The Big Picture

MAY 16, 2024

The Misery Index — the combination of Inflation and unemployment — failed as a bearish criticism of the economy. Unemployment remains at 60-year lows, and Inflation has plummeted from 9% down to the 3s. If you have a bearish mindset , and seek confirmation of that perspective, then the next economic critique after the Misery Index you try on for size is “Stagflation.” We have heard the S-word from Jamie Dimon , Stanley Druckenmiller , Bank of America , Barclays , Fox , Ma

Advertising 317

Advertising Economics Economy Banking 317

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 15, 2024

On April 25, 2024, the Department of Labor (DoL) issued the final version of its Retirement Security Rule (the "Final Rule"), which imposes an ERISA fiduciary standard "that applies uniformly to all investments that retirement investors may make with respect to their retirement accounts ". The new rule represents the latest attempt by regulators to define the types of individuals and advice that are subject to a fiduciary obligation, following on the heels of the SEC's Regulation Best Interest (

Retirement 233

Retirement Commission Banking Financial Advising 233

Abnormal Returns

MAY 13, 2024

Netflix Don't be surprised if Netflix ($NFLX) starts airing NFL games. (spyglass.org) How Netflix ($NFLX) became the future of television. (theirrelevantinvestor.com) BREIT How has BREIT shrugged off the downturn in commercial real estate? (insights.finominal.com) Why private real estate may not belong in a structure like BREIT. (citywire.com) Fund management Why closed-end funds can trade above NAV for extended periods of time.

Financial Advising 240

Financial Advising Education Manufacturing Media 240

A Wealth of Common Sense

MAY 14, 2024

A lot of investors have abandoned international diversification (or at least strongly considered it) in recent years. I understand why this is happening. The U.S. stock market has destroyed all comers ever since the Great Financial Crisis ended. Since 2009, a total U.S. stock market index fund is up more than 660% while a total international index fund is up more like 180%.

Marketing 144

Marketing Marketing Asset Allocation Assets 144

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Change is difficult, whether in our private or work life. However, without change, growth and learning are difficult not to mention keeping up with the market and staying competitive. We have all worked for or ourselves are the bosses that prefer to keep the status quo. We will discuss how to address the "change challenge" to enable you to be a changemaker and a graceful recipient of change.

Planning

The Big Picture

MAY 17, 2024

This week, we speak with Savita Subramanian , head of US Equity and Quantitative strategy at Bank of America. She also leads the firm’s environmental, social and governance research. She has been a ranked analyst in the Institutional Investor survey for the last eleven years. Prior to joining the firm in 2001, Subramanian was an analyst at Scudder Kemper Investments in New York and San Francisco.

Banking 167

Banking Asset Allocation Portfolio Management Engineering 167

Abnormal Returns

MAY 13, 2024

Podcasts Daniel Crosby talks with Naomi Win about why we hate uncertainty so much. (standarddeviationspod.com) Brendan Frazier talks with Emily Koochel about combining technology and financial psychology. (podcasts.apple.com) The biz What Goldman Sachs ($GS) hopes to achieve in the RIA custody business. (barrons.com) Why Focus decided to merge Buckingham Strategic Wealth and The Colony Group.

Math 237

Math Retirement Planning Financial Advice Communication 237

A Wealth of Common Sense

MAY 17, 2024

These are the trailing total returns for the U.S. stock market1 over various time frames: Year to date: +11% One year: +30% Five years: +94% Ten years: +223% Fifteen years: +679% Not bad considering we’ve had two bear markets in the past four years. If you put $10,000 into the U.S. stock market five years ago, your money has essentially doubled: Now look at the returns by year: 2019: +31% 2020: +21% 2021: +26% 2022.

Marketing 141

Marketing Marketing 141

Alpha Architect

MAY 17, 2024

The finding that the recommendations from SA articles resulted in statistically significant risk-adjusted alphas (returns unexplained by conventional academic models using factors such as the market, size, value, momentum, profitability, and quality for equity portfolios) is surprising given that the empirical evidence shows how difficult it is for institutional investors such as mutual funds to show outperformance beyond the randomly expected (as can be seen in the annual SPIVA Scorecards) beca

Media 129

Media Portfolio Marketing Marketing 129

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 17, 2024

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that a recent study indicates that while overall social media engagement for financial services companies was down in 2023 compared to the previous year, firms boosted their engagement through posts that were entirely original content (rather than sharing third-party content), spoke to the firm's or advisor's principles (with posts responding to current news topics lagging), an

Financial Planner 160

Financial Planner Wealth Management Retirement Investment Planning 160

Speaker: Don Gallianza, Credit Manager at Chevron Phillips Chemical and Indy Chakrabarti, Chief Marketing Officer at HighRadius

4 Case Studies to Optimize DSO 26 Days Sales Outstanding. Already better than most. But, should you improve on that? Why would 3 fewer days even matter? It matters because it fundamentally transforms business outcomes. Join this webinar to explore 4 things companies do to reclaim hard dollars - not just soft costs - and go from good to great! What You'll Learn 6 operational KPIs every AR manager should track: Define and track these metrics to enhance performance, drive efficiency, and make infor

Sales

Abnormal Returns

MAY 12, 2024

Markets No news is good news for the stock market. (tker.co) The stock market has gone nowhere the past 10 weeks. (allstarcharts.com) What Wall Street jargon really means. (awealthofcommonsense.com) Companies Apple ($AAPL) is now taking AI seriously. (nytimes.com) Adobe ($ADBE) is walking a fine line when it comes to AI. (theatlantic.com) Funds Mutual funds just keep closing.

Financial Advising 237

Financial Advising Economy Economics Media 237

Advisor Perspectives

MAY 17, 2024

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) decreased in April to its lowest level since April 2020. The index fell 0.6% from last month to 101.8. Overall, the LEI continues to signal softer economic conditions lay ahead for the U.S. economy.

Economics 127

Economics Economy 127

A Wealth of Common Sense

MAY 12, 2024

Demographics are destiny but the reactions to that destiny aren’t set in stone. Take a look at how things have changed from 2010 to today along with where we’re going in the future: The largest age brackets today are in the 30-34 and 35-39 range. Hello millennials. By the 2030s and 2040s the largest cohorts will be in their 30s to 50s. But look at how the older buckets will slowly fill up over time.

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Nerd's Eye View

MAY 16, 2024

In the initial stages of their careers, many financial advicers find that, with little revenue coming in and less than a full load of client-facing work to do, they spend the majority of their time on operations and marketing as they try to establish their practice. As a result, an advicer often has the capacity to say "yes" to any opportunity that comes along as they try to keep busy and (hopefully) improve their cash flow.

Financial Advice 130

Financial Advice Clients Communication Financial Planning 130

Speaker: Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader

In today’s competitive market, pricing is more than just a number — it’s the cornerstone of profitability. The right pricing strategy ensures that you capture the true value of your offering, paving the way for sustainable growth and long-term success. Join Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader, in this exclusive session where he will explore how a well-crafted pricing approach balances customer perception with business objectives, creating a powerful tool for securing both competitive advantage a

Numbers

Abnormal Returns

MAY 17, 2024

Markets Utility stocks are having a moment. (barrons.com) Bonds seem to have bottomed. (allstarcharts.com) Strategy Big round numbers don't matter unless you hold on. (theirrelevantinvestor.com) There are two approaches to investing. (mrzepczynski.blogspot.com) It's easy to forget the pain of volatility. (wggtb.substack.com) Venture capital Figma shareholders are getting an opportunity to sell stock, post-Adobe deal.

Financial Advising 228

Financial Advising Media Economy Numbers 228

Calculated Risk

MAY 13, 2024

This graph shows heavy truck sales since 1967 using data from the BEA. The dashed line is the April 2024 seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR). Heavy truck sales really collapsed during the great recession, falling to a low of 180 thousand SAAR in May 2009. Then heavy truck sales increased to a new record high of 570 thousand SAAR in April 2019.

Sales 125

Sales 125

Wealth Management

MAY 17, 2024

The introduction of bitcoin ETFs is fueling increased advisor engagement with digital assets, according to a Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals survey.

Assets 127

Assets 127

Alpha Architect

MAY 13, 2024

Higher volatility is associated with faster, initially stronger reversals, while lower turnover is associated with more persistent, ultimately stronger reversals How Volatility and Turnover Affect Return Reversals was originally published at Alpha Architect. Please read the Alpha Architect disclosures at your convenience.

Investing 113

Investing Investments 113

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As we step into 2024, the lending landscape evolves rapidly with technology, regulations, and market dynamics driving change. For banks and financial institutions to stay competitive and meet the evolving needs of their customers, these drivers must be understood and engaged with. Lenders can anticipate significant transformation fueled by technological advancements, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer behaviors.

Banking

Abnormal Returns

MAY 17, 2024

Business Logan Bartlett talks with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. (podcasts.apple.com) Sam Dogen talks with Emily Luk, Co-Founder and CEO of Plenty. (sites.libsyn.com) Private credit Matt Reustle talks the evolution of private credit with Armen Panossian is the co-CEO of Oaktree. (joincolossus.com) Cameron Passmore and Benjamin Felix talk about whether private credit is all that special.

Banking 220

Banking Investing Investments Marketing 220

Calculated Risk

MAY 15, 2024

Here are a few measures of inflation: The first graph is the one Fed Chair Powell had mentioned when services less rent of shelter was up around 8% year-over-year. This declined, but has turned up recently, and is now up 4.9% YoY. Click on graph for larger image. This graph shows the YoY price change for Services and Services less rent of shelter through April2024.

Food 122

Food 122

Wealth Management

MAY 13, 2024

Speakers at Wealth Management EDGE at The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood Beach, Fla., discuss how investing strategies, including SMAs and how inflation and the Fed are impacting investing.

Wealth Management 127

Wealth Management Management Investing Investments 127

Advisor Perspectives

MAY 17, 2024

The S&P 500 posted its fourth consecutive weekly gain after notching a new all-time high this week. The index is currently up 11.82% year to date and has recorded a new all-time high 23 times this year.

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Time and time again we tell ourselves and others NOT take action on something that is not "broken." We apply that mindset at home and at work. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out so well. Because when it's truly broken, it's usually an emergency, costs more and causes stress. Join us in this webinar where we share ways where you are able to anticipate your needs, understand benefits that you will get from getting better now instead of later, and relieving your team of tasks that they don't need to be

Accounting

Abnormal Returns

MAY 16, 2024

Books A Q&A with Michael Muthukrishna author of "A Theory of Everyone: The New Science of Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going." (behavioralscientist.org) An excerpt from "Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight-Loss Drugs" by Johann Hari. (tim.blog) A Q&A with Zoë Schlanger author of "The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth.

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Calculated Risk

MAY 14, 2024

From the NY Fed: Household Debt Rose by $184 Billion in Q1 2024; Delinquency Transition Rates Increased Across All Debt Types The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Center for Microeconomic Data today issued its Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit. The report shows total household debt increased by $184 billion (1.1%) in the first quarter of 2024, to $17.69 trillion.

Economics 120

Economics Retail Banking Accounting 120

Wealth Management

MAY 13, 2024

Numerous speakers at Wealth Management EDGE said buyers would want to see that its AUM wasn’t primarily tied to a small number of clients and that its growth wasn’t spurred mainly by the market.

Wealth Management 122

Wealth Management Management Marketing Marketing 122

Advisor Perspectives

MAY 14, 2024

Household debt rose by $184 billion (1.09%) to $17.69 trillion in Q1 2024. The increase in debt this quarter was largely driven by mortgage and auto loan balances. Meanwhile, credit card balances declined, as is typical for the first quarter.

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Speaker: Joe Buhrmann, MBA, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC® Senior Financial Planning Practice Management Consultant eMoney Advisor

During an era of evolving consumer preferences, the banking sector is undergoing a profound shift. As customers continue to broaden their perspectives, banking professionals must support their customers' financial wellness by providing holistic financial advice that aligns with individual goals and circumstances. Without adapting, financial institutions will find that loyalty may crumble amid uncertainty.

Financial Advice

Abnormal Returns

MAY 14, 2024

Modeling How much can machine learning techniques help in model making? (aqr.com) Fancier models don't necessarily estimate the ERP better. (alphaarchitect.com) The case for ensemble models. (mrzepczynski.blogspot.com) Can AI replace stock analysts? (papers.ssrn.com) Research Crashes are the bane of momentum investors. (mrzepczynski.blogspot.com) Why time horizon matters when it comes to investing in TIPS.

Investing 204

Investing Investments 204

Calculated Risk

MAY 13, 2024

From Matthew Graham at Mortgage News Daily: What You See Today Won't Necessarily Be What You See Tomorrow With essentially nothing on the event calendar to start the new week, it was fair to expect a continuation of the same sideways drift that characterized last week. It's not the future can ever be predicted when it comes to markets, but we can say the flat trajectory is the least surprising outcome for Monday.

Banking 116

Banking Marketing Marketing 116

Wealth Management

MAY 13, 2024

The impact that artificial intelligence will have on wealth management drew a large crowd at the Wealth Management EDGE conference at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood Beach, Fla.

Wealth Management 122

Wealth Management Management 122