Leslie Alba: Positioning Portfolios Purposefully—Lessons from CIBC AM's $90B Head of Portfolio Solutions
Release Date: 12/19/2025
132 Barometer's David Burrows: Whats What in This Stormy and Tricky Market?
Insight is Capital™ Podcast
David Burrows, President & Chief Investment Strategist, at Barometer Capital Management joins us for an in depth discussion on the markets, inflation, monetary policy, outlook, his base case, and exchanges his contrarian case for what possibly lies in the future vis-à-vis domestic and global economics, as well as sharing a few of his surprising ideas regarding what he's doing in the alternative investing space.
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Insight is Capital™ Podcast
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Insight is Capital™ Podcast
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128 NBI's Martin Lefebvre: Bullish vs. Bearish: Who will win the next round?
Insight is Capital™ Podcast
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127 What Diversification Play Tackles a Stagflation Blitz? The HRAA Playbook
Insight is Capital™ Podcast
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126 Jason Buck: Defensive Diversification & The Cockroach Portfolio
Insight is Capital™ Podcast
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125 Dividend Payers and Growers: Resilient During Periods of High Inflation and Rising Rates
Insight is Capital™ Podcast
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124 Meb Faber: The Problem with Long Term Investing
Insight is Capital™ Podcast
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123 The Intended and Unforeseen Opportunities of ESG
Insight is Capital™ Podcast
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info_outlineExplore the evolving world of portfolio construction with Leslie Alba, CFA, CIBC Asset Management's $90-billion Head of Portfolio Solutions. Discover how to move beyond traditional diversification and embrace a total portfolio approach, balancing risk exposures for uncertain markets. Learn actionable insights for managing expectations and navigating market volatility. In This Episode:
00:00 Introduction to Leslie Alba 02:16 Leslie’s Career Journey and Philosophy 06:00 Promising and Challenging Market Dynamics 08:16 Bonds: Diversification and 60/40 Limitations 11:48 Total Portfolio Approach and Regime Shifts 16:42 Evolving Capital Market Assumptions 23:29 Purpose-Driven Portfolio Construction 30:18 Overcoming Dogmatism and Risk Tolerance 35:02 Private Markets and Investment Selection 39:30 Total Investment Solutions for Advisors 44:22 Behavioral Finance and Staying Invested 50:21 CIBC’s Client-Centric Value Proposition Key Takeaways:
Rethink Diversification: Understand that traditional 60/40 portfolios may not offer sufficient defensive positioning due to overlapping risk factors.
Adopt a Total Portfolio Approach: Manage portfolios holistically, focusing on achieving client objectives and balancing risk exposures rather than isolated asset classes.
Embrace Alternatives: Consider diversifying into alternatives to reduce correlation and economic risk, as they react differently in various market conditions.
Prioritize Purpose: Anchor portfolio design around client objectives and the unique purpose each asset class or strategy serves to achieve those goals.
Manage Behavioral Biases: Equip clients with insights and plans to stay invested and calm during market volatility, mitigating emotional decision-making.
Resources Mentioned:
Connect With Leslie Alba: LinkedIn Subscribe to Insight is Capital: Hit the Subscribe button Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/insight-is-capital-podcast/id1270978994 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3EXEqj0Vv12rp8bLPPTk6X
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