Wed.Mar 01, 2023

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MBA: Mortgage Purchase Applications Decreased, Lowest Level Since 1995

Calculated Risk

From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications decreased 5.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending February 24, 2023. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 5.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.

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Clearstead Advisors Bolsters Trust Capabilities with Acquisition of Avalon Trust

Wealth Management

Ohio-based Clearstead Advisors, a private equity-backed RIA with $28 billion in client assets, has purchased a second trust business.

Assets 312
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Construction Spending Decreased 0.1% in January

Calculated Risk

From the Census Bureau reported that overall construction spending decreased: Construction spending during January 2023 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,825.7 billion, 0.1 percent below the revised December estimate of $1,827.5 billion. The January figure is 5.7 percent above the January 2022 estimate of $1,726.6 billion. emphasis added Private spending was "virtually unchanged" and public spending decreased: Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted a

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A Life Insurance Agent’s To-Do List for 2023

Wealth Management

Tactical adjustments for a better year and then some.

Insurance 302
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2025 Industry Index: How Top Advisors Are Scaling Smarter (and Faster) This Year

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

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Freddie Mac House Price Index Declines for 7th Consecutive Month in January

Calculated Risk

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Freddie Mac House Price Index Declines for 7th Consecutive Month in January A brief excerpt: Freddie Mac reported that its “National” Home Price Index (FMHPI) declined for the seventh consecutive month on a seasonally adjusted basis in January, putting the National FMHPI down 2.7% from its June 2022 peak, and down 5.3% Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA) from the peak.

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Eight Perspectives on Current Real Estate Investment Trends

Wealth Management

WMRE talked to a number of real estate investment experts in the first two months of 2023 to get their takes on navigating a climate with higher interest rates and reduced sales volumes.

Investing 287

More Trending

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Lessons from Michael Jordan’s $10M Make-A-Wish Donation

Wealth Management

Tax benefits are typically secondary factors with large gifts.

Taxes 279
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Personal finance links: generational wealth

Abnormal Returns

Podcasts Peter Lazaroff talks with Robin Powell about evidence-based investing. (peterlazaroff.com) The Mad Fientist talks with Ramit Sethi author of "I Will Teach You to Be Rich." (madfientist.com) Retirement Why retirement planning is not easy - uncertainty. (awealthofcommonsense.com) Some questions you need to ask yourself about retirement. (humbledollar.com) If you love something, why wouldn't you want to do it indefinitely?

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Two Office Landlords Defaulting May Be Just the Beginning

Wealth Management

Many office landlords are seeing borrowing costs skyrocket, leading owners to default on mortgages.

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Vehicles Sales at 14.89 million SAAR in February

Calculated Risk

Wards Auto released their estimate of light vehicle sales for February: U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Record Another Gain in February, Beating Expectations (pay site). Wards Auto estimates sales of 14.89 million SAAR in February 2023 (Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate), down 5.4% from the January sales rate, and up 8.6% from February 2022. Click on graph for larger image.

Sales 223
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Data Talks, CFOs Listen: Why Analytics Are Key To Better Spend Management

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.

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401(k) Real Talk Episode 49: March 1, 2023

Wealth Management

Open, honest and candid discussions about the latest news in the RPA industry.

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Presentation: How to Avoid Financial Disasters

The Big Picture

I did a brand new presentation last week, the first one since the pandemic lockdown began 3 years ago this month. I mentioned how much fun it was to get back on stage , but it definitely took a while to settle into a groove. Haven’t brought myself to watch the full discussion yet, but from the first 5 minutes you can see lots of excess nervous energy and pacing about the stage.

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'Tax Affecting' Allowed for the Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate

Wealth Management

Cecil v. Commissioner provides insights on how to weigh evidence on valuation discounts.

Taxes 246
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ISM® Manufacturing index Increased to 47.7% in February

Calculated Risk

(Posted with permission). The ISM manufacturing index indicated contraction. The PMI® was at 47.7% in February, up from 47.4% in January. The employment index was at 49.1%, down from 50.6% last month, and the new orders index was at 47.0%, up from 42.5%. From ISM: Manufacturing PMI® at 47.7% February 2023 Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business® Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in February for the fourth consecutive month following a 28-month period of growth, say the natio

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What Your Financial Statements Are Telling You—And How to Listen!

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.

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Eight Views on Current CRE Investment Trends

Wealth Management

WMRE talked to a number of real estate investment experts in the first two months of 2023 to get their takes on navigating a climate with higher interest rates and reduced sales volumes.

Investing 246
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Thursday: Unemployment Claims

Calculated Risk

Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios. Thursday: • At 8:30 AM ET, The initial weekly unemployment claims report will be released. The consensus is for 197 thousand initial claims, up from 192 thousand last week.

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How Workable Are FINRA’s ‘Finfluencer’ Tips For Firms?

Wealth Management

The regulator's update to its targeted sweep of firms’ dealings with social media influencers offered suggestions that may be difficult for broker/dealers to fulfill, according to one securities attorney.

Media 246
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10 Wednesday AM Reads

The Big Picture

My mid-week morning train WFH reads: • The SPAC Fad Is Ending in a Pile of Bankruptcies and Fire Sales : At least eight businesses that went public through mergers with “blank-check” companies have sought protection from creditors. ( Businessweek ) • Why WFH Will Not Doom Cities : Academics tend to overestimate the impact of current trends on cities today.

Food 146
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How to Avoid Pitfalls In Automation: Keep Humans In the Loop

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.

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ETFs With the Greatest Inflows in the Past Month

Wealth Management

These funds took in the most money over the past 30 days.

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Chart of the Week: House Prices vs Rents

Discipline Funds

If I had to distill our macro view into a single chart it would be this – house prices vs rents. COVID created an incredible disequilibrium in the housing market where house prices surged 40%+ and rents are only just playing catch-up. It’s part of what has caused inflation to linger as rents have a lagging impact on CPI and have yet to roll over substantially in the Owners Equivalent Rent data.

Math 137
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How Broker/Dealers Are Staying on the Right Side of Reg BI

Wealth Management

Regular internal reviews and technology can help firms avoid common pitfalls related to the rules’ disclosure and care obligation requirements.

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Wednesday links: serving two customers

Abnormal Returns

Markets How major asset classes performed in February 2023. (capitalspectator.com) March has historically been a better than February for the stock market. (carsongroup.com) Strategy What can we learn from how short sellers operate? (riskofruinpod.substack.com) Forecasting is about knowing when growth will slow. (klementoninvesting.substack.com) Books Insights from "The Biology of Investing: Nature, Nurture, Physiology, & Cognition" by John R.

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Book of Secrets on the Month-End Close

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.

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Bank CDs Are an Insult to America’s Savers

Wealth Management

Big financial institutions don’t feel the need to offer competitive rates on certificates of deposit, which are universally below the world’s safest asset: Treasury bills.

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Managing the business risk that is cyber

Norman Marks

I am pleased to announce that my latest book is now available on Amazon (see below). The intent is to help business leaders and information security practitioners discuss cyber risk in business rather than technical language, enabling executives and the board to make informed and intelligent business decisions.

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Starbucks Faces New Front in Its Labor Disputes: White-Collar Workers

Wealth Management

Starbucks has repeatedly denied violating labor laws and said that all claims of anti-union activity there are “categorically false.

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DIY Trend-Following Allocations: March 2023

Alpha Architect

No exposure to domestic equities. Partial exposure to international equities. No exposure to REITs. No exposure to commodities. No exposure to intermediate-term bonds. DIY Trend-Following Allocations: March 2023 was originally published at Alpha Architect. Please read the Alpha Architect disclosures at your convenience.

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Stop Falling Short When It Matters Most—The Elite Advisor’s Playbook to Success

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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Animal Spirits: Are Bonds Competition For Stocks?

A Wealth of Common Sense

Today’s Animal Spirits is brought to you by YCharts: Enter your information here to get 20% off YCharts (new clients only) On today’s show, we discuss: 10 years of A Wealth of Common Sense The most important charts for 2023 Soft landing? More like no landing Apartment rents fall as rush of new supply hits market There’s no going back to the old normal Tightening monetary policy and patterns of consumpt.

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4 Women Empowering Women in Financial Planning

eMoney Advisor

Women are becoming increasingly responsible for their household finances. In fact, statistics show that eight out of every ten women are going to end up responsible for managing either their own wealth or someone else’s. 1 In my fifteen years in the financial services industry, I have observed that women are often much more impacted by the financial decisions being made earlier on, whether that’s due to a divorce, outliving their spouse, or choices made in their career.

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: Reata’s new rare-disease drug will cost $370,000 per year

MarketWatch

Reata Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s RETA newly approved treatment for Friedreich’s ataxia will have a wholesale acquisition price of $370,000 per year, the company told investors on Tuesday night. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved the drug, Skyclarys, which treats a rare nervous-system disease that affects about 4,500 diagnosed patients in the U.S.

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A Brain Insight That Can Preserve Your Mental Health

Advisor Perspectives

Do we have to sit around and hope Alzheimer’s doesn’t afflict us, or can we do anything to skew the odds in our favor?

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Demo SkyStem’s Award Winning Month-End Close Solution & Earn $100

Is your finance team bogged down by endless data requests and disorganized spreadsheets during the month-end close? It’s time to consider a better option – automate with ART! SkyStem’s solution works alongside your ERP to transform the close and account reconciliation process and speed up month-end work. Explore SkyStem’s ART - the award-winning account reconciliation automation platform - and receive a $100 Amazon gift card as a thank you for your time.