, in general, can potentially improve returns by harvesting other rewarded style factors. In fixed income, advisor portfolios veer towards shorter duration which can be lengthened in an effort to provide more resilience against economic downturns. Finally, the average advisor fee is 0.54% across all portfolios, but with a wide range from 0.14% to 0.96% at the 5th and 95th percentiles, respectively. These fees, however, do not correlate highly with absolute levels of risk, active risk, or the number of positions—implying large scope to obtain greater efficiencies in taking active risk within a given fee budget.
Keywords: portfolio, factors, risk premia, risk
JEL Classification: G11
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation