They are often the ones who need the most guidance as they make important life decisions. These statistically younger investors are also the people who care as much about how they make their money as they do about how much wealth they accumulate over their lifetime. They are our future ... and I am optimistic!

A 2015 study by Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing showed that ESG both increased portfolio returns and reduced portfolio volatility for 64% of the periods since 1990. Of the three factors (environmental, social and governance), the governance score has shown the strongest impact on performance.

Smart beta refers to investment strategies that differ from traditional capitalization weighted indexing or actively managed investment approaches. Smart betas are based on empirical data or live historical research and may offer superior performance relative to more traditional indexation methods.

It is finally that time of the year. No, not college basketball season - tax season! By now everyone should have received (or been able to download) their Forms 1099 and other important documents. Today (March 15) also marks the deadline to file your 2017 S-Corp or partnership tax returns and elect to file as an S-Corp for 2018. Roll up your sleeves, sharpen your pencils, and find your calculator.

Shares of CBOE Global Markets Inc. tumbled 5.5% in trading Friday, after the futures and ETF company reported profit and revenue that marginally missed expectations. Since Monday February 5th, stocks have also taken a tumble marked by an startling uptick in volatility. A few exchange traded funds whose performance tracks the volatility index were the most outright victims of the downturn.