The Truth About Risk Parity: Alex Shahidi on Building a Real Balanced Portfolio

Markets sit near record highs even as economic signals send mixed messages, and many portfolios are more concentrated today than ever. In this Lead-Lag Deep Dive, Melanie Schaeffer sits down with Alex Shahidi, CO-CIO at Evoke Advisors, to break down what risk parity really is and why traditional frameworks like 60 40 may leave investors exposed. Shahidi explains how growth and inflation cycles historically drive long term returns, why diversification is often misunderstood, and how a true balanced allocation uses equities, commodities, gold, treasuries, and inflation linked bonds to weather very different market regimes. He also discusses the philosophy behind the RPAR Risk Parity ETF and why more advisors are reconsidering how they approach portfolio construction. In this episode: Why most portfolios are less diversified than investors think How growth and inflation surprises drive major market cycles The role of commodities, gold, and inflation linked bonds in a balanced allocation Why equal risk contribution matters more than traditional 60 40 mixes How advisors can use risk parity to build more resilient portfolios Lead-Lag Live brings you inside conversations with the financial thinkers who shape markets. Subscribe for interviews that go deeper than the noise. #LeadLagLive #Investing #PortfolioStrategy #GlobalMarkets #RiskManagement #MacroTrends #AssetAllocation #Finance #MarketOutlook #ETFStrategies Support the show