This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
While it may be easy to assume that having more money would make a person happier by opening consumption opportunities unavailable to those with less income, experienced advisors can likely identify many examples of high-income individuals who are unhappy with their lives. To provide a more holistic view, researchers have sought to assess whether increased income leads to greater happiness on two dimensions: emotional wellbeing (how an individual feels today) and evaluative wellbeing (how an ind
The Cleveland Fed released the median CPI and the trimmed-mean CPI: According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the median Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% in December. The 16% trimmed-mean Consumer Price Index increased 0.4% in December. "The median CPI and 16% trimmed-mean CPI are measures of core inflation calculated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland based on data released in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) monthly CPI report".
It may surprise you to learn that during this cycle of falling inflation, there seems to be little correlation with rising Fed Rates. This is very counter-intuitive but it makes sense when you consider what an aberrational and unusual cycle this has been. Despite zero rates for a decade plus inflation was quite benign. it was only the combination of the global pandemic and lockdown, a massive fiscal stimulus, and a surge in demand for goods that have driven the 2020 to 2022 inflation.
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
Happy New Year everyone! Great to be back in the saddle this week, working with our new president as we prepare for 2023 and beyond. We’ve got lots of projects and initiatives underway at Ritholtz Wealth, some of which you’ll be hearing about from me very soon. This week we went back to our regularly scheduled programming, with fresh episodes of all your favorite shows – What Are Your Thoughts, Animal Sp.
Altos reports inventory is down 4.0% week-over-week. Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of January 6th, inventory was at 471 thousand (7-day average), compared to 491 thousand the prior week. Inventory has declined sharply seasonally in the winter. The second graph shows the seasonal pattern for active single-family inventory since 2015.
This week, we speak with the legendary John Mack, former chief executive officer and chairman of the board at Morgan Stanley. He recently published a memoir of his life and 34-year tenure at Morgan Stanley, “ Up Close and All In: Life Lessons from a Wall Street Warrior.”. We discuss how he ended up on Wall Street because he needed a job when an injury ended his college football career and scholarship.
This week, we speak with the legendary John Mack, former chief executive officer and chairman of the board at Morgan Stanley. He recently published a memoir of his life and 34-year tenure at Morgan Stanley, “ Up Close and All In: Life Lessons from a Wall Street Warrior.”. We discuss how he ended up on Wall Street because he needed a job when an injury ended his college football career and scholarship.
Welcome to the latest episode of The Compound & Friends. This week, Michael Batnick, Callie Cox, and Downtown Josh Brown discuss discuss the latest CPI data, why Michael’s feeling a little bullish, calling the Fed’s bluff, chances of a soft landing, retail investor sentiment, and much more! You can listen to the whole thing below, or find it wherever you like to listen to your favorite pods!
With the pandemic, there was a surge in 2nd home buying. I'm looking at data for some second home markets - and I'm tracking those markets to see if there is an impact from lending changes, rising mortgage rates or the easing of the pandemic. This graph is for South Lake Tahoe since 2004 through December 2022, and shows inventory (blue), and the year-over-year (YoY) change in the median price (12-month average).
My Friday the 13th, end-of-week morning train WFH reads: • F@*$#*! 2022 was a record year for earnings call swearing : The “polycrisis” of runaway inflation, pandemics, interest rate increases, supply chain snafus and wars helped lift swearing on earnings calls and investor days to a new record high in 2022. Good job everyone. ( Financial Times Alphaville ). • Elon Musk Might Never Be the World’s Richest Person Again : It’s not just that he became the first person in history to have $200 billion
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.
Laying the foundation for an organization that will support the family and its legacy requires commitment to a process and regularly revisiting fundamental decisions.
After December’s trash fire, markets are optimistic, says Ritholtz’s Josh Brown from CNBC. The post Clips From Today’s Closing Bell appeared first on The Reformed Broker.
The DOL reported : In the week ending January 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 205,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 204,000 to 206,000. The 4-week moving average was 212,500, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average.
Podcasts Christine Benz and Jeff Ptak talk with Mark Miller, author of "Retirement Reboot: Commonsense Financial Strategies for Getting Back on Track." (the-long-view.simplecast.com) A discussion about when it is time to adjust your retirement plans. (mullooly.net) Banking High yield bank savings accounts are now actually high yield. (awealthofcommonsense.com) The BNPL bubble is set to burst.
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.
As comprehensive financial planning has become more widely adopted, many financial advisors have felt pressure to find new ways to differentiate themselves by demonstrating their unique value to clients. And while providing fee-only advice or highlighting service as a fiduciary may have once been a fair differentiator, these services are now often considered table stakes, necessitating financial advisors to find more creative solutions that show current and prospective clients that they provide
From the BLS : The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) declined 0.1 percent in December on a seasonally adjusted basis, after increasing 0.1 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 6.5 percent before seasonal adjustment. The index for gasoline was by far the largest contributor to the monthly all items decrease, more than offsetting increases in shelter indexes.
Markets How does the 60/40 portfolio perform after big down years? (awealthofcommonsense.com) GMO loves deep value stocks. (ft.com) FTX Bankruptcy courts were not built to unwind crypto messes like FTX. (economist.com) Alameda Research made a big investment in miner Genesis Digital Assets soon before the FTX unwind. (wsj.com) BITO Bitcoin tanked in 2022 but Bitcoin futures ETPs held in there.
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.
It is much less disruptive to take the time and train everyone on existing software tools than it is to convert to an entirely new system that requires you to transfer data along the way.
Enjoy the current installment of “Weekend Reading For Financial Planners” - this week’s edition kicks off with the news that the Federal Trade Commission has proposed a nationwide ban on noncompete clauses in employee contracts, aiming to give employees more freedom to change jobs within the same industry. In the advisor world, where noncompete agreements are fairly common, a ban on the practice could incentivize firms to reassess their employee value proposition and to conside
From housing economist Tom Lawler: Based on publicly-available local realtor/MLS reports released across the country through today, I project that existing home sales as estimated by the National Association of Realtors ran at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.96 million in December , down 3.2% from November’s preliminary pace and down 35.0%% from last December’s seasonally adjusted pace.
Markets There's no sign that options trading is slowing down. (wsj.com) The 10-year Treasury rates peaked back in the Fall. (axios.com) Finance Private equity managers are abusing their discretion when it comes to valuations. (institutionalinvestor.com) Goldman Sachs ($GS) is laying off thousands of workers this week. (thinkadvisor.com) Black founders in the U.S. raised about 1% of 2022 venture capital funding.
Based off SkyStem's popular e-Book, the book of secrets to the month-end close will be revealed in this one-hour webinar. Learn leading practices when it comes to building a strong and sustainable month-end close that has room to grow and evolve. Learn about the power of precise estimates, why reconciliations are critical to closing the books, how and when to automate, and how the chart of accounts play into your close process.
Earlier I posted some questions on my blog for next year: Ten Economic Questions for 2023. Some of these questions concern real estate (inventory, house prices, housing starts, new home sales), and I’ll post thoughts on those in the newsletter (others like GDP and employment will be on this blog). I'm adding some thoughts, and maybe some predictions for each question. 1) Economic growth: Economic growth was probably close to 1% in 2022 as the economy slowed following the economic rebound in 2021
Markets What role do interest rates have in stock prices? (ofdollarsanddata.com) Why the golden age of biotech stocks may be over. (statnews.com) Crypto Coinbase ($COIN) is laying off 20% of its workforce. (cnbc.com) Why so many are focused on the big discount on the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ($GBTC). (blockworks.co) Could another firm actually take over management of GBTC?
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?
My back-to-work morning train WFH reads: • Economist Says His Indicator That Predicted Eight US Recessions Is Wrong This Year : Cambell Harvey’s work showed link between curve inversion and growth Strong labor demand, risk avoidance support US economy now. ( Bloomberg ). • Wall Street’s sleuth of bears is growing : Stocks kicked off the new year on a positive note, with the S&P 500 climbing 1.4% last week.
From Dodge Data Analytics: Dodge Momentum Index Wraps up 2022 with December Growth The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI), issued by Dodge Construction Network, improved 6.6% (2000=100) in December to 222.2 from the revised November reading of 208.3. In December, the commercial component of the DMI rose 8.4%, and the institutional component ticked up 2.7%. “One of the key construction storylines for 2022 was the return of enthusiasm and optimism in prospects for nonresidential growth,” stated Richard Br
Also on the site Dropping habits that don't serve you is just as important as adopting new habits. (abnormalreturns.com) Top clicks this week 15 charts that explain 2022 returns. (morningstar.com) Average annual stock market returns are not-so average. (awealthofcommonsense.com) How to talk to adult children about inheritances. (kindnessfp.com) Five ETF predictions for 2023 including an end to $SPY's reign.
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
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 36,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
246 
Let's personalize your content