Where the Income Is— How advisors are rebuilding portfolios for a world where bonds no longer do the heavy lifting – Polen Capital – 6.8.26

Summary:

As the 40-year rate tailwind comes to an end, generating consistent income requires a fundamentally different approach. In this session, we’ll explore how advisors can build more resilient income portfolios by combining dividend equities, public credit, and private markets — and why the traditional 60/40 framework may no longer be enough.

Join us for a practical conversation on:

• Why the income landscape has structurally changed — and what that means for portfolio construction
• How dividend strategies can provide inflation protection, reduced volatility, and compelling long-term returns
• Where the opportunities are in high yield, leveraged loans, and private credit today
• How to think about public vs. private credit — and the structures that can bridge both

Accepted for 1 CFP / IWI / CFA CE Credit

Speakers:

Austin is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Opal Capital and Portfolio Manager for the Polen Dividend Income ETF (DIVZ).

Previously, he was a Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager at PIMCO, co-managing global dividend strategies, and a Vice President in investment banking at Goldman Sachs, advising on $40B+ in transactions. Earlier, he worked at the Indiana Finance Authority, supporting major infrastructure financing.

Austin holds an MBA and bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and earned his Chartered Financial Analyst^®(CFA) designation in 2012.

Adam Muller is a Portfolio Manager at Opal Capital. He has extensive experience identifying investment opportunities with attractive risk/reward profiles across a range of industries and has contributed investment ideas to Global, International, and U.S.- focused portfolios. His expertise spans both developed and emerging markets.

Previously, Adam held roles at Goldman Sachs and PIMCO. He holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and an MA in Economics from Tufts University.

John is lead Portfolio Manager of Polen Capital’s Bank Loan strategy and co-Portfolio Manager of both the U.S. Opportunistic High Yield and the Credit Opportunities strategies. John originally joined DDJ Capital in 2007, which was subsequently acquired by Polen Capital in 2022. Prior to 2007, John was an Associate in the Healthcare Group at Thoma Cressey Equity Partners, focusing on private equity investments in middle-market companies. Prior to that, John spent two years in the Investment Banking Division of Citigroup as an Analyst for the Global Healthcare Group. John received a B.B.A. in Finance (magna cum laude) from the University of Notre Dame.

Kevin is Chief Operating Officer at Polen Capital. Prior to joining Polen Capital in 2020, Kevin served as CEO of CastleArk Management and was responsible for client service and business development. Before that, Kevin was a Senior Vice President and Manager of Callan Associates’ Chicago office, where he worked with defined benefit and defined contribution clients in the public and corporate sectors. Kevin spent over fifteen years at Callan managing their Midwest consulting practice and the firm as a management committee member. Kevin received a B.A. from the University of Dayton and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. Kevin is a CFA^® charterholder.