Wed.Feb 26, 2025

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Lawler: Treasury Secretary Wrongly Says Fed Has Been “Big Seller” of Treasuries

Calculated Risk

From housing economist Tom Lawler: Treasury Secretary Wrongly Says Fed Has Been Big Seller of Treasuries In an interview last week, Treasury Secretary Bessent said that any plans by the Treasury to extend the maturity were a long ways off. One of the reasons cited by Secretary Bessent was the Federal Reserves current balance sheet runoff policy. Here is a quote from Bessent.

Sales 281
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What To Do When Gifts To Minors No Longer Fit: Adjusting UTMAs, 529 Plans, And Trusts When Family Goals Don’t Align

Nerd's Eye View

Parents often want to ensure their children have the resources to pursue their potential and lead fulfilling lives. To achieve this, financial support may start at a very young age, allowing for a longer growth horizon and, in many cases, serving tax and estate planning purposes. However, once a child reaches the age of majority, they may not always be in a position to manage assets responsibly.

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New Home Sales Decrease to 657,000 Annual Rate in January

Calculated Risk

The Census Bureau reports New Home Sales in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 657 thousand. The previous three months were revised up. Sales of new single-family houses in January 2025 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 657,000 , according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Sales 221
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Personal finance links: changing circumstances

Abnormal Returns

Podcasts Sam Dogen talks with Dr. Jordan Grumet author of "The Purpose Code." (sites.libsyn.com) Katie Gatti Tassin talks with Jeremy Porter about how home insurance and climate change are affecting the housing market. (podcast.moneywithkatie.com) Jim Dahle talks with Devon Gimbel and Lisha Taylor about maximizing travel rewards. (whitecoatinvestor.com) Carl Richards talks minimalism, wealth and happiness with Joshua Becker.

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Live Demo - Supercharge your Month End Close

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

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Newsletter: New Home Sales Decrease to 657,000 Annual Rate in January

Calculated Risk

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: New Home Sales Decrease to 657,000 Annual Rate in January Brief excerpt: The Census Bureau reported New Home Sales in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 657 thousand. The previous three months were revised up. The next graph shows new home sales for 2024 and 2025 by month (Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate).

Sales 214
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Wednesday links: the effect of de-globlization

Abnormal Returns

ETFs Private shares in a public ETF. The case of the ERShares Private-Public Crossover ETF ($XOVR) (morningstar.com) Leveraged ETFs are not for holding. (theblock.co) Big Tech Apple ($AAPL) is finally replacing Qualcomm ($QCOM) modems. (macworld.com) Microsoft ($MSFT) is letting Softbank take the lead with OpenAI. (spyglass.org) Amazon ($AMZN) Alexa+, powered by AI, is coming.

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Planning for the Merely Well-To-Do Baby Boomer

Wealth Management

The gap between what they Baby Boomers need and what advisors offer is widening.

Planning 267
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Thursday: GDP, Unemployment Claims, Durable Goods, Pending Home Sales

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 an increase to 225 thousand from 219 thousand last week. At 8:30 AM, Gross Domestic Product, 4th Quarter and Year 2024 (Second Estimate) The consensus is that real GDP increased 2.3% annualized in Q4, unchanged from the advance estimate of 2.3%.

Sales 147
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IRS Layoffs Underway as Tax Season Kicks Off

Wealth Management

As a result of the layoffs at the IRS, audit efforts aimed at high-income taxpayers may be stymied.

Taxes 232
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Smart strategies to efficiently scale your office

Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)

By Roy Hall, ADFP, CCFP There are times when hiring and retaining effective back-office staff can be daunting, especially if you’re a financial advisor in an environment with extensive regulatory oversight. This requires staff who are up to date on regulations and who pay attention to crucial details. One solution I learned from an MDRT friend was to outsource to offshore virtual assistants.

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Your Accounting Expertise Will Only Get You So Far: What Really Matters

Speaker: Victor C. Barnes, CPA, MBA

In the climb from contributor to leader, the rules quietly change. If you’re aiming for the summit, the air gets thinner—and what got you here won’t be enough to get you to the top (a concept first popularized by Marshall Goldsmith in his book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There ). What made you successful early in your finance career—technical accuracy, sharp analysis, flawless execution—won’t be what carries you to the next level.

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CAIS Taps Tim Shannon, Brad Walker as Co-Presidents

Wealth Management

The New York-based duo will report to CAIS founder and CEO Matt Brown.

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Talking Bad Trades & Regret Minimization

The Big Picture

Chatting with Tom Keene and Paul Sweeney on Bloomberg Surveillance about investing strategies and mistakes… The post Talking Bad Trades & Regret Minimization appeared first on The Big Picture.

Investing 147
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Savvy Wealth Creates CTO Position to Build Out Product, Engineering Teams

Wealth Management

Eric Hurkman, formerly of valuation software firm Carta, has joined Savvy to continue developing products for advisors and hiring more tech talent.

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Are Bonds Safe During a Recession or Market Crash?

Darrow Wealth Management

Although past performance is not indicative of future results, history can be a helpful lens to view bond performance during past recessions and bouts of volatility. Swings in the financial markets also highlight the benefitsand limitationsof diversification. During times of economic, financial, and political uncertainty, investors often wonder where to invest or what changes to make to their portfolio.

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How To Overcome Change Fatigue In Finance With Neuroscience-Backed Strategies

Speaker: Kim Beynon, CPA, CGMA, PMP

The most overlooked, yet most critical, element of transformation is preparing people for change. Automation and AI aren't just technical upgrades, they’re cultural shifts which can challenge identities. That’s why change management isn’t a side project—it’s the foundation. In finance, where precision and process rule, navigating change can feel especially disruptive.

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Former Employee Claims Wealth Enhancement Discriminated Against Her During Pregnancy

Wealth Management

Amy Fox joined the firm in 2022 as a transition support client specialist. However, according to the lawsuit, she was treated less favorably after she became pregnant in 2023.

Clients 214
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Animal Spirits: Time to Get Bearish?

A Wealth of Common Sense

Today’s Animal Spirits is brought to you by Betterment: See here for more information on Betterments RIA solutions Get a random Animal Spirits chart here On today’s show, we discuss: The U.S. Economy Depends More Than Ever on Rich People Velvet Ropes Everywhere Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letter Why I think AI take-off is relatively slow U.S.

Economy 72
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Judge Denies Ameriprise’s Restraining Order Against LPL, Former Employees

Wealth Management

U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich wrote that Ameriprise failed to elevate its claims that the defendants had violated the Broker Protocol (with LPLs support) beyond mere speculation.

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Ten Top Peter Lynch Stocks

Validea

Peter Lynch, who gained fame managing Fidelity’s Magellan Fund, has had his investment approach structured into a systematic model by Validea. This model focuses on identifying companies with growth potential that aren’t overpricedan approach called GARP (Growth At a Reasonable Price). At the core of this strategy is the PEG ratio, which compares a company’s P/E ratio to its earnings growth rate.

Banking 52
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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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Planning for the Merely Well-To-Do Baby Boomer

Wealth Management

The gap between what they Baby Boomers need and what advisors offer is widening.

Planning 184
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Two Measures of Consumer Attitudes: February 2025

Advisor Perspectives

Consumer attitudes are measured by two monthly surveys: the University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index (MCSI) and the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index (CCI). In February, the MCSI fell to 64.7, its lowest level in fifteen months. Meanwhile, the CCI experienced its sharpest decline since 2021, falling to 98.3.

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$430M Team Launches Own RIA With Wells Fargo’s First Clearing

Wealth Management

A Kansas City-based team of four advisors has created Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors through Wells Fargo's RIA channel.

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Empowering Financial Advisors: Training and Retaining Talent in Retirement Plan Practices

Advisor Perspectives

In light of the growing retirement market, the demand for advice is likely to increase. Our Mike Dullaghan discusses strategies for success and details our retirement plan practice program designed to help advisors.

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Protect What Matters: Rethinking Finance Ops In A Digital World

Speaker: Cheryl J. Muldrew-McMurtry

Distributed finance teams are rewriting how the back-office runs, and attackers are taking notes. Disconnected workflows, process blind spots, and rising cyber threats are more than just growing pains—they’re liabilities. The challenge isn’t just going remote. It’s building resilient systems that protect accuracy, control, and speed across every transaction and touchpoint.

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Let It Be …Taxed

Wealth Management

The carried interest debate continues in Washington.

Taxes 162
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You Don’t Need More Leads to Get More Clients

Advisor Perspectives

The truth is that most of your prospects have some kind of financial problem or issue. Otherwise, they wouldn’t agree to meet with you. Their lack of commitment to you at the end of your process is not necessarily because they're an unqualified lead.

Clients 64
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Ellevest Sheds Robo Advice Business to Betterment

Wealth Management

The deal with Betterment does not include Ellevests wealth management and financial planning business.

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New Home Sales Sink 10.5% in January; Below Forecast

Advisor Perspectives

New home sales fell more than expected while prices jumped to a two-year high last month. According to the Census Bureau, new home sales were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 657,000 in January, below the 679,000 forecast. This represents a 10.5% decline from December's upwardly revised rate of 734,000 and a 1.1% drop from one year ago.

Sales 59
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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 141: February 26, 2025

Wealth Management

Open, honest and candid discussion about Great Gray acquiring RPAG, Empower sued over high fees, two data breaches, robo advisor ratings and more.

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SEI Access marketplace for fund managers

SEI

Unlocking access to new opportunities for fund managers.

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RIA Recruiter, Dealmaker Kreuter Rolls Up Divisions Into Gladstone Group

Wealth Management

Recruitment shop D.A. Kreuter Associates and its Gladstone M&A, valuation and consulting divisions will now be the collective Gladstone Group.

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How Do Dividends Work?

Meb Faber Research

I don’t think most investors understand this very simple graphic… The post How Do Dividends Work? appeared first on Meb Faber Research - Stock Market and Investing Blog.

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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.