Midstream Marketing
JANUARY 19, 2025
Key Highlights Discover the evolution and importance of digital marketing in the financial sector. Learn about essential tools, platforms, and strategies for successful digital marketing. Understand the significance of website optimization and social media engagement for client interactions. Gain insights on crafting your digital presence to target and engage with ideal clients effectively.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 22, 2025
Note: This index is a leading indicator primarily for new Commercial Real Estate (CRE) investment. From the AIA: ABI December 2024: Business conditions end the year on a weak note The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score fell to 44.1 for the month as the share of firms reporting a decline in firm billings increased. Firm billings have now decreased for the majority of firms every month except two since October 2022.
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Nerd's Eye View
JANUARY 22, 2025
Financial advisors often engage with a variety of prospects, each with unique needs and motivations. Some prospects approach an advisor with an immediate 'problem to be solved', such as a fast-approaching retirement date. These situations often narrow the focus of the prospecting conversation, giving the advisor a clear opportunity to affirm their value (e.g., "I help clients in retirement by doing X, Y, and Z.").
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 23, 2025
Books An excerpt from "Gambling Man: The Secret Story of the World's Greatest Disruptor, Masayoshi Son" by Lionel Barber. (politico.com) An excerpt from "The Siren's Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource" by Chris Hayes. (theatlantic.com) A Q&A with Mnica Guzmn, author of "Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.
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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 24, 2025
This week, we speak with Mike Freno , Chairman and CEO at Barings. The firm is owned by Mass Mutual, and half of its $431 billion in invested assets are from the insurance giant, with the rest coming from institutional investors. Over 20 years with the firm, Freno has held various positions including Managing Director, Head of Global High Yield, and Head of Global Markets.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 22, 2025
Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: NMHC on Apartments: "Looser market conditions for the tenth consecutive quarter" Excerpt: From the NMHC: Apartment Market Experiences Loosening Conditions, Decreased Deal Flow and Less Available Financing to Start the New Year Apartment market conditions declined in the National Multifamily Housing Councils (NMHCs) most recent Quarterly Survey of Apartment Market Conditions.
Financial Advisor Source brings together the best content for financial advisor professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 21, 2025
Alternatives Why CTA volatility is falling over time. (mrzepczynski.blogspot.com) Hedge fund fees have historically taken up nearly 50% of gains. (institutionalinvestor.com) Research How do the three big arguments against passive investing hold up? (ofdollarsanddata.com) The Russell 2000 is not a great index. (scheplick.com) Quality value stocks perform well in the wake of an inflation shock.
The Big Picture
JANUARY 18, 2025
I wanted to share a quick update as to what’s been keeping me occupied during the run up to the release of the new book. The past few weeks have been pretty busy and full of surprises. We have been designing a dedicated website for the How Not to Invest book, and working with the team at Off Menu has been much more fun than I expected. But the biggest surprise has been the booksAudible version.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 20, 2025
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: 1.73 million Total Housing Completions in 2024 including Manufactured Homes; Most Since 2006 A brief excerpt: Although total housing starts decreased 3.9% in 2024 compared to 2023, completions increased sharply year-over-year. There were 1.731 million total completions and placements in 2024, up 12.5% compared to 2023, and the most since 2006.
Nerd's Eye View
JANUARY 24, 2025
Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" – this week's edition kicks off with the news that while overall financial advisor headcount remains relatively flat, the RIA channel continues to gain share in terms of both headcount (as brokers break away to start their own independent firms and aspiring advisors seek positions that don't rely on an 'eat what you kill' approach) and assets managed (as consumers might be attracted to the differentiated service prop
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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
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 23, 2025
Strategy Bonds vs. bond funds: you're still exposed to interest rate risk. (awealthofcommonsense.com) Why your portfolio may need rebalancing. (morningstar.com) Just because you can launch a meme coin doesn't mean you should. (howardlindzon.com) Finance MicroStrategy ($MSTR) is the convertible bond king. (wsj.com) Ramp is expanding its offerings. (techcrunch.com) Even institutional investors can't get information on their private equity investments.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 22, 2025
In 2024, 40% of the new ETFs listed in the U.S. used derivatives as a significant component of their investment strategy, up from 20% in 2014.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 24, 2025
From the NAR: Existing-Home Sales Ascended 2.2% in December Existing-home sales climbed in December, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales advanced in three major U.S. regions and slipped in the Midwest. Year-over-year, sales accelerated in all four regions. On an annual basis, existing-home sales (4.06 million) declined to the lowest level since 1995 , while the median price reached a record high of $407,500 in 2024.
Nerd's Eye View
JANUARY 20, 2025
There is no shortage of written content available for financial advisors to enhance their technical skills, grow in their careers, and run more successful planning practices, from books to research studies to long-form written content. Of course, given the demands of their busy schedules , finding time to dig into this content can be a challenging endeavor.
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.
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 22, 2025
Markets Have we entered a new era for interest rates? (bonddad.blogspot.com) Why yield curve disinversions matter. (econbrowser.com) Strategy The U.S. economy is spending less time in recession. Markets are paying attention. (awealthofcommonsense.com) How U.S. capital markets have devolved over time. (disciplinefunds.com) Investing is hard because the future is uncertain.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 23, 2025
The combined startups will provide advisors with seamless health planning from analysis to enrollment once integrations are complete.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 20, 2025
Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 1.2% week-over-week. Inventory always declines seasonally in the Winter and usually bottoms in late January or February. If the previous week was the seasonal bottom, that would be very early in the year, but that has happened before. The first graph shows the seasonal pattern for active single-family inventory since 2015.
Nerd's Eye View
JANUARY 21, 2025
Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 421st episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast ! My guest on today's podcast is Daniel Friedman. Daniel is the CEO of WMGNA, a hybrid advisory firm based in Farmington, Connecticut, that oversees approximately $270 million in assets under management for 200 client households. What's unique about Daniel, though, is how his firm has expanded its tax focus to include "in-house" tax return preparation for its clients as a one-stop shop, but actually outsource
Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker
Your financial statements hold powerful insights—but are you truly paying attention? Many finance professionals focus on the income statement while overlooking key signals hidden in the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Understanding these numbers can unlock smarter decision-making, uncover risks, and drive long-term success. Join David Worrell, accomplished CFO, finance expert, and author, for an engaging, nontraditional take on reading financial statements.
A Wealth of Common Sense
JANUARY 21, 2025
One of my favorite ongoing economic stats is the fact that the U.S. economy has been in a recession for just two months out of the past 15-and-a-half years. We’ve been in a recession just 1% of the time since the end of the Great Financial Crisis in the summer of 2009. Sure, there have been some bumps along the way but the U.S. economy has been remarkably resilient throughout the 2010s and 2020s.
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 24, 2025
Strategy Market consensus is max bullish. (downtownjoshbrown.com) How to find, and invest in, meme-worthy stocks. (drorpoleg.com) Crypto MicroStrategy ($MSTR) has a tax dilemma. (wsj.com) More crypto ETFs are likely coming to market. (sherwood.news) Costco Costcos ($COST) shareholders rejected a proposal to reverse its DEI practices. (fastcompany.com) Coke products are coming back to the Costco ($COST) food court.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 24, 2025
Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: NAR: Existing-Home Sales Increased to 4.24 million SAAR in December Excerpt: Sales in December (4.24 million SAAR) were up 2.2% from the previous month and were 9.3% above the December 2023 sales rate. This was the third consecutive month with a year-over-year increase after declining YoY every month for over 3 years.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 23, 2025
Dan Bolton said Wealth.com is building something truly remarkable. Most recently, he was a vice president of corporate marketing for Nitrogen (formerly Riskalyze).
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.
A Wealth of Common Sense
JANUARY 24, 2025
Here’s a question from a podcast listener: On a recent episode of TCAF (Ep. 171 withHarvey Schwartz) you and Josh mention how wealth management has drastically changed over the last~20 years specifically citing that CFP candidacies are at record highs whileCFA candidacies are at record lows. Knowing you and Ben are both charterholders, what do you think of this trend and how would you suggest a young person co.
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 20, 2025
Podcasts The 22 financial adviser podcasts to listen to in 2025. (kitces.com) Brendan Frazier talks using behavioral finance with Dan Egan, Betterments Director of Behavioral Science. (podcasts.apple.com) Dan Haylett talks with Susan Latremoille author of"The RichLife Managing Wealth and Purpose, Its Not Just about the Money The Whole Life Approach to Wealth Management.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 24, 2025
Container traffic gives us an idea about the volume of goods being exported and imported - and usually some hints about the trade report since LA area ports handle about 40% of the nation's container port traffic. The following graphs are for inbound and outbound traffic at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in TEUs (TEUs: 20-foot equivalent units or 20-foot-long cargo container).
Wealth Management
JANUARY 23, 2025
What the updates to the Gift Tax Annual Exclusion, Unified Credit Amount and GST Tax Exemption may mean for clients.
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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.
Investment Writing
JANUARY 23, 2025
I’ve long wondered why there is no apostrophe in words like “writers room,” ‘homeowners association,” or “teachers college.” Is the noun descriptive or possessive? I found a good explanation in Emmy J. Favilla’s A World Without “Whom.” Do not use an apostrophe when a word is primarily descriptive rather than possessive… The word is acting more like an adjective than a possessive noun.
A Wealth of Common Sense
JANUARY 23, 2025
We also covered questions about offering financial advice to family members, how to lower your auto insurance rates, how many years worth of fixed income you need in your portfolio and how to begin the estate planning process. If you have a question email us: AskTheCompoundShow@gmail.com Further Reading: Owning Individual Bonds vs. Owning a Bond Fund 1I know I’ve written about this subject a few times over the year.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 24, 2025
From WardsAuto: Some Letdown but January U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Continue Q4-2024's Growth (pay content). Brief excerpt: While demand in the middle of the month was negatively impacted by extreme weather conditions across most of the country, with a week remaining in January there is upside to the outlook. On the flipside, there could be pause among some consumers, as they wait to see how the apparent revamping of federal policies and institutions by the new administration plays out.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 21, 2025
The survey from Capintel also looked at what factors contribute to a sense of trust between investors and financial advisors.
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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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