Consolidating a New Client's Financial Life and Setting the Stage for Efficient Wealth Management
With a disparate team of advisors and a patchwork of assets, a retired investment manager had underestimated his net worth by half. TwinFocus created a unified balance sheet, saved him precious time and hassle, and laid the groundwork for a smooth transition to the next generation.
John Pantekidis shared his take on private-placement life insurance (PPLI) ...
John Pantekidis shared his take on private-placement life insurance (PPLI) with Financial Planning.
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John Pantekidis shared his take on private-placement life insurance (PPLI) with Financial…
John Pantekidis shared his take on private-placement life insurance (PPLI) with Financial Planning. PPLI gets a lot of buzz in wealthy-family circles, and it’s easy to see why. It offers tax-deferred growth, access to alternative investments, and a death benefit that beneficiaries generally receive income-tax free. But as Zoe Sagalow’s article points out, it isn’t right for everyone. John’s short version: “It could be a no-brainer using life insurance — but not necessarily PPLI products.”
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October 2026
1 mins read
In The News
We’re proud to see our own John Pantekidis, General Counsel and Managing Pa...
We’re proud to see our own John Pantekidis, General Counsel and Managing Partner, quoted in American Banker this week!
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Zoe Sagalow’s piece takes a look at private-placement life insurance (PPLI): when…
Zoe Sagalow’s piece takes a look at private-placement life insurance (PPLI): when it can work, when it can’t, and why the answer depends so much on the client. John’s take is that life insurance can be a great fit for some families, but the cases where PPLI specifically makes sense are narrower. His starting point is always “asking them what they’re trying to achieve.” It’s a balanced read covering the potential tax perks alongside the trade-offs: complexity, high minimums, possible estate tax exposure, and ongoing policy scrutiny. Worth a few minutes if PPLI has come up in your planning conversations.
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October 2026
1 mins read
In The News
TwinFocus' John Pantekidis, CFA, JD shares his views on the costs involved ...
TwinFocus' John Pantekidis, CFA, JD shares his views on the costs involved in creating an ETF in Cheryl Winokur Munk's latest piece on CNBC.com.
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Treasury and the IRS have issued new guidance targeting certain Section 351…
Treasury and the IRS have issued new guidance targeting certain Section 351 ETF exchanges, where investors contribute appreciated stock to a newly formed ETF to defer capital gains. The focus is on transactions where the ETF quickly redistributes those securities and the investor ends up with a materially different portfolio. Legitimate uses remain available, though questions about timing are still open. As John noted, creating an ETF can run $200,000–$300,000, and in his view the approach doesn’t make sense for anyone contributing less than $100 million in stock. [This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. References to third-party publications are not an endorsement of TwinFocus or its services by CNBC or the author. TwinFocus is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Registration does...
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September 2026
1 mins read
In The News
Retirement savings or college tuition? How should parents prioritize?
Retirement savings or college tuition? How should parents prioritize?
Retirement savings or college tuition? How should parents prioritize? It’s rarely a…
Retirement savings or college tuition? How should parents prioritize? It’s rarely a one-size-fits-all answer — the right approach depends heavily on each family’s specific circumstances, from health and career stage to overall financial picture. That’s the lens John Pantekidis brings to one of the toughest calls parents face, per a new Financial Planning article. His take: “it’s more important that mom and dad’s retirement is fully funded, especially if they’re older, especially if they’re not as healthy… whereas a young person, if they have to get in debt to go to college, they’re young, and they can pay it off.” A useful reframe for clients wrestling with the retirement-vs-tuition tradeoff.
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September 2026
1 mins read
In The News
In a new Financial Planning piece by Zoe Sagalow, "Advising Clients Stuck i...
In a new Financial Planning piece by Zoe Sagalow, "Advising Clients Stuck in the College Tuition No-Man's-Land," John Pantekidis flags a financial aid pitfall that catches even sophisticated families off guard: gifts from grandparents or other relatives to a student's parents can quietly disqualify that student from financial aid.
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In a new Financial Planning piece by Zoe Sagalow, “Advising Clients Stuck…
In a new Financial Planning piece by Zoe Sagalow, “Advising Clients Stuck in the College Tuition No-Man’s-Land,” John Pantekidis flags a financial aid pitfall that catches even sophisticated families off guard: gifts from grandparents or other relatives to a student’s parents can quietly disqualify that student from financial aid. It’s a reminder that generosity without coordination can backfire. For families navigating the “too wealthy for aid, not wealthy enough to pay outright” gap, sequencing gifts, savings, and applications with an advisor’s guidance can make a meaningful difference.
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September 2026
8 mins read
TwinFocus Insights
Why Own Fixed Income? Time for an Update.
Why Own Fixed Income? Time for an Update.
Introduction In April 2025, we published Why Own Fixed Income? Our Purpose-Driven…
Introduction In April 2025, we published Why Own Fixed Income? Our Purpose-Driven Approach, arguing that fixed income is not a portfolio ballast or filler, but rather “a suite of precise and targeted tools”. At the time, that suggested favoring short duration, senior CLO tranches, closed-end municipal funds trading at wide NAV discounts, and niche private credit with outsized return potential, while avoiding public corporate bonds at tight spreads and mainstream private credit. The fixed income landscape has since shifted The Fed raised rates for the first time in over 3 years in September with the dot plot indicating another increase by the December FOMC meeting. Treasury markets responded sharply, with 2-year yields reaching their highest levels since 2024. Hyperscaler issuance combined with persistent and growing deficits as we transition to a multipolar world, has pushed longer maturity Treasury yields to...
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