Fri.Aug 18, 2023

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Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (August 19-20)

Nerd's Eye View

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that a recent study has found that consumers are increasingly likely to spread their portfolios across a range of asset managers, and that this trend is particularly pronounced amongst more affluent clients (e.g., millionaires), suggesting that advisors who believe they hold "everything" their clients have may actually have less than they realize.

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RIA Roundup: Sequoia Financial Group to Add Special Needs Expertise with Affinia

Wealth Management

Sequoia Financial Group is adding a team specializing in special needs families, while Wealth Enhancement Group announced its 10th acquisition of the year, a CPA practice has returned to Cetera and Kestra onboarded $1.6 billion in the second quarter. Some top hires and custodian moves were also announced.

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Lawler: Is The “Natural” Rate of Interest Back to Pre-Financial Crisis Levels?

Calculated Risk

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Lawler: Is The “Natural” Rate of Interest Back to Pre-Financial Crisis Levels? A brief excerpt: Here is a graph showing the HLW and LM estimates of r-star from 1990 through the first quarter of 2023. Note that both of these estimates show a sharp decline in r-star right around the same time as the beginning of the financial crisis that led to the worst recession since the Great Depression.

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The WealthStack Podcast: Future-Proofing the Next Generation of Wealth Management Firms with Anton Honikman

Wealth Management

MyVest CEO Anton Honikman discusses how advisors need to evolve and elevate the way they do business.

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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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Businessweek: Five Ways the Fed’s Deflation Playbook Could Be Improved

The Big Picture

I have a new column out in Businessweek , just in time for the Federal Reserve meeting in Jackson Hole. It is a congratulatory open letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and the rest of the Fed on beating inflation: Dear Jay, Mazel tov! You beat inflation and avoided a recession. Revel in the sweet taste of victory as you fly-fish with other central bankers at the annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

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Former Advisor Who Staged Client's Suicide Sentenced To Life in Prison

Wealth Management

Following a conviction last year, Keith Todd Ashley was sentenced this week to life in prison in a fraud scheme that ended in his client's murder.

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More Trending

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WealthStack Roundup: Apex Integrates With Startup AdvisorArch

Wealth Management

Also, Altruist introduces a multiple account opening feature, more hires at TIFIN and CreativeOne partners with RISA.

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Q3 GDP Tracking: Moving Up

Calculated Risk

From BofA: Overall, the data flow since our last report pushed up our 3Q US GDP tracking estimate from the official forecast of 2.0% q/q saar (seasonally adjusted annual rate) to 2.7% q/q saar. [Aug 18th estimate] emphasis added From Goldman: July utilities output and auto production were stronger than our previous assumptions, and we boosted our Q3 GDP tracking estimate by 0.2pp to +2.4% (qoq ar).

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Muni Investors Can Find Bargains in Unlevered Closed-End Funds

Wealth Management

Unlevered municipal bond closed-end funds traded at a discount to their net asset value of roughly 12%, according to Bloomberg data.

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Stop asking random people stupid questions

The Reformed Broker

Barry’s new piece for Bloomberg is really good. I had a good laugh at this section: Inflation Expectations Surveys Are Useless The world is more complex, random and global than ever before. Multiplying unknowns have made economic forecasting even more difficult. But for hilariously wrong predictions, nothing beats surveying random people about where they think inflation will be in five years.

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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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Securitize Acquires Onramp Invest

Wealth Management

The acquisition will allow RIAs to offer their clients alternative asset classes including private equity, private credit, secondaries, real estate and more through the Onramp Invest dashboard.

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The Year Everyone Got Wrong

The Reformed Broker

Welcome to the latest episode of The Compound & Friends. This week, Michael Batnick, Eric Balchunas, Jeremy Schwartz, and Downtown Josh Brown discuss the magnificent seven, the bond market, defined outcome ETFs, inflation, the spot bitcoin ETF saga, and much more! You can listen to the whole thing below, or find it wherever you like to listen to your favorite pods!

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Alternatives Education Is Essential For Financial Planners

Wealth Management

Planners and clients face challenges and concerns regarding liquidity, fund structures, tax implications, and fees associated with alternative investments. Addressing these concerns requires collaborative educational efforts the industry.

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You Probably Need Less Money Than You Think For Retirement

A Wealth of Common Sense

One of the biggest problems with money is our feelings about it are always relative. So many people assume once they hit a certain level of income or net worth that all of their problems will magically vanish. Unfortunately, what typically happens when you make and save more money is you begin comparing yourself to people who have more than you, instead of your previous levels of wealth.

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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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SEC Set to Greenlight Ether-Futures ETFs in Win for Crypto Industry

Wealth Management

Nearly a dozen companies have filed with the SEC to launch ETFs based on Ether futures.

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The Five Habits of Highly Successful Marketers: A Guide for Independent Financial Advisors

XY Planning Network

Why are some people better at marketing than others? And how can you be one of those people who's a cut above the rest? The bad news is there's no magic recipe to become a master marketer. The good news is there are a few habits that set highly successful marketers apart from the mediocre (or just plain bad) ones; better yet, these habits can be learned.

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RPA Conversations: Jennifer Rayner and Lauren Loehning

Wealth Management

Moniwell founder Jennifer Rayner and Retirement Impact's Lauren Loehning discuss their upcoming session at Wealth@Work, “Secret Sauce: An Engagement Story.

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A Checklist for a Successful Cookout

Integrity Financial Planning

Organizing a successful cookout can be a fun but challenging task. Here’s some great advice to ensure your event runs smoothly and is a hit with your guests. Preparation is Key Firstly, make sure you put in the effort to prepare. Decide on the menu ahead of time and ensure you have all the necessary ingredients. Choose simple yet delicious recipes that can cater to various dietary preferences.

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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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401(k) Millionaires Stage a Comeback With Another Quarter of Gains

Wealth Management

The tally of seven-figure retirement accounts at Fidelity is climbing as stocks bounce back after falling in 2022.

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The Performance of Listed Private Equity

Alpha Architect

It is important to diversify the risks of private equity. This is best achieved by investing indirectly through a private equity fund rather than through direct investments in individual companies. Because most such funds typically limit their investments to a relatively small number, it is also prudent to diversify by investing in more than one fund.

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Best Vijay Kedia Portfolio Stocks – Hidden Gems For Long Term?

Trade Brains

Best Vijay Kedia Portfolio Stocks: Many investors keep a close eye on stock buys and sales of ace investors for ideas and inspiration. It is believed that beginner and experienced investors alike can put to use the research abilities of their larger counterparts. India has multiple investors with crores of personal wealth invested in the stocks. In this article, we’ll look at the best Vijay Kedia portfolio stocks and see if they can be an interesting opportunity for us as well.

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S&P 500 Snapshot: August Struggles Continue

Advisor Perspectives

The S&P 500 continues to struggle in August as the index posted its lowest close in almost two months. The index fell 2.11% from last Friday, marking the third consecutive week in the red. The index is currently up 14.27% year to date and is 8.90% below its record close from January 3, 2022.

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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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Even Cardi B was Upset about Inflation This Year

Bell Investment Advisors

When inflation sits above 5% for any length of time, even the financially sturdiest begin to take notice. This economic factor continued to pervade headlines and consumers’ thoughts for much of 2023. Earlier in the year, rapper and songwriter Cardi B, with 155 million social media followers, a great many music awards and an estimated $80 million net worth, had such a moment.

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What is the cost of a financial advisor?

WiserAdvisor

When it comes to personal finance, the guidance of a financial advisor can help you in more ways than one. These experts have the necessary financial knowledge and expertise to help you make informed decisions about your money, investments, and future financial security. However, the big question that looms in the minds of most investors seeking professional advice is regarding the cost of a financial advisor.

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Chart of the Week – Total US Real Estate Prices

Discipline Funds

The US real estate market is in an interesting situation. Activity in residential real estate has stagnated, but prices are holding up better than expected due to low inventories and a lack of forced sellers. Commercial real estate, on the other hand, looks to be in a very different situation with excess inventory due to work from home and what looks like an increasing number of forced sellers.

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Cardi B is Very Upset About $7 Lettuce

Bell Investment Advisors

When inflation sits above 5% for any length of time, even the financially sturdiest begin to take notice. Earlier in the year, rapper and songwriter Cardi B, with 155 million social media followers, a great many music awards and an estimated $80 million net worth, had such a moment. In The Economist, Cardi B vented about how crazy it is that lettuce surged to a cost of $7 a head.

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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?

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Why Did Retirement Confidence Falter in 2023?

Ballast Advisors

In its annual Retirement Confidence Survey of current workers and retirees, the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that workers’ confidence in their ability to fund retirement fell by the largest extent since the financial crisis of 2008, to levels not seen since 2018. Retirees’ confidence also took a substantial hit. Overall, just 20% of respondents felt very confident they will be able to afford a comfortable retirement.

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13 Best Investment Opportunities for Accredited Investors

Good Financial Cents

When I became an accredited investor, I found myself among an elite group with the financial means and regulatory clearance to access investments that many couldn’t. This opened doors to exclusive realms like hedge funds, venture capital firms, specific investment funds, private equity funds, and more. Even though I had this “exclusive access” it took me awhile to start investing in alternative asset classes.

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BofA’s Warning of a ‘5% World’ Sinks in With Yields Pushing Higher

Advisor Perspectives

All around the world, bond traders are finally coming to the realization that the rock-bottom yields of recent history might be gone for good.

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Aeroflex Industries IPO Review – GMP, Price, Details & More

Trade Brains

Aeroflex Industries IPO Review: Aeroflex Industries Limited is coming up with its Initial Public Offering. The IPO will open for subscription on August 22nd, 2023, and close on August 24th, 2023. In this article, we will look at the Aeroflex Industries IPO Review 2023 and analyze its strengths and weaknesses. Keep reading to find out! Aeroflex Industries IPO – About The Company Aeroflex Industries previously known as Suyog Intermediates Private Limited was incorporated in 1993.

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Demo SkyStem’s Award Winning Month-End Close Solution & Earn $100

Is your finance team bogged down by endless data requests and disorganized spreadsheets during the month-end close? It’s time to consider a better option – automate with ART! SkyStem’s solution works alongside your ERP to transform the close and account reconciliation process and speed up month-end work. Explore SkyStem’s ART - the award-winning account reconciliation automation platform - and receive a $100 Amazon gift card as a thank you for your time.