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Advisor Wars

Advisor Wars

Written by: Obsidian CIO
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 In the Advisor Wars podcast, hosts Bob Huebscher (founder of Advisor Perspectives) and Joe Halpern (Managing Partner and CIO of Obsidian CIO) tackle one of the most critical trends facing financial advisors today: alternative investments.

Subscribe to Advisor Wars on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify to ensure you never miss an episode.

Listeners can download the new White Paper by Obsidian CIO, here:

How to Scale an RIA to $1 Billion and Beyond

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IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: Obsidian CIO LLC sponsors the podcast to further education and critical thinking about the factors that affect markets and investing, and the podcast does not provide investment advice. Investment advice is only offered to clients of Obsidian CIO who have entered into an advisory agreement and with whom Obsidian CIO has identified individual objectives, risk tolerance, and other investment needs.Obsidian CIO, 2026
Episodes
  • Beware of (but maybe use) Interval Funds

    Beware of (but maybe use) Interval Funds
    Jan 23 2026
    Advisor Wars, Episode 2, Beware of (but maybe use) Interval Funds, Sponsored by Obsidian CIO

    In this episode of Advisor Wars, hosts Bob Huebscher (founder of Advisor Perspectives) and Joe Halpern (Managing Partner and CIO of Obsidian CIO) demystify an investment structure gaining popularity with both investors and advisors: Interval Funds.

    This episode provides advisors with an essential framework for understanding both the opportunities and significant risks associated with interval funds, challenging the prevailing narrative that these vehicles offer simple, liquid access to sophisticated alternative strategies.

    Unlike mutual funds and ETFs that are limited to 15% illiquid holdings, interval funds can hold 100% illiquid securities. The trade-off? While investors can enter daily, exits are limited to quarterly redemption windows with typical 5% gates on total fund assets.

    Understanding this structure is critical for proper client positioning. Key Discussion Points include:

    The underlying asset must align with the interval fund wrapper. Shorter-duration credit strategies work better than venture capital or private equity, where the forced cash drag undermines the strategy's core economics.

    If there's any possibility a client might need access to these funds within 12-18 months, interval funds are inappropriate. These vehicles cannot be margined, and redemption queues during stress periods can be lengthy.

    Interval funds are one tool among many for accessing alternatives. For qualified purchasers, traditional closed-end vintage funds may offer better performance by eliminating cash drag.

    While the operational ease of interval funds—daily subscriptions, quarterly redemptions, ticker-based trading, 1099 reporting—makes them attractive to advisors, this simplicity can mask underlying complexity and risk.

    Advisors may be allocating too much to interval funds, seduced by simplicity and the sophisticated alternative narrative.

    Related Research

    The episode frames interval funds within the broader democratization of alternative investments, referencing recent research including:

    JPMorgan 'Eyes on the Market' by Michael Cembalest, 2025 Alternatives Investments Review

    Goldman Sachs survey of 1,000 HNW/UHNW investors, Opening the Door to Alternatives

    Listeners can also download the new White Paper by Obsidian CIO, here:

    White Paper: How to Scale Your RIA to $1 Billion and Beyond

    Subscribe to Advisor Wars on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify to ensure you never miss an episode.

    —

    IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: Obsidian CIO LLC sponsors the podcast to further education and critical thinking about the factors that affect markets and investing, and the podcast does not provide investment advice. Investment advice is only offered to clients of Obsidian CIO who have entered into an advisory agreement and with whom Obsidian CIO has identified individual objectives, risk tolerance, and other investment needs.
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    38 mins
  • Alternative Investments

    Alternative Investments
    Jan 14 2026
    Advisor Wars, Episode 1, Alternative Investments, Sponsored by Obsidian CIO

    In this inaugural episode of Advisor Wars, hosts Bob Huebscher (founder of Advisor Perspectives) and Joe Halpern (Managing Partner and CIO of Obsidian CIO) tackle one of the most critical trends facing financial advisors today: alternative investments.

    This episode delivers an essential roadmap for advisors navigating the complex world of non-liquid alternatives—from private equity strategies to interval fund structures. The conversation goes beyond the marketing hype to reveal the investment risks, operational realities, and competitive pressures that make alternatives impossible to ignore.

    Whether advisors are skeptical of alternatives or already incorporating them into client portfolios, this episode provides the strategic framework you need to respond to client demands and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

    Understand the Competitive Imperative: Learn why major asset managers like Apollo and BlackRock are marketing alternatives directly to mass affluent consumers—and why advisors who ignore this secular trend risk losing clients to competitors who have a compelling story to tell.

    Master the Risk-Return Tradeoff: A perspective on the real risks of alternative investments—from liquidity constraints in interval funds to the complexity of underlying exposures—so you can make informed decisions about sizing and strategy selection for client portfolios.

    Navigate Operational Complexity: An introduction to the operational hurdles of incorporating alternatives into your practice, and understand the limitations of common platforms like iCapital and CAIS and what due diligence gaps remain your responsibility.

    Develop Your Client Communication Strategy: Craft a compelling narrative around alternatives (or your decision not to use them) that resonates with clients who are increasingly exposed to sophisticated marketing campaigns promoting these products.

    Access Alternatives to Help Grow Your Practice: Preview the white paper case studies showing how one RIA scaled from $100 million to over $1.25 billion in AUM by strategically partnering with an outsourced CIO to handle the investment complexity while focusing on holistic planning and relationship management.

    Subscribe to Advisor Wars on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify to ensure you never miss an episode.

    Listeners can download the new White Paper by Obsidian CIO, here:

    White Paper: How to Scale Your RIA to $1 Billion and Beyond

    —

    IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: Obsidian CIO LLC sponsors the podcast to further education and critical thinking about the factors that affect markets and investing, and the podcast does not provide investment advice. Investment advice is only offered to clients of Obsidian CIO who have entered into an advisory agreement and with whom Obsidian CIO has identified individual objectives, risk tolerance, and other investment needs.
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
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