Lamar Villere, portfolio manager at the Villere Balanced Fund, gave CNBC his top small-cap picks for investors wary of global economic uncertainty.
"As interest rates go up, big cap stocks are really the ones that are set up to get hurt," he said in an interview on CNBC's "Power Lunch." He said they essentially trade like bonds, mentioning telecom, utilities and REITs, specifically.
"We think small caps are where you are able to see some growth over the long term, and that's really where you want to be positioned," he said.
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The Russell 2000, a small-cap stock market index, is up about 4 percent year-to-date.
Villere's top pick is Financial Engines, which provides online investment and retirement guidance for employees at large organizations. Its stock is up about 19 percent since the start of 2015.
He cited their recent client additions, such as AT&T, IBM and Wells Fargo. He also said that they are in nine of the top 20 401(k) plans. "The platform is really starting to prove out."
Disclosures: Villere, his family and his firm all own shares of Financial Engines.