Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 3, 2025

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with a recent survey indicating that a majority of advisors are viewing new client acquisition as their primary challenge in the current competitive environment for financial advice (followed by compliance and technology management) and suggests that, in addition to reviewing their marketing tactics to see if they are reaching their ideal target prospects, firms might consider evaluating the

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Retirement Planning Financial Advice Financial Advisor 246

Calculated Risk

JANUARY 3, 2025

Wards Auto released their estimate of light vehicle sales for December: U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales End 2024 With Long-Time High December, Q4 SAARs (pay site). Decembers 6% year-over-year rise in the daily selling rate capped off a fourth quarter rebound after demand dropped in Q2 and Q3. The return to growth was aided by rising inventory, increased retail incentives and lower interest rates, while pull-ahead volume of electric vehicles from expectations of cuts in government incentives could have

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Sales Retail Government 182

The Big Picture

JANUARY 3, 2025

This week, we speak with Sunaina Sinha , Global Head of Private Capital Advisory at Raymond James. Prior to joining Raymond James, Sunaina founded Cebile Capital , which was acquired by Raymond James in 2021. She was named one of the 50 Most Influential People in Private Equity for 2 years in a row by Dow Jones Private Equity News. She also earned a spot as one of the Twenty Trailblazing Women in Private Equity in 2023.

Portfolio Management 162

Portfolio Management Assets Management Economics 162

Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

Active ETFs continued to take a growing share of U.S. ETF inflows, rising to 24.6% in 2024 from 14.6% in 2022.

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Automation generally supercharges any process and brings its value to the forefront. See how infusing automation such as ART (our month-end close solution), into your close can get you to the next level of closing. We will share a live demo of SkyStem's solution, ART and share the key elements of month-end close automation. Through ART, we'll take a look at: What month-end close automation entails Which process steps can and should be automated Benefits of achieving process automation, and Why i

Accounting

Abnormal Returns

JANUARY 3, 2025

Markets Good years in the stock market tend to cluster. (awealthofcommonsense.com) How international stock markets performed in 2024. (novelinvestor.com) Just because the stock market is expensive, doesn't mean you should sell everything. (fa-mag.com) Crypto Memecoins are a way to learn about trading and markets. (howardlindzon.com) Microstrategy ($MSTR) is upping the ante on board pay.

Food 162

Food Manufacturing Economy Media 162

Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

This growing alternative asset class focuses on purchasing and leasing aviation assets and can provide diversified and uncorrelated returns.

Assets 291

Assets 291

Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

Atlas Financial Advisors falsely claimed Morningstar had verified and validated the hypothetical performance of its proprietary Portfolio Shield strategies,according to the SEC. It is the Commission's latest enforcement action stemming from recently implemented RIA marketing rules.

Portfolio 265

Portfolio Commission Financial Advisor Marketing 265

Abnormal Returns

JANUARY 3, 2025

Business Matt Reustle talks with Jonathan Eng a Portfolio Manager at Causeway Capital Management about luxury goods maker Kering. (joincolossus.com) Eric Golden talks global logistics with Eric Johnson who is the Senior Technology Editor at the Journal of Commerce. (joincolossus.com) Jon Youshaei talks with Andrew Rea about the growth of the Babish Culinary Universe.

Portfolio Management 147

Portfolio Management Communication Portfolio Management 147

Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

In an Indiana state court filing this week, the parties agreed to cover their costs. The suit sprang from a dispute over EverNests attempt to buy back a management interest in its firm from Sanctuary.

Management 265

Management 265

Calculated Risk

JANUARY 3, 2025

From Goldman: We left our Q4 GDP tracking estimate unchanged at +2.3% (quarter-over-quarter annualized) and our Q4 domestic final sales forecast unchanged at +2.3%. [Jan 2nd estimate] emphasis added And from the Atlanta Fed: GDPNow The GDPNow model estimate for real GDP growth (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the fourth quarter of 2024 is 2.4 percent on January 3, down from 2.6 percent on January 2.

Manufacturing 147

Manufacturing Sales Management Investments 147

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Where are top advisors focusing in 2025? AcquireUp’s 2025 Industry Index reveals it all. Based on insights from 200+ financial professionals nationwide, discover why 74% say seminars and referrals deliver the best ROI, how automation is helping advisors scale faster, and why only 8% are tapping into niche marketing (a major growth opportunity!). Whether you're refining your client acquisition strategy or scaling your practice, this report gives you the real-world data, benchmarks, and action ste

Clients

Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

In addition, an interesting read on understanding large language models and the NCIRP is seeking public comment.

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Alpha Architect

JANUARY 3, 2025

Simple, easy-to-implement, systematic formula-based investing can still generate market outperformance, providing investors with efficient exposure to well-documented factor premiums. Investigating Simple Formulaic Investing was originally published at Alpha Architect. Please read the Alpha Architect disclosures at your convenience.

Investments 124

Investments Investing Marketing Marketing 124

Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

Thiel's Indivisible Partners is now liveandhas recruited a former Merrill advisor team, New York-based Woodring I LeRoy Capital Advisors, with about $640 million in client assets.

Recruitment 258

Recruitment Assets Clients 258

Calculated Risk

JANUARY 3, 2025

(Posted with permission). The ISM manufacturing index indicated contraction. The PMI was at 49.3% in December, up from 48.4% in November. The employment index was at 45.3%, down from 48.1% the previous month, and the new orders index was at 52.5%, up from 50.4%. From ISM: Manufacturing PMI at 49.3% December 2024 Manufacturing ISM Report On Business Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in December for the ninth consecutive month and the 25th time in the last 26 months, say the

Manufacturing 113

Manufacturing Economy Economics Management 113

Speaker: Claire Grosjean, Global Finance & Operations Executive

Finance teams are drowning in data—but is it actually helping them spend smarter? Without the right approach, excess spending, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities continue to drain profitability. While analytics offers powerful insights, financial intelligence requires more than just numbers—it takes the right blend of automation, strategy, and human expertise.

Management

Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

A correction may seem overdue, but timing it is hard and regular investments pay rich rewards in the long term.

Investments 254

Investments Investing 254

Advisor Perspectives

JANUARY 3, 2025

With the Q3 GDP third estimate and the December close data, we now have an updated look at the popular "Buffett Indicator" -- the ratio of corporate equities to GDP. The current reading is 207.3%, up from the previous quarter.

Valuation 105

Valuation 105

Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

Paperwork covering a plethora of newfangled offerings was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as 2024 was ending.

Commission 251

Commission 251

Advisor Perspectives

JANUARY 3, 2025

The US banking system’s reserves, a key factor in the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep shrinking its balance sheet, tumbled below $3 trillion to the lowest since October 2020.

Banking 98

Banking 98

Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker

Your financial statements hold powerful insights—but are you truly paying attention? Many finance professionals focus on the income statement while overlooking key signals hidden in the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Understanding these numbers can unlock smarter decision-making, uncover risks, and drive long-term success. Join David Worrell, accomplished CFO, finance expert, and author, for an engaging, nontraditional take on reading financial statements.

Numbers

Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

Tuesday, March 04, 2025 | 2:30 PM ET

Clients 246

Clients 246

Advisor Perspectives

JANUARY 3, 2025

Here is a look at real (inflation-adjusted) charts of the S&P 500, Dow 30, and Nasdaq composite since their 2000 highs. We've updated this through the December 2024 close.

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Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

Tuesday, February 25, 2025 | 2:00 PM ET

Taxes 246

Taxes 246

Advisor Perspectives

JANUARY 3, 2025

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) came in at 49.3 in December, higher than November's 48.4 reading, but keeping the index in contraction territory for the 9th straight month. The manufacturing sector has now contracted for 25 of the past 26 months. The latest reading was better than the forecast of 48.2.

Manufacturing 98

Manufacturing Management 98

Speaker: Erroll Amacker

Automation is transforming finance but without strong financial oversight it can introduce more risk than reward. From missed discrepancies to strained vendor relationships, accounts payable automation needs a human touch to deliver lasting value. This session is your playbook to get automation right. We’ll explore how to balance speed with control, boost decision-making through human-machine collaboration, and unlock ROI with fewer errors, stronger fraud prevention, and smoother operations.

Accounting

Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

The panelists will provide an overview of the most important estate planning strategies covered at the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning.

Estate Planning 245

Estate Planning Planning 245

Advisor Perspectives

JANUARY 3, 2025

Here is a summary of the four market valuation indicators we update on a monthly basis.

Valuation 66

Valuation Marketing Marketing 66

Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

Paperwork covering a plethora of newfangled offerings was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as 2024 was ending.

Commission 237

Commission 237

Advisor Perspectives

JANUARY 3, 2025

The yield on the 10-year note ended January 3, 2025 at 4.60%, the 2-year note ended at 4.28%, and the 30-year at 4.82%.

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64

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Based off SkyStem's popular e-Book, the book of secrets to the month-end close will be revealed in this one-hour webinar. Learn leading practices when it comes to building a strong and sustainable month-end close that has room to grow and evolve. Learn about the power of precise estimates, why reconciliations are critical to closing the books, how and when to automate, and how the chart of accounts play into your close process.

Accounting

Wealth Management

JANUARY 3, 2025

A correction may seem overdue, but timing it is hard and regular investments pay rich rewards in the long term.

Investments 233

Investments Investing 233

Carson Wealth

JANUARY 3, 2025

This week on Take 5, Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist at Carson Group, and Barry Gilbert outline five key themes for 2025, emphasizing long-term investing over market timing. Tune in as they discuss: Expectations of potential market pullbacks The importance of staying invested Avoiding political bias in financial decisions Historical market trends favoring large gains The resilience of U.S. corporations in driving profitability Dont miss it!

Investments 64

Investments Investing Marketing Marketing 64

Advisor Perspectives

JANUARY 3, 2025

Wall Street is forecasting an 8% return in 2025. That’s below the 10.4% average nominal return over the past 99 years, but it is a forecast of even higher highs. Do you believe it? Will “The Bull” keep running this new year, or is it getting tired?

Marketing 64

Marketing Marketing 64

Sara Grillo

JANUARY 3, 2025

Mark Berg of Timothy Financial has a great story about how he scaled his hourly financial planning firm, grow it to a multiple-advisor company. Check it out! For those of you who are new to my blog, my name is Sara. I am a CFA charterholder and financial advisor marketing consultant. I have a newsletter in which I talk about financial advisor lead generation topics which is best described as fun and irreverent.

Financial Planning 59

Financial Planning Planning Financial Advice Financial Advisor 59

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Like being inches from the end zone, many advisors are frustratingly close to their next level of success. You work hard. You put in the hours. But if your closing rate is stuck or your pipeline feels like a revolving door… something has to change. Most advisors are just one small shift away from dramatically increasing their revenue. The difference?

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