When Bonds Don’t Do Both: Rethinking Income and Protection in Today’s Portfolios – Innovator – 7.30.26

Summary:

NOW ON DEMAND
CE Available

For decades, bonds have been the default tool for portfolio defense and diversification. But in a market shaped by rate volatility, inflation uncertainty, and changing stock/bond correlations, many advisors are rethinking whether traditional fixed income can still do both jobs reliably.

Join Innovator ETFs for a timely conversation on why leading advisors are using Buffer ETFs™ as an alternative or complement to traditional bond allocations.

We’ll explore:

• How defined-outcome strategies can help clients stay invested, manage downside risk, and pursue equity-linked return potential with more transparent risk parameters.
• Where Buffer ETFs may fit in modern portfolios, how advisors are positioning them with clients.
• Why the bond sleeve may be evolving from a fixed-income allocation into a broader “risk-management” allocation.

Accepted for 1 CFP / IWI / CFA CE Credit

Speakers:

Grant is a Regional Director for Innovator ETFs, responsible for distribution efforts in the Great Lakes Region. He has been instrumental in the Buffer ETF landscape, helping pioneer the space over the past 7 years. Grant holds his B.S in Finance from Taylor University.

Burke Ashenden leads Capital Markets & Institutional Strategy at Innovator, overseeing market structure, liquidity strategy, and institutional growth across the firm’s $34B+ platform. He manages relationships with APs, market makers, and exchanges while partnering with pensions, endowments, and consultants to integrate Defined Outcome ETFs into core portfolios.

A frequent speaker at industry conferences and in the media, Burke shares insights on ETF design, liquidity mechanics, and institutional implementation. He holds an MBA from NYU Stern and a B.A. from Boston College. Prior to Innovator, he was VP of ETF Strategy at Direxion and began his career as an ETF trader at Virtu Financial.