Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 21, 2023

All investment advisers are fiduciaries that owe a duty of care and loyalty to their clients, and, in an ideal world, advisory firms and their staff would abide by these requirements without the need for a prescriptive code of ethics. However, the early 2000s were plagued by a variety of SEC enforcement actions that alleged fiduciary duty violations – primarily involving trading abuses by investment advisory personnel – which led the regulator to create a rule (that became effective

Ethics

Calculated Risk

JUNE 23, 2023

From Black Knight: Black Knight: Past-Due Mortgages Approach Recent Record Lows as Serious Delinquencies Continue Improvement; Prepayments See Seasonal Rise • Reversing much of April’s calendar-driven spike, the national delinquency rate fell 11 basis points (bps) in May to hit 3.10% – the lowest it’s been other than March 2023’s record of 2.92% • The number of borrowers a single payment past due improved by 94K (-9.5%), erasing nearly half of the prior month’s increase • Serious delinquencies (

Numbers

The Reformed Broker

JUNE 17, 2023

Please read this from Michael Santoli: Just as the depth of despond evident in investor-sentiment gauges around Labor Day was out of proportion to what the market and economy had been doing, the volume of cheer engendered by this four-week, 9% rally looks to be running at least a bit ahead of what has, after all, been a marginal upside exit from a long, grinding trading range.

Marketing

The Big Picture

JUNE 17, 2023

This week, we speak with Gretchen Morgenson, senior financial reporter for the NBC News investigative unit. A former stockbroker and alumna of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, she won the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for her “trenchant and incisive” reporting on finance. She (and coauthor Joshua Rosner) recently published “ These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs―and Wrecks―America.

Taxes

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Accounting

Wealth Management

JUNE 21, 2023

Despite its advantages, portability isn’t always recommended in second marriages.

Calculated Risk

JUNE 22, 2023

The DOL reported : In the week ending June 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 264,000 , unchanged from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 262,000 to 264,000. The 4-week moving average was 255,750, an increase of 8,500 from the previous week's revised average. This is the highest level for this average since November 13, 2021 when it was 260,000.

The Big Picture

JUNE 21, 2023

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it…” – Upton Sinclair Since the financial crisis, we have seen repeated attempts at attacking indexing all of which have failed — both legislatively and in terms of investors voting with their dollars. Recent attempts – see this , this , this , and this – have similarly failed to persuade investors of the evils of indexing.

Management

Wealth Management

JUNE 21, 2023

Some tips to help prevent your clients from ending up like HBO's Roys.

Clients

Calculated Risk

JUNE 21, 2023

From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications increased 0.5 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 16, 2023. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 0.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.

Accounting

Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 23, 2023

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week’s edition kicks off with the news that amid a flurry of SEC-proposed rules for investment advisers, the Investment Adviser Association this week called on the regulator to assess whether the compliance burden these regulations would put on advisers outweighs the potential benefits and, if adopted, to consider rolling them out on a staggered basis to give advisers sufficient time to implement them.

Financial Planner

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.

Budgeting

The Big Picture

JUNE 22, 2023

Source: FRED Wealth disparities get ever more lopsided the higher up the economic strata you climb; there is more disparity with the top 1% than the top 10%, but the biggest spreads are at the top 0.1% (and above). Consider the chart at top, created by Invictus via FRED. It shows “Share of Total Assets Held by the Bottom 50% ( red line ) versus the Share of Total Assets Held by the Top 0.1% ( green line ).

Distribution

Wealth Management

JUNE 22, 2023

Gen Z wants and expects a digital, hyper-personalized experience that helps them reach their financial goals.

Financial Advisor

Calculated Risk

JUNE 22, 2023

From WardsAuto: June U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Pegged for 21% Gain; Q2 to Roll in at 2-Year-High 15.7 Million SAAR (pay content). Brief excerpt: Deliveries in the second quarter will total 4.1 million units, 18% above like-2022, and stronger than Q1’s 8% gain. First-half 2023 volume will total 7.67 million units, up 13% from January-June 2022’s 6.78 million. emphasis added Click on graph for larger image.

Sales

Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 19, 2023

Recent years have seen an increase in the number of RIAs charging fixed monthly retainer fees, and while retainer fees can have several advantages over other types of fees, one notable disadvantage – particularly as compared to traditional AUM fees, which tend to increase automatically in line with financial markets – is that financial advisors who use them must proactively raise their fees from time to time in order to keep up with business expenses, invest in new upgrades, and incr

Communication

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.

Accounting

The Big Picture

JUNE 23, 2023

My end-of-week morning train WFH reads: • What Was Nate Silver’s Data Revolution? Silver, a former professional poker player, was in the business of measuring probabilities. Many readers mistook him for an oracle. ( New Yorker ) • Boaz versus BlackRock: the fight over closed-end funds : Saba founder says he never planned to be an activist investor.

Media

Wealth Management

JUNE 23, 2023

By 2045, millennials and Gen X are projected to control 80% of all private wealth.

Investing

Calculated Risk

JUNE 20, 2023

From the Census Bureau: Permits, Starts and Completions Housing Starts: Privately‐owned housing starts in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,631,000. This is 21.7 percent above the revised April estimate of 1,340,000 and is 5.7 percent above the May 2022 rate of 1,543,000. Single‐family housing starts in May were at a rate of 997,000; this is 18.5 percent above the revised April figure of 841,000.

Abnormal Returns

JUNE 18, 2023

Markets Joshua Brown, "The thing that everyone’s talking about is not always the thing that ends up mattering." (thereformedbroker.com) Three reasons why the stock market is higher this year. (tker.co) Higher yields are the biggest potential headwind for stocks. (awealthofcommonsense.com) Strategy To reach the top level of a craft you have to have a passion for it.

Financial Advising

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.

Management

The Big Picture

JUNE 19, 2023

My Juneteenth morning reads: • As the nation celebrates Juneteenth, it’s time to get rid of these three myths about slavery : Juneteenth has since become known as “America’s Second Independence Day.” Now a federal holiday, it will be celebrated by parades, proclamations, and ceremonies throughout the US. Though it commemorates a moment when enslaved African Americans were freed, the US is still held captive by several myths about slavery and people like Cummins. ( CNN ) • The Shame of the Suburb

Portfolio

Wealth Management

JUNE 23, 2023

Digital asset custody and trading services from Fidelity Digital Assets will be accessible within Wealthscape.

Wealth Management

Calculated Risk

JUNE 19, 2023

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported the housing market index (HMI) was at 55, up from 50 last month. Any number above 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as good than poor. From the NAHB: Builder Confidence Moves into Positive Territory in June Solid demand, a lack of existing inventory and improving supply chain efficiency helped shift builder confidence into positive territory for the first time in 11 months.

Sales

Abnormal Returns

JUNE 21, 2023

Podcasts Peter Lazaroff debunks conventional wisdom with Ashby Daniels. (peterlazaroff.com) Morgan Housel on the importance of keeping low expectations. (open.spotify.com) Christine Benz and Jeff Ptak talk with Talmon Smith about the coming wealth transfer. (morningstar.com) Retirement Retirement has some distinct phases. (rationalwalk.com) Seven risks we all face in retirement.

Retirement

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The Big Picture

JUNE 17, 2023

The weekend is here! Pour yourself a mug of coffee, grab a seat outside, and get ready for our longer-form weekend reads: • Who Builds The Internet? Meet Wikipedia’s Architects : The world wide web of Wikipedia, as told by its editors. ( Byline ) • Microsoft’s Sudden AI Dominance Is Scrambling Silicon Valley’s Power Structure : The company has quietly cornered the emerging software market, and it’s preparing to cash in. ( Businessweek ) see also How Nvidia Became ChatGPT’s Brain and Joine

Medicine

Wealth Management

JUNE 20, 2023

But pursuing these premiums is not a free lunch.

Retirement

Calculated Risk

JUNE 18, 2023

Notes: The expansion to the Panama Canal was completed in 2016 (As I noted several years ago ), and some of the traffic that used the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach is probably going through the canal. This might be impacting TEUs on the West Coast. 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.

Retail

Abnormal Returns

JUNE 22, 2023

Markets S&P 500 earnings estimates keep rising. (axios.com) Commercial real estate is the original alternative asset class. (savantwealth.com) Venture capital Venture capital firms are buying shares in the secondary market. (bloomberg.com) The sectors where seed investors are still putting money to work. (news.crunchbase.com) Fund management Investors are struggling with how to deal with China allocations.

Financial Advising

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Clients

The Reformed Broker

JUNE 23, 2023

Welcome to the latest episode of The Compound & Friends. This week, Michael Batnick, Mark Newton, and Downtown Josh Brown discuss market sentiment, buying the dip, the DeMARK Indicator, fundamental vs technical analysis, industrials, commodities, and much more! You can listen to the whole thing below, or find it wherever you like to listen to your favorite pods!

Marketing

Wealth Management

JUNE 21, 2023

How to give agents value for their cash.

Insurance

Calculated Risk

JUNE 22, 2023

Realtor.com has monthly and weekly data on the existing home market. Here is their weekly report from economist Danielle Hale: Weekly Housing Trends View — Data Week Ending June 17, 2023 • Active inventory growth slowed again, with for-sale homes up just 5% above one year ago. The number of homes for sale continues to grow, but the advantage over one year ago is shrinking and likely to slow in the months ahead.

Numbers

Abnormal Returns

JUNE 21, 2023

Strategy Avoiding big errors plays a big role in investment success. (ritholtz.com) In a portfolio context, cash is a double-edged sword. (morningstar.com) Crypto WisdomTree ($WT) and Invesco ($IVZ) are re-filing for a spot Bitcoin ETF in light of Blackrock's ($BLK) move. (theblock.co) Good luck coming up with a model to value Bitcoin. (morningstar.com) The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ($GBTC) is catching a bid on increased spot Bitcoin ETF talk.

Financial Advising

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.

Distribution