Connor Doak, CFA is a client portfolio manager and responsible investing advocate at Riverwater Partners.
Our commitment to responsible investing isn’t separate from our return objectives—it’s integral to identifying investments that build long-term value and resilience. The example below illustrates how sustainable practices create both meaningful social impact and stronger business fundamentals. Riverwater BLUE Impact Spotlight: Advancing Human Rights in Global Supply Chains Calvert Asset Management Calvert Asset Management, a…
US Consumers and Valuation Gaps: Can the US Consumer Keep Carrying the Market? (July 15, 2025). The second quarter reminded us why staying grounded matters in investing. While markets celebrated new highs—with the S&P 500 breaking through 6,200—the foundations supporting this rally deserve closer examination. The quarter’s volatility, from April’s sharp selloff on tariff fears…
The Art of the Tariff (April 4, 2025). As we close the books on the first quarter of 2025, markets find themselves adjusting to a wave of policy-driven uncertainty—most notably, a broad and aggressive shift in U.S. tariff and trade policy. While economic data through March remained relatively stable, the early-April announcement of sweeping tariffs…
Market Insights from 2024 As we close out another dynamic year in the financial markets, one theme that investors may have overlooked is the power of diversification. While U.S. equity markets dominated headlines with exceptionally strong back-to-back annual returns, a wide array of asset classes also contributed positively to portfolios. From the S&P 500 achieving…
Market Rally Amid Election Season Investors have plenty to cheer for as we enter the final stretches of election season. The S&P 500 has rallied 22.1% over the first nine months of the year, and the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index posted a tremendous third quarter rallying 5.2% to bring the year-to-date return back into…
Steady Through Uncertainty Market Review Despite a looming election and divided government, market performance has been above average during the first nine months of 2024, with occasional volatility spikes around macroeconomic releases and Federal Reserve uncertainty. The mega-cap ‘Magnificent 7’ (NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Tesla, and Alphabet) primarily led the S&P 500, though their…
Advisor Perspectives. Sept. 5, 2022. By Connor Doak, CFA. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, and then you win.” The environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment community is deep within the third stage. ESG investing has been subjected to brutal headlines, politically motivated attacks…