Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Consumers have a wide range of options when it comes to choosing a provider of financial advice, from larger wirehouses and asset managers to smaller Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs). Given that larger firms tend to have more substantial marketing budgets to attract clients, smaller firms and their advisors have had to look for alternative ways to differentiate themselves from the competition.

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Financial Planning Marketing Marketing Financial Advice 246

Wealth Management

OCTOBER 15, 2023

Wealth Management recently asked readers to nominate the investment book that most helped them in their investing careers.

Investing 351

Investing Investments Wealth Management Management 351

The Big Picture

OCTOBER 20, 2023

“I need the US Dollar to be a store of value between the time I make it until I spend it, invest it, pay my taxes with it, or give it away. It does that splendidly.” 1 Today, we’re going to look at a perennial (un)favorite #chartfail. To be more precise, I want to discuss the type of chart that reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of money, currency, spending, investing, and taxes.

Investing 340

Investing Investments Math Medicine 340

Calculated Risk

OCTOBER 18, 2023

Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: 30-Year Mortgage Rates Hit 8.0% Excerpt: Mortgage News Daily reports 30-year fixed rate mortgages rose to 8.0% today (for top tier scenarios). This will mostly impact closed sales in November and December, and strongly suggests we will see new cycle lows for existing home sales over the winter. Note: The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is scheduled to release September existing home sales tomorrow, Thursday, October 19th, at 10:00 AM ET

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Sales 328

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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

Clients

The Reformed Broker

OCTOBER 17, 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: ►Earnings – “Average commercial and consumer loans were both down from the second quarter as higher rates and a slowing economy have weakened loan demand, and we’ve continued to take some credit tighteni.

Economy 289

Economy Investments Investing Marketing 289

Wealth Management

OCTOBER 16, 2023

It's often a better option, both in terms of dollars and cents and family stress, than passing on a residence to heirs.

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Calculated Risk

OCTOBER 17, 2023

On a monthly basis, retail sales were up 0.7% from August to September (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up 3.8 percent from September 2022. From the Census Bureau report : Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for September 2023, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $704.9 billion, up 0.7 percent from the previous month, and up 3.8 percent above September 2022.

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Retail Sales Food 300

Abnormal Returns

OCTOBER 17, 2023

Trend following The case for medium-term trend signals. (mrzepczynski.blogspot.com) The problem with trend following systems: an abundance of parameters. (priceactionlab.com) Research On the corporate bond factor zoo. (papers.ssrn.com) There is still no good explanation for momentum. (alphaarchitect.com) Why post-earnings drift happens. (klementoninvesting.substack.com) Does private credit have a return smoothing problem?

Marketing 283

Marketing Marketing 283

Wealth Management

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Cadre's CEO discusses how the firm uses predictive models and workflow tools to change the real estate investment experience.

Investing 328

Investing Investments 328

The Big Picture

OCTOBER 20, 2023

My end-of-week morning train WFH reads: • Austin’s office market is exploding. But no one is moving in. 6 million square feet of new office space will hit the market in the next few years — equivalent to 105 football fields. Between spaces completed since 2020 and what’s still in the pipeline, the office market will grow nearly 25 percent — the fastest rate on the continent.

Startup 264

Startup Insurance Sales Marketing 264

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.

Management

Calculated Risk

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Realtor.com has monthly and weekly data on the existing home market. Here is their weekly report from Danielle Hale: Weekly Housing Trends View — Data Week Ending Oct 14, 2023 • Active inventory declined, with for-sale homes lagging behind year ago levels by 2.7%. For 17 straight weeks, the number of homes available for sale has registered below that of the previous year. • New listings–a measure of sellers putting homes up for sale–were down again this week, by 4.4% from one year ago.

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Sales Numbers Marketing Marketing 296

Abnormal Returns

OCTOBER 18, 2023

Markets Narratives drive stocks and the GLP-1 narrative is strong these days. (herbgreenberg.substack.com) Just how expensive are the 'Magnificent Seven' stocks? (blog.validea.com) Why international equities may belong in your taxable account. (corporate.vanguard.com) There is no single model for the term premium. (wsj.com) Finance What makes for a good annual shareholder letter?

Financial Advising 273

Financial Advising Media Economy Accounting 273

Wealth Management

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Paul Kwak conspired with others to fraudulently apply for business assistance from the Economic Impact Disaster Loan program.

Economics 325

Economics 325

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that a recent study from Fidelity Institutional highlights the growing popularity of the RIA model and the success advisors have had after going independent. The study found that 1 in 6 advisors have moved firms in the past 5 years, with the majority opting for the independent channel.

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Retirement Planning Retirement Insurance 246

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.

Numbers

Calculated Risk

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 1.8% week-over-week. Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of October 13th, inventory was at 546 thousand (7-day average), compared to 537 thousand the prior week. Year-to-date, inventory is up 11.3%. And inventory is up 34.8% from the seasonal bottom 26 weeks ago.

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Abnormal Returns

OCTOBER 18, 2023

Podcasts Peter Lazaroff on what constitutes 'evidence-based investing.' (peterlazaroff.com) Bogumil Baranowski talks with Brian Feroldi, author of "Why the Stock Market Goes Up." (talkingbillions.co) Frazer Rice talks with Jared Dillian about his forthcoming book "No Worries: How to Live a Stress-Free Life." (open.spotify.com) Peter Dunn on understanding your relationship with money.

Insurance 261

Insurance Math Retirement Taxes 261

Wealth Management

OCTOBER 19, 2023

The image, ad copy and targeting should align seamlessly.

Marketing 317

Marketing Marketing 317

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 18, 2023

A key value proposition for financial advisors is helping clients avoid common behavioral biases that can lead to suboptimal investment decisions. Even people who are normally rational decision-makers can be prone to fear, greed, and overconfidence, and the persistence of market bubbles where investors chase whatever company or sector is all the rage at the time (and often get stuck with losses when the bubble pops) shows that herd mentality in investing is as prevalent as ever.

Marketing 246

Marketing Marketing Valuation Advertising 246

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.

Accounting

Calculated Risk

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: NAR: Existing-Home Sales Decreased to 3.96 million SAAR in September; New Cycle Low Excerpt: Sales Year-over-Year and Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA) The fourth graph shows existing home sales by month for 2022 and 2023. Sales declined 15.4% year-over-year compared to September 2022. This was the twenty-fifth consecutive month with sales down year-over-year.

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Sales 281

Abnormal Returns

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Rates Bonds have had a lost decade. (wsj.com) Mortgage rates have hit 8%. (calculatedrisk.substack.com) Fund management Big money money managers are all in on ETFs. (ft.com) Sentiment How media is driving a wedge between the economy and sentiment. (ritholtz.com) Annie Lowery, "Things are great, but folks are mad." (theatlantic.com) Global Poland's voters pushed back against autocracy.

Financial Advising 259

Financial Advising Investing Investments Media 259

Wealth Management

OCTOBER 16, 2023

The firm’s proprietary Relationship Quality Index combines multiple metrics, based on a 14-question survey, to measure the quality of client relationships.

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Clients 317

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Much of the marketing and practice management advice in the financial advisory space comes back to 1 recommendation: Specialize in a niche. Niching offers several advantages, allowing advisors to be more specific in their marketing, more targeted in their prospecting calls, and more efficient in their processes (since clients within a similar niche are likely to have similar problems, especially in niches of profession).

Clients 246

Clients Financial Advisor Financial Advice Financial Services 246

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Accounting

Calculated Risk

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Preliminary 2024 Housing Forecasts A brief excerpt: Towards the end of each year, I collect some housing forecasts for the following year - and also provide my own outlook. Several more forecast will be available in early December. A few key points from these early forecasts: 1) Forecasters expect house prices in increase next year. 2) Everyone expects multi-family starts to be down sharply in 2024. 3) 30-year fixed rate mortgages rates are e

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Abnormal Returns

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Books An excerpt from “Ours Was the Shining Future” by David Leonhardt. (nytimes.com) Michael Strain talks with James Pethokoukis author of "The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised." (fasterplease.substack.com) A Q&A with Helen Czerski author of "The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Works." (e360.yale.edu) A Q&A with Taylor Lorenz author of "Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet.

Food 259

Food Government Economy 259

Wealth Management

OCTOBER 19, 2023

The Labor Department's latest attempt at amending its fiduciary definition is currently under consideration by the White House’s Budget Department and is expected to be released for comment soon.

Budgeting 312

Budgeting 312

The Big Picture

OCTOBER 14, 2023

 This week, we speak with Graeme Forster, a director at Orbis Investments Ltd., which has $34 billion in assets under management. Graeme joined Orbis in 2007 and is responsible for international equity and optimal strategies. Orbis has a unique corporate structure, owned by a not-for-profit foundation as the result of the original founder gifting its value towards philanthropy (similar to Rolex and The Guardian).

Investing 182

Investing Investments Startup Management 182

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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?

Sales

Calculated Risk

OCTOBER 18, 2023

Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: September Housing Starts: Near Record Number of Multi-Family Housing Units Under Construction Excerpt: The third graph shows the month-to-month comparison for total starts between 2022 (blue) and 2023 (red). Total starts were down 7.2% in September compared to September 2022. And starts year-to-date are down 12.1% compared to last year.

Numbers 268

Numbers 268

Abnormal Returns

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Podcasts Brendan Frazier talks with Meghaan Lurtz about re-engaging with existing clients. (wiredplanning.com) Daniel Crosby talks with Matt Reiner partner at Capital Investment Advisors about the future of financial advice. (standarddeviationspod.com) M&A Are smaller RIAs at risk because of national, full-service firms? (citywire.com) RIA M&A volume has picked up of late.

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Compliance Financial Planner Financial Advice Investment Advisor 259

Wealth Management

OCTOBER 17, 2023

Digital lead generation provider FinanceHQ is banking on its proprietary technology to stand out in a crowded field.

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Banking 306

The Reformed Broker

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Welcome to the latest episode of The Compound & Friends. This week, Michael Batnick, Tom Lee, and Downtown Josh Brown discuss earnings, the liquidity starved bull market, economic indicators, the Fed’s next move, housing, and much more! You can listen to the whole thing below, or find it wherever you like to listen to your favorite pods! Listen here: Apple podcasts Spotify podcasts Google podcasts Everywhere el.

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Marketing Marketing Economics 161

Speaker: Aaron Berson

Managing spend is more than a cost cutting exercise – it's a pathway to smarter decisions that unlock efficiency and drive growth. By understanding and refining the spending process, financial leaders can empower their organizations to achieve more with less. Explore the art of balancing financial control with operational growth. From uncovering hidden inefficiencies to designing workflows that scale your business, we’ll share strategies to align your organization’s spending with its strategic g

Management