Calculated Risk
MAY 10, 2023
Here a few measures of inflation: The first graph is the one Fed Chair Powell has been mentioning. Click on graph for larger image. This graph shows the YoY price change for Services and Services less rent of shelter through March 2023. Services were up 6.8% YoY as of April 2023, down from 7.2% YoY in March. Services less rent of shelter was up 5.2% YoY in April, down from 6.1% YoY in March.
Wealth Management
MAY 10, 2023
The firm joins others in the industry including FMG Suite, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Hearsay Systems, Morningstar and Nitrogen to embrace generative artificial intelligence.
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Calculated Risk
MAY 10, 2023
From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications increased 6.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 5, 2023. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 6.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.
Wealth Management
MAY 10, 2023
Gifting privately held business interests is an effective way to maximize wealth transfer and achieve legacy planning goals.
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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
Calculated Risk
MAY 10, 2023
From the BLS : The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.4 percent in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, after increasing 0.1 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 4.9 percent before seasonal adjustment. The index for shelter was the largest contributor to the monthly all items increase , followed by increases in the index for used cars and trucks and the index for gasoline.
Wealth Management
MAY 10, 2023
Bridging the gap among different types of advisors.
Financial Advisor Source brings together the best content for financial advisor professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Wealth Management
MAY 10, 2023
The current hiring market for household staff is one of the busiest in two decades.
Nerd's Eye View
MAY 10, 2023
In meetings with current and prospective clients, asking follow-up questions can be a valuable tool for uncovering information about the client’s underlying values, goals, and motivations… and for deepening the personal connection that drives the advisor-client relationship. But while it’s one thing to know that it’s good to ask questions, it’s another thing to know which questions to ask to make the client feel comfortable enough to open up and discuss the personal
Wealth Management
MAY 10, 2023
Open, honest and candid discussions about the latest news in the RPA industry.
Calculated Risk
MAY 10, 2023
For fun, here is an update to the graph of economist Arthur Okun's misery index (popularized by President Reagan). Okun added inflation and the unemployment rate together as a measure of "misery". Click on graph for larger image. Currently YoY inflation is at 4.9%, and the unemployment rate is at 3.4% for a "misery index" value of 8.3. This is down from 8.5 in March, and below the median of 9.6 over the last 50 years.
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
MAY 10, 2023
After launching more than 30 new ETFs in March, sponsors brought 22 new funds to the market in April.
The Reformed Broker
MAY 10, 2023
Our first big reveal of speakers, musical acts, media, and sponsors for @FutureProofAC 2023 IS HERE Get your ticket today and join us in Huntington Beach, CA on September 10th-13th Register here: [link] pic.twitter.com/rbQR2zAGDk — The Compound (@TheCompoundNews) May 10, 2023 Today we announced the first fifty speakers who will be appearing at Future Proof Festival 2023.
Wealth Management
MAY 10, 2023
At the end of last year, there were a record 1,206 mutual funds and exchange-traded funds globally with a climate-related focus, up from 950 at the end of 2021.
Calculated Risk
MAY 10, 2023
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 250 thousand initial claims, up from 242 thousand last week. • Also at 8:30 AM, The Producer Price Index for April from the BLS. The consensus is for a 0.3% increase in PPI, and a 0.3% increase in core PPI.
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.
The Big Picture
MAY 10, 2023
My mid-week morning train reads: • 26 Empire State Buildings Could Fit Into New York’s Empty Office Space. That’s a Sign. Unlike earlier eras of urban success, this time New York did not produce enough housing to keep up with demand. The cost of living skyrocketed. Compare New York with Houston, which remained affordable for ordinary Americans because it built aggressively.
Calculated Risk
MAY 10, 2023
The Cleveland Fed released the median CPI and the trimmed-mean CPI. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the median Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% in April. The 16% trimmed-mean Consumer Price Index increased 0.3% in April. "The median CPI and 16% trimmed-mean CPI are measures of core inflation calculated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland based on data released in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) monthly CPI report".
Abnormal Returns
MAY 10, 2023
Strategy The case for international diversification still holds. (awealthofcommonsense.com) Some lessons from the 2023 Berkshire Hathaway ($BRK.A) annual meeting. (novelinvestor.com) What will your investing obituary say? (blog.validea.com) Crypto Why are meme coins having another go at it? (thisisthetop.substack.com) The city of Miami is kind of done with crypto.
Calculated Risk
MAY 10, 2023
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: 2nd Look at Local Housing Markets in April A brief excerpt: This is the second look at local markets in I’m tracking about 40 local housing markets in the US. Some of the 40 markets are states, and some are metropolitan areas. I’ll update these tables throughout the month as additional data is released.
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.
Clever Girl Finance
MAY 10, 2023
Everyone always has new hacks and tips on how to save money. But it isn't necessary to reinvent the wheel to change your financial situation. Instead, you can look to the frugal living tips from the Great Depression that a lot of our grandparents used. Table of contents Expert tip Can you use these ideas to save and still have fun? What is the best Depression-era idea to save money?
Alpha Architect
MAY 10, 2023
Box spreads represent an opportunity to borrow and lend via the options market, at similar (and often better) rates than those that are available in the treasury bill market. Box Spreads: An Alternative to Treasury Bills? was originally published at Alpha Architect. Please read the Alpha Architect disclosures at your convenience.
A Wealth of Common Sense
MAY 10, 2023
Today’s Animal Spirits is brought to you by YCharts: See here to register for YCharts webinar discussing the scenarios tool with a big emphasis on how it helps streamline the financial planning process for advisors with RWM COO Nick Maggiulli on May 24th at 12:30pm Eastern On today’s show, we discuss: Jerome Powell faces lowest public confidence for Fed Chairman on record, Gallup says International diversification &
MarketWatch
MAY 10, 2023
U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committees meeting jointly on Wednesday voted unanimously that the benefits of making Opill, a birth control pill, available for use without a prescription would outweigh the risks, drugmaker Perrigo Co. PLC PRGO said in a release. The joint committee’s vote is not binding, but the FDA often follows advisory committee recommendations.
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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
MAY 10, 2023
Today, one in three of the 65-69 cohort, nearly one in five of the 70-74 cohort, and nearly one in ten of the 75+ cohort are in the labor force.
MainStreet Financial Planning
MAY 10, 2023
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a gala fundraiser for one of my favorite nonprofit organizations, Junior Achievement. Junior Achievement’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed. They do this through programs that teach entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and career readiness skills. You may not be aware, but I worked for this same nonprofit for about 5 years before joining MainStreet.
Clever Girl Finance
MAY 10, 2023
Everyone always has new hacks and tips on how to save money. But it isn't necessary to reinvent the wheel to change your financial situation. Instead, you can look to the frugal living tips from the Great Depression that a lot of our grandparents used. Table of contents Expert tip Can you use these ideas to save and still have fun? What is the best Depression-era idea to save money?
Advisor Perspectives
MAY 10, 2023
On May 3, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments on whether Massachusetts citizens will get a state-level fiduciary rule. The Fiduciary Institute submitted an amicus brief that said, emphatically, “Yes!” This is why.
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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?
MarketWatch
MAY 10, 2023
The spread on one-year credit default swaps widened to an all-time high on Wednesday amid continued worry over Washington’s impasse on the U.S. debt ceiling. That spread widened to 175 basis points from Tuesday’s closing level of 163 basis points, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. The one-year U.S. CDS spread is now wider than that of Mexico, Greece and Brazil — which were 34 basis points, 44 basis points, and 56 basis points respectively as of Wednesday.
Advisor Perspectives
MAY 10, 2023
The financial media is rife with misinformation on the debt ceiling and the jump in interest rates. However, a history review shows that the “debt-ceiling” issue is not only a non-crisis, but the recent rise in rates is likely an opportunity to buy bonds.
MarketWatch
MAY 10, 2023
Rep. George Santos, a New York Republican, was arrested Wednesday and charged with wire fraud, money laundering and and theft of public funds. The congressman is in custody in a federal courthouse in New York. Santos has faced calls for his resignation. As recently as Tuesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said “In America, you are innocent until proven guilty,” suggesting Santos will be allowed to remain in Congress while fighting the charges.
Random Roger's Retirement Planning
MAY 10, 2023
Meb Faber had a poll on Twitter that asked "how many years do you think you could withstand your portfolio underperforming the S&P 500?" It's a great question. An important concept that we talk about here frequently is the ergodicity of the stock market. The short meaning there is that over the long term, the stock market is going to work its way higher either with you or without you.
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