The Big Picture
JANUARY 2, 2025
A regular theme around these parts is “ Nobody Knows Anything. ” Specifically, nobody knows what will happen in the future. This is true about equity and bond markets, specific company stocks, and economic data series. We do not know which geopolitical hot spot will erupt in turmoil; we have no idea where or when the next natural disaster will hit.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 2, 2025
From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decreased Over a Two-Week Period in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications decreased 21.9 percent from two weeks earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 27, 2024. The results include an adjustment to account for the Christmas holiday.
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Wealth Management
JANUARY 2, 2025
Advisor Chris Helton joins Raymond James independent b/d channel after 14 years with Synovus Securities.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 2, 2025
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Freddie Mac House Price Index Increased in November; Up 4.0% Year-over-year A brief excerpt: Freddie Mac reported that its National Home Price Index (FMHPI) increased 0.56% month-over-month on a seasonally adjusted (SA) basis in November. On a year-over-year basis, the National FMHPI was up 4.0% in November, up from up 3.9% YoY in October.
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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
Wealth Management
JANUARY 2, 2025
Five technologies that will dictate the future of the industry beyond the Bitcoin hype.
Alpha Architect
JANUARY 2, 2025
Do-It-Yourself trend-following asset allocation weights for the Robust Asset Allocation Index are posted here. (Note: free registration required) Request a free account here if you want to access the site directly. If you are an advisor and want help implementing our models, please get in touch with Ryan Kirlin. Our Advisor portal is available here. [.
Financial Advisor Source brings together the best content for financial advisor professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)
JANUARY 2, 2025
By Bryce Sanders A somebody means a person who has accomplished something, someone who is a success. Somebody means a person who is recognized and warmly greeted by others. Your clients, however, may feel like a nobody if theyre feeling sad or not seen. Try these ideas to lift your clients spirits and remind them they are somebody.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 2, 2025
Bill Good and Frantz Widmaier of Bill Good Marketing offer advice on the value of content, the referral process, building strategic partnerships, CRMs and technology, and more.
Advisor Perspectives
JANUARY 2, 2025
During the last week of 2024 (ending December 28th), initial jobless claims dropped to their lowest level since April. Initial jobless claims were at a seasonally adjusted level of 211,000. This represents a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised figure and is better than the 222,000 economists were expecting.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 2, 2025
Leadership lessons for advisors from the former U.S. Secretary of Defense.
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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
Advisor Perspectives
JANUARY 2, 2025
Investors continue to enjoy the bull market but remain somewhat nervous about valuation. Policy uncertainty is higher than usual, in part because there are so many policy changes at the same time.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 2, 2025
A guide to getting organized for the new year, no matter your income or wealth.
Advisor Perspectives
JANUARY 2, 2025
The latest Chicago Purchasing Manager's Index (Chicago Business Barometer) fell to its lowest level in 7 months in December. The index dropped to 36.9 from 40.2 in November, marking the third consecutive decline. The latest reading was worse than the 42.7 forecast and keeps the index in contraction territory for a thirteenth straight month.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 2, 2025
Strategists who got 2023 and 2024 wrong are extrapolating equity market strength into 2025. Recency bias can mislead.
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.
Advisor Perspectives
JANUARY 2, 2025
When Jaguar’s “copy nothing” brand reboot hit late last year, one self-styled car enthusiast replied on X: “What the actual hell is this.” Jaguar’s response: “The future.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 2, 2025
Tuesday, January 28, 2025 | 2:00 PM ET
Advisor Perspectives
JANUARY 2, 2025
As of December 31, 2024, the 10-year note was 406 basis points above its historic closing low of 0.52% reached on August 4, 2020.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 2, 2025
Thursday, January 16, 2025 | 2:00 PM ET
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.
Advisor Perspectives
JANUARY 2, 2025
Home prices continued to trend upwards in October as the benchmark national index rose for the 21st consecutive month to a new all-time high. The seasonally adjusted home prices for the national index saw a 0.3% increase MoM, and a 3.6% increase YoY. After adjusting for inflation, the MoM fell to -0.1% and YoY fell to -1.5%.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 2, 2025
Leadership lessons for advisors from the former U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Advisor Perspectives
JANUARY 2, 2025
Seven of our eight indexes on our world watch list posted gains in 2024. The U.S. S&P 500 finished the year in the top spot first with an annual gain of 24.01%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng finished in second with an annual gain of 19.49% while Tokyo's Nikkei 225 finished in third with an annual gain of 19.22%.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 2, 2025
AI is reshaping wealth management by driving personalized client interactions and enhancing operational efficiency.
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.
Advisor Perspectives
JANUARY 2, 2025
It’s that time of year when Wall Street soothsayers look ahead 12 months and try to divine the path of US stocks.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 2, 2025
Treehouse Wealth Advisors will acquire The Humphreys Group as part of a long-term succession plan.
Advisor Perspectives
JANUARY 2, 2025
Valid until the market close on January 1, 2025 This article provides an update on the monthly moving averages we track for the S&P 500 and the Ivy Portfolio after the close of the last business day of the month.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 2, 2025
The U.S. election results in November resulted in a stronger, dollar, sending bullion prices down, ending any momentum for gold funds.
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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
JANUARY 2, 2025
Gas prices closed out 2024 by falling to their lowest level since May 2021. As of December 30th, the price of regular and premium gas decreased 2 cents and 1 cents from the previous week, respectively. The WTIC end-of-day spot price for crude oil closed at $71.72, up 3.6% from last week.
NAIFA Advisor Today
JANUARY 2, 2025
NAIFA celebrates a successful year of integration and advocacy, urging members to maximize benefits and participate actively for a prosperous 2025.
Advisor Perspectives
JANUARY 2, 2025
The weekly leading economic index (WLEI) is a composite for the U.S economy that draws from over 20 time-series and groups them into the following six broad categories which are then used to construct an equally weighted average. As of December 20, the index was at 23.1761, down 4.129 from the previous week, with 5 of the 6 components in expansion territory.
Leading Advisor
JANUARY 2, 2025
As we continue exploring the steps to create a successful 2025, Id like to share how working with a Fractional Chief Operating Officer (FCOO) can… The post Unlocking the Power of Vision: Partnering with a Fractional COO appeared first on Leading Advisor - Simon Reilly.
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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?
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