The Big Picture
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
At the Money: Are Hedge Fund Right For You? (February 5, 2025) At five trillion dollars, hedge funds have never been more popular — or less hedged. Investors have lots of questions when allocating to this trading asset class, including how much capital do you need? What percentage of your portfolio should be allocated? Are all answered in our conversation.
Nerd's Eye View
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) have become an increasingly popular tool for financial advisors and their clients due in part to the 'triple tax savings' they offer: tax-deductible contributions, tax-free growth, and non-taxable distributions for qualifying expenses. However, HSAs require individuals to be covered by a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), which has tradeoffs compared to traditional health insurance plans.
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Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 7, 2025
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Lawler: Revisions Almost Eliminate Household/Establishment Survey Employment Growth Gap A brief excerpt: From housing economist Tom Lawler: Revisions Almost Eliminate Household/Establishment Survey Employment Growth Gap Over the last few years there has been a sizable gap between trend growth in the Household Survey estimate of employment and the Establishment Survey estimate of employment, with the Household Survey showing significantly slow
Harness Wealth
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) is a provision that allows U.S. taxpayers to exclude a portion of their foreign-earned income from U.S. taxation. The rise of remote work and digital nomadism has made FEIE a common tax minimization strategy for Americans living abroad. Given FEIEs increased popularity, were going to explore the provision in this article, provide some understanding of how FEIE works in practice, and examine some of the other exemptions that U.S. expats can benefit from.
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.
Steve Sanduski
FEBRUARY 4, 2025
Guests: Jim Gold , CEO, Founding Partner, Board Member, and member of the Executive Leadership Team at Steward Partners Global Advisory. In a nutshell: In a recent article , one of Jim Gold’s colleagues described his leadership style as “fun, fair, but firm.” When I asked Jim about that quote and his firm’s culture, he swapped in “flexible.” All four of those words speak to how intentional Jim has been about creating a firm whose employees love where they wor
Random Roger's Retirement Planning
FEBRUARY 1, 2025
A couple of interesting points today related to fund categories that we talk about here all the time. First up is that Locorr just launched a fund that combines US equities and managed futures 50/50, the Locorr Strategic Allocation Fund (LSAIX). Also, TIL Locorr is a play on words, low correlation. The fund just started trading a day or two ago but the results of funds that do this combo have been pretty good for the most part.
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Don Connelly & Associates
FEBRUARY 3, 2025
A significant challenge for financial advisors is translating complex financial concepts into terms clients can easily digest. For many, presentations serve as an effective medium for closing the gap between what advisors know and what clients can understand. However, many advisors struggle with transforming intricate concepts into accessible content and maintaining their clients interest throughout the presentation.
Abnormal Returns
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
Podcasts Peter Lazaroff talks with Benjamin Brandt author of "Retirement Starts Today." (peterlazaroff.com) Michael Easter speaks with Sahil Bloom, the author of "The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life." (twopct.com) Carl Richards talks spending money with Joel Stein. (podcasts.apple.com) Housing The housing stock is aging.
Harness Wealth
FEBRUARY 4, 2025
Alternative investments offer investors access to startups, real estate, and other non-traditional opportunities beyond stocks and bonds. However, unlike stocks and bonds, alternative investments, or alts as theyre commonly known, have unique tax treatments and complex reporting requirements that investors should carefully consider before investing.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 4, 2025
From the BLS: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary The number of job openings decreased to 7.6 million on the last business day of December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, hires and total separations were little changed at 5.5 million and 5.3 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (3.2 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.8 million) changed little. emphasis added The following graph shows job openings (black line), hires (dark blue), Layoff, Di
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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.
Nerd's Eye View
FEBRUARY 3, 2025
Welcome to the February 2025 issue of the Latest News in Financial #AdvisorTech – where we look at the big news, announcements, and underlying trends and developments that are emerging in the world of technology solutions for financial advisors! This month's edition kicks off with the news that FP Alpha has released its tax return extraction and analysis module as a standalone product, while RightCapital has separately launched its own tax return extraction tool bundled within its platform
Yardley Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 4, 2025
The post Tax Strategies for High-Income Earners 2025 appeared first on Yardley Wealth Management, LLC. Tax Strategies for High-Income Earners in 2025. Table of Contents Introduction Smart Deduction Strategies for High-Income Professionals Leveraging Property-Related Deductions Maximizing Retirement Account Benefits Healthcare-Related Tax Benefits Advanced Income Management Strategies Strategic Income Deferral Charitable Giving Optimization Navigating the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) Capital Gai
XY Planning Network
FEBRUARY 3, 2025
Marketing your firm can be tricky. Often, there isnt enough time to dedicate to consistent content creation. The result is content that feels general, lacks personalization, and isnt delivered on schedule. AI is a game-changer for content creation for many reasons. It allows you to engage with clients and prospects more effectively by streamlining content creation, improves personalization, and enables data-driven strategies.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 7, 2025
The headline jobs number in the January employment report was below expectations, however, November and December payrolls were revised up by 100,000 combined. The participation rate and the employment population ratio increased, and the unemployment rate decreased to 4.0%. Earlier: January Employment Report: 143 thousand Jobs, 4.0% Unemployment Rate Prime (25 to 54 Years Old) Participation Since the overall participation rate is impacted by both cyclical (recession) and demographic (aging popula
Speaker: Victor C. Barnes, CPA, MBA
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.
Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)
FEBRUARY 4, 2025
By Sandy Schussel Do you want to grow your business, or do you choose to grow your business? Troy, a financial advisor, claimed to be making constant prospecting calls, but he barely netted $60,000 last year. Ive taken several sales training courses and am always reading sales books, Troy told me during our first conversation. Im not sure why none of it is working for me.
Nerd's Eye View
FEBRUARY 4, 2025
Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 423rd episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast ! My guest on today's podcast is Cristina Livadary. Cristina is the CEO of Mana Financial Life Design, an RIA based in Los Angeles, California (but works virtually with clients nationwide), that oversees approximately $70 million in assets under management for 119 client households.
Carson Wealth
FEBRUARY 4, 2025
Understanding Tax Compliance and Risk Management Ultra-high-net-worth individuals face unique tax challenges, including high rates and ever-changing complex tax codes. If managed improperly or inefficiently, tax issues could significantly erode your familys wealth and even lead to legal complications. While most taxpayers dont need to worry about estate and gift taxes, having significant assets can make them a challenge.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 3, 2025
From the Federal Reserve: The January 2025 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices The January 2025 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices (SLOOS) addressed changes in the standards and terms on, and demand for, bank loans to businesses and households over the past three months, which generally correspond to the fourth quarter of 2024.
Speaker: Kim Beynon, CPA, CGMA, PMP
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.
Mullooly Asset Management
FEBRUARY 6, 2025
401k Loans Are Bad? Here are some key takeaways: – Taking 401k loans can significantly impact retirement savings due to missed opportunity costs, potentially reducing the final balance by hundreds of thousands of dollars. – Having an emergency fund is crucial to avoid dipping into retirement accounts for unexpected expenses.
Random Roger's Retirement Planning
FEBRUARY 7, 2025
After an extensive and exhaustive investigation, Barron's is reporting that The 60/40 Portfolio Is On Life Support and offered ideas from four different money managers on how to overcome the problem. Two of the four said buy more equities so we won't spend time on those. Rick Friedman from GMO was quoted in the article with a mix of very short term thoughts and longer term ideas.
Carson Wealth
FEBRUARY 3, 2025
What a week it was, as we came into Monday morning with stocks down significantly over worries about Chinese AI-based company DeepSeek. We will discuss that more below, but the bottom line is despite the large losses we saw in large technology names on Monday, last week really held up quite well overall. So Goes January, Goes the Year An effect widely known as the January Barometer looks at how the S&P 500 does in January and what it may mean for the next 11 months.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 3, 2025
From the Census Bureau reported that overall construction spending increased: Construction spending during December 2024 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,192.2 billion, 0.5 percent above the revised November estimate of $2,180.3 billion. The December figure is 4.3 percent above the December 2023 estimate of $2,101.3 billion. The value of construction in 2024 was $2,154.4 billion, 6.5 percent above the $2,023.7 billion spent in 2023. emphasis added Private spending increas
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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
The Big Picture
FEBRUARY 3, 2025
My back-to-work morning train WFH reads: What Inspired Billie Eilishs Grammy-Nominated Album? Let Her Show You. The singer and songwriter Billie Eilish, 23, has released three full-length albums. Every one has been nominated for album of the year at the Grammy Awards. I really, really have always had a deep love for albums that feel like albums that move together and each song goes into each song and theres the same motifs, Eilish said in an interview ahead of this years ceremony on Sunday. (
Random Roger's Retirement Planning
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
The Retirement Manifesto Blog had a post about the "5 Top Regrets of Retirees." It's a good short read and maybe you will agree with the author or disagree but an underlying current to what he isolated as regrets seemed to be about optionality that was either not preserved or was just given away. The first regret was not saving enough money. We've been talking for ages about the idea of doing favors for your future self.
Carson Wealth
FEBRUARY 6, 2025
Every year brings changes in tax rules, and 2025 is no exception. Whether you are saving for retirement, running a business, or planning for your family’s future, these updates could affect your financial decisions throughout the year. While some changes simply adjust for inflation, others create brand new opportunities to strengthen your financial position.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 4, 2025
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Fannie and Freddie: Single Family Serious Delinquency Rates Increased in December Excerpt: Freddie Mac reported that the Single-Family serious delinquency rate in December was 0.59%, up from 0.56% November. Freddie's rate is up year-over-year from 0.55% in December 2023, however, this is below the pre-pandemic level of 0.60%.
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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
FEBRUARY 4, 2025
The transcript from this weeks, MiB: Apollo’s Torsten Slok on the US Economy & Trump 2.0 , is below. You can stream and download our full conversation, including any podcast extras, on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube , and Bloomberg. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite pod hosts can be found here. ~~~ This is Masters in business with Barry Ritholtz on Bloomberg Radio.
Validea
FEBRUARY 3, 2025
In this episode, Jack and Matt dive deep into their conversation with Jason Buck about building truly robust investment portfolios that can withstand any market environment. Moving beyond the typical “stocks only go up” mentality, they explore critical concepts like: The real difference between offense and defense in portfolio construction Why treating your portfolio as savings rather than a get-rich-quick scheme is crucial Understanding real vs. nominal returns and why this distinct
A Wealth of Common Sense
FEBRUARY 4, 2025
I spent this past weekend doing what my family does most weekends — shuttling our kids around to their various games, practices and birthday parties. One of the best parts about having young children is so much of your time is devoted to their activities that you don’t have a lot of time to pay attention to the outside world. Some parents complain about being busy all the time but I find it to be a welcomed br.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 7, 2025
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: 1st Look at Local Housing Markets in January A brief excerpt: NOTE: The tables for active listings, new listings and closed sales all include a comparison to January 2019 for each local market (some 2019 data is not available). This is the first look at several early reporting local markets in January.
Speaker: Cheryl J. Muldrew-McMurtry
Remote finance teams are rewriting how the back-office runs—and attackers are taking notes. Disconnected workflows, process blind spots, and rising cyber threats have become more than just “growing pains”. They’re now liabilities. The challenge isn’t just team distribution, but building resilient systems that protect accuracy, control, and speed across every transaction and touchpoint.
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