Tue.Apr 29, 2025

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BLS: Job Openings Decreased to 7.2 million in March

Calculated Risk

From the BLS: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary The number of job openings was little changed at 7.2 million in March , the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, hires held at 5.4 million, and total separations changed little at 5.1 million. Within separations, quits (3.3 million) were unchanged and layoffs and discharges (1.6 million) edged down. emphasis added The following graph shows job openings (black line), hires (dark blue), Layoff, Discharges and other (r

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#FASuccess Ep 435: When The Next-Gen Clients’ “Wealth Builder” Offering Becomes The Main Driver Of Growth For A $1B+ Advisory Firm, With Gideon Drucker

Nerd's Eye View

Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 435th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast ! My guest on today's podcast is Gideon Drucker. Gideon is the CEO of Drucker Wealth, a hybrid advisory firm based in New York City, that oversees approximately $1 billion in assets under management for 800 client households. What's unique about Gideon, though, is how he initiated a "Wealth Builder" offering serving high-income next-generation clients (within a firm that historically had worked primarily with

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Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 3.9% year-over-year in February

Calculated Risk

S&P/Case-Shiller released the monthly Home Price Indices for February ("February" is a 3-month average of December, January and February closing prices). This release includes prices for 20 individual cities, two composite indices (for 10 cities and 20 cities) and the monthly National index. From S&P S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index Records 3.9% Annual Gain in February 2025 The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S.

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Research links: the same Sharpe ratio

Abnormal Returns

Quant stuff A curated list of the best finance and investment blogs, tools, and webpages broken down by category. (snippet.finance) Some recent academic research including 'Auctions, Announcements, and Abnormal Returns.' (alphainacademia.substack.com) Fund flows How fund flow seasonality is affecting bond ETFs. (on.ft.com) Fund flow volatility highlights bad investor behavior.

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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: Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 3.9% year-over-year in February

Calculated Risk

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 3.9% year-over-year in February Excerpt: S&P/Case-Shiller released the monthly Home Price Indices for February ("February" is a 3-month average of December, January and February closing prices). January closing prices include some contracts signed in October, so there is a significant lag to this data.

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Transcript: Jeffrey Becker, Jennison Associates Chair/CEO

The Big Picture

The transcript from this weeks, MiB: Jeffrey Becker, Jennison Associates Chair/CEO , is below. You can stream and download our full conversation, including any podcast extras, on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube , and Bloomberg. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite pod hosts can be found here. ~~~ 00:00:02 [Speaker Changed] Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio News.

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Edward Jones Adds Alts to its Private Client Service

Wealth Management

Edward Jones is working with tech platform CAIS to broaden its menu of alternative investments for high-net-worth clients.

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10% Returns in the Stock Market

A Wealth of Common Sense

In 2021, the S&P 500 was up 28.7%. In 2022, it was down 18.1% In 2023 and 2024, the market went up 26.3% and 25%, respectively. This year the S&P 500 is down 6% or so. That’s a lot of ups and downs in a short period of time. The annualized return in this four years and change was *drumroll* a little more than 10% per year. All of that movement and we landed right at the very long-run average.

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12 Investment Must Reads for This Week (April 29, 2025)

Wealth Management

Schwab is raising minimum fees for model providers selling to advisors from $100,000 to $300,000, reports FundFire. ETF launches hit a new record in the first quarter, but a Morningstar analyst raised concerns about the quality of many of the new funds. These are among the investment must reads we found this week for financial advisors.

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10 ways to reassure clients when markets are volatile

Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)

By Bryce Sanders When the stock market nosedives, people may become anxious as well as open to exploring more stable assets. With insurance, for example, you can use words like guaranteed and lifetime income in your conversations. Although, what do you tell clients who are worried about their stock portfolio? Years ago, insurance agents sold insurance, stockbrokers sold stock, and so forth.

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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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Merit Acquires RIA with Hit Financial YouTube Channel

Wealth Management

Merits acquisition of Safeguard Wealth Management Group will bring over $597 million in client assets, but more importantly, a financially-focused YouTube channel that regularly clocks tens of thousands of views.

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Just Don't With The Defined Outcome Funds

Random Roger's Retirement Planning

I received an email to my work account promoting the Innovator Equity Managed Floor ETF (SLFR). It's a defined outcome fund that uses collars, an option strategy that sells calls and buys puts, that charges 0.89%. The fact sheet lists the beta at 0.71 and the standard deviation at 10.18% versus 1.00 and 14.04 respectively for the the S&P 500. A common criticism to these funds and one that I believe in and have written about is that whatever you're trying to achieve with one of these funds yo

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RIA Edge Podcast: The Power of Specialization with Andrew Leonard

Wealth Management

In the RIA Edge Podcast, discover how Andrew Leonard grew Geometric Wealth Advisors to $1B+ AUM by exclusively serving McKinsey, Bain, and BCG executives. Learn their unique approach to remote work, tax services and maintaining an employee-owned structure while managing high referral volumes.

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Caroline Taylor Shares Insights on Navigating Market Turbulence with InvestmentNews

Carson Wealth

Caroline Taylor, director of wealth strategies in Carson Wealths Franklin Lakes office, was one of three financial advisors under 40 featured in a recent InvestmentNews article. The story, How young advisors are navigating todays market turbulence , highlighted insights from each advisor on navigating the volatility we are currently seeing in the market.

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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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Procyon Readies New Deals Post-Constellation Minority Stake

Wealth Management

According to co-founder Phil Fiore, the Dynasty-backed firm will make four to six transactions per year, and is looking at the space between the Mississippi River and the East Coast; but the deals have to be the right ones.

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Gas Prices Down for Third Straight Week

Advisor Perspectives

Gas prices were down for a third straight week, falling to a five-week low. As of April 28th, the price of regular and premium gas were each down 1 cents from the previous week.

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Deals & Moves: Modern Wealth Expands Into Chicago; EP Wealth Adds California RIA

Wealth Management

The latest industry deals and moves at Modern Wealth, EP Wealth, Kestra Private Wealth Services and Sowell Management.

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The Finance Curse

Advisor Perspectives

The sole pursuit of shareholder value — i.e. of maximizing stock price — leads not to a focus on creating the greatest possible value for the firm’s customers, but to a focus on financial metrics and financial engineering.

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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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Tech Consultancy F2 Strategy to Acquire MD Solutions

Wealth Management

F2, a wealth management strategy and consulting firm, acquired MD Solutions and now offers wealth technology implementations.

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Consumer Confidence Plunges to 5-Year Low in April

Advisor Perspectives

The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index® plunged to its lowest level in nearly five years in April. The index fell to 86.0 this month from March's upwardly revised 93.9, marking the fifth consecutive monthly decline, the longest streak since 2008.

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“Chimerica” consciously uncouples

SEI

That symbiotic, yet unsustainable, relationship started fraying about 15 years ago in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

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Bitcoin Devotees Plowed $3 Billion Into ETFs Amid Crypto’s Surge

Advisor Perspectives

Cryptocurrency investors waded back into the market last week, riding a surge in Bitcoin.

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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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What is the future of internal auditing?

Norman Marks

My good friend, Tom Mcleod, has been called one of the deepest thinkers in our profession. It is an appropriate description of this experienced and innovative CAE who is never content with accepting traditional, in-the-box thinking.

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FHFA House Price Index Up 0.1% in February

Advisor Perspectives

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) house price index (HPI) rose to 437.3 in February. U.S. house prices were up 0.1% from the previous month, lower than the expected 0.3% growth, and up 3.9% from one year ago. This marks the 30th consecutive monthly increase for the index.

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Sonnet Tenant Insurance vs. YouSet: Pros and Cons [2025]

YouSet Insurance

The post Sonnet Tenant Insurance vs. YouSet: Pros and Cons [2025] appeared first on.

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What Is the Optimal Portfolio Rebalancing Strategy?

Advisor Perspectives

Ultimately, advisors should choose a rebalancing strategy that best serves their client’s needs without putting undue strain on their own operations.

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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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Las Vegas in March: Visitor Traffic Down 7.8% YoY; Convention Traffic Up 10.2% YoY

Calculated Risk

From the Las Vegas Visitor Authority: March 2025 Las Vegas Visitor Statistics With a slightly lesspacked event calendar and asyet unclear impacts of evolving federal policies rippling thru international and domestic markets, visitation saw a 7.8% YoY decline as the destination hosted approximately 3.39 million visitors in March. Rotation cycles helped convention attendance in March as the destination hosted roughly 534k attendees for the month, up 10.2% YoY, reflecting in part the calendar impac

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Two Measures of Consumer Attitudes: April 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 April, the MCSI fell to 52.2, its lowest level since July 2022. Meanwhile, the CCI dropped to 86.0, is lowest level since May 2020.

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State-by-State Guide to Alternative Investment Taxes [Updated for 2025]

Harness Wealth

Alternative investments offer exciting opportunities to diversify portfolios and pursue higher returns, but state-specific tax regulations create a complex maze that impacts the bottom line. The variation in how states approach investment income, capital gains, and special provisions can dramatically affect after-tax returns. This article examines how various states tax alternative investments, ranging from high-tax jurisdictions like California to tax-free states like Florida, and offers strate

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S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index: 3.9% Annual Gain in February

Advisor Perspectives

Home prices continued to trend upwards in February as the benchmark national index rose for the 25th consecutive month to a 21st straight record high. The seasonally adjusted home prices for the national index saw a 0.3% increase MoM, and a 3.9% increase YoY. After adjusting for inflation, the MoM fell to 0.0% and YoY fell to -0.5%.

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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?