In this episode of The Derivative, Jeff Malec dusts off the dress shoes and steps out from behind the webcam for his first in-person interview since before COVID. He heads to Potomac’s studio to sit down with Dan Russo (@DanRusso_CMT), Portfolio Manager and CIO, for a conversation on why investing theory often breaks down when […]
Category: Market Strategies
27
Jan
2026
Stacking It All Together: Our Work with Return Stacked
A one‑stop hub for our Return Stacking blogs, podcasts, and resources: We talk to a lot of investors and advisors who have questions on how Return Stacked® solutions work… What they are, how do you use them, and where they may fit within a portfolio. Over time, we’ve published a number of blogs and podcasts […]
25
Nov
2025
Stranger Things Seasons as the 2007-2009 Global Financial Crisis
With Season 5 of Stranger Things dropping soon, we thought a proper series review was in order. And being market nerds, naturally we’re rewatching the entire saga through the lens of the 2007-2009 Global Financial Crisis, because what better way to understand interdimensional horror than through the lens of systemic financial contagion, failed risk models, […]
20
Nov
2025
Building a Commodity Trader Multi-Strat with Tom Holliday of HIP investment
In this episode, Jeff Malec sits down with Tom Holliday, founder and CIO of HIP Investments, for an in-depth conversation on reimagining multi-strategy investing in the commodity space. Tom shares insights from his distinguished career, from his early days at Refco to working with George Soros and launching both Titan Advisors and Hip Investments. Together, […]
20
Mar
2025
A Four-Stack Pod, talking stacking assets with Return Stacked ETFs
This episode of the podcast piles on the knowledge about “return stacking” – the investment approach that lets you layer alternative assets and strategies on top of your traditional portfolio, like a perfect investment sandwich. Jeff Malec has stacked the deck with FOUR financial heavyweights – Mike Philbrick, Rodrigo Gordillo, Adam Butler, and Corey Hoffstein […]
18
Feb
2025
A Better Categorization of Mutual Funds & ETFs using Alternatives
The recent growth of sophisticated investment strategies inside of mutual funds and ETFs has started to blur the lines between traditional and alternative investments. Today’s innovative funds and ETFs increasingly employ strategies once reserved for hedge funds and institutional investors – using futures contracts, options, strategic leverage, and alternative investment techniques to generate returns and […]
14
Feb
2025
Top ETFs and Mutual Funds using Alts
Top ETFs and Mutual Funds using Alts Don’t recognize these categories? We thought it makes more sense categorizing via a more nuanced framework that focuses on how these products function within a portfolio rather than simply what assets they hold or what single strategy they employ. See the full breakdown of these categories and […]
03
Oct
2024
Is there Alpha in boring old Muni-Bonds, with Riverbend Capital
In this episode of the Derivative podcast, our host Jeff Malec sits down with Tim McGregor and Tom Hession from Riverbend Capital Advisors(@Riverbend_Cap) to dive deep into the world of municipal bonds. The discussion covers the unique inefficiencies and complexities of the $4 trillion muni bond market, which features over 75,000 different issuers across the […]
11
Jun
2024
The Carry Trade
What do you think of when you hear the term “carry trade”? We start thinking of the infamous Mr. John Devaney, who had to sell his 142-foot yacht named (wait for it…) “Positive Carry” during the financial crisis because of losses in his hedge fund due to the unwinding of, you guessed it — the […]
29
Sep
2022
Hurricanes, Cat Bonds, and the Billions at Risk with Dr. Jeff Masters and Chris McKeown
Otherworldly forces can affect the market and hurt it just as much. Hurricane Ian continues to bring surges, winds, and flooding to Florida, and we have our own hurricane swirling around the set. That’s right, we’re bringing two forces together this week in a mashup of two previous pods with Hurricane Hunter Dr. Jeff Masters […]
