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Many investors are familiar with private equity as an alternative asset class, which is popular with certain high-net-worth and institutional investors as a vehicle for diversification and a source of potentially higher risk-adjusted returns than what is available on the public market. However, less well-known is the related but distinct asset class of private debt, which, like private equity, focuses on opportunities outside of what is traded on the public market but deploys its capital in the
The DOL reported : In the week ending January 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 190,000 , a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 205,000. The 4-week moving average was 206,000, a decrease of 6,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 212,500. emphasis added The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971.
Last year, we hosted the first Future Proof conference , and it was. The reviews were fabulous: Morningstar , L.A. Times , Investment News , Financial Planning , RIA Biz , Think Advisor , Business Insider ; Afterward, I told you the traditional financial conference was kaput. Attendees from all over the country (and the world!) came to discuss the most important issues surrounding advising clients.
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
FUTURE PROOF FESTIVAL 2023 TICKET REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN Join us September 10th-13th in Huntington Beach, CA! It’ll be the lowest rate you’ll ever pay to attend. Prices jump in 2 weeks. Use the link down below to register now. See you there[link] pic.twitter.com/BTO0RNivhJ — The Compound (@TheCompoundNews) January 18, 2023 Last September we threw the biggest wealth management festival (and proba.
From the NAR: Existing-Home Sales Receded 1.5% in December Existing-home sales retreated for the eleventh consecutive month in December, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Three of the four major U.S. regions recorded month-over-month drops, while sales in the West were unchanged. All regions experienced year-over-year declines. Total existing-home sales, completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – decreased 1.5% from November to
As portfolio performance becomes the top concern among clients, one in four have either thought about switching, or switched, financial advisors in the last three years, a YCharts survey found.
As portfolio performance becomes the top concern among clients, one in four have either thought about switching, or switched, financial advisors in the last three years, a YCharts survey found.
Last week, I discussed the December CPI print; it showed further evidence that inflation is coming down substantially. But I had to point out this was not because of the Fed, but despite their actions. If anything, they are making price increases worse. In particular, they are driving prices higher in the rental market. Today, the Producer Price Index and Consumer Retail Sales both showed the economy is decelerating and not on an inflation-adjusted basis.
Markets Is this a new bull market? Hold on. (theirrelevantinvestor.com) When it comes to active management, hope springs eternal. (on.ft.com) Ashby Monk, “The Swensen model is the Swensen model because of leadership.That human being had the drive to take all of these inputs and drivers and build the Yale Model.” (institutionalinvestor.com) Finance When will VCs deploy all their 'dry powder'?
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported the housing market index (HMI) was at 35, up from 31 last month. Any number below 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as poor than good. From the NAHB: Builder Confidence Uptick Signals Turning Point for Housing Lies Ahead A modest drop in interest rates helped to end a string of 12 straight monthly declines in builder confidence levels, although sentiment remains in bearish territory as builders continue to grapple with
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.
There seems to be a debate going on today between economists and market technicians (!?) as to whether we are in a bull or bear market. I’ve defined markets in the past (see this) so those who want to delve deeper can. Regardless of where fall in the bull/bear spectrum – I have been constructive here – allow me to point out some bullish items you may have overlooked (I’ll discuss bearish concerns next week).
Markets What a 'breakaway momentum thrust' means for investors. (ritholtz.com) India's stock market held up well in 2022. (wsj.com) Don't let your portfolio be driven by strategist forecasts. (savantwealth.com) Streaming Where Netflix ($NFLX) stands going into the post-Reed Hastings era. (variety.com) Ad-supported streaming tiers have been slow to take off.
Altos reports inventory was up 0.3% week-over-week. Usually inventory bottoms in February; last year, in 2022, inventory bottomed in early March. It is possible that inventory has already bottomed for the year! Here are the same week inventory changes for the last five years: 2023: +1.3K 2022: -8.4K 2021: -22.9K 2020: -25.8K 2019: -2.3K Click on graph for larger image.
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.
Visual Capitalist : How much money is a brand truly worth? For some companies, a brand is something that helps slightly boost customer engagement and sales. But for others, including some of the largest companies in the world, a strong brand is one of their most valuable assets. The post Most Valuable Brands, 2000–2022 appeared first on The Big Picture.
Markets Market breadth has been historically positive. (quantifiableedges.com) 2022 in review with charts including the good times for cash and commodities. (bilello.blog) Rates Allocators can now meet goals with bonds and not rely so much on stocks. (wsj.com) Where do high-yield spreads stand today? (mailchi.mp) Strategy Unexpected things happen in the markets all the time.
Way back in 2006 I disagreed with some analysts on the outlook for the Inland Empire in California. I wrote : As the housing bubble unwinds, housing related employment will fall; and fall dramatically in areas like the Inland Empire. The more an area is dependent on housing, the larger the negative impact on the local economy will be. So I think some pundits have it backwards: Instead of a strong local economy keeping housing afloat, I think the bursting housing bubble will significantly impact
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.
This week, we speak with Jennifer Grancio, the chief executive officer of impact investment group Engine No. 1. Grancio has more than 25 years of experience scaling businesses across financial services; prior to joining Engine No. 1, she founded an advisory firm where she worked closely with CEOs to accelerate growth. She also served as a founding member of BlackRock’s iShares business, where she helped drive the development of the global ETF industry and iShares’ leadership role within it.
One of the most important aspects of emotional wellbeing is having a feeling of control over one’s time. Indeed, financial advisors often describe one of the benefits of financial planning as helping people take control of their time by giving them the financial freedom to do what they enjoy. And likewise, for advisors themselves, one of the ways to stay happy and thriving is to have the ability to spend time doing what one finds is most valuable or fulfilling.
This graph shows the Effective Fed Funds Rate (blue) since 1958. The graph shows two measures of inflation using a month-over-month change annualized (using a three-month average to smooth the graph). For example, for December 2022, I used an average of December, November and October 2022, divided by the average of November, October and September 2022.
Morningstar looks at the pros and cons of investing in REITs vs. directly into properties. Bisnow examines who has been buying old office buildings over the past year. These are among today’s must reads from around the commercial real estate industry.
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.
Happy MLK day ! Markets are closed, but the flow never stops. Contextualize the news with our 3-day weekend reads: • The Disappearance of the Hit-Driven Business Model : As the industry changes, where do creative producers fit in? How do we make a living and provide services for the subscriber-driven companies? How do we get paid a sustainable salary, while also having healthcare and supporting the overhead of our work, which often comes out of our own pocket?
Enjoy the current installment of “Weekend Reading For Financial Planners” – this week’s edition kicks off with the news that several states are considering a series of tax hikes targeting higher-income and ultra-high-net-worth residents after similar proposals failed to pass at the Federal level. While it remains to be seen whether the measures will actually be enacted, proposed measures include raising income and capital gains tax rates, instituting wealth taxes, and red
From CoStar: STR: Weekly US Hotel Occupancy Fails To Reach 55%, but Rates Stay High U.S. hotel performance rose from the previous week and showed mixed comparisons against 2019, according to STR‘s latest data through Jan. 14. Jan. 8-14, 2023 (percentage change from comparable week in 2019*): • Occupancy: 54.8% (-5.5%) • Average daily rate (ADR): $144.81 (+15.7%) • Revenue per available room (RevPAR): $79.38 (+9.3%) *Due to the pandemic impact, STR is measuring recovery against comparable time pe
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?
The weekend is here! Pour yourself a mug of Volcanica coffee , grab a seat by the fire, and get ready for our longer-form weekend reads: • A Chicago Attorney Is Getting Justice For Hundreds Of Wrongfully Convicted People All At Once : Josh Tepfer has helped exonerate 288 people, many of whom were convicted based on patterns of misconduct by corrupt police or officials. ( Buzzfeed ). • The Great Forgetting: Earth is losing its memory : A stratum of amnesia in the geological record, where overlyi
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 – “Expect an in-line 4Q, but it’s earnings recession ex-Energy” ►Jamie Dimon’s Hurricane – “The U.S. economy currently remains strong with consumers still spending excess.
From the Census Bureau: Permits, Starts and Completions Housing Starts: Privately‐owned housing starts in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,382,000. This is 1.4 percent below the revised November estimate of 1,401,000 and is 21.8 percent below the December 2021 rate of 1,768,000. Single‐family housing starts in December were at a rate of 909,000; this is 11.3 percent above the revised November figure of 817,000.
Mindfulness educator Mary Martin on how advisors can take care of their own wellbeing through personal considerations and building connections with others.
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
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