The Better Letter

MARCH 27, 2025

Everybody Needs Accountability Baseball umpires have one job: To describe reality accurately. Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel made the case for using technology for accountability purposes, as far back as 1960. Such accountability leads to trust, our culture’s greatest deficit. But, everyone can be accountable.

Accounting 60

Accounting Food Retirement Electronics 60

Wealth Management

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

The lifecycle investor has taken a minority stake in Venning Advisors, a full-service tax and accounting services firm.

Accounting 184

Accounting Taxes Investments Investing 184

Wealth Management

JANUARY 9, 2025

The combination with Harrison Berkman Claypool & Guard and its RIA enhances Coldstreams existing tax and consulting practice and brings its total AUA to $11.1

Accounting 260

Accounting Consulting Taxes 260

Calculated Risk

JANUARY 8, 2025

Reflecting that uncertainty, participants took varied approaches in accounting for these effects. All participants judged that uncertainty about the scope, timing, and economic effects of potential changes in policies affecting foreign trade and immigration was elevated. emphasis added

Economics 273

Economics Accounting Financial Market Numbers 273

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 18, 2024

For investment management services, documenting the entire client engagement – such as onboarding, reviewing and recommending portfolio adjustments in line with collected suitability information, opening and funding accounts, conducting periodic reviews, and rebalancing – can help clearly evidence the services provided.

Financial Planning 246

Financial Planning Planning Compliance Advertising 246

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 9, 2024

Mentoring legal owners to fully embrace their roles can also guide them toward greater accountability and leadership within the firm. Additionally, fostering accountability across the firm – through regular performance reviews and recognizing contributions – helps motivate both owners and non-owners.

Investing 236

Investing Investments Distribution Accounting 236

Calculated Risk

MARCH 19, 2025

The Committee's assessments will take into account a wide range of information, including readings on labor market conditions, inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and financial and international developments. Voting for the monetary policy action were Jerome H.

Economics 262

Economics Accounting Marketing Marketing 262

Nerd's Eye View

MARCH 5, 2025

Historically, estate planning centered on tangible documentation – wills, account access, and critical information stored in safes or files, with clear instructions for heirs. Digital assets encompass a wide range of online accounts and property, from financial holdings to sentimental items like photographs and digital media libraries.

Estate Planning 161

Estate Planning Assets Planning Clients 161

Wealth Management

JUNE 4, 2024

Former employees of Salomon & Ludwin claim they were under the protections of the Broker Protocol when they departed; they also cited concerns about the RIA’s culture and poor communication.

Accounting 267

Accounting Communication 267

Wealth Management

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

The capability to integrate with other systems will let advisors manage publicly traded and private investments together.

Management 210

Management Accounting Investments Investing 210

Wealth Management

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

The firm is the first asset manager to sign onto the InvestCloud product that launched in December.

Accounting 198

Accounting Marketing Marketing Assets 198

Calculated Risk

MARCH 12, 2025

At 12:00 PM, Q4 Flow of Funds Accounts of the United States from the Federal Reserve. Also at 8:30 AM, The Producer Price Index for February from the BLS. The consensus is for a 0.3% increase in PPI, and a 0.3% increase in core PPI.

Accounting 162

Accounting 162

Calculated Risk

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

Aggregate limits on credit card accounts increased modestly by $63 billion, representing a 1.3% The pace of mortgage originations increased slightly from the pace observed in the previous four quarters, with $448 billion of newly originated mortgages in Q3. increase from the previous quarter.

Economics 309

Economics Retail Banking Accounting 309

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 24, 2024

We also talk about how Paul recommends that advisors give advance copies of their book to top clients to both gather book testimonials that can be used for social proof and to provide these clients with a vehicle to be the advisor’s advocate when using the book to make referrals, why Paul counsels advisors to consider asking centers of influence (..)

Financial Advisor 246

Financial Advisor Clients Communication Accounting 246

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 12, 2024

They explore why financial 'spreadsheet' metrics often fail to account for the emotional realities of these decisions – such as the loyalty advisors feel toward long-standing clients – and how advisors can approach this common business dilemma with greater balance and thoughtfulness.

Clients 246

Clients Communication Financial Planning Accounting 246

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 6, 2025

FINNY AI, an AI-powered prospecting tool, has raised $4.2

Startup 188

Startup Financial Advisor Clients Portfolio Management 188

Calculated Risk

MARCH 13, 2025

homeowners with mortgages (which account for roughly 61% of all properties) saw home equity increase by about $4,100 between Q4 2023 and Q4 2024, which is less than the gain of $6,000 in Q3 2023. From CoreLogic: CoreLogic: Borrowers Gained Over $280B in Home Equity in 2024 CoreLogic. Nationwide, borrower equity increased by $281.9

Numbers 191

Numbers Government Accounting Marketing 191

Wealth Management

MAY 6, 2024

According to the settlement letter, third parties used the firm’s cash management brokerage account to withdraw funds from accounts they’d illegally accessed at other financial institutions.

Accounting 283

Accounting Management 283

Wealth Management

JUNE 10, 2024

The Document-to-Portfolio tool aims to allow users to upload images or PDF files of account statements from brokerages and banks, automatically populate account transfer details and receive real-time financial analysis.

Accounting 285

Accounting Banking Portfolio 285

Abnormal Returns

FEBRUARY 26, 2025

mrmoneymustache.com) Why you need to account for your Treasury income on your state taxes. fastcompany.com) What to consider when rolling over a 401(k) account to an IRA. (tonyisola.com) Age is just one factor when it comes to your asset allocation. ofdollarsanddata.com) Invest time in your life, not in managing your portfolio.

Asset Allocation 162

Asset Allocation Retirement Financial Planning Accounting 162

Calculated Risk

MARCH 13, 2025

Here is the quarterly increase in mortgage debt from the Federal Reserves Financial Accounts of the United States - Z.1 1 (sometimes called the Flow of Funds report) released today. In the mid 00s, there was a large increase in mortgage debt associated with the housing bubble.

Sales 162

Sales Accounting 162

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 9, 2025

This principle extends across many aspects of a firm's value proposition, from client newsletters to account log-in frequency to other common metrics of interest. While offering valuable resources to clients can make a difference, providing too many options risks overwhelming the client.

Financial Advice 227

Financial Advice Asset Allocation Clients Wealth Management 227

A Wealth of Common Sense

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

According to The Wall Street Journal, the top 10% also accounts for 50% of all consumer. These numbers have all increased since 1989 as well — total wealth (60.8% to 67.3%), stocks (81.7% to 87.2%), private businesses (78.4% to 84.4%) and real estate (38.2%

Accounting 144

Accounting Numbers 144

A Wealth of Common Sense

JANUARY 16, 2025

We also answered questions about 2025 retirement account limits, Coast FIRE strategies, when to take money off the table from the stock market, how to account for pension and Social Security income during retirement and how other economies impact the U.S.

Retirement 143

Retirement Accounting Economy Marketing 143

Wealth Management

JULY 18, 2024

According to the brokerage regulator, Laura Casey purchased securities in clients’ brokerage accounts when she could have avoided sales charges by using advisory accounts.

Accounting 266

Accounting Sales Clients 266

Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

While future retirees can find nonreduced benefit estimates on their Social Security statements or online accounts, those already receiving benefits don't have access to this information – making it necessary to find a different way to predict how much their payments will increase once the law is fully implemented.

Retirement 245

Retirement Government Clients Planning 245

Wealth Management

JANUARY 8, 2025

The investigation, which spanned four years and involved 14 state regulators, revolved around how the firm supervised the transferring of brokerage account assets into advisory accounts.

Accounting 264

Accounting Assets 264

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 17, 2024

In this episode, we talk in-depth about the moment of realization Fran had when she line-itemed out the annual costs of operating under her previous broker-dealer and discovered that it added up to $500,000 per year (or 25% of her revenue) when accounting for grid payouts, technology fees, and the cost of their trading platform, how Fran's desire to (..)

Compliance 245

Compliance Financial Advisor Financial Advice Clients 245

Calculated Risk

FEBRUARY 26, 2025

The replacement of some of the maturing notes and bonds (which by definition have very short maturities) into new longer-maturity notes and bonds extends the maturity of Federal Reserve Treasury note and bond holdings.

Sales 281

Sales Accounting Planning Marketing 281

Abnormal Returns

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

monevator.com) Retirement accounts Half of American workers now have a 401(k) account. wsj.com) On the downside of tax-deferred retirement accounts. (awealthofcommonsense.com) The senior housing market is bouncing back from the pandemic. wsj.com) On the benefits of being mortgage-free.

Accounting 147

Accounting Retirement Taxes Marketing 147