Abnormal Returns
APRIL 22, 2024
Markets Commodities are having a standout 2024. (capitalspectator.com) When did investing become so political? (economist.com) ETFs Grayscale's Bitcoin Mini Trust will have a 0.15% expense ratio. (coindesk.com) More mutual fund to ETF conversions are coming. (advisorhub.com) Finance The NYSE is testing 24-hour trading. (on.ft.com) Want a stake in a hot AI startup?
Nerd's Eye View
APRIL 22, 2024
Broadly speaking, there are 2 models of working as a financial advisor: operating independently as a firm owner or with a large affiliate platform such as a wirehouse broker-dealer, independent broker-dealer, or larger corporate RIA. Deciding which model to work under is a key moment in beginning or evolving a career as an advisor. In the independent model, owners/advisors are generally paid directly by the clients they serve, and they select and pay for the vendors, services, and employees that
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The Big Picture
APRIL 20, 2024
The weekend is here! Pour yourself a mug of coffee, grab a seat by the fire, and get ready for our longer-form weekend reads: • He Loves Speed, Hates Bureaucracy and Told Ferrari: Go Faster : A tech executive with a new management strategy took the wheel of the luxury carmaker. Then it was off to the races. ( Wall Street Journal ) • Boeing’s problems were as bad as you thought : Experts and whistleblowers testified before Congress today.
Nerd's Eye View
APRIL 19, 2024
Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that CFP Board announced that it has crossed the milestone of 100,000 CFP professionals in the United States, and despite having just celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, just set a record high in the number of advisors sitting for the CFP exam this March, reflecting the value many financial advisors and consumers place on the brand, including the requirements to obtain i
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Wealth Management
APRIL 22, 2024
Berkshire Hathaway's succession plan is an invaluable case study for businesses of all sizes, exemplifying the importance of forward-thinking leadership and strategic planning.
Financial Advisor Source brings together the best content for financial advisor professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
The Big Picture
APRIL 21, 2024
Avert your eyes! My Sunday morning look at incompetency, corruption and policy failures: • ‘Water is more valuable than oil’: the corporation cashing in on America’s drought : In an unprecedented deal, a private company purchased land in a tiny Arizona town – and sold its water rights to a suburb 200 miles away. Local residents fear the agreement has ‘opened Pandora’s box.’ ( The Guardian ) • Why don’t rich people eat anymore?
Abnormal Returns
APRIL 21, 2024
Rates Allan Sloan, "Don’t fall in love with your money fund." (barrons.com) You likely don't need a long-term bond fund. (wsj.com) Strategy The market's most important lessons have to be experienced. (microcapclub.com) No portfolio strategy is perfect. (rogersplanning.blogspot.com) Financial trends reverse just when they seem inevitable. (humbledollar.com) Companies Why Boeing ($BA) took its eye off manufacturing quality.
Wealth Management
APRIL 22, 2024
Clayton Ortloff, an advisor out of Midland, Texas, will join the independent broker/dealer’s model for advisors looking for more autonomy while buttressed by back office support.
A Wealth of Common Sense
APRIL 16, 2024
I was perusing the BLS data following the inflation release last week and one number sticks out like Victor Wembanyana standing next to a group of kindergartners. Auto insurance was up 22% over the previous 12 months versus an overall inflation rate of 3.5%. Look at the change in auto insurance rates these past few years: It’s like a meme stock.
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As we step into 2024, the lending landscape evolves rapidly with technology, regulations, and market dynamics driving change. For banks and financial institutions to stay competitive and meet the evolving needs of their customers, these drivers must be understood and engaged with. Lenders can anticipate significant transformation fueled by technological advancements, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer behaviors.
Advisor Perspectives
APRIL 19, 2024
In March, nominal home values increased for an 12th straight months while "real" home values were unchanged. Last month's ZHVI came in at $354,179, up 0.44% from the previous month and up 4.09% from one year ago. However, after adjusting for inflation, the real figures are 0.00% month-over-month and -1.71% year-over-year.
Abnormal Returns
APRIL 18, 2024
Strategy Passive investors don't change relative prices. (bloomberg.com) A good outcome doesn't necessarily mean it was a good decision. (novelinvestor.com) Don't change your asset allocation in response to a market pullback. (rogersplanning.blogspot.com) Crypto The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ($GBTC) continues to leak assets. (wsj.com) Bitcoin is whatever you want it to be.
Nerd's Eye View
APRIL 17, 2024
After advisors do all of the work of bringing on a new client (Marketing! Prospecting! Onboarding! Compliance!), it can sometimes feel natural to let the relationship go into "maintenance mode". And while all may appear well on the surface – the client rarely contacts the advisor with problems but they show up for every annual meeting – they may actually be feeling quite disengaged with the financial planning services being provided.
Calculated Risk
APRIL 17, 2024
From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications increased 3.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 12, 2024. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 3.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.
Speaker: Joe Buhrmann, MBA, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC® Senior Financial Planning Practice Management Consultant eMoney Advisor
During an era of evolving consumer preferences, the banking sector is undergoing a profound shift. As customers continue to broaden their perspectives, banking professionals must support their customers' financial wellness by providing holistic financial advice that aligns with individual goals and circumstances. Without adapting, financial institutions will find that loyalty may crumble amid uncertainty.
Wealth Management
APRIL 22, 2024
The RIA said it was acquiring the two San Francisco-based teams. This follows last week’s announcements that multi-billion-dollar former First Republic teams had joined Merrill Lynch and Citizens Bank.
Advisor Perspectives
APRIL 19, 2024
Existing home sales experienced their largest monthly decline in over a year in March. According to the data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), existing home sales fell 4.3% from February to reach a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.19 million units. This figure came in lower than the expected 4.20 million. Existing home sales are down 3.7% compared to one year ago.
Abnormal Returns
APRIL 22, 2024
Podcasts Brian Portnoy talks human-centric advice with Kelsey McKenna and Zachary Conway of Seeds Investor. (youtube.com) Larry Sprung talks with Josh Brown about his path to wealth management. (mitlinmoneymindset.libsyn.com) Jordan Haynes talks with Justin Castelli about his transition into life planning, especially for financial advisers. (getelements.com) Frazer Rice talks with Christopher Holtby about the role of a directed trustee.
Nerd's Eye View
APRIL 15, 2024
Growing an advisory firm is no easy task – and advisors who start firms often have few resources to spare (beyond their own knowledge and time), face huge to-do lists, and are required to wear a number of hats. Foremost among their responsibilities is business development, which compels them to seek out prospects who will eventually become clients (so that they can grow their firms, allocate resources accordingly, and do even more financial planning!).
Speaker: Carolina Aponte - Owner and CEO, Caja Holdings LLC
In today's rapidly changing business environment, building a resilient balance sheet is crucial to the survival of any business. A resilient balance sheet allows a company to withstand financial shocks and adapt to changing market conditions. To achieve this, companies need to focus on key strategies such as maintaining adequate liquidity, managing debt levels, diversifying revenue streams, and prioritizing profitability over growth.
Calculated Risk
APRIL 18, 2024
Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: NAR: Existing-Home Sales Decreased to 4.19 million SAAR in March Excerpt: Sales Year-over-Year and Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA) The fourth graph shows existing home sales by month for 2023 and 2024. Sales declined 3.7% year-over-year compared to March 2023. This was the thirty-first consecutive month with sales down year-over-year.
Wealth Management
APRIL 16, 2024
KKR logged $3 billion in sales in products aimed for the private wealth channel—up from $400 million in sales per quarter in 2022. Morningstar published an explainer on the growing world of interval funds. These are among the investment must reads we found this week for wealth advisors.
NAIFA Advisor Today
APRIL 18, 2024
Congratulations to NAIFA Trustee Stephen Kagawa , LUTCF, FSS, on being named the 71 st recipient of NAIFA-Los Angeles ’s Will G. Farrell Public Service Award. The CEO and Chairman of the Board of The Pacific Bridge Companies has been a loyal NAIFA member since 1986.
Abnormal Returns
APRIL 16, 2024
Strategy Joe Wiggins, "It is important to remember that behavioural finance would be redundant if it were easy; if it wasn’t hard it wouldn’t be useful." (behaviouralinvestment.com) Investing requires a measure of optimism in the future. (ofdollarsanddata.com) Fund management 15 more ideas from Seth Klarman's "Margin of Safety" including 'Investment must be thought of as more than stock selection or making a series of solid individual investment decisions.
Speaker: Wayne Spivak, President and CFO of SBA * Consulting Ltd., Industry Writer, Public Speaker
If you’re lost in the world of spend management needs and your GAP analysis is lacking perspective on the future state of your business performance, listen up! With the advancement of technology, the implementation of spend management best practices and concrete GAP analyses is more streamlined and accessible than ever before. And while this may sound like great news for you and your clients, it won’t be worthwhile unless you have the latest techniques to back up your ambitions!
Nerd's Eye View
APRIL 18, 2024
For over a decade, the financial advice industry has been bracing for an "any-minute-now" tsunami of advisor retirements and concomitant sales of financial planning practices. Although that wave has yet to materialize (as many advisors may find that they'd prefer to stay engaged and earn well past the 'traditional' retirement age), the fact remains that, at some point, many aging advisors will have the opportunity to capture the enterprise value that they've spent their careers building.
Calculated Risk
APRIL 15, 2024
On a monthly basis, retail sales were up 0.7% from February to March (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up 4.0 percent from March 2023. From the Census Bureau report : Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for March 2024, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $709.6 billion, up 0.7 percent from the previous month , and up 4.0 percent above March 2023.
Wealth Management
APRIL 18, 2024
Monaco Capital and Saling Simms have become the second and third firms to join Steward Partners’ new Legacy Division, established via acquisition late last year.
XY Planning Network
APRIL 22, 2024
Imagine a world where financial advisors can spend less time on tedious tasks and more time delivering personalized, high-value services to their clients. This world is not a distant future – it's today, and artificial intelligence (AI) is making it possible. As powerful AI tools like ChatGPT, Google's Bard, and Microsoft's Bing AI continue to advance, advisors who embrace this technology stand to gain a significant competitive edge.
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All accounting teams know what it is like to dread the inevitable month-end scaries. If there was a way to feel less burdened and maybe even a little enthusiastic to work on your month-end close and reconciliation process, would you do it? No, don't answer that, of course you would! Automate your month-end close process by up to 40% with SkyStem's ART and see how much more alive you feel!
Abnormal Returns
APRIL 17, 2024
Podcasts Roger Whitney talks retirement challenges with Christine Benz. (youtube.com) Sam Parr talks with 'Ryan' and 'Jeff' about the reality of retiring early. (podcasts.apple.com) Peter Lazaroff talks with Taylor Schulte and Benjamin Brandt about the new Retirement Podcast Network. (peterlazaroff.com) Justin Castelli talks curiosity and more with Tom Morgan.
Advisor Perspectives
APRIL 19, 2024
Month-over-month nominal retail sales in March were up 0.7% and up 4.02% year-over-year. However, after adjusting for inflation, real retail sales were up 0.3% MoM and up 0.52% year-over-year.
Calculated Risk
APRIL 19, 2024
Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: NMHC: "Apartment Market Continues to Loosen" Excerpt: From the NMHC: Apartment Market Continues to Loosen Amidst Worsening Financing Conditions Apartment market conditions continued to weaken in the National Multifamily Housing Council’s (NMHC’s) Quarterly Survey of Apartment Market Conditions for April 2024.
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