Thu.Dec 14, 2023

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Thursday links: a million variables

Abnormal Returns

Markets Some data matters more than others for the stock market. (theirrelevantinvestor.com) All the price trends are headed in the right direction. (capitalspectator.com) Global The FTSE 100 trades around 10x earnings. (economist.com) Why Japanese retail investors are notoriously equity-averse. (ft.com) Strategy Historically the stock market recovers to all-time highs, sometimes it just takes time.

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ATM: Mutual Funds vs. ETFs

The Big Picture

At the Money: Mutual Funds vs. ETFs with Dave Nadig, Financial Futurist for Vetta Fi (December 13, 2023) What’s the best instrument for your investments? Mutual funds or ETFs? On today’s edition of At the Money, Barry Ritholtz speaks to Dave Nadig about the pros and cons of these two investment vehicles. Listen to find out which is right for you.

Taxes 176
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Longform links: consolidation and shakeout

Abnormal Returns

Books A Q&A with Kelly and Zach Weinersmith co-authors of "A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?" (insidehook.com) An excerpt from "The Greatest Capitalist Who Ever Lived: Tom Watson Jr. and the Epic Story of How IBM Created the Digital Age" by Ralph Watson McElvenny and Marc Wortman.

Media 263
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How Many Millionaires Are There?

A Wealth of Common Sense

A reader asks: Ben in your recent blog post you said $1M investable wealth makes you rich. I would like to provide a counterargument to that. When you retire, $1M basically gives you $40,000 per year to live off of, assuming the 4% rule of thumb is a reasonable starting point to think about retirement income. So is $40k spend a year really rich? I would argue that it is middle class at best; probably lower middle class.

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Less Stress, More Success: Accounting Best Practices & Processes for 2025

Speaker: Amanda Adams, Fractional CFO, CPA

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Amanda Adams, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.

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Did Interest Rates Just Peak?

Discipline Funds

It’s been a doozy of a few months for the bond markets as 10 year interest rates surged from 4% during the Summer to over 5% in October and then round tripped all the way back. Two months ago when the rate was over 5% there was constant chatter of a resurgence in inflation and a lack of demand for new bond issuance. But in the last six weeks interest rates have plummeted on expectations of lower inflation and an easier Federal Reserve in 2024.

More Trending

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Osaic to Acquire Lincoln’s $108B Wealth Business  

Wealth Management

Lincoln National Corp. is shedding its two broker/dealers and RIAs in a deal that adds about 1,450 advisors and $108 billion in assets to Osaic's network.

Assets 119
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NAIFA Cuts the Ribbon on Its New Headquarters

NAIFA Advisor Today

NAIFA 2023 President Bryon Holz , CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, CASL, LACP, and 2024 President Tom Cothron , LUTCF, FSCP, cut the ribbon on NAIFA's new national headquarters in Arlington, VA, in early December. Also participating in the ceremony were NAIFA Past Presidents Tom Michel , LACP, CLTC, and Larry Holzberg , LUTCF, LACP.

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Mindy Diamond on Independence: Lessons from the Life of Serial Entrepreneur Steve Lockshin

Wealth Management

Steve Lockshin, founder of AdvicePeriod, Vanilla, and others, offers a unique perspective on how an advisor’s entrepreneurial DNA can drive their ability to serve clients and grow untethered, particularly in the independent space.

Clients 115
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Retail Sales Increased 0.3% in November

Calculated Risk

On a monthly basis, retail sales were down 0.1% from October to November (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up 4.1 percent from November 2022. From the Census Bureau report : Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for November 2023, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $705.7 billion, up 0.3 percent from the previous month , and up 4.1 percent above November 2022.

Retail 109
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Avoiding Lease Accounting Pitfalls in 2025: Lessons Learned from Spreadsheet Errors

Speaker: Abdi Ali, Sr. Lease Accounting Consultant

Join this insightful webinar with industry expert Abdi Ali, who will discuss the challenges that can arise from managing lease accounting with spreadsheets! He will share real-world examples of errors, compliance issues, and risks that may be present within your spreadsheets. Learn how these tools, while useful, can sometimes lead to inefficiencies that affect your time, resources, and peace of mind.

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Allworth Acquires Two California Teams Managing $650M in Assets

Wealth Management

Silicon Valley Wealth Advisors and Hall Private Wealth Advisors represent Allworth's sixth and seventh deals of 2023 and mark its entry into Southern California.

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Realtor.com Reports Active Inventory UP 4.0% YoY; New Listings up 6.8% YoY

Calculated Risk

Realtor.com has monthly and weekly data on the existing home market. Here is their weekly report: Weekly Housing Trends View — Data Week Ending December 9, 2023 • Active inventory increased, with for-sale homes 4.0% above year ago levels. Active listings in the past week grew by 4.0% above the previous year, the 5th straight week of annual growth. However, active listings are still declining seasonally, with listings down 1.1% compared with the previous week and down 4.2% compared to the late se

Sales 103
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Capitaliz Rolls Out New Features to Make Client Business Valuations Easier

Wealth Management

New to the U.S. market, Capitaliz has rolled out a set of valuation tools for advisors working with business-owner clients.

Valuation 122
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Remember this the next time the Stock Market is down

Dear Mr. Market

Dear Mr. Market: Can you imagine how you would be feeling if you had acted upon the advice from all the doom and gloomers the past year? How some of these financial “gurus” and economic pundits still have an audience is fascinating!?! Want to know why they still have a platform and hold many people’s attention? Fear sells. That’s it.

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Back to Basics with Reconciliations

Join us in this webinar, where we share best practices on how to think about the reconciliation work each month, when best to do reconciliations, how they should be prepared, and some common pitfalls to avoid. Learning Objectives: This course objective is to understand how to properly prepare and review balance sheet reconciliations and its impact on the financial statements.

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Shenkman Taps Former NBA Player Jay Williams for Board

Wealth Management

Williams, a former Chicago Bulls basketball player who was the second overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft, co-founded Simatree, a strategic advisory firm focused on data, analytics and technology consultation.

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Unemployment Claims Down 19K, Better Than Expected

Advisor Perspectives

In the week ending December 9, initial jobless claims were at a seasonally adjusted level of 202,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week's revised figure. The latest reading is lower than the forecast of 220,000.

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Edelman Financial Engines Acquires $1.5B Retirement Plan Consultant

Wealth Management

The deal with New England Pension Plans Systems is Edelman Financial Engine's largest acquisition since 2021.

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The Big Four Recession Indicators: Real Retail Sales Up 0.2% in November

Advisor Perspectives

Month-over-month nominal retail sales in November were up 0.3% and up 4.09% year-over-year. However, after adjusting for inflation, real retail sales were up 0.2% MoM and up 0.94% year-over-year.

Retail 64
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Pricing for Profit: How to Set, Negotiate, and Succeed

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

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Risky Exchange-Traded Notes in Spotlight With Arrival of ‘XXXX’

Wealth Management

The MAX S&P 500 4X Leveraged ETNs, which launched last week with the eye-catching XXXX ticker, promise to quadruple the daily returns of the benchmark index.

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Retail Sales Unexpectedly Rebound in November

Advisor Perspectives

The Census Bureau's Advance Retail Sales Report for November revealed a 0.3% increase in headline sales compared to October, highlighting a rebound to consumer spending after October's brief dip in sales. The latest figure was higher than the anticipated 0.1% monthly decline. Core sales (ex Autos) beat expectations by increasing 0.2% in November compared to the expected 0.1% decline.

Retail 64
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Wealth Management EDGE Podcast: Heather Fortner's Journey to Leadership

Wealth Management

Heather Fortner brings leadership and authenticity to her role as CEO at SignatureFD.

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Suraj Estate Developers IPO Review – GMP, Price, Details & More

Trade Brains

Suraj Estate Developers IPO Review: India’s real estate sector is booming due to an increasing population, urbanization, and business interest from around the world. This growth presents a promising investment opportunity. This investment opportunity has presented itself in the form of an IPO of Suraj Estate Developers Limited. The IPO will open for subscription on December 18, 2023 and close on December 20, 2023.

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Confronting the Change Challenge

Change is difficult, whether in our private or work life. However, without change, growth and learning are difficult not to mention keeping up with the market and staying competitive. We have all worked for or ourselves are the bosses that prefer to keep the status quo. We will discuss how to address the "change challenge" to enable you to be a changemaker and a graceful recipient of change.

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Friday: NY Fed Mfg, Industrial Production

Calculated Risk

Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios. Friday: • At 8:30 AM ET, The New York Fed Empire State manufacturing survey for December. The consensus is for a reading of 3.5, down from 9.1. • At 9:15 AM, The Fed will release Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization for November.

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Envestnet Explores Sale of Data Aggregator Yodlee

Wealth Management

Envestnet paid about $590 million for Yodlee in 2015.

Sales 114
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The Coming Fed Rate Cuts and the Impact on Mortgage Rates

Calculated Risk

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: The Coming Fed Rate Cuts and the Impact on Mortgage Rates A brief excerpt: Following the FOMC meeting, Goldman Sachs economists wrote: The soft PPI report on Tuesday morning combined with downward revisions to prior months implies that core PCE inflation was only 0.07% month-on-month and—as Chair Powell noted in the press conference—only 3.1% year-on-year in November.

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Analyzing Biodiversity in Global Fixed Income Portfolios

Advisor Perspectives

Biodiversity is an emerging, and increasingly important, issue for managers to consider in investment management. To date, we have found that due to limited data, tools and knowledge, the integration of biodiversity factors in investment research remains limited. Within the investment community, calls are growing to measure the impact and dependencies on biodiversity in portfolios.

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How to Navigate Revenue and Expense Management: Competitive Insights for Financial Success

Speaker: Hilary Akhaabi, PhD - Founder, Chief Financial & Operations Officer at Go Africa Global

In the fast-paced world of corporate finance, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for sustainable growth and profitability. This exclusive webinar with leading expert Hilary Akhaabi, PhD, will teach you practical ways to navigate complex financial landscapes and enhance your company's revenue management capabilities. Whether you're aiming to refine your financial strategies or seeking innovative solutions to drive performance, this new session is for you!

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Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Decrease to 202,000

Calculated Risk

The DOL reported : In the week ending December 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 202,000 , a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 220,000 to 221,000. The 4-week moving average was 213,250, a decrease of 7,750 from the previous week's revised average.

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Generation Z Is Getting a Bad Deal on Housing

Advisor Perspectives

Becoming a financially secure adult is hard. Establishing yourself in your career, securing a home, starting a family … it’s a struggle as old as the modern economy, maybe even civilization itself. As is the lament of every generation that they have it worse than their forebears.

Economy 52
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Value, Momentum and Launching ETFs with Wes Gray

Validea

In this episode, we are joined by Wes Gray, founder of Alpha Architect and ETF Architect. We cover his biggest lessons from growing the businesses from a startup to over $5 billion in assets. We also discuss the rapid growth of ETFs and ETF Architect’s mission to help firms launch them. And we get Wes’ take on a variety of issues related to factor investing including the struggles of value in the past decade, how to tell when a factor no longer works, the evolution of his strategies

Startup 52