Calculated Risk
DECEMBER 3, 2024
Notes: This CoreLogic House Price Index report is for October. The recent Case-Shiller index release was for September. The CoreLogic HPI is a three-month weighted average and is not seasonally adjusted (NSA). From CoreLogic: CoreLogic: Annual Home Price Growth Stalls in October • On an annual basis, home prices rose by 3.4% in October and are projected to slow to 2.4% by the same time next year.
A Wealth of Common Sense
DECEMBER 3, 2024
The United States is the envy of the world in terms of financial markets and economic performance. Ruchir Sharma at The Financial Times outlines how this is impacting capital flows: Global investors are committing more capital to a single country than ever before in modern history. And the dollar, by some measures, trades at a higher value than at any time since the developed world abandoned fixed exchange rates 50 years.
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Abnormal Returns
DECEMBER 3, 2024
Fund management There is no escaping the math on leveraged ETFs. (linkedin.com) Why CITs are cheaper than mutual funds. (crr.bc.edu) Technology AWS is spinning up an Nvidia ($NVDA) competitor using its own chips. (wsj.com) Meta ($META) is reportedly investing $10 billion in subsea cables. (techcrunch.com) Musk SpaceX could soon be the world's most valuable startup with a $350 billion valuation.
Calculated Risk
DECEMBER 3, 2024
From the BLS: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary the number of job openings was little changed at 7.7 million on the last business day of October , the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, hires changed little at 5.3 million. The number of total separations was little changed at 5.3 million. Within separations, quits (3.3 million) increased, but layoffs and discharges (1.6 million) changed little. emphasis added The following graph shows job openings (black line),
Speaker: Claire Grosjean
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.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 3, 2024
This brings DPL’s total funding to $69 million and marks the first investment from insurers.
Calculated Risk
DECEMBER 3, 2024
Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios. Wednesday: • At 7:00 AM ET, The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) will release the results for the mortgage purchase applications index. • At 8:15 AM, The ADP Employment Report for November. This report is for private payrolls only (no government). The consensus is for 166,000 jobs added, down from 233,000 in October. • At 10:00 AM, the ISM Services Index for November.
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Dear Mr. Market
DECEMBER 3, 2024
Dear Mr. Market: A few weeks ago I took a long weekend for a getaway with my wife to our favorite place. As empty nesters we have this opportunity every once in a while so after spending a serene few days on the beaches of Maui, I finally took the opportunity to dive into Die with Zero by Bill Perkins. As someone deeply entrenched in financial planning and chronologically standing on the threshold of pre-retirement, the book was more than just a leisure read—it was a revelation.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 3, 2024
Arc Private Wealth is joining Kestra Private Wealth Services from an affiliation with Edward Jones. The news comes weeks after Stone Point Capital again became Kestra Holdings’ majority stakeholder.
Validea
DECEMBER 3, 2024
It is very rare feat, homebuilder NVR Inc. (NYSE: NVR) has achieved something unusual – simultaneously passing the strict criteria fundamental of three legendary investors: Warren Buffett, Joel Greenblatt, and Peter Lynch. This construction services company demonstrates impressive characteristics that align with multiple value investing philosophies.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 3, 2024
Here are four ways to set yourself up for success regardless of what lies ahead.
Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker
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.
Random Roger's Retirement Planning
DECEMBER 3, 2024
I've been hoppin around lately so just a few more quick hits today. Cliff Asness sat for a 30 minute interview on Bloomberg TV this morning with a couple of great tidbits including a comment about leveraged ETFs. He said they can be additive to express short term tactical views but then he said he would ask why the person has short term tactical views implying it's nothing but guesswork.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 3, 2024
The Stonepeak-Plus Infrastructure Fund LP will require a minimum investment of $5 million.
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 3, 2024
With U.S. markets digesting disinflation with extreme valuations and concentration risk among mega-cap stocks, U.S. small-cap stocks may provide an attractive entry point relative to U.S. large-caps as we head into 2025. Importantly, a focus on quality companies within a small-cap allocation is paramount to help protect against the drawdowns that sometimes occur in small-cap stocks during periods of market volatility.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 3, 2024
Offit Advisors represents the fourth practice to join Miracle Mile in 2024, bringing its total assets under management to $7.4 billion.
Speaker: Erroll Amacker
As businesses increasingly adopt automation, finance leaders must navigate the delicate balance between technology and human expertise. This webinar explores the critical role of human oversight in accounts payable (AP) automation and how a people-centric approach can drive better financial performance. Join us for an insightful discussion on how integrating human expertise into automated workflows enhances decision-making, reduces fraud risks, strengthens vendor relationships, and accelerates R
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 3, 2024
The decision of whether to generate lifetime income with an annuity should be made on its own merits, e.g., as part of a holistic, goals-based investing process. In those cases where annuitized income is deemed beneficial, though, this article has illustrated why the purchase of a qualified annuity from IRA assets may be more attractive than you might expect.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 3, 2024
Beyond screening for suitable stocks and ETFs, the platform also helps a growing community of religious-minded investors "purify" interest-generated investment returns by calculating charitable offsets.
Alpha Architect
DECEMBER 3, 2024
Do-It-Yourself trend-following asset allocation weights for the Robust Asset Allocation Index are posted here. (Note: free registration required) Request a free account here if you want to access the site directly. If you are an advisor and want help implementing our models, please get in touch with Ryan Kirlin. Our Advisor portal is available here. [.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 3, 2024
The deal gives BlackRock, which manages $11.5 trillion, almost $600 billion of alternative assets.
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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.
Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)
DECEMBER 3, 2024
By MDRT Sustained success does not come from one big client. Instead, there are habits that create a blueprint for achieving success in your chosen endeavors. By incorporating them into your life, you’ll not only achieve what’s important to you, but you’ll enjoy the journey along the way.
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 3, 2024
One of the most important issues for Congress next year is tax reform.
Wealth Management
DECEMBER 3, 2024
The uncertain shape and scope of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs represent the biggest wildcard to the stock outlook for 2025, according to Morningstar. Several ETF sponsors have filed to roll out new crypto ETFs that provide some buffer protections to lower the overall risk profile, reports Financial Times. These are among the investment must reads we found this week for wealth advisors.
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 3, 2024
For couples, merging two financial lives can be tricky. Not every financial planner has the skills to effectively help you navigate that challenge. Yet the right advisor can guide you away from chronic money conflict and toward a successful partnership.
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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 Big Picture
DECEMBER 3, 2024
You may have missed this little brouhaha over the Thanksgiving weekend. We posted an analysis of a deeply flawed (dare I say fabricated?) data analysis from the Hoover Institution. Dated August 7th, it seemed to have been overlooked during the Summer. (It went viral recently) Something about it seemed off — California’s economy is fairly robust, how could they be lagging national job creation so much?
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 3, 2024
It’s the anniversary of the first-ever controlled nuclear fission chain reaction. And it’s the day that Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001.
Calculated Risk
DECEMBER 3, 2024
Wards Auto released their estimate of light vehicle sales for November: U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Surprise on High Side Again in November (pay site). Improved affordability, and possibly relief from the end of contentious national elections, appeared to bring more consumers into dealer showrooms in November, leading sales to post their biggest year-over-year increase in 2024.
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 3, 2024
BlackRock Inc. agreed to buy HPS Investment Partners in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $12 billion, a purchase that will propel the world’s largest asset manager into the highest ranks of private credit.
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International College of Financial Planning
DECEMBER 3, 2024
The Shift Towards Self-Directed Financial Product Purchases In today’s fast-paced digital world, the landscape of personal finance has undergone a significant transformation. More individuals are now bypassing traditional financial advisors and opting to purchase financial products directly through search engines and online platforms. This shift represents a broader trend towards self-directed finance, fueled by technology, accessibility, and changing consumer behavior.
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 3, 2024
International markets are expected to clear the hurdles of uncertain trade policy, tighter fiscal policy and slower than average economic growth to support solid overall returns.
Calculated Risk
DECEMBER 3, 2024
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: FHFA Announces Baseline Conforming Loan Limit Will Increase to $806,500 A brief excerpt: After the release of the FHFA house price index for September last week, the FHFA released the conforming loan limits for 2025. From the FHFA: FHFA Announces Conforming Loan Limit Values for 2025 The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced the conforming loan limit values (CLLs) for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enter
Advisor Perspectives
DECEMBER 3, 2024
The 2024 wild ride has proven to be a continuation of last year’s.
Speaker: Sierre Lindgren
Fraud is a battle that every organization must face – it’s no longer a question of “if” but “when.” Every organization is a potential target for fraud, and the finance department is often the bullseye. From cleverly disguised emails to fraudulent payment requests, the tactics of cybercriminals are advancing rapidly. Drawing insights from real-world cases and industry expertise, we’ll explore the vulnerabilities in your processes and how to fortify them effectively.
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