Downside risk protection: Robo-advisors platforms to check out

The 2018 markets shook investors out of their complacency. The largest DOW point drop ever occurred on Feb. 5, 2018, and tested the nine-year bull market. Since then, volatility is rampant.

Most traditional robo-advisors work like this. Investors select their risk tolerance, from conservative to aggressive, the robo creates an investment portfolio with low-fee index funds and rebalances regularly. When markets tank, instead of selling, the platform buys more shares in investments that have lost the most value. The diversified portfolio is designed to temper losses as underperforming assets are offset by winning investments.

The typical robo-advisor might not be enough for active investors seeking downside risk protection. You might want to compare a robo-advisor vs. a human financial advisor when seeking downside risk protection in volatile markets. And, if you want a robo-advisor that focuses on downside risk protection, instead of the standard approach, there are a few platforms to check out.

The active investing robo-advisors go beyond the traditional approach, focus on downside risk protection, and actively trade to minimize losses in an effort to beat the market.

M1 Finance

M1 Finance is unique in the robo-advisory space. You can invest in premade investment portfolios or create your own. Whichever path you choose, the platform rebalances your investments. The beauty of this platform, for those seeking to beat the markets, and protect against downside risk, is that you can follow the investments of professional investors.

If you want to try the hedge fund strategy of Green Light Capital, Tiger Global Management, Icahn Capital, Pershing Square and more, you select this pre-made portfolio. M1 Finance rebalances this portfolio quarterly to align with the published holdings of the investment firm.

The cherry on top of this investment sundae is that it’s free. You can invest in pre-made or personally selected investments and never pay a management fee or trading commission. Although, unlike some of the upcoming active robo-advisors that trade frequently, the M1 portfolios are updated quarterly and do not respond immediately to market movements but to the style of the fund manager.

Qplum

“As a trader, I was trained to think about risk management before I think of what to trade,” writes Mansi Singhal in a Quora post. Qplum comes at robo-advisor downside risk protection from a hedge fund viewpoint. Qplum considers risk protection as their primary focus.

Qplum offers a variety of investment portfolios, predominantly comprised of low fee exchange-traded funds. But that’s where the similarity with typical robo-advisors ends. Flagship portfolio, Qplum’s most popular offering, owns more than 45 low fee funds from diverse stock, bond and real estate categories. This fund employs four investment strategies; trend-following, risk parity, machine learning and global macro. According to Qplum, the four strategies combined are better than each approach individually.

For a flat 0.50 percent management fee of assets under management – AUM, this robo-advisor provides downside risk. The active management strategies trade in and out of cash based on a disciplined plan which is cheaper than buying options and limits emotional decision making. Qplum also manages your investments held in a TD Ameritrade account.

Hedgeable also invests in precious metals, Bitcoin, currencies and partnerships. (Source)

Hedgeable

Hedgeable is another actively managed robo-advisor with a focus on downside risk. Akin to an automated hedge fund for small investors, their goal is to protect against market declines and profit during other market environments.

Distinct in the digital investment universe, Hedgeable’s investments go beyond typical stock and bond funds to include alternative investments like precious metals, bitcoin, currencies, master limited partnerships and more. The Hedgeable artificial intelligence engine uses complex computer algorithms and builds investment portfolios that might include hundreds of securities. The Hedgeable portfolios include funds, individual securities, alternative assets and cash.

The investing strategies range from owning the investments outright, or a long position, to shorting assets, an approach that pays off during market declines. Shorting strategies are implemented when a market drop is predicted, and an investment is borrowed and sold at present and bought back later after a market drop, at a lower price. Of course, if the market doesn’t comply, the shorting strategy results in a loss.

More expensive than M1 Finance and Qplum, Hedgeable’s management fees are on a sliding scale from 0.75% for account balances below $50,000, to 0.30% for accounts of $1 million or

Interactive brokers asset management

Formerly known as Covestor, Interactive Brokers Asset Management offers 61 distinct portfolios that are each managed by a professional money or hedge fund manager. The managers trade their own money in their brokerage accounts and IB Asset Management automatically replicates their trades for their clients within seconds using proprietary “co-trading” technology.

From the list of total available portfolios, there are several that specifically focus on downside risk protection. The Global Downside Protected Portfolio is internationally focused and managed by Atlas Capital. The strategy avoids riskier sectors and goes all into the markets during good times. This portfolio also manages foreign exchange rate risk. The fee is 0.75 percent and requires a $20,000 minimum investment for this portfolio.

The Ivy 5 Downside Protected portfolio is managed by Financial Freedom Management and copies the approach of large Ivy League endowment funds. This portfolio invests in US and foreign equities, fixed income, real estate and commodities. This strategy requires a $15,000 minimum investment and charges 0.75 percent AUM.

Other active strategies are available that incorporate risk protection as well. The IBAM annual management fees range from 0.08 to 1.25 percent and investment minimums begin at $5,000. Help is available from licensed client services reps based in Boston’s financial district via phone, text, Skype, email or live chat.

Downside risk protection robo-advisor takeaway

If you’re an investor seeking an active robo-advisor or automated investment approach that strives to protect your capital from losses, investigate these digital approaches. The robo-advisor comparison chart will give you a handy chart to differentiate among the platforms. are lower than most traditional human financial planners and there are several approaches to choose from. Many have back-tested data to help compare the active returns with a typical robo-advisory approach.

(Featured Image by DepositPhotos)

—

DISCLAIMER: This article expresses my own ideas and opinions. Any information I have shared are from sources that I believe to be reliable and accurate. I did not receive any financial compensation in writing this post, nor do I own any shares in any company I’ve mentioned. I encourage any reader to do their own diligent research first before making any investment decisions.