Advisor Perspectives
JANUARY 17, 2024
I asked our authors and guest contributors the following question: Given the availability of spot bitcoin ETFs, would you recommend them (or any other cryptocurrency allocation) to your clients?
A Wealth of Common Sense
JANUARY 12, 2024
Bernie Sanders was railing against wealth inequality again last week: The rich do control most of the financial assets in this country. The top 10% owns close to 90% of the stock market in the U.S. Most of the income gains in the past 40 years or so have gone to the wealthy. That’s not great. But the idea that two-thirds of all Americans cannot cover an emergency expense simply doesn’t hold up to the facts.
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The Irrelevant Investor
JANUARY 19, 2024
The S&P 500 hit an all-time high today. It hasn’t done that since the first trading day of 2022. That’s 512 trading days and 747 calendar days. Just over two years. By historical standards, that wasn’t so bad. It didn’t feel great, but a two-year bear market is as normal as a blizzard in the northeast. They’ve happened before.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 26, 2024
From the U.S. Courts: Bankruptcy Filings Rise 16.8 Percent Total bankruptcy filings rose 16.8 percent, with significant increases in both business and non-business bankruptcies, in the twelve-month period ending Dec. 31, 2023. This accelerates a continuing rebound in filings after more than a decade of sharply dropping totals. According to statistics released by the Administrative Office of the U.S.
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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
The Big Picture
JANUARY 8, 2024
What are the Bull and Bear cases for 2024? I don’t do annual forecasts1 because the short-term is way too random. Instead, I prefer to consider market history and recent data, and ask “What are the possible and probable outcomes for this year?” I find it very useful as an investor to be able to see both sides of the bull-bear debate.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 17, 2024
A year of resilience and transformation as Tina Powell, former business owner, faces unexpected challenges in her 'year of health.
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Nerd's Eye View
JANUARY 29, 2024
For financial advisors, the promise of technology has always been to help advisors better leverage their time to grow their business. One possible way to do this is to use the time savings of technology to serve a higher number of clients. However, another approach advisors can take is to use their technology to do more – and better – work for the same number of clients while earning higher fees for the higher-value services they provide.
The Big Picture
JANUARY 2, 2024
I am popping out of book leave to share this single data point that snuck out over the holidays: The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s State Coincident Indicators for November 2023. I like the SCI – its broad, consistent, and does not operate with too big of a lag. Over the past three months, the indexes increased in 25 states, decreased in 21 states, and remained stable in four, for a three-month diffusion index of 8.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 22, 2024
Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 0.2% week-over-week. It is not unusually to get a small increase after the holidays; however, inventory will likely decrease a little seasonally until the Spring (it could remain mostly flat for a few months like in 2019). Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 2, 2024
From the Census Bureau reported that overall construction spending increased: Construction spending during November 2023 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,050.1 billion, 0.4 percent above the revised October estimate of $2,042.5 billion. The November figure is 11.3 percent above the November 2022 estimate of $1,842.2 billion. emphasis added Private spending increased and public spending decreased: Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of
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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
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 29, 2024
Altos reports that active single-family inventory was down 0.6% week-over-week. Inventory will likely decrease a little seasonally until the Spring (it could remain mostly flat for a few months like in 2019). Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of January 26th, inventory was at 503 thousand (7-day average), compared to 506 thousand the prior week.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 3, 2024
From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decreased Over a Two-Week Period in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications decreased 9.4 percent from two weeks earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 29, 2023. The results include adjustments to account for the holidays.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 31, 2024
F2 Strategy co-founder and CEO Doug Fritz provides his take on the most important wealth management technology news of the last month.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 11, 2024
In conjunction with the funding, which included investments from Ritholtz Wealth Management and Mariner, the company is also rebranding as Dispatch.
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.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 3, 2024
Despite the initial excitement, enthusiasm for Meta’s new social media platform has been flagging among some advisors who initially signed up.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 4, 2024
Six tips to ensure your approach with clients elicits smiles instead of frowns.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 4, 2024
Steering through the escalating complexities of global wealth stewardship.
The Big Picture
JANUARY 15, 2024
On Monday, I discussed reasons to be bullish or bearish in 2024. #2 in the bearish list is CRE/WFH : “The post-pandemic environment continues to be difficult for commercial office real estate. The banking sector has funded all of the construction and purchases over the past decade. Banks hold over $3 trillion in CRE; Unrealized losses on Treasuries and mortgages are about $684bn (Source: Torsten Slok, Apollo).
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.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 31, 2024
From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications decreased 7.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 26, 2024. Last week’s results included an adjustment to account for the MLK holiday.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 11, 2024
Two fellowship participants share their experiences in the estate planning field.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 29, 2024
Larry Swedroe: Falling valuations mean that future expected returns are higher.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 23, 2024
Klein, who stepped down as CEO of Nitrogen in November, will serve as a strategic advisor for Fynancial, a new 'Social Financial Platform.
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.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 26, 2024
Here is a graph of the year-over-year change in shelter from the CPI report and housing from the PCE report this morning, both through December 2023. CPI Shelter was up 6.2% year-over-year in December, down from 6.5% in November, and down from the cycle peak of 8.2% in March 2023. Housing (PCE) was up 6.4% YoY in December , down from 6.7% in November, and down from the cycle peak of 8.3% in April 2023.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 10, 2024
The decision comes a day after the commission’s X handle was hacked, with someone falsely posting the SEC had decided to approve the funds.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 30, 2024
From the BLS: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary The number of job openings changed little at 9.0 million on the last business day of December , the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, the number of hires and total separations were little changed at 5.6 million and 5.4 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (3.4 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.6 million) changed little. emphasis added The following graph shows job openings (black line), hires (da
Wealth Management
JANUARY 12, 2024
With healthy property fundamentals and a favorable interest rate environment, REIT fund managers expect the sector to deliver double digit returns this year.
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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?
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 5, 2024
From the BLS : Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 216,000 in December, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent , the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment continued to trend up in government, health care, social assistance, and construction, while transportation and warehousing lost jobs. The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for October was revised down by 45,000, from +150,000 to +105,000, and the change for November was revised down by 2
Wealth Management
JANUARY 25, 2024
Will Armenta co-founded the "alts-for-advisors" platform with Joe Lonsdale, and advises Lonsdale's $6 billion venture capital fund. He'll be a managing director at Duran's Rise Growth Partners.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 17, 2024
On a monthly basis, retail sales were up 0.6% from November to December (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up 5.6 percent from December 2022. From the Census Bureau report : Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for December 2023, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $709.9 billion, up 0.6 percent from the previous month , and up 5.6 percent above December 2022.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 30, 2024
Savvy Wealth Investment Management is the latest update to the RIA’s responsive, tech-driven platform.
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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.
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