Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Seasoned financial advisors have likely worked with clients with a wide variety of workplace retirement accounts, which can vary in terms of their investment offerings, fees, and other characteristics. But given that the U.S. government is the largest employer in the country, it can be especially helpful for advisors to be familiar with the ins and outs of (and recent changes to) the Federal government’s own defined contribution plan: the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).

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The Reformed Broker

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

“When I see a bubble forming I rush in to buy, adding fuel to the fire. That is not irrational.” – George Soros, 2009 I’ve spent 25 years watching, trading and investing in the stock market. The repetition of patterns is amazing. In every generation we see new bubbles, which form when a new innovation comes along and everyone gets excited about the future.

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Calculated Risk

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications increased 7.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending February 3, 2023. The Refinance Index increased 18 percent from the previous week and was 75 percent lower than the same week one year ago.

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Marketing Marketing 358

The Chicago Financial Planner

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Contrary to what some politicians might say, your Social Security benefits are not an entitlement. You’ve paid Social Security taxes over the course of your working life and you’ve earned these benefits. Many retirees and others collecting Social Security wonder about the tax treatment of their benefit. The answer to the question in the title is that your Social Security benefits may be subject to taxes.

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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

Wealth Management

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Having brought its version of financial planning to Canada in late 2020, the firm is preparing to enter the U.S. and U.K. markets.

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The Reformed Broker

FEBRUARY 4, 2023

And if you haven’t subscribed yet, don’t wait. Check it out below or wherever fine podcasts are played. . The post This Week on TRB appeared first on The Reformed Broker.

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The Big Picture

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

I am always fascinated when seemingly random sources converge on the same concept. The current convergence involved some research I was doing centered on Dunning Kruger, Vanguard’s Tim Buckley, my partner Josh’s AI/ChatGPT post, and the general state of the market. It’s like a real-time version of “ The Blind Men and the Elephant ,” by John Godfrey Saxe.

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Wealth Management

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Creating custom portfolios for individual clients can be done with an institutional approach but there are other ways to do it.

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Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Enjoy the current installment of “Weekend Reading For Financial Planners” - this week’s edition kicks off with the news that according to CFP Board leaders, “everything is on the table” when it comes to the organization’s announced competency standards review. Among others, one notable item that could be reviewed is the current certification requirement that a candidate must have attained at least a bachelor’s degree, which some observers have suggested

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Calculated Risk

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Freddie Mac House Price Index Declines for 7th Consecutive Month in December A brief excerpt: Freddie Mac recently reported that its “National” Home Price Index (FMHPI) declined for the seventh consecutive month on a seasonally adjusted basis in December, putting the National FNHPI down 2.5% from its May 2022 peak, and down 5.0% Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA) from the peak.

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The Big Picture

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

I get too many emails. So much so that I had to set up separate email addresses for things like subscriptions, etc. I am impressed with the overall quality of Substacks I receive; I have a few favorites that I never miss. But it hass become too easy to add another, and they all it piled up in my inbox, looking a little too much like homework. It recently got worse: I have noticed how many of my subscription emails in the inbox (see above) are now Substacks.

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Wealth Management

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Tips, tricks, and best practices to eliminate the angst experienced by many advisors who embark on the journey of exploration.

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Abnormal Returns

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

Strategy How a big, successful trade can distort your thinking for years to come. (youngmoney.co) Meb Faber on why more people don't invest in managed futures funds. (rcmalternatives.com) Companies Activist investors are lining up against Salesforce ($CRM). (wsj.com) Just how big is Apple's ($AAPL) services business? (finbold.com) Do we need to slow down the race to public AI?

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Calculated Risk

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: 1st Look at Local Housing Markets in January A brief excerpt: This is the first look at local markets in January. 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.

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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

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

I am in Florida for the big ETF Exchange event. It’s a giant annual conference with 2000+ people attending in Miami to network, talk ETF’s, and discuss the future of the industry. It’s always a worthwhile hang. (Full agenda here ) My contribution to the event is a live Masters-in-Business with the Vanguard Group’s CEO Tim Buckley. We will be recording it for broadcast next week; even if you cannot make it to Miami tomorrow, you will be able to hear what the CEO of Vanguard Grou

Investing 272

Investing Investments Marketing Marketing 272

Wealth Management

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

GlobeSt.com looks at where the multifamily sector might be showing distress. Leasing momentum is improving at trophy office buildings in Washington, D.C. These are among today’s must reads from around the commercial real estate industry.

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The Reformed Broker

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

Final Trades: Danaher, AbbVie, Paramount & more from CNBC. The post Clips From Today’s Halftime Report appeared first on The Reformed Broker.

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Calculated Risk

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

Realtor.com has monthly and weekly data on the existing home market. Here is their weekly report released today from Chief Economist Danielle Hale: Weekly Housing Trends View — Data Week Ending Feb 4, 2023 • Active inventory growth continued to climb with for-sale homes up 70% above one year ago. Inventories of for-sale homes rose again, but climbed at a slightly slower yearly pace than last week. • New listings–a measure of sellers putting homes up for sale–were again down, this week by 11% fro

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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

Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

For many financial advisors, setting asset minimums helps ensure that their firm can generate enough revenue to maintain business costs and compensate the advisor appropriately. While finding prospective clients who are a good fit for the firm can be challenging, what can be even more challenging is letting a prospect who doesn’t meet the firm’s asset minimum requirements know that they wouldn’t be a good fit for the firm.

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Wealth Management

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

The absence of comparable data presents a major hurdle for examining firms’ ESG factors.

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The Reformed Broker

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

UBS says buy Berkshire Hathaway from CNBC. The post Clips From Today’s Halftime Report appeared first on The Reformed Broker.

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Calculated Risk

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

From CoStar: STR: Weekly US Hotel Occupancy Hovers Around 55% U.S. hotel performance fell slightly from the previous week, according to STR‘s latest data through Feb. 4. Jan. 29 to Feb. 4, 2023 (percentage change from comparable week in 2019*): • Occupancy: 55.3% (-7.3%) • Average daily rate (ADR): $145.35 (+13.9%) • Revenue per available room (RevPAR): $80.45 (+5.6%) *Due to the pandemic impact, STR is measuring recovery against comparable time periods from 2019.

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Clients

Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

Welcome to the February 2023 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 the “financial monitoring software” platform Elements has raised $5 million in a seed-extension funding round as it seeks to establish a foothold in the rapidly growing AdvisorTech categ

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Wealth Management

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

An introductory four-part guide for helping clients increase the value and net profit of their businesses.

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Clients Planning 278

The Reformed Broker

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Join Downtown Josh Brown and Michael Batnick for another round of What Are Your Thoughts? On this week’s episode, Josh and Michael discuss the biggest topics in investing and finance, including: ►Bear Market Rallies – Another bear market rally or a new bull market? ►AI Bubble of 2023 – ChatGPT had over 100 million users in January.

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Calculated Risk

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

Altos reports inventory was down 1.9% week-over-week. Usually inventory bottoms in early February; however, in 2022, inventory bottomed in early March. Here are the same week inventory changes for the last five years: 2023: -8.7K 2022: -16.0K 2021: -13.4K 2020: -4.3K 2019: -10.9K Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research.

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Accounting

Abnormal Returns

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

Markets February has historically been the second worst month for the stock market. (allstarcharts.com) Finance We're all better off having a robust short selling community. (netinterest.co) Why Rothschild & Co is going private. (ft.com) Wall Street layoffs are nothing new. (npr.org) Companies Four big trends are causing the tech giants trouble.

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Wealth Management

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Steward's multi-custodial model is resonating with new teams in the Southeast region.

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The Reformed Broker

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Welcome to the latest episode of The Compound & Friends. This week, Michael Batnick, Brian Belski, and Downtown Josh Brown discuss earnings season, recession fears, market sectors, PE expansion out of a bear market, small cap stocks, consumer staples, Bob Iger getting things done, Microsoft vs Google, and much more! You can listen to the whole thing below, or find it wherever you like to listen to your favorite pods!

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Calculated Risk

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Notes: This CoreLogic House Price Index report is for December. The recent Case-Shiller index release was for November. The CoreLogic HPI is a three-month weighted average and is not seasonally adjusted (NSA). From CoreLogic: Peak Fall Mortgage Rates Further Cooled Home Price Growth in December, CoreLogic Reports CoreLogic®. today released the CoreLogic Home Price Index (HPI™) and HPI Forecast™ for December 2022.

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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