By Barron's Advisor Staff

Gold is one of the few parts of the investment landscape twinkling brightly right now. It soared after a weak jobs report last Friday, and uncertainty surrounding President Donald Trump's tariffs has also helped to spur some buying of the yellow metal. Today it surpassed its record high of $3,500. It could reach $4,000, however, particularly if investors shed the risk-on approach they have favored in recent months.

Among other most-read wealth management articles this week:

Are bonds still safe ? Fixed income has long been considered the defensive backbone of a diversified portfolio. That role, however, is under pressure this year, writes our columnist. Sticky inflation, geopolitical risks, and record-high U.S. government debt have pressured bond prices, increasing volatility and undermining the traditional role of fixed income as a portfolio stabilizer. In this environment, long-duration bonds may no longer provide the risk-adjusted benefits investors have historically expected.

Brokerage stocks tumble in selloff . Shares of Robinhood, LPL Financial, and other brokerage and wealth management companies tumbled last Friday after the monthly jobs report added to investors' concerns about economic growth. Among the hardest hit stocks: LPL Financial and Robinhood Markets. At one point early that morning, shares of Robinhood and LPL were each down more than 9.5%. Investors' main concern is that economic and trade policy uncertainty could cut short a boom in investor trading activity.

How to panic prudently . This year has been anything but calm. Nerve-racking headlines on tariffs, wars, and political tensions have caused roller-coaster gyrations in financial markets and left many wealth management clients feeling squeamish about their portfolios, writes financial advisor Jonathan I. Shenkman for Barron's Advisor. He shares the advice he offers clients to help them feel a sense of control over their portfolios without making mistakes they'll regret later.

UBS has a new plan for advisor training . UBS is accelerating efforts to recruit hundreds of financial advisor trainees for its revamped training program and to vastly expand its Wealth Advice Center, a unit that serves mass affluent clients. It hopes that revamping its training program in concert with expanding its Advice Center staff will provide a pipeline of new advisors and enable it to serve more mass affluent clients.

Former Fidelity advisor charged with stealing . A former Fidelity Investments employee is facing fraud and money laundering charges after allegedly taking more than $2 million from a former client and spending it on gambling, travel, and personal debts, according to a federal indictment unsealed in late July. The accused, Eric James Stone, allegedly impersonated an investigator, attorneys, and PayPal employees.

Write to advisor.editors@barrons.com

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August 08, 2025 13:11 ET (17:11 GMT)

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