Wed.Apr 24, 2024

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MBA: Mortgage Applications Increased in Weekly Survey

Calculated Risk

From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications decreased 2.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 19, 2024. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 2.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.

Marketing 316
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Carson Group Adds CFO, Controller

Wealth Management

Daniel Applegarth and Eric Vrba are the latest additions to the C-suite as Carson Group shakes up leadership.

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Thursday: Q1 GDP, Unemployment Claims, Pending Home Sales

Calculated Risk

Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios. Thursday: • At 8:30 AM ET, Gross Domestic Product, 1st quarter 2024 (Advance estimate). The consensus is that real GDP increased 2.1% annualized in Q1, down from 3.4% in Q4. • Also at 8:30 AM, The initial weekly unemployment claims report will be released. The consensus is for 210 thousand initial claims, down from 212 thousand last week. • At 10:00 AM: Pending Home Sales Index for March.

Sales 285
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Focused on the Future: Brian Seymour on the Power of Coaching

Wealth Management

Prosperitage Wealth's Brian Seymour explains the crucial role coaching played in shaping his career, helping him identify his unique strengths and develop his “super power.

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Are Robots Replacing You? Keeping Humans in the Loop in Automated Environments

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

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Wednesday links: the shelf life of a stock

Abnormal Returns

Banking The number of bank branches in the U.S. peaked in 2012. (sherwood.news) Where SVB's business stands as JP Morgan ($JPM) looks to make inroads. (bloomberg.com) ETFs Where active ETFs are growing fastest. (morningstar.com) The iShares Bitcoin ETF ($IBIT) is a runaway hit. (theblock.co) Retail investors trade leveraged ETFs way too much. (klementoninvesting.substack.com) TikTok The clock is now ticking for a TikTok divestiture.

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IRS Warns High-Net-Worth Individuals of Elaborate Schemes

Wealth Management

Wealthy taxpayers are prime targets for scammers.

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More Trending

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Concurrent Shifts Into ‘Growth Mode’ with Four Industry Hires

Wealth Management

Former leaders at Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, Creative Planning and Wealth Enhancement Group have joined to accelerate the firm's growth as a new multicustodial platform for independent advisors.

Planning 271
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Reframing Risk In Retirement As “Over- And Under-Spending” To Better Communicate Decisions To Clients, And Finding “Best Guess” Spending Level

Nerd's Eye View

Over the past few decades, advicers have used Monte Carlo analysis tools to communicate to clients if their assets and planned level of spending were sufficient for them to realize their goals while (critically) not running out of money in retirement. More recently, however, the Monte Carlo "probability of success/failure" framing has attracted some criticism, as it can potentially alter the way that a client perceives risk, leading them to make less-than-ideal decisions.

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DOL Critics, Supporters Sound Off on Final Fiduciary Rule

Wealth Management

Advocates say RIAs have little to worry about, yet one opponent accused the DOL of waging an “ideological crusade” and said he’d recommend litigation to his board.

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AIA: "Architecture firm billings retreat further in March"; Multi-family Billings Decline for 20th Consecutive Month

Calculated Risk

Note: This index is a leading indicator primarily for new Commercial Real Estate (CRE) investment. From the AIA: ABI March 2024: Architecture firm billings retreat further in March Business conditions at architecture firms softened in March, as the AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score declined to 43.6 for the month. This marked the 14th consecutive month of declining billings at firms as inflation, supply chain issues, and other economic challenges continue to affect business.

Economics 240
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Book of Secrets on the Month-End Close

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.

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401(k) Real Talk Episode 103: April 24, 2024

Wealth Management

Open, honest and candid discussion about record keeper assets rising, the importance of convergence, artificial intelligence and more.

Assets 262
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April Vehicle Sales Forecast: 15.8 million SAAR, Up 1% YoY

Calculated Risk

From WardsAuto: April U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales to Start Second Quarter with Lukewarm Growth (pay content). Brief excerpt: The second quarter will be key to 2024’s total results, as demand must continue growing during April-June for the entire year to top 16 million units for the first time in five years. The period could be a leading indicator of how much automakers ultimately are willing to lay off incentives and other forms of discounting, vs. implementing production slowdowns, to keep invento

Sales 162
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HSBC Debuts Flagship NYC ‘Wealth Center’

Wealth Management

The bank has repositioned itself to serve ultra-wealthy international clients after closing more than 200 branch locations in the U.S.

Banking 231
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Final Look at Local Housing Markets in March

Calculated Risk

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Final Look at Local Housing Markets in March A brief excerpt: After the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) releases the monthly existing home sales report , I pick up additional local market data that is reported after the NAR. This is the final look at local markets in March. I’ve added a comparison of active listings, new listings, and closings to the same month in 2019 (for markets with available data).

Marketing 162
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Stop Falling Short When It Matters Most—The Elite Advisor’s Playbook to Success

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?

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401(k) Real Talk Transcript for April 24, 2024

Wealth Management

Transcript of Episode 103 of 401(k) Real Talk.

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Philly Fed: State Coincident Indexes Increased in 44 States in March (3-Month Basis)

Calculated Risk

From the Philly Fed : The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has released the coincident indexes for the 50 states for March 2024. Over the past three months, the indexes increased in 44 states, decreased in five states, and remained stable in one, for a three-month diffusion index of 78. Additionally, in the past month, the indexes increased in 41 states, decreased in two states, and remained stable in seven, for a one-month diffusion index of 78.

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Animal Spirits: A Healthy Pullback

A Wealth of Common Sense

Today’s Animal Spirits is brought to you by Franklin Templeton: See here for more information on the Franklin High Yield Corporate ETF (FLHY) On today’s show, we discuss: Wall Street traders keep underestimating America’s economic strength Generation Z is unprecedentedly rich Where are growth, inflation and interest rates headed? We asked the economists Home renovations are booming thanks to high rat.

Economics 104
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David Rosenberg: Extend Duration and Buy Bonds

Advisor Perspectives

Don’t believe the economic consensus, according to David Rosenberg. A recession is much more likely than a soft landing, and investors should allocate to 10-year Treasury bonds instead of stocks.

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Demo SkyStem’s Award Winning Month-End Close Solution & Earn $100

Is your finance team bogged down by endless data requests and disorganized spreadsheets during the month-end close? It’s time to consider a better option – automate with ART! SkyStem’s solution works alongside your ERP to transform the close and account reconciliation process and speed up month-end work. Explore SkyStem’s ART - the award-winning account reconciliation automation platform - and receive a $100 Amazon gift card as a thank you for your time.

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A risk “quant” speaks out against qualitative risk assessments, and explains very useful tools

Norman Marks

I am privileged to call Alexei Sidorenko “friend”. I first met him when he invited me to come to Moscow and speak at a risk management conference he organized, He is an experienced and insightful risk practitioner and CRO whose thoughts I listen to and recommend you do the same.

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You're Not the Best Advisor for Every Client

Advisor Perspectives

If you need heart surgery, would you hire the best cardiac surgeon you can afford, or work with whatever medical professional you can find?

Medical 72
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Artificial evolution: Five defensive systems to advance your InfoSec strategy

SEI

InfoSec professionals can learn a lot from nature’s evolved defensive systems, like reactive defense and identity validation. Read SEI’s blog for cybersecurity, the Sphere blog.

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Durable Goods Orders Rise 2.6% in March

Advisor Perspectives

New orders for manufactured durable goods rose in March, coming in at $283.41B. This is a 2.6% increase from the previous month and more than the expected 2.5% growth. The series is up 1.3% year-over-year (YoY). If we exclude transportation, "core" durable goods were up 0.2% from the previous month and up 1.0% from one year ago.

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Next-Level Fraud Prevention: Strategies for Today’s Threat Landscape

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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How to Crush the CFA Exams On Your First Attempt: Part II

Alpha Architect

The key to success is studying for Level I and Level II not for the sake of passing that level, but for the sake of passing Level III. How to Crush the CFA Exams On Your First Attempt: Part II was originally published at Alpha Architect. Please read the Alpha Architect disclosures at your convenience.

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Your Client is Neurotic. Now What?

Advisor Perspectives

The path to responsible investing is complicated by individual differences in personality traits and decision-making processes.

Clients 64
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Ray Dalio’s Famous Trade Is Sputtering, Investors Bailing

Advisor Perspectives

It was an irresistible pitch. Give us your money, executives at Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates and other hedge funds said, and we’ll funnel it into a money-minting, sure-thing strategy for the long haul.

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Our Firm Is Getting Too Much New Business

Advisor Perspectives

How to overcome obstacles when your firm is growing too fast and bringing in too much business?

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Fall In Love With the Month-End Close

It's the time of year to give our close process some TLC. Join us in this one hour webinar where we discuss how to adopt leading practices and infuse technology into the month-end close process to improve our experience and increase our productivity during month-end and quarter-end close. Learning Objectives: This course's objective is to understand how the month-end close can be improved with automation and adoption of leading practices.

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Meta’s $360 Billion Rally to Collide With Lofty AI Expectations

Advisor Perspectives

When it comes to social-media stocks, there’s Meta Platforms Inc., and then there’s everyone else.

Media 52
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Declaring Independence From the U.S.

Advisor Perspectives

Dollar strength resulting from central banks' independent policies on rate cuts is unlikely to be tampered by China's deflation or geopolitics.

Banking 52
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Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin Sits Near $66K

Advisor Perspectives

Bitcoin's price slowly rose this week and currently sits near $66,000. BTC is up ~50% year to date. Here's the latest charts on three of the largest cryptocurrencies by market share through 4/23/24.

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Quarterly Review and Outlook First Quarter 2024

Advisor Perspectives

The dynamics of fiscal and monetary policy are now entering a new phase. Due to the emergence of negative Net National Saving (NNS), the law of diminishing returns can no longer fully capture the harmful effect of debt on economic growth.

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The Future Of Finance: How To Manage Spend The Right Way

Speaker: Aaron Berson

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