Wed.Mar 05, 2025

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MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey

Calculated Risk

From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications increased 20.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending February 28, 2025. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 20.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.

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Treasury Pulls the Plug on Beneficial Owner Information Reporting Requirements

Wealth Management

The U.S. Treasury Department cites its sudden change of heart as a step in the interest of supporting hard-working American taxpayers and small businesses.

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Fed's Beige Book: "Overall economic activity rose slightly"

Calculated Risk

Fed's Beige Book Overall economic activity rose slightly since mid-January. Six Districts reported no change, four reported modest or moderate growth, and two noted slight contractions. Consumer spending was lower on balance, with reports of solid demand for essential goods mixed with increased price sensitivity for discretionary items, particularly among lower-income shoppers.

Economics 194
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Edelman Sues Former Advisor for Stealing Clients, Trade Secrets

Wealth Management

Edelman Financial Engines claims John Carey violated non-solicitation and trade secret agreements when he moved to Farther, taking 55 clients and over $55 million in AUM.

Clients 258
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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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ICE Mortgage Monitor: Property Insurance Costs Rose at a Record Rate in 2024

Calculated Risk

Today, in the Real Estate Newsletter: ICE Mortgage Monitor: Property Insurance Costs Rose at a Record Rate in 2024 Brief excerpt: Property Insurance Premiums Increased Sharply in 2024 Here is a chart from the Mortgage Monitor. These increases are largely being driven by losses due to natural disasters. The average annual property insurance premium among mortgaged single-family homes rose by a record $276 (+14%) to $2,290 in 2024 Thats the largest single-year increase on record dating back to 2

Insurance 191
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Internal Revenue Service Pitfalls in the Valuation of Carried Interest

Wealth Management

Tips for avoiding IRS scrutiny in an audit.

Valuation 256

More Trending

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Raymond James COO to Lead FINRA Board of Governors

Wealth Management

Scott Curtis will succeed FusionIQ CEO Eric Noll as board chair. During a February meeting, the board also approved soliciting comments for changes to its rules on outside business activities.

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ADP: Private Employment Increased 77,000 in February

Calculated Risk

From ADP: ADP National Employment Report: Private Sector Employment Increased by 77,000 Jobs in February; Annual Pay was Up 4.7% Policy uncertainty and a slowdown in consumer spending might have led to layoffs or a slowdown in hiring last month, said Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. Our data, combined with other recent indicators, suggests a hiring hesitancy among employers as they assess the economic climate ahead. emphasis added This was below the consensus forecast of 140,000.

Economics 162
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Five Factors to Help RIAs Create Alignment with Their Custodians

Wealth Management

Selecting the right custodian is one of the most important decisions RIAs will make during the lifecycle of their business.

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Thursday: Unemployment Claims, Trade Deficit

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 234 initial claims down from 242 thousand last week. Also, at 8:30 AM, U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services for January from the Census Bureau. The consensus is for a record U.S. trade deficit of $128.3 billion from $98.4 billion in December.

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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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Choreo Sues Compound, Breakaway Advisors for Alleged Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Soliciting Clients

Wealth Management

Choreos lawsuit comes a day after Compound announced it had brought on members of the Des Moines, Iowa-based team that had overseen $1.2 billion in client assets.

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ISM® Services Index Increased to 53.5% in February

Calculated Risk

(Posted with permission). The ISM Services index was at 53.5%, up from 52.8% last month. The employment index increased to 53.9%, from 52.3%. Note: Above 50 indicates expansion, below 50 in contraction. From the Institute for Supply Management: Services PMI at 53.5% February 2025 Services ISM Report On Business Economic activity in the services sector expanded for the eighth consecutive month in February, say the nation's purchasing and supply executives in the latest Services ISM Report On Busi

Economics 113
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The United States Sovereign Wealth ETF

Random Roger's Retirement Planning

Matt Zeigler hosted Jason Buck and Dave Nadig for a fun podcast that started out talking about the proposed Crypto Reserve and how that might mesh in or overlap with a Sovereign Wealth Fund. I believe any talk from politicians on this point has blurred the line between reserve and SWF which the guys spent a little time sorting out. We have an oil reserve already as well as a gold reserve which are sort of "break glass in case of emergency" assets while a SWF is more of a pool of capital that is

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401(k) Real Talk Episode 142: March 5, 2025

Wealth Management

Open, honest and candid discussion about BlackRock scrapping DEI, a 100,000 advisor shortage coming, plan sponsor survey highlights and more.

Planning 180
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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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Seminar Marketing for Financial Advisors

Indigo Marketing Agency

Seminar Marketing for Financial Advisors Guide to Seminar Marketing for Financial Advisors: Generate Endless High-Quality Leads Theres a reason some of the most successful and fast-growing financial advisor businesses spend a great deal of their marketing efforts promoting and hosting seminars. What is that reason? Seminars get maximum leads and new client conversion rates.

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Mariner Books Its First Independent to In-House RIA Move

Wealth Management

CEO Marty Bicknell says that Ocean Heights Advisors move to become a full Mariner firm showcases the mega-RIAs strategy of providing a succession pathway for W-2 advisors.

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Ten High G Score Growth Stocks

Validea

The G-Score is a financial analysis framework developed by Professor Partha Mohanram in 2005. It was specifically designed to evaluate growth stocks, serving as a counterpart to Joseph Piotroski’s F-Score system for value stocks. The framework assesses eight critical indicators of a company’s financial health, with particular emphasis on metrics relevant to growth-oriented companies.

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Captrust Acquires $1.4B Charlotte RIA

Wealth Management

Carolinas Investment Consulting will be Captrusts second Charlotte location.

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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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Buffett Valuation Indicator: February 2025

Advisor Perspectives

With the Q4 GDP second estimate and the February close data, we now have an updated look at the popular "Buffett Indicator" -- the ratio of corporate equities to GDP. The current reading is 205.0%, down slightly from the previous quarter.

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Smarter IT with a full-court press

SEI

SEI Sphere: A holistic approach to operational resiliency.

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Secular Bull and Bear Market Trends: February 2025

Advisor Perspectives

The S&P 500 real monthly averages of daily closes reached a new all-time high in December 2024 but has retreated from it the past few months. Let's examine the past to broaden our understanding of the range of historical bull and bear market trends in market performance.

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Are You Ready to Take Flight Toward New Beginnings?

Leading Advisor

As a financial advisor, you help clients prepare for new chapters in their livesretirement, starting a business, or pursuing a passion project. But what about… The post Are You Ready to Take Flight Toward New Beginnings? appeared first on Leading Advisor - Simon Reilly.

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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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The Power of Attorney Mistake That Could Cost You Everything

Advisor Perspectives

One of the fastest and easiest ways to unravel your financial security is to have the wrong person gain control of your money.

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Why does Internal Audit need to exist?

Norman Marks

A recent post on LinkedIn by Tom McLeod made me think. I first met Tom when I was facilitating a CAE roundtable in Australia for the IIA. He impressed me with his insights and progressive thoughts on internal auditing, which he not only talked about but practiced.

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Market Valuation: Is the Market Still Overvalued?

Advisor Perspectives

Here is a summary of the four market valuation indicators we update on a monthly basis.

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Car Theft Prevention: Do’s and Don’ts (+Checklist)

YouSet Insurance

Follow these do's and don'ts, along with a practical car theft prevention checklist, to help protect your car from theft.

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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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Germany’s ‘Whatever It Takes’ Moment Powers European Markets

Advisor Perspectives

Germany’s extraordinary spending plans are shaking up the region’s markets, powering European equities past US peers this year and reviving the euro from the brink of parity with the dollar.

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Estate Planning In The Digital Age: Why Digital Assets Are A Critical Part And How To Help Clients Address Them

Nerd's Eye View

Historically, estate planning centered on tangible documentation – wills, account access, and critical information stored in safes or files, with clear instructions for heirs. However, as assets and personal information have become increasingly digitized and moved online, ensuring smooth access to digital accounts has become increasingly complicated.

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Creating Content with Confidence: 8 Copyright Myths Explained

Advisor Perspectives

Understanding copyright compliance rules can help you protect your business and confidently share content that aligns with both legal and ethical standards. Let’s clear up some common myths to keep your financial marketing on the right track.

Ethics 64
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Personal finance links: financial independence

Abnormal Returns

Podcasts Jim O'Shaugnessy talks about the art of retirement with Christine Benz author of "How to Retire: 20 Lessons for a Happy, Successful, and Wealthy Retirement." (newsletter.osv.llc) Rick Ferri talks with Mike Piper, author of "After the Death of a Spouse, Next Financial Steps for Surviving Spouses." (bogleheads.podbean.com) Dan Haylett talks with Bob Laura about building 'retirement intelligence.

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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?