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Client communication is easily one of the most crucial elements of a successful business. Being able to efficiently and effectively communicate with clients can be the difference between satisfied customers and scathing reviews. Customers want to understand what’s going on, and if a financial advisor can’t provide them with that information on a consistent basis, they’ll be losing them as a client.
Nine years ago, I wrote: Census Bureau: Largest 5-year Population Cohort is now the "20 to 24" Age Group. Earliler the Census Bureau released the population estimates for July 2022 by age, and I've updated the table from the previous post. The table below shows the top 10 cohorts by size for 2010, 2022 (released recently), and the most recent Census Bureau projections for 2030.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.1 percent in March on a seasonally-adjusted basis, after increasing 0.4 percent in February. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 5.0 percent before seasonal adjustment. ( April 2023 ) As much as I want to jump up and down about 0.1% seasonally adjusted (after a 0.4% prior month), the big number is not so big: 5.0% A 5 handle is a huge development, even with the core remaining sligh
A must-attend event for every RIA owner and practitioner, featuring Michael Kitces, Josh Brown, and Penny Phillips. Register here to secure your spot Michael Kitces is known as every financial advisor’s favorite financial advisor, with Kitces.com serving nearly 3,000 members and his Nerd’s Eye View blog reaching more than 200,000 unique visitors monthly.
The office of the CFO is rapidly evolving, with more and more demands being placed upon the finance and accounting team each year. Join us in this webinar, where we share 8 things to NOT do when it comes to helping the CFO office advance in supporting the business. Learning Objectives: This course objective is to understand how best to support an organization's finance leadership.
From the Fed: Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization Industrial production rose 0.4 percent in March and was little changed in the first quarter, increasing at an annual rate of 0.2 percent. In March, manufacturing and mining output each fell 0.5 percent. The index for utilities jumped 8.4 percent, as the return to more seasonal weather after a mild February boosted the demand for heating.
Nonfarm payrolls came out Friday, and once again they impressed with their underlying strength: 236,000 new workers were added in March, with February NFP revised upward to 326,000, as the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%. But there remains nearly two job opening for each unemployed worker, and despite rising wages, lots of decent positions remain unfilled.
Nonfarm payrolls came out Friday, and once again they impressed with their underlying strength: 236,000 new workers were added in March, with February NFP revised upward to 326,000, as the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%. But there remains nearly two job opening for each unemployed worker, and despite rising wages, lots of decent positions remain unfilled.
When planning for retirement, it’s effectively impossible to precisely forecast the performance and timing of future investment returns, which in turn makes it challenging to accurately predict a plan’s success or failure. And while Monte Carlo simulations have made it possible for advisors to create retirement projections that seem to have a reasonable basis in math and data, there has been limited research as to whether Monte Carlo models really perform as advertised – in oth
Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 0.2% week-over-week. Maybe inventory has finally bottomed seasonally. Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of April 7th, inventory was at 411 thousand (7-day average), compared to 410 thousand the prior week. Year-to-date, inventory is down 16.3%.
This week, we speak with Aswath Damodaran, who holds the Kerschner Family Chair in Finance Education at New York University’s Stern School of Business. A nine-time “Professor of the Year” winner at NYU, Damodaran teaches classes in corporate finance and valuation to MBA students. He has also written several books on corporate finance and equity valuation and has published widely in journals.
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.
Podcasts Morgan Housel talks about the importance of 'playing your own game.' (open.spotify.com) Christine Benz and Jeff Ptak talk with James Choi about personal financial advice and the importance of defaults. (morningstar.com) Wealth Baby Boomers control a majority of American wealthy, but it's concentrated in a minority. (awealthofcommonsense.com) Being wealthy is about not worrying about money.
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Remote Work and Household Formation A brief excerpt: Back in September 2021, I wrote Household Formation Drives Housing Demand So what is driving demand for both homeownership and rentals? Household formation! Over time, housing economist Tom Lawler and I unraveled the household formation mystery.
Some encouraging news about people saving for retirement: A study by Vanguard Group found that “Automatic enrollment and the rise of target-date funds” are having a substantial and positive impact on retirement savers, in particular, on Millennials and Generation Z investors. They have seen a significant uptick in overall participation rate, which has increased from 62% in 2006 to 82% in 2021.
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.
Fund management Don't look to the UK for successful active managers. (ft.com) A Texas-focused ETF is coming down the pike. (finance.yahoo.com) ETNs are not the same as ETFs. (barrons.com) AI Why AI hasn't taken over Wall Street, yet. (wsj.com) How Qraft Technologies plans to limit access to its AI tools. (institutionalinvestor.com) Companies Meta ($META) has a morale problem.
Despite common perception that active beats passive during times of volatility, only 25% of large value, blend and growth mutual funds outperformed their category index during the first quarter of 2023.
From the BLS : The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.1 percent in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, after increasing 0.4 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 5.0 percent before seasonal adjustment. The index for shelter was by far the largest contributor to the monthly all items increase.
Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that on the heels of introducing its own self-clearing platform and acquiring fellow RIA custodian Shareholder Services Group, Altruist announced that it raised $112 million in a series D funding round, bringing its total funding to more than $290 million.
The most overlooked, yet most critical, element of transformation is preparing people for change. Automation and AI aren't just technical upgrades, they’re cultural shifts which can challenge identities. That’s why change management isn’t a side project—it’s the foundation. In finance, where precision and process rule, navigating change can feel especially disruptive.
Podcasts Justin L. Mack talks with Zach Conway, who is CEO of Seeds Investor. (financial-planning.com) Frazer Rice talks family offices with Edward Marshall, Head of the Global Family Office at Dentons, the international law firm. (podcasts.apple.com) Direct indexing Savvy Wealth has launched a direct indexing tool. (wealthmanagement.com) Charles Schwab ($SCHW) has a lower minimum for its DIY direct indexing tool.
Diversified Healthcare Trust struck a merger agreement with Office Properties Income Trust, reports McKnights Senior Living. Commercial Observer looks at the conflicting pictures of what's going on in the multifamily sector. These are among today’s must reads from around the commercial real estate industry.
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-April A brief excerpt: The following graph from MortgageNewsDaily.com shows mortgage rates since January 1, 2020. 30-year mortgage rates were at 6.42% on April 12th, up from 6.0% in early February, and down from the recent high of over 7% in early March - and still up sharply year-over-year.
The 2023 Technology Tools for Today (T3) Advisor Conference, held last month in Tampa, Florida, featured a large gathering of financial advisors and representatives across the fintech industry attending the 2½-day conference. Hosted by Joel Bruckenstein and his team from T3 Consulting, the conference covered everything from how technology providers are continuing to expand their features and integration capabilities to how advisors can manage their own expanding tech stacks to the ever-pres
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.
Markets Q1 S&P 500 earnings are expected to decline for the second quarter in a row. (axios.com) Gold is back at all-time highs. (allstarcharts.com) Bonds Individual investors are getting a crash course in bond buying. (wsj.com) Treasury bonds are no longer a crazy proposition. (morningstar.com) Technology Why Intel's ($INTC) turnaround is a long shot.
From Dodge Data Analytics: Dodge Momentum Index Drops in March The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI), issued by Dodge Construction Network, slipped 8.6% in March to 183.7 (2000=100) from the revised February reading of 201.0. In March, the commercial component of the DMI fell 6.6%, and the institutional component decreased 12.9%. “We are predicting the Dodge Momentum Index to work its way back to historical norms throughout 2023, concurrent with weaker economic conditions,” stated Sarah Martin, associa
Welcome to the latest episode of The Compound & Friends. This week, Michael Batnick, Liz Young, and Downtown Josh Brown discuss building a career in finance, cooling inflation, the stages of a recession, whether the VIX still matters, commercial real estate, the credit crunch, and much more! You can listen to the whole thing below, or find it wherever you like to listen to your favorite pods!
Where are top advisors focusing in 2025? AcquireUp’s 2025 Industry Index reveals it all. Based on insights from 200+ financial professionals nationwide, discover why 74% say seminars and referrals deliver the best ROI, how automation is helping advisors scale faster, and why only 8% are tapping into niche marketing (a major growth opportunity!). Whether you're refining your client acquisition strategy or scaling your practice, this report gives you the real-world data, benchmarks, and action ste
Strategy The stock market is converting bears into bulls. (allstarcharts.com) Broad diversification is back! (morningstar.com) Companies Tupperware ($TUP) is at-risk of going bankrupt. (axios.com) Boeing ($BA) jumped ahead of Airbus in deliveries for the first time since Q2 2018. (finance.yahoo.com) Chipotle Mexican Grill ($CMG) is rolling out a new all-electric restaurant concept.
Financial Times lays out the case for why the extent of the likely troubles in the commercial real estate sector is exaggerated. Shadow lenders are getting ready to fill the debt gap left by banks and CMBS shops, according to Bloomberg. These are among today’s must reads from around the commercial real estate industry.
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: 2nd Look at Local Housing Markets in March A brief excerpt: This is the second look at local markets in March. I’m tracking about 40 local housing markets in the US. Some of the 40 markets are states, and some are metropolitan areas. I’ll update these tables throughout the month as additional data is released.
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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