The Big Picture
DECEMBER 19, 2024
I have been playing a lot this year with ChatGBT, and saved some of my favorites. This is one of them: Chapter 1: The Creation of the Market In the beginning, the Trader created the Market and the Economy. The Market was formless and void, and volatility was upon the face of the indices. The Spirit of Investment hovered over the trading floor. And the Trader said, “Let there be Value,” and there was Value.
Calculated Risk
DECEMBER 19, 2024
Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios. Friday: At 8:30 AM ET, Personal Income and Outlays for November. The consensus is for a 0.4% increase in personal income, and for a 0.5% increase in personal spending. And for the PCE price index to increase 0.2%, and the Core PCE price index to increase 0.2%. PCE prices are expected to be up 2.5% YoY, and core PCE prices up 2.9% YoY.
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Wealth Management
DECEMBER 19, 2024
With the advantage of hindsight, the U.S. can leverage Europe's decade-long experience with crypto ETPs to avoid pitfalls and accelerate crypto adoption.
Calculated Risk
DECEMBER 19, 2024
From the NAR: Existing-Home Sales Elevated 4.8% in November; Post Strongest Year-Over-Year Increase Since June 2021 Existing-home sales grew in November, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales advanced in three major U.S. regions and remained steady in the West. Year-over-year, sales climbed in all four regions. Total existing-home sales completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops improved 4.8% from October to a seasonally adjus
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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
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 19, 2024
The $103 billion firms deputy CIO Tom Cohn discusses Ceritys investment philosophy.
Calculated Risk
DECEMBER 19, 2024
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 232 thousand initial claims, down from 242 thousand last week. Also at 8:30 AM, Gross Domestic Product, 3rd quarter 2024 (Third estimate). The consensus is for real GDP at 2.8% annualized, unchanged from the second estimate of 2.8%.
Financial Advisor Source brings together the best content for financial advisor professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Calculated Risk
DECEMBER 19, 2024
From the BEA: Gross Domestic Product (Third Estimate), Corporate Profits (Revised Estimate), and GDP by Industry, Third Quarter 2024 Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.1 percent in the third quarter of 2024 , according to the "third" estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 3.0 percent.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 19, 2024
F2 Strategy's co-founder provides his take on the most important wealth management technology news of the last month.
Calculated Risk
DECEMBER 19, 2024
Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: NAR: Existing-Home Sales Increased to 4.15 million SAAR in November Excerpt: The sales rate was above the consensus forecast (but close to housing economist Tom Lawlers estimate ). Sales Year-over-Year and Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA) The fourth graph shows existing home sales by month for 2023 and 2024.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 19, 2024
The firm is seeking an injunction in Texas federal court against Roberto Ortega, alleging he accessed client information to solicit them when he left to join a new firm.
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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
A Wealth of Common Sense
DECEMBER 19, 2024
We also hit on questions about the optimal savings rate for retirement, covered call option strategies vs. bonds, how to hedge your real estate portfolio and some investment advice for an 18 year old investor who wants to retire a multi-millionaire. Further Reading: What is the Historical Rate of Return on Housing? 1I suppose you could talk me into the land grab in the 1800s like Tom Cruise in Far & Away.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 19, 2024
Mindy and Louis Diamonds annual review is designed to provide guidance on the most impactful wealth management industry trends anticipated for 2025, including transitions, deals, compensation, private equity, the wirehouse recruiting race and more.
NAIFA Advisor Today
DECEMBER 19, 2024
Joe Sparacio, CLU, LUTCF, CLF , a 30-year veteran of the financial services industry and loyal member since 1991, stands as a beacon of dedication and leadership. His career, marked by stints at major firms such as Prudential Financial, MassMutual, and now National Life Group, reflects a deep commitment not just to his profession but also to its broader impact.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 19, 2024
Also, the fourth quarter became the most active quarter in history, with 78 reported deals, according to DeVoe & Company.
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.
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 19, 2024
FINRA has released new data for margin debt, now available through November. The latest debt level is at $890.852 billion, the highest level since February 2022. Margin debt is up 9.3% month-over-month (MoM) and up 34.8% year-over-year (YoY). However, after adjusting for inflation, debt level is up 9.3% MoM and up 31.2% YoY.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 19, 2024
As part of the deal, serial entrepreneur Reed Colley will join Orion from Summit as president of its technology unit.
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 19, 2024
At a time when the American consumer’s resiliency has been questioned amid signs of a slowing economy, Walmart Inc. has thrived. The world’s largest retailer, famed for its discount prices but increasingly known for its pursuits in advertising and an online marketplace, is headed for its best year since 1998.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 19, 2024
Captrust has acquired Virginia-based Campbell Wealth Management and St. Paul, Minn.-based TruNorth Wealth Partners.
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.
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 19, 2024
Nominal retail sales in November were up 0.69% month-over-month (MoM) and up 3.80% year-over-year (YoY). However, after adjusting for inflation, real retail sales were up 0.37% MoM and up 1.04% YoY.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 19, 2024
Also, the fourth quarter became the most active quarter in history, with 78 reported deals, according to DeVoe & Company.
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 19, 2024
The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) increased slightly in November. The index rose 0.3% from the previous month to 99.7 after eight consecutive monthly declines.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 19, 2024
David Montgomery will support Concurrents retirement plan advisors and expand the firms resources in the space.
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.
Random Roger's Retirement Planning
DECEMBER 19, 2024
First, I wanted to recap how a few pockets we look at regularly here did in Wednesday's carnage. The first group are permanent-ish portfolio funds. I am including HFND here but thought of it after the fact. For what it's worth, Vanguard Balanced Index Fund was down 2.17%. The FIRS number may not be accurate because the last trade was right before the Powell presser.
SEI
DECEMBER 19, 2024
SEI explains five considerations for consolidating or complementing a firms wealth-tech stack in this article in Professional Adviser. Learn more about SEI.
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 19, 2024
The U.S. economy grew above expectations during the third quarter of this year. Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 3.1% in Q3 2024, according to the third estimate. The latest estimate is above the forecasted 2.8% growth and is below the Q2 2024 GDP final estimate of 3.0%.
Calculated Risk
DECEMBER 19, 2024
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 November, Realtor.com reported inventory was up 26.2% YoY, but still down 21.5% compared to the 2017 to 2019 same month levels. Now - on a weekly basis - inventory is up 23.4% YoY.
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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.
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 19, 2024
On Friday December 6th, the U.S. stock market pushed to the most extreme level of valuation in U.S.
Abnormal Returns
DECEMBER 19, 2024
Markets The stock market couldn't go up forever. (theirrelevantinvestor.com) The average stock is down since the election. (sherwood.news) No company can avoid competition indefinitely. (downtownjoshbrown.com) Why do U.S. stocks have a valuation edge over the rest of the world? (mrzepczynski.blogspot.com) Housing The continued rise in home insurance non-renewal rates will throw a wrench into the home market.
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 19, 2024
Industrial production was down 0.1% in November, below economist estimates. Compared to one year ago, industrial production is down 0.9%.
Calculated Risk
DECEMBER 19, 2024
The DOL reported : In the week ending December 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 220,000 , a decrease of 22,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 242,000. The 4-week moving average was 225,500, an increase of 1,250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 224,250. emphasis added The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971.
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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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