Making Sense
A podcast series to help you make more informed decisions
Making Sense explores the principles, frameworks and decision-making processes that inform portfolio construction decisions across markets and cycles. Each episode delivers data-driven insights to support a wide audience—from individual investors and investment managers to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of investing and how economic and market forces interact.
The latest episodes
Listen to the most recent episodes from the Making Sense podcast or explore the library for previous releases.
Inside the Federal Reserve: Policy, markets and what's next
Gain insight into monetary policy decision-making, the Fed's dual mandate and how current conditions compare with prior economic cycles.
Investing strategies with taxes in mind
Tax drag can be a significant pain point for investors. Learn how we think about taxes as part of our investment strategy and philosophy.
Navigating headlines and portfolio positioning
Conflict in the Middle East has led to rapidly changing news, and investors can easily get lost in the noise. Learn how we're navigating headlines and portfolio positioning.
Connect with us to discuss your financial needs
Meet the hosts
Phillip Neuhart
Head of Market and Economic Research
Phillip Neuhart is Head of Market and Economic Research at First Citizens Wealth, where he leads research activities and develops the bank's market and economic viewpoint. He provides commentary, research and insights to the bank's clients and client-facing teams through written reports, video content, webcasts and in-person events.
Phillip joined First Citizens in 2016 and led the Institutional Portfolio Strategy Team, working with institutional clients to develop investment policies, asset allocations, manager structure, performance analytics and reporting.
He began his career with Wachovia-Wells Fargo Capital Markets, where he served as both an Institutional Equity Strategist and Economist. After his time at Wachovia-Wells Fargo, Phillip served as an Institutional Equity Strategist for 7 years with Morgan Stanley in New York.
He is a graduate of Duke University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics. He's a regulator contributor to the financial news media, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Bloomberg, Reuters and Forbes.
Thomas O'Keefe
Managing Director of Portfolio Strategy
Thomas has spent nearly 15 years at First Citizens Bank—formerly Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB—holding various leadership positions. In 2013, he helped launch SVB Wealth Advisory as a founding member and wealth advisor, quickly growing assets under management to more than $1 billion. Thomas later became the head of investment strategy, establishing the firm's investment guidelines and platform, as well as building and leading a team of portfolio managers.
He and his team delivered personalized investment solutions to high-net-worth, ultra-high-net-worth and institutional clients covering multi-asset class portfolio allocation, manager selection and market insights. He has also held leadership positions in manager due diligence and multifamily office. In his current role, Thomas is responsible for setting and disseminating investment and portfolio strategy to various internal and external partners.
Prior to joining SVB, Thomas spent 7 years at Hall Capital Partners, an investment advisor in San Francisco for ultra-high-net-worth families and institutions. During his tenure at Hall Capital, he contributed to structuring, analyzing and managing portfolios with a focus on optimizing performance, tax efficiency, risk preference and account organization.
Thomas graduated from the Santa Clara Leavey School of Business with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and earned a Master of Science degree in Financial Analysis from the University of San Francisco. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst, or CFA, and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, or CAIA, designations and is a member of the CFA Society of San Francisco.
He's an active member of his community, volunteering as a youth basketball and volleyball coach and serving a parish board member.
