The Big Picture
AUGUST 12, 2024
I’m deep in my book writing work discussing federal debt when I see a tweet that simply epitomizes the entire genre. Full disclosure: My priors on federal debt are that I don’t know where the line of too much should be drawn, but I do know that none of the terrible things we were warned about over the past 50 years due to excess debt have come to pass.
A Wealth of Common Sense
SEPTEMBER 24, 2024
Gallup has a poll that asks Americans what income strata they belong in. The results are relatively stable over the past 20+ years: Most people say middle class while very few people think they are upper class. The Pew Research Center has a new tool that allows you to enter your income and see where it is you fit both nationally and locally. Their numbers show the Gallup poll is right on the money as far as middle-class.
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Advisor Perspectives
AUGUST 20, 2024
US job growth in the year through March was likely far less robust than initially estimated, which risks fueling concerns that the Federal Reserve is falling further behind the curve to lower interest rates.
Carson Wealth
SEPTEMBER 5, 2024
Navigating Medicare can be a daunting task, especially with the numerous plans and options available. However, choosing the right Medicare plan is crucial to ensure that you have the coverage you need as you move into retirement. Whether you’re enrolling for the first time or considering a change, these tips will help you choose a plan that fits your healthcare needs and budget. 1: Know the Rules for Medicare Open Enrollment The first step in selecting the right Medicare plan is understand
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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
Calculated Risk
SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
The Federal Reserve released the Q2 2024 Flow of Funds report today: Financial Accounts of the United States. The net worth of households and nonprofits rose to $163.8 trillion during the second quarter of 2024. The value of directly and indirectly held corporate equities increased $0.7 trillion and the value of real estate increased $1.8 trillion. Household debt increased 3.2 percent at an annual rate in the second quarter of 2024.
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Wealth Management
AUGUST 23, 2024
According to the federal complaint calling for a class action, the firm’s policies “maximize profits for UBS while at the same time disregarding its clients’ best interests.
Fortune Financial
MARCH 7, 2024
Signed into law in 1956 by then President Dwight Eisenhower, the Federal Highway Act created the Interstate Highway System , which would become the largest and costliest public works project in history. Measuring almost 48,000 miles in total distance, the Interstate Highway System was completed only in 1992, more than three decades after work began, and for a total cost in today’s dollars of more than $500 billion. ( source: Wikipedia Commons ) Inspired in large part by the German Autoba
Discipline Funds
JULY 16, 2024
The combination of the Great Financial Crisis period and the Covid era created some of the most interesting economic experiments in history. They also resulted in some of the worst narratives in finance and economics. Here are three bad narratives that are dead, but won’t yet be laid to rest because economic narratives are hard to bury. 1 Bad Narrative #1: Raising Interest Rates Adds to Inflation.
Trade Brains
MAY 17, 2024
In today’s world, we’re constantly surrounded by a symphony of technology. From the quiet hum of our laptops to the dazzling display of our smartphones, these marvels rely on a hidden partnership between batteries and electronic solutions. Batteries and electronics are the unsung heroes of our modern world. Their seamless partnership is so deeply embedded in our daily lives that we often take them for granted.
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
The Big Picture
APRIL 11, 2024
Confused about where we are today? A favorite exercise is to go back to first principles to consider how we got to where we are. (That is a favorite way to find fresh insights). On the equity side, you have to go back a century or so. Equities were considered speculative endeavors, best suited for gamblers and punters. The exceptions? A handful of “Widows & Orphan” stocks, like Ma Bell, some railroads, utilities and the rare bank that was not suffering regular runs.
The Big Picture
JULY 7, 2024
@TBPInvictus here If you’re tired of California-minimum-wage-and-its-impact-on-limited-service-restaurant-employment stories, I understand. Leave this page immediately. I’m tired of it, too, but some stories are so factually challenged that they demand a response. So, allow me to address a hot mess of a story that appeared recently in the California Globe.
The Big Picture
FEBRUARY 22, 2024
A quick note to answer this question: What happens after markets make a new all-time high (after a year w/o one)? Check out the table above, via Warren Pies. He spoke with Batnick and Josh earlier this month. Going back to 1954, markets are always higher one year later – the only exception was 2007. That was after housing had peaked, subprime mortgages were defaulting, and the great financial crisis was about to start.
The Big Picture
JUNE 9, 2024
@TBPInvictus here. About a decade or so ago, the city of Seattle undertook to raise its minimum wage, over time, to $15/hour. (Massive credit to my friend Nick Hanauer for his efforts to make that happen.) What followed in the immediate aftermath of both the announcement and implementation was nothing less than a apocalyptic, collective head explosion on the right about the devastating effects the increase would have, particularly in the food services sector: However, there’s little doubt that t
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
The Big Picture
SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
Marty’s Zweig’s Trading rules 1) The trend is your friend; don’t fight the tape hard return; 2) Let profits run take losses quickly; 3) If you buy for a reason and that reason if discounted or is no longer valid then sell 4) if the values don’t make sense then don’t participate (2 + 2 = 4) 5) The cheap get cheaper the deer get deer; 6) Don’t fight the Fed (less valid than #1); 7) Every indicator eventually bites the dust; 8) Adapt to change; 9) Don’t let your
The Big Picture
MARCH 28, 2024
“Our comforting conviction that the world makes sense rests on a secure foundation: Our almost unlimited ability to ignore our ignorance.” – Daniel Kahneman The loss of Danny Kahneman is a reminder that we should review some of his work and apply them to the current market. I am fascinated by the idea of Narrative Fallacy (the term was actually coined by Nassim Taleb in “ The Black Swan “) and how it applies to pretty much ewverything.
The Big Picture
JUNE 27, 2024
I’ve been observing how radically unusual various sentiment readings have been for a few years now. It made little sense to me that the post-pandemic era saw sentiment levels far below major dislocations such as the ‘87 crash, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Dotcom implosion, or the 08-09 great financial crisis. We have tried to identify the causal factors by considering social media , increases in partisanship , ignorance, even trolling of pollsters.
The Big Picture
MARCH 15, 2024
We sometimes say “Demographics is Destiny,” but that’s abstract. To get a visual sense of what that looks like, see the above chart (via Blackrock ) showing the distribution of various age groups from 2075 to 2050. Note bars in Red are not in the workforce. The post U.S. population distribution, 1975-2050 appeared first on The Big Picture.
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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.
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
A Wealth of Common Sense
SEPTEMBER 1, 2024
I enjoy slicing and dicing historical stock market returns. I’m not naive enough to assume this helps predict the future. However, studying the past can provide a baseline to help set expectations when it comes to risk and a potential range of outcomes. Here’s a different way to look at returns over various time horizons for the S&P 500 going back to 1993: This is how to read this chart: Pick a starting.
A Wealth of Common Sense
AUGUST 18, 2024
After the Great Financial Crisis, everyone was trying to figure out how it would impact the coming wave of millennials entering adulthood. Millennials were getting blamed for killing everything — napkins, diamond rings, chain restaurants, motorcycles, bar soap and more. Sure, whatever. The one that never made sense to me was all the pundits predicting millennials would never buy a home or move out of big cities.
Carson Wealth
JULY 25, 2024
Owning a business can be like parenting. You’ve likely experienced many sleepless nights and spent a countless amount of energy on your “baby.” Like parenting, being a business owner can be an enriching journey and make life worth the trip. To protect your business, you need the right mix of insurance. From the relationships that make your business run to the building it’s housed in, insurance can help prevent devastating financial losses or legal consequences.
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.
Carson Wealth
AUGUST 1, 2024
As you move toward retirement, you can’t be content just to accumulate assets. You need to develop a retirement income plan that can help guide you when it comes time to turn savings into sustainable retirement income. The real challenge of retirement income planning is that you need to generate income for an uncertain period of time — because no one knows how long they’ll live in retirement.
A Wealth of Common Sense
SEPTEMBER 8, 2024
Each year since 2011, Gallup has asked people what they think is the best long-term investment: After a brief love affair with gold, real estate has been in the top spot every year since 2013. Stocks are a distant second. So why do we Americans love the housing market so much from an investment perspective? There is something about the American Dream of homeownership combined with the size of the price tag involved for s.
Carson Wealth
AUGUST 5, 2024
Houston, We Have Turbulence The S&P 500 fell 2.0% last week, declining for the third consecutive week, but unlike the past few weeks, this time the selling was across the board. Economic data last week showed the economy slowing more than expected, adding to worries about a potential recession. We still think a recession can be avoided, but risks have increased.
A Wealth of Common Sense
AUGUST 4, 2024
Boy that escalated quickly. Markets sold off in a hurry this week. The S&P 500 is down almost 6% from the recent highs. The Nasdaq 100 is in an 11% drawdown. After an extremely calm year, the past week or so has finally seen some volatility in the stock market. Here’s the thing — it’s what happened before this that was not normal: This really cool chart came out a couple of weeks ago (via Sherwood).
Speaker: Carolina Aponte - Owner and CEO, Caja Holdings LLC
In today's rapidly changing business environment, building a resilient balance sheet is crucial to the survival of any business. A resilient balance sheet allows a company to withstand financial shocks and adapt to changing market conditions. To achieve this, companies need to focus on key strategies such as maintaining adequate liquidity, managing debt levels, diversifying revenue streams, and prioritizing profitability over growth.
Carson Wealth
JULY 3, 2024
Running a small business involves juggling multiple responsibilities. Managing the business’s finances is one of the most crucial aspects. Proper financial management can be the difference between a thriving business and one that struggles to stay afloat. Here are eight essential financial tips for small business owners to help ensure long-term success. 1.
A Wealth of Common Sense
JULY 21, 2024
Hendrik Bessimbinder has produced some of my favorite stock market research. Bessimbinder discovered that four out of every seven stocks in the U.S. have underperformed cash (one-month T-bills) since 1926. And just 4% of companies accounted for all the wealth gains for the entire stock market in that time. The stock market runs on power laws over the long run.
Carson Wealth
JUNE 10, 2024
The Summer Rally Continues Another week and more new highs for the S&P 500. As we’ve noted before, summer rallies are actually quite normal in an election year and we didn’t think this year would be any different. In fact, the three summer months are up more than seven percent on average in an election year and higher more than 75% of the time, the best out of any three-month period.
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