Calculated Risk
MARCH 20, 2025
What this means: On a weekly basis, Realtor.com reports the year-over-year change in active inventory and new listings. On a monthly basis, they report total inventory. For February, Realtor.com reported inventory was up 27.5% YoY, but still down 22.9% compared to the 2017 to 2019 same month levels. Now - on a weekly basis - inventory is up 28.5% YoY.
Abnormal Returns
MARCH 20, 2025
Books An excerpt from "Abundance" by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. (theatlantic.com) An excerpt from Clay Risens new book "Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America." (slate.com) An excerpt from John Green's new book "Everything is Tuberculosis." (theatlantic.com) An excerpt from "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change" by Olga Khazan.
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Calculated Risk
MARCH 20, 2025
From the NAR: Existing-Home Sales Accelerated 4.2% in February Existing-home sales ascended in February, according to the National Association of REALTORS. For both monthly and year-over-year sales, two major U.S. regions experienced growth, one region remained stable and the other registered a decline. Total existing-home sales completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops progressed 4.2% from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.26 m
The Big Picture
MARCH 20, 2025
I know, I know, I am torturing you with book stuff. This will run its course over the next few weeks and months… There are lots of reviews trickling in, and I want to share one from someone you may not be familiar with: John Tamny of Real Clear Markets. “From the introduction right on through the final page, Ritholtz is clear that his book is designed to reduce mistakes your mistakes with money.
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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
Calculated Risk
MARCH 20, 2025
Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: NAR: Existing-Home Sales Increased to 4.26 million SAAR in February; Down 1.2% YoY Excerpt: Sales in February (4.26 million SAAR) were up 4.2% from the previous month and were 1.2% below the February 2024 sales rate. This breaks the streak of fourth consecutive year-over-year increases in sales. Sales Year-over-Year and Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA) The fourth graph shows existing home sales by month for 2024 and 2025.
Abnormal Returns
MARCH 20, 2025
Markets Markets are largely shrugging off the destruction of norms. (ft.com) S&P 500 companies returned a record amount of capital in 2024. (axios.com) The U.S. stock market is a standout in 2025, and not in a good way. (capitalspectator.com) Which sectors look cheap after this correction? (morningstar.com) Books Barry Ritholtzs "How Not to Invest" is a 'very informative book about investing that is most importantly a lot of fun.
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Wealth Management
MARCH 20, 2025
2023 U.S. Open Champion Wyndham Clark opens up about his experiences with money.
Indigo Marketing Agency
MARCH 20, 2025
Recession Concerns & Market Volatility: How Financial Advisors Should Communicate With Clients As financial advisors , youre well aware that so far the 2025 financial market has been more unpredictable than a toddler. One moment, theyre giggling with delight; the next, theyre in full meltdown mode because a sock wont cooperate. But despite the turbulence, history suggests that what were seeing may not be a sign of impending disaster.
Wealth Management
MARCH 20, 2025
This week, LPL sees advisor losses and gains, while PE-backed Pure Financial adds a Washington state-based advisory.
Random Roger's Retirement Planning
MARCH 20, 2025
Tuttle Capital put out a report that covered a lot of ground. There are two things I wanted to focus on from the report. First was his dour conclusion about 60/40 going forward, he calls 60/40 a lie, using AI. Bonds are the problem says his AI queries. There are problems with correlation which we cover all the time as well as now price inflation which sets the stage for higher interest rates.
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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
Wealth Management
MARCH 20, 2025
Louis and Jason Diamond present key findings and insights from the annual state of the industry report on advisor movement, transition deals and more.
Validea
MARCH 20, 2025
Benjamin Graham, often called the “father of value investing,” developed a systematic approach to finding undervalued stocks that has influenced investors for generations, including Warren Buffett. Graham’s strategy focuses on identifying established, financially sound companies trading below their intrinsic value, rather than speculative growth ventures.
Wealth Management
MARCH 20, 2025
Stephanie Bogan describes a more inclusive and sustainable growth model.
Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)
MARCH 20, 2025
By Bryce Sanders While youre attending the MDRT Annual Meeting or other conferences, your clients might think you are away on a paid holiday or they could see it as a benefit. It depends on how you position it.
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.
Wealth Management
MARCH 20, 2025
Advisors who rely solely on investment selection risk falling behind in an increasingly complex landscape.
A Wealth of Common Sense
MARCH 20, 2025
We also answered questions about when to change your asset allocation during a correction, why Wall Street is so bad at price targets, the economic impact of tariffs and taking out a 401k loan to fund a down payment. Further Reading: 10 Great Lines From Where Are the Customers’ Yachts? The post What is the Point of Money? appeared first on A Wealth of Common Sense.
Wealth Management
MARCH 20, 2025
Flourish's acquisiton of Sora Finance will add mortgage and liability capabilities to the wealthtech platform.
Advisor Perspectives
MARCH 20, 2025
The latest Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index showed continued expansion though activity declined. In March, the index fell to 12.5 from 18.1 in February, the second consecutive monthly drop. The latest reading was higher than the forecast of 8.8.
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.
Wealth Management
MARCH 20, 2025
In 2024, only 42% of active strategies survived and generated better returns than passive options, according to Morningstar.
Advisor Perspectives
MARCH 20, 2025
GMO has posted a new 7-Year asset class forecast as of February 28, 2025.
WiserAdvisor
MARCH 20, 2025
A recent survey found that 45% of individuals around the age of retirement worry about outliving their savings. More than one in three (39%) have seen their standard of living decline post-retirement, and about 30% admit they have already spent more than they should in retirement. It is easy to underestimate how much you will need in your golden years, and unexpected expenses can drain your savings faster than expected.
Advisor Perspectives
MARCH 20, 2025
When we think of the U.S. government's finances, we often focus on the massive debt. But what about the assets? What does Uncle Sam actually own, and which asset is the largest?
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.
Harness Wealth
MARCH 20, 2025
The professional restrictions that resulted from COVID-19 may have passed, however, remote work has remained an ever-present feature of the post-pandemic employment arena. With over 22 million Americans working remotely , understanding the tax deductions available for home offices is more relevant than ever. The eligibility criteria and rules surrounding home office tax deductions for remote workers are far from straightforward, however.
Advisor Perspectives
MARCH 20, 2025
In February, home values rose for the 23rd consecutive month, reaching a new all-time high, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. However, after adjusting for inflation, real home values declined for the 10th straight month, hitting their lowest level since May 2021.
Nerd's Eye View
MARCH 20, 2025
Whenever the markets become ‘scary' due to current events, advisors can anticipate calls from anxious clients wondering what to do next. These clients are often in fight-or-flight mode, which can make it difficult to have a rational discussion or a productive conversation about their financial plan. And if an advisor jumps straight to data – trying to ‘prove' why staying the course is the right decision – the client may become even more frustrated and reactive.
Advisor Perspectives
MARCH 20, 2025
After years of poor decision-making, the federal government’s $1.64 trillion student loan program is in critical condition. Congress needs to stanch the bleeding — and give serious thought to overhauling this flawed system for the longer term.
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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.
Wealth Management
MARCH 20, 2025
The Trump administrations SEC amends the guidance on the marketing rule to ease requirements for how RIAs advertise extracted investment performance to potential clients.
Advisor Perspectives
MARCH 20, 2025
Existing home sales rebounded in February with their largest monthly increase in a year. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), existing home sales rose 4.2% from January, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.26 million units in February.
The Better Letter
MARCH 20, 2025
I don’t know whether Tuesday’s TBL was the bonus edition or if this one is, but there are two this week. I hope you think that’s good news. If you like The Better Letter , please subscribe, share it, and forward it widely. Subscribe now Share The Better Letter Get more from Bob Seawright in the Substack app Available for iOS and Android Get the app If you’re new here, check out these TBL “greatest hits” below.
Advisor Perspectives
MARCH 20, 2025
Elon Musk’s social network X has raised close to $1 billion in new equity from investors, according to people with knowledge of the matter — a deal that gives the company a valuation in line with when Musk took it private in 2022.
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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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