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Fed Chair Powell press conference video here or on YouTube here , starting at 2:30 PM ET. FOMC Statement: Recent indicators suggest that economic activity has continued to expand at a solid pace. The unemployment rate has stabilized at a low level in recent months, and labor market conditions remain solid. Inflation remains somewhat elevated. The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run.
Financial advicers often market their comprehensive financial services as a way to differentiate themselves from other advisory firms and to stand out in the broader landscape of financial advice. These services may range from 'standard' offerings like retirement planning to less traditional areas like credit card consulting. In a firm's early years, there tends to be more room for experimentation, with advisors adding new services to provide value and attract clients.
Money Delusions: What Do People Get Wrong About Money? David Nadig, “ Rabbithole ” March 7, 2025 I had fun chatting with Dave Nadig about philosophy, behavior, and investing ( video after the jump). His new podcast is called “Rabbithole” because Dave does not do broad and shallow; rather, he picks a narrow topic and goes deep down the rabbithole for 30 minutes — which is only a few questions.
As I write this the US stock market is down -2.5% on the day. It’s down about -8.5% from its peak just a few weeks ago. Then again, it’s up 11% over the last year, 38% over three years and 110% over 5 years. This is what the stock market does. Over long periods of time the stock market will go up in value because corporations accrue revenues and profits over long periods of time.
The office of the CFO is rapidly evolving, with more and more demands being placed upon the finance and accounting team each year. Join us in this webinar, where we share 8 things to NOT do when it comes to helping the CFO office advance in supporting the business. Learning Objectives: This course objective is to understand how best to support an organization's finance leadership.
Gen Z is rewriting the rules of personal finance. Unlike their predecessors, they are tech-savvy, investment-curious, and financially independent-inded. But they also have a mild addiction to online shopping, an over-reliance on BNPL schemes, and a tendency to take financial advice from influencers who may or may not know what theyre talking about. If youve ever thought, Ill start saving next month or I can totally afford this; Ill just put it on my credit card , congratulationsyoure human.
As is traditional, the 2025 IRS tax filing deadline is April 15th. What is also unfortunately traditional is the run-up to this date, which tends to be a stressful and complicated time even at the best of times. With the most recent spate of natural disasters (such as the California wildfires and Hurricane Milton) making the tax filing process more difficult than normal for many, a tax extension can be a valuable tool for alleviating this pressure and providing much-needed breathing room.
What this means: On a weekly basis, Realtor.com reports the year-over-year change in active inventory and new listings. On a monthly basis, they report total inventory. For February, Realtor.com reported inventory was up 27.5% YoY, but still down 22.9% compared to the 2017 to 2019 same month levels. Now - on a weekly basis - inventory is up 28.5% YoY.
What this means: On a weekly basis, Realtor.com reports the year-over-year change in active inventory and new listings. On a monthly basis, they report total inventory. For February, Realtor.com reported inventory was up 27.5% YoY, but still down 22.9% compared to the 2017 to 2019 same month levels. Now - on a weekly basis - inventory is up 28.5% YoY.
New financial advisors often start with below-market fees – sometimes to build confidence that prospects will actually pay, other times to attract clients quickly and establish a base. But as the firm grows, so does an advisor's skill set and the demands on their time. And while new clients often come in at higher fees, early clients may still be paying well below the firm's current rates.
Calculation: BEA Table 3.1 Line 20 (Current Expenditures) divided by Table 1.1.5 Line 1 (GDP). Alternatively, Item #2 below divided by GDP. “ If you torture data long enough, it will confess to anything. ” – Ronald Coase Hey, it’s @TBPInvictus. Let’s delve into a case in point of Coase’s theorem: If you wanted to peddle the narrative that government spending is out of control, you might present a chart like the one above, which is an exact replica of a chart t
Financial Advisor Websites and the Changing SEO Landscape Staying visible online is more challenging than ever, especially for financial advisor websites. AI-powered search, social media algorithms, and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) are transforming how potential clients find financial advisors. Traditional SEO strategies alone are no longer enough.
In this compilation episode of Excess Returns, hosts Jack Forehand and Matt Zeigler bring you the most valuable insights from their conversations with Bob Elliott, former head of Ray Dalio’s research team at Bridgewater Associates. Elliott’s decade of experience leading research at one of the world’s premier hedge funds provides a rare window into institutional-level thinking that individual investors can apply to their own portfolios.
Speaker: Dylan Secrest, Founder of Alamo Innovation and Construction Digital Transformation Consultant
Construction payment workflows are notoriously complex when you consider juggling multiple stakeholders, compliance requirements, and evolving project scopes. Delays in approvals or misaligned data between budgets, lien waivers, and pay applications can grind progress to a halt. The good news? It doesn't have to be this way! Join expert Dylan Secrest to discover how leading contractors are turning payment chaos into clarity using digital workflows, integrated systems, and automation strategies.
Understanding Market Corrections The S&P 500 moved into a correction on Thursday of last week, defined as a close at least 10% below the indexs recent closing high. Here are some things we know about corrections, which well look at in depth this week. Corrections are normal, the S&P 500 averaging 1.1 corrections per year since 1928. Corrections happen for a reason, and its always tempting to see that reason weighing even more on stocks.
From Fed Chair Powell: Economic Outlook Despite elevated levels of uncertainty, the U.S. economy continues to be in a good place. The labor market is solid, and inflation has moved closer to our 2 percent longer-run goal. At the Federal Reserve, we are intently focused on the dual-mandate goals given to us by Congress: maximum employment and stable prices.
Stocks and bonds differ in many aspects, including the risk and return investors can expect. Because of these differences, stocks and bonds accomplish different things in an asset allocation. When you own a stock, you’re buying a piece of equity ownership in the company. With bonds, you’re buying the issuer’s debt. Stocks have unlimited growth potential but also more volatility.
Since March Madness is nearly upon us, how about a fun basketball story? I was lucky enough to be a hoops fan during the golden age of basketball: Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons, Michael Jordan, and the perennially-on-the-verge-of-winning-it-all New York Knicks during the Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason era.
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.
If youve been confused when filing your taxes when its time to handle your backdoor Roth contribution, youre not alone. The tricky form 8606 can cause headaches and frustration when preparing your taxes. This method allows individuals whose income exceeds the Roth IRA contribution limits to still take advantage of its tax benefits. Who Needs a Backdoor Roth IRA?
Charitable gift annuities (CGAs) offer a unique way for donors to achieve their philanthropic goals while securing a reliable income stream. Increasingly, nonprofits, donors, and financial professionals are leveraging CGAs to meet a variety of financial and charitable objectives with a single gift. Simple to establish and available in multiple formats, CGAs can even be funded through a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), making them a versatile tool for charitable planning.
Some advisors are natural communicators with inherent skills for demonstrating empathy, telling relatable stories, displaying a natural curiosity by asking open-ended questions, and translating complex ideas into terms clients can understand. Many advisors are not and must prioritize skill development if they are to have a chance at success. Active listening is the most critical soft skill that must be developed and exercised because its where highly effective communication starts.
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Fannie and Freddie: Single Family Serious Delinquency Rates Increased in January Excerpt: Freddie Mac reported that the Single-Family serious delinquency rate in January was 0.61%, up from 0.59% December. Freddie's rate is up year-over-year from 0.55% in January 2024, however, this is close to the pre-pandemic level of 0.60%.
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.
Financial advisors know that social media isnt just for posting updates; its for building connections. A post with meaningful comments is a post that gains traction, tells the algorithm it’s valuable, and reaches more people. If you’re not seeing those comments roll in, its time to tweak your strategy. Social media for financial advisors doesn’t have to be challenging let’s dive into simple ways to encourage comments on your posts.
At the Money: Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee on Tariffs, Supply Chains and Inflation (March 5, 2025) What is the potential inflation impact of tariffs? Can the Fed ignore supply-chain disruptions that drive up prices? How should investors view the relationship between trade policy and inflation in the current economic environment? This week, we speak withAustan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
Listening Is AI the future of dubbing? (fastcompany.com) Bill Simmons has re-upped with Spotify ($SPOT). (hollywoodreporter.com) Spotify ($SPOT) will start publishing independent audiobooks. (techcrunch.com) Pocket Casts is making its podcast player free. (arstechnica.com) Economy Derek Thompson talks Gen Z with Kyla Scanlon, author of "In This Economy?
With each passing decade, not only does technology evolve at an ever more dramatic pace, but each new wave comes faster than the last. From the advent of the computer chip in the 1950s to the rise of the personal computer nearly 25 years later in the early 1980s, to the emergence of the internet just 15 years thereafter in the late 1990s, to mobile smartphones only 10 years after that in the late 2000s, to 'robos' less than a decade later in the 2010s, and most recently to AI, which 'suddenly' w
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
With over nearly 150 years of data, the study finds that when inflation and interest rates rise, stocks and bonds tend to move together, reducing diversification benefits. This has critical implications for portfolio construction and risk management. Understanding the StockBond Correlation was originally published at Alpha Architect. Please read the Alpha Architect disclosures at your convenience.
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: FHFAs National Mortgage Database: Outstanding Mortgage Rates, LTV and Credit Scores A brief excerpt: Here are some graphs on outstanding mortgages by interest rate, the average mortgage interest rate, borrowers credit scores and current loan-to-value (LTV) from the FHFAs National Mortgage Database through Q4 2024 (just released).
For many small tax firms, the process of collecting client tax documents can be a time-consuming and a prolonged process. Although email, paper forms, and manual follow-ups may seem like standard operating procedures, these outdated methods have inefficiencies, security risks, and missed revenue opportunities. The good news is that technology solutions, like Harness, can streamline document collection and transform the way tax professionals work.
The S&P 500’s recent impressive gains have been disproportionately driven by the “Magnificent Seven” technology titans: Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, NVIDIA, Meta, and Tesla. While these companies have delivered exceptional returns, their dominance has created an imbalanced market narrative that potentially blinds investors to other opportunities.
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.
Books An excerpt from "Abundance" by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. (theatlantic.com) An excerpt from Clay Risens new book "Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America." (slate.com) An excerpt from John Green's new book "Everything is Tuberculosis." (theatlantic.com) An excerpt from "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change" by Olga Khazan.
Following the long run-up in the US equity markets since the bottom of the 2008–2009 financial crisis, many investors with taxable investment accounts have likely found themselves with high embedded gains in their portfolios. While the gains signal portfolio growth, they also create challenges for ongoing management. Because when it comes time to rebalance the portfolio to its asset allocation targets – or to reallocate the portfolio to a new strategy – any trades made to imple
Good Riddance, February The second half of February was rough, as worries over the economy, tariffs, and large cap tech weakness dominated the conversation. Heres the thing. Yes, the year-to-date gains we saw in January have vanished, but as weve noted before, early in a post-election year things tend to be choppy. Not to mention February is a weak month historically, especially in a post-election year.
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Part 1: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-March 2025 A brief excerpt: This 2-part overview for mid-March provides a snapshot of the current housing market. Inventory, inventory, inventory! Inventory usually tells the tale. Currently Im watching months-of-supply closely. Since both inventory and sales have fallen significantly, a key for house prices is to watch months-of-supply.
You wouldn’t keep using a 2009 flip phone - so why settle for outdated close processes? It’s time for an upgrade. SkyStem's Guide to Month-End Close Software walks you through what today’s best tools can do (and what your team shouldn’t have to deal with anymore). Get smart, fast, and a whole lot less stressed when it’s time to close the books.
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