Ana Gomes from Novobanco is our Advisor of the month

Ana Gomes joined Novobanco in 2021, integrating the Financial Advisory Team, responsible for the Investment Advisory Service for Novobanco and Banco Best, and for the fund selection for both banks. With more than 18 years of experience, she worked in Millennium BCP, Fortis Bank, Barclays Bank, Proteste Invest, Tree family Office and Banco Best, profiting from a wide range of experiences in the financial industry, going from risk, marketing, corporate finance, wealth and portfolio management. She has a Master in Finance from Universidade Católica Portuguesa, is a CFA® charter holder and has the ESG Investing certificate from CFA®. 

What made you decide to go into the financial sector? Did you have any other vocations?

The person responsible for my interest in investments is my father. From a young age, I remember him talking with me about investments, the importance of saving and investing. Stocks, bonds, funds were current topics of discussion between us. Even though he has no academic degree on these matters, he still is an active investor and managed to pass me on his passion for investments.

I remember as a teenager investing my summer jobs payments in stocks. That was my first experience in the investment world. Since then, many things have changed, but my interest and knowledge in this field hasn’t stopped growing.

What does a typical workday look like for you? How do you organize your time?

Each day is unique, but all of them start the same way: catching up on the news and on financial markets. This way I am more equipped to deal with what the day throws at me. It may be clients’ meetings, creating tailored investment portfolios/solutions, monitoring them, selecting funds for portfolio construction, searching for new investment ideas, attending investment conferences, or dedicating time to connected marketing activities.

Which portfolio allocations are most interesting in the current market situation?

Although the recent past has been challenging the concept of diversification, based on the correlation effect on the different asset classes, I advocate diversification on portfolio construction, but always respecting clients’ adequacy and suitability. 

Having that said, currently rates have reached their peak and cuts will start in 2024, which can be good news for both fixed income and equity. Nevertheless, the downside risks persist (geopolitics, restrictive financial conditions and US consumer depletion). Considering the context, probably bonds should perform better than stocks in a risk-reward trade-off perspective, particularly for duration, high-quality bonds and credit.

Which sector do you consider particularly interesting at the moment?

Even though sustainability is not as sexy as it used to be, as investors are currently more focused on recovering from the losses registered in 2022 and dealing with the impact of rising interest rates and inflation, I believe in the positive impact of sustainability in society and in portfolios. In the long run, the risk-return binomial will benefit from this bet. 

Under sustainability umbrella, the decarbonization and the energy transition are in the spotlight due to the net-zero climate commitments by 2050. This is where a lot of the action will be, particularly in a context of growing energy demand.

How should investors orient their portfolios in the current environment?

Investors should always base their portfolios in 2 fundamental principles: diversification and focus on the long run. These tools will allow them to navigate in these high uncertain times, surpass the markets trepidation and bumps on the way to meet their financial objectives.

What characteristics do you think a good financial advisor should have?

A good financial advisor has the client in the center of the investment process, combining markets and products knowledge, with his clients’ financial goals and constrains, to offer the best (suitable and adequate) investment strategies and solutions. 

When you have free time, what do you like to do?

Most of my free time is dedicated to my family (husband and 2 young daughters), to have quality time with them and create life lasting memories. I also find time to cycle, swim and play tennis, as they are activities that help me to manage the daily stress.

Additionally, I also try to feed my curious mind, by reading and taking learning courses. Currently, I am attending a leadership program.