Investing Caffeine
FEBRUARY 21, 2023
Upcoming Webinar – February 22nd at 12:00pm PST Volatility has spiked due to changing concerns over inflation, interest rates, recession fears, geopolitics, and other fear-provoking issues, but how can you grow and protect your retirement nest egg? Wade W. Slome, CFA®, CFP®, Founder of Sidoxia Capital Management, LLC, will share 10 crucial mistakes made by investors that can destroy your portfolio.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 22, 2023
From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications decreased 13.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending February 17, 2023. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 13.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.
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Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 21, 2023
Demand for long term care is growing and advisors can differentiate themselves and deepen client relationships through modern approaches to long term care planning.
The Big Picture
FEBRUARY 22, 2023
Click to download Financial Disasters Yesterday was kind of a fun day: Sure, it was a dark, damp, dreary February morn when I showed up at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriot, but it was also the first time I did a new presentation in front of a live audience since before the pandemic. I do a quarterly update for RWM clients that covers the economy, the markets, and our portfolios every three months.
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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
Nerd's Eye View
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
Enjoy the current installment of “Weekend Reading For Financial Planners” – this week’s edition kicks off with the news that the SEC’s proposed “Safeguarding Rule” would significantly increase the number of investment advisers deemed to have custody of client assets and increase paperwork requirements for advisers and qualified custodians, though the contours of a final regulation remain uncertain.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 23, 2023
The DOL reported : In the week ending February 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 192,000 , a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 194,000 to 195,000. The 4-week moving average was 191,250, an increase of 1,500 from the previous week's revised average.
Financial Advisor Source brings together the best content for financial advisor professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
The Big Picture
FEBRUARY 20, 2023
Very useful dashboard via the St. Louis Fed, which maintains the fabulous FRED database. With a clean and simple interface, it puts all of the key economic indicators the FOMC tracks — Real GDP Growth, Unemployment Rate, PCE Inflation, Core PCE Inflation, and the Federal Funds Rate — in one convenient location. The Macro Snapshot also dives deeper into three core aspects of the economy: 1.
Nerd's Eye View
FEBRUARY 20, 2023
One of the most important parts of a financial advisor’s value proposition is time spent meeting with their clients. These meetings allow advisors to listen to their clients’ concerns, make planning recommendations, and chart a course for the coming months. And while advisors recognize the importance of holding regular client meetings, there is no consensus about the ‘best’ cadence for them.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 23, 2023
Realtor.com has monthly and weekly data on the existing home market. Here is their weekly report released today from economist Jiayi Xu: Weekly Housing Trends View — Data Week Ending Feb 18, 2023 • Active inventory growth continued to climb with for-sale homes up 67% above one year ago. Inventories of for-sale homes rose again, on par with the yearly gains we saw last week.
Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 23, 2023
The new, on-demand learning platform is based on the work of Dr. Daniel Crosby, the wealthtech company’s chief behavioral officer.
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.
The Big Picture
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
My end-of-week morning train WFH reads: • The Fed alone cannot bring inflation down : Management of demand is not efficient in dealing with supply-driven price rises: fiscal policy must play its part.art ( Financial Times ) • When a savings account is very risky : Compound Banc pays an eye-popping 7% on deposits — or at least things that look and feel a lot like deposits.
Abnormal Returns
FEBRUARY 23, 2023
Markets Higher for longer, has put pressure on bond yields in February. (morningstar.com) It's easy to forget how bad 2022 was for retirement account investors. (cnbc.com) Strategy Not everyone is giving up on the crypto markets. (wsj.com) Why you are unlikely to profit off the next big thematic investment theme. (savantwealth.com) Housing Conor Sen, "Why would anyone want to pay off a $300,000 loan at 3% when they can invest essentially risk-free at 5% or more?
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 22, 2023
From WardsAuto: U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales, Inventory Continue Upward Climb in February (pay content). Brief excerpt: With inventory expected to record big gains by the end of the first quarter, consumers could be on the verge of seeing an easing up in pricing through a combination of greater availability of more affordable vehicles and increased incentives, especially when the industry gets into the spring selling season. emphasis added Click on graph for larger image.
Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 23, 2023
The buildings — in San Francisco, New York, Boston and Jersey City, New Jersey — are owned by Columbia Property Trust.
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.
The Big Picture
FEBRUARY 18, 2023
This week, we speak with Tim Buckley , who is chairman and chief executive officer of Vanguard. Buckley has been with Vanguard for 32 years and has been CEO for the past 5. Previously, he was chief investment officer and chief information officer, overseeing the company’s internally managed stock, bond, and money market portfolios as well as its investment research and methodology.
Nerd's Eye View
FEBRUARY 23, 2023
The increasing popularity of financial planning has led to a growing awareness of how important managing finances and planning for the future can be. Despite its growing popularity, though, financial planning remains a relatively mysterious concept for many people who don’t understand how financial advisors actually provide value. For most financial advisors today, a website is a critical tool that allows them to market their services and communicate their fees to potential clients.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
The Census Bureau reports New Home Sales in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 670 thousand. The previous three months were revised down, combined. Sales of new single‐family houses in January 2023 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 670,000 , according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
Massachusetts recently approved a new 4% tax on state residents with annual income over $1 million. Many states could follow.
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.
The Big Picture
FEBRUARY 21, 2023
Transcript: Tim Buckley, Vanguard’s CEO The transcript from this week’s, MiB: Tim Buckley, Vanguard’s CEO , is below. You can stream and download our full conversation, including any podcast extras, on iTunes , Spotify , Stitcher , Google , YouTube , and Bloomberg. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite pod hosts can be found here. ~~~ ANNOUNCER: This is Masters in Business with Barry Ritholtz on Bloomberg Radio.
Nerd's Eye View
FEBRUARY 22, 2023
As a document required to be filed by all registered investment advisers, Form ADV is (at least in theory) a standardized description of each RIA’s services, fees, and business practices, presented in a series of four forms (Part 1, Part 2A, Part 2B, and Part 3) each comprised of a set of underlying sections. As the thinking goes, requiring each firm to file Form ADV with the SEC and/or state regulators (and making it available to the general public) gives investors a way to compare differ
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 22, 2023
Note: This index is a leading indicator primarily for new Commercial Real Estate (CRE) investment. From the AIA: Architectural billings continue to contract in 2023 Fewer architecture firms report declining billings in January compared to billing activity in December, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA). AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for January was 49.3 * compared to 48.4 in December (any score below 50 indicates a decline in firm bill
Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
Federal Reserve officials said the inflation in the US is resulting from a complex set of unprecedented conditions, and that it may take time to decelerate.
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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.
Pragmatic Capitalism
FEBRUARY 22, 2023
There was a glimmer of hope in the housing data from January.
The Reformed Broker
FEBRUARY 20, 2023
One of the biggest stories in the markets so far this year is the $100 billion in lost market cap ripped out of Alphabet’s stock when it became apparent that the search giant was going to be under siege by Microsoft’s push into AI. How did such a successful, innovative business like this suddenly find itself in this position? Maybe it wasn’t so sudden.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
From Black Knight: Black Knight’s First Look at January 2023 Mortgage Data: Expanded and Enhanced Market Data Shows Mortgage Delinquency Improvement Across the Board in January, Uptick in Foreclosure Starts • J anuary performance data showed a slight decrease (-10 basis points) in the national delinquency rate month-over-month , which is now down 15.1% year over year • Foreclosure starts saw a fourth straight increase, but remain 37% below pre-pandemic levels ; active foreclosures are up 20% sin
Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
The two states became the 32nd and 33rd in the county to pass laws based on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ 2020 model.
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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?
Pragmatic Capitalism
FEBRUARY 22, 2023
There was a glimmer of hope in the housing data from January.
The Big Picture
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
Sonali Basak interviews AQR Capital Management’s Cliff Asness. They discuss AQR’s 60/40 portfolio strategy and the risks facing financial markets, with Sonali Basak and Guy Johnson on “Bloomberg Markets.” AQR’s Cliff Asness on 60/40 Strategy, Market Risks Source: Bloomberg , February 23, 2023 The post Asness on Value Investing & Humility appeared first on The Big Picture.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 18, 2023
At the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter this week: • 3rd Look at Local Housing Markets in January Lawler: Early Read on Existing Home Sales in January • January Housing Starts: Near Record Number of Housing Units Under Construction • Current State of the Housing Market: Overview for mid-February • Update: Some "Good News" for Homebuilders • 2nd Look at Local Housing Markets in January This is usually published 4 to 6 times a week and provides more in-depth analysis of the housing market.
Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 22, 2023
The affluent are seeking out new investment opportunities domestically and abroad.
Speaker: Aaron Berson
Managing spend is more than a cost cutting exercise – it's a pathway to smarter decisions that unlock efficiency and drive growth. By understanding and refining the spending process, financial leaders can empower their organizations to achieve more with less. Explore the art of balancing financial control with operational growth. From uncovering hidden inefficiencies to designing workflows that scale your business, we’ll share strategies to align your organization’s spending with its strategic g
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