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
A common structure at many advisory firms is for the owner to handle most of the sales and prospecting, while employee advisors focus on delivering planning and analysis for existing clients. While this model can work well in the early stages of a firm, it often becomes a bottleneck over time, limiting growth to the firm owner's marketing capacity and leaving employee advisors underprepared for more senior roles that require business development skills.
From Matthew Graham at Mortgage News Daily: Mortgage Rates Jump to 2 Week Highs After US/China Trade Talks Tariffs and trade policy have been a new and important consideration for the bond market for just over a month now. That matters to mortgage rates because mortgage pricing is primarily determined by bond prices. Over the weekend, the US and China agreed on a 90 day pause on the more extreme tariff brinksmanship.
Hey, just back after taking the redeye home from Futureproof Colorado , and getting my feet back under me. But I wanted to briefly discuss tomorrow’s release of the University of Michigan (UMich) long-term inflation expectations. You probably know my thoughts on both Inflation Expectations and Sentiment Surveys. ICYMI, Inflation Expectations are a backwards looking exercise in the Recency Effect.
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
Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that Republicans in the House of Representatives this week released their long-awaited tax plan to address the impending sunset of many measures in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The proposed legislation makes several aspects of TCJA 'permanent', including maintaining TCJA's tax brackets and the elevated estate tax exemption, while also introducing new potential tax-savings op
Jump, Zeplyn and Zocks, which can all capture meeting notes and create summaries, help generate client communications and trigger service actions, have now been integrated with the AdvisorEngine platform.
From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications increased 1.1 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 9, 2025. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 1.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.
From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications increased 1.1 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 9, 2025. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 1.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.
Companies Charter Communications ($CHTR) and Cox Communications are merging. (cnbc.com) Meta's ($META) Facebook and Instagram are increasingly scam-filled. (wsj.com) How big an additional opportunity is experiences for Airbnb ($ABNB)? (platformaeronaut.com) Apple Apple ($AAPL) made a strategic mistake. (spyglass.org) Apple ($AAPL) is never going to make iPhones in the U.S.
Young advisors may feel – and face – an extra burden to prove their expertise to clients. After all, it can feel odd to create an estate plan that will impact a client’s grandchildren… when those grandchildren may be older than the advisor themselves! And while any advisor needs to determine how much detail to share when explaining strategic decisions, younger advisors may feel added pressure to prove their credibility.
The move was accompanied by a set of FAQs on how to custody digital assets, and marked the latest step in the commissions effort to significantly reform its previous approach to cryptocurrencies.
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Housing Starts Increased to 1.361 million Annual Rate in April A brief excerpt: Total housing starts in April were at expectations and starts in February and March were revised up, combined. The third graph shows the month-to-month comparison for total starts between 2024 (blue) and 2025 (red). Total starts were down 1.7% in April compared to April 2024.
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.
Also on the site How to contribute to the Jonathan Clements Getting Going on Savings Initiative. (abnormalreturns.com) The gold dilemma isn't going anywhere. (abnormalreturns.com) Top clicks this week You are NOT Warren Buffett. How to be a better you. (ritholtz.com) Why municipal bonds are underperforming in 2025. (morningstar.com) What you are saying when you bet on individual stocks.
This week, I speak with John Montgomery , CEO, Founder and Portfolio Manager of Bridgeway Capital Management. His responsibilities include the firms strategic direction, investment management and risk oversight, portfolio management, and mentoring. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, a BA in Philosophy from Swarthmore College, and graduate degrees from MIT and Harvard Business School.
On a monthly basis, retail sales increased 0.1% from March to April (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up 5.2 percent from April 2024. From the Census Bureau report : Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for April 2025, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $724.1 billion, up 0.1 percent from the previous month , and up 5.2 percent from April 2024.
Your financial statements hold powerful insights—but are you truly paying attention? Many finance professionals focus on the income statement while overlooking key signals hidden in the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Understanding these numbers can unlock smarter decision-making, uncover risks, and drive long-term success. Join David Worrell, accomplished CFO, finance expert, and author, for an engaging, nontraditional take on reading financial statements.
Markets The impact of macro events can take longer than you think. (mrzepczynski.blogspot.com) Why gold has a unique reputation among investors. (humbledollar.com) 2025 is not that unusual stock-market wise. (awealthofcommonsense.com) Berkshire Hathaway How Berkshire Hathaway ($BRK.A) came to own a big chunk of Apple ($AAPL). (readtrung.com) Berkshire Hathaway ($BRK.A) is living with the downside of success.
Consumer sentiment fell for a fifth straight month as ongoing economic uncertainty and inflation worries continue to drag down consumer attitudes. The Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index dropped to 50.8 in May, the second lowest reading on record.
From the NY Fed: Change in Household Debt Balances Mixed; Student Loan Delinquencies Rise Sharply The Federal Reserve Bank of New Yorks Center for Microeconomic Data today issued its Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit. The report shows total household debt increased by $167 billion (0.9%) in Q1 2025, to $18.20 trillion. The report is based on data from the New York Feds nationally representative Consumer Credit Panel.
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.
A bonus LIVE episode of Masters in Business: I speak with bestselling author and financial journalist Michael Lewis, live, from the Landmark Theater in Port Washington, NY. Our wide-ranging, 90-minute conversation covered the full arc of his career, from Liars Poker to this years Who is Government. The informative and at times hilarious conversation included his experiences turning Moneyball into a film (including on-set hijinks from Brad Pitt), how his career as a writer evolved, and what he
Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 437th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast ! My guest on today's podcast is Ed Slott. Ed is the president of Ed Slott And Company, a financial education company based in Rockville Centre, New York that offers seminars and newsletters for financial advisors and consumers focused primarily on IRAs. What's unique about Ed, though, is how he has been able to charge premium fees for his accounting and education services over time by becoming a nationally r
Up to $30 billion in mutual fund marketing and distribution fees could be at risk if the SEC approves dual share classes. The Mag Seven stocks have regained momentum in recent weeks, but will that last? These are among the investment must reads we found this week for financial advisors.
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported the housing market index (HMI) was at 34, down from 40 last month. Any number below 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as poor than good. From the NAHB: Soft Spring Selling Season Takes a Toll on Builder Confidence Builder confidence fell sharply in May on growing uncertainties stemming from elevated interest rates, tariff concerns, building material cost uncertainty and the cloudy economic outlook.
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.
Quant stuff The case for upping the complexity of your models. (alphaarchitect.com) Some recent academic research including 'Bond Factor Momentum and Its Predictability for Stock Returns.' (alphainacademia.substack.com) A review of "Reminiscences of a Bond Operator: A Guide to Investing in Corporate Debt" by Mark A. Rieder. (blogs.cfainstitute.org) Research Why profitability matters.
It’s been a wild ride in the stock market this year: The S&P 500 was up around 5% on the year through mid-February. It was more or less straight down from there. By the end of the first week in April the market was down more than 15%, good enough for a drawdown of 18.9% from peak to trough. Now stocks are up nearly 14% from the lows and down less than 4% on the year.
From STR: U.S. hotel results for week ending 10 May The U.S. hotel industry reported negative year-over-year comparisons, according to CoStars latest data through 10 May. 4-10 May 2025 (percentage change from comparable week in 2024): Occupancy: 64.6% (-2.3%) Average daily rate (ADR): US$162.57 (-0.7%) Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$105.08 (-3.0%) emphasis added The following graph shows the seasonal pattern for the hotel occupancy rate using the four-week average.
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?
Wholesale inflation unexpectedly fell in April, experiencing its largest monthly decline in five years. The producer price index for final demand was down 0.5% month-over-month after a flat reading in March. This was lower than the expected 0.2% growth.
Bill Sweet joined me on the show again to discuss questions from our audience about harvesting gains in your stock portfolio to diversify, remote work for less money versus going back to the office for more, mis-timing the market and picking the right benchmark for your investments. Further Reading: How Long Does it Take For Stocks to Bottom in a Bear Market?
Florida-based Stephen Mellinger helped clients prepare tax returns that bilked the IRS of $37 million and earned him and co-conspirators about $3 million in fees and stolen funds.
From Fed Chair Powell: Opening Remarks. Excerpts: The economic environment has changed significantly since 2020, and our review will reflect our assessment of those changes. Longer-term interest rates are a good deal higher now, driven largely by real rates given the stability of longer-term inflation expectations. Many estimates of the longer-run level of the policy rate have risen , including those in the Summary of Economic Projections.
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.
130 
Let's personalize your content