Thu.Oct 05, 2023

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Trade Deficit decreased to $58.3 Billion in August

Calculated Risk

The Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported : The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $58.3 billion in August , down $6.4 billion from $64.7 billion in July, revised. August exports were $256.0 billion, $4.1 billion more than July exports. August imports were $314.3 billion, $2.3 billion less than July imports. emphasis added Click on graph for larger image.

Economics 321
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How One Multi-Family Office is Approaching a Complex Real Estate Investment Environment

Wealth Management

TwinFocus works with ultra-high-net-worth individuals, many of whom built first generation wealth. The firm is trying to bring them real estate investment opportunities while avoiding today’s high leverage costs.

Investing 312
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Realtor.com Reports Weekly Active Inventory Down 2.6% YoY; New Listings Down 1.2% YoY

Calculated Risk

Realtor.com has monthly and weekly data on the existing home market. Here is their weekly report from Hannah Jones: Weekly Housing Trends View — Data Week Ending Sep 30, 2023 • Active inventory declined, with for-sale homes lagging behind year ago levels by 2.6%. During the past week, we observed the 15th successive weekly drop in the number of homes available for sale relative to the previous year.

Sales 298
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Wealth Management EDGE Podcast: Retirement, Annuities and Regulation Unveiled

Wealth Management

Protecting the average retiree in a confusing landscape of investment planning vs. financial planning.

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Data Talks, CFOs Listen: Why Analytics Is The Key To Better Spend Management

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.

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Longform links: when hobbies become side hustles

Abnormal Returns

Books An excerpt from "Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well" by Amy Edmondson. (behavioralscientist.org) An excerpt from "Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution" by Cat Bohannon. (theatlantic.com) An excerpt from "The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota and an American Inheritance" by Rebecca Clarren. (politico.com) Academic fraud Behavioral science has a credibility problem.

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Three Proven Ways to Drive Organic Growth for RIAs

Wealth Management

Despite a vast array of offerings, only a handful of strategies consistently move the needle.

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More Trending

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The ETFs with the Greatest Outflows in the Past Month

Wealth Management

These funds saw the most money flow out of them over the past 30 days.

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Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Increase to 207,000

Calculated Risk

The DOL reported : In the week ending September 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 207,000 , an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 204,000 to 205,000. The 4-week moving average was 208,750, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week's revised average.

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The Effects of Scale, Complexity and Technology on Growth and M&A

Wealth Management

Three wealth management veterans debate innovation, M&A, and the—real—advantages of artificial at Nitrogen's annual conference.

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Friday: Employment Report

Calculated Risk

Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios. Friday: • At 8:30 AM ET, Employment Report for September. The consensus is for 150,000 jobs added, and for the unemployment rate to decrease to 3.7%.

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What Your Financial Statements Are Telling You—And How to Listen!

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.

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Mindy Diamond on Independence: An Industry Update on Mega-Moves

Wealth Management

With 2023 mega-advisor moves already outpacing 2022, this episode explores case studies to answer: What was needle-moving enough to leave the firms where they built phenomenal businesses? What can we all learn from this activity? What is the impact on recruiting and the industry at large? And more.

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Moody's: "Apartment Market Softens, Office Evolution Continues, and Retail On Shaky Ground"

Calculated Risk

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Moody's: "Apartment Market Softens, Office Evolution Continues, and Retail On Shaky Ground" A brief excerpt: From Moody’s: The national office vacancy rate climbed to 19.2% in Q3 2023, rising from Q2’s 18.9% and rapidly approaching the historic peak of 19.3% set in 1991. The office landscape has struggled in 2023, though market performance is more mixed with property-specific nuances.

Retail 182
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Genstar Reinvests in Cetera

Wealth Management

Genstar, which first took a majority stake in Cetera in 2018, remains the majority shareholder in the broker/dealer network.

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September Employment Preview

Calculated Risk

On Friday at 8:30 AM ET, the BLS will release the employment report for September. The consensus is for 150,000 jobs added, and for the unemployment rate to decrease to 3.7%. There were 187,000 jobs added in August, and the unemployment rate was at 3.8%. From BofA economists: "We look for nonfarm payroll employment to increase by 185k. we forecast the unemployment rate to fall two-tenths in September to 3.6% owing in part to a tenth decline in the labor force participation rate to 62.7%.

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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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Citigroup Says as Many as 50% of All ETFs Lose Money for Their Issuers

Wealth Management

Roughly one-third to half of the more than 3,300 US-listed ETFs are likely unable to cover their annual operating costs, according to a Citigroup Inc. analysis.

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Thursday links: ignoring reality

Abnormal Returns

Housing Mortgage rates are at a 23-year high, per Freddie Mac. (cnn.com) 8% 30-year mortgage rates are not off the table. (wsj.com) Millennials are bearing the brunt of the tight housing market. (on.ft.com) Strategy Why some people like to research and hold individual stocks instead of funds. (investmenttalk.co) The only reaction to an investment mistake is to admit it.

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12 Must Reads for Real Estate Investors (Oct. 6, 2023)

Wealth Management

Nightingale struck a deal to sell assets in order to pay back CrowdStreet Investors, reported Bisnow. Forbes listed 25 real estate tycoons among its latest list of billionaires. These are among the must reads from the real estate investment world to end the week.

Assets 278
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Why Do I Need a Will? Everything You Need to Know

Carson Wealth

By Beth Schanou, JD, CExP, Senior Wealth Planner Who wants to spend an afternoon thinking about their mortality? No one, which is why more than half of Americans don’t even have a will. The foundation of your estate plan is a Last Will and Testament. Without a will, you are leaving the disposition of your assets and the guardianship of your minor children to a court.

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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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New ETF Boom Defies Saturation Warnings in $7 Trillion Industry

Wealth Management

Sixty-nine new ETFs came to market last month, one of the busiest since at least 2016.

Marketing 278
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International Value Stocks Offering “More Bang for the Buck”

Alpha Architect

Over the very long term, while value stocks have been less profitable and have had slower growth in earnings than growth stocks, they have provided higher returns. International Value Stocks Offering “More Bang for the Buck” was originally published at Alpha Architect. Please read the Alpha Architect disclosures at your convenience.

Investing 137
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Experts vs. Amateurs

A Wealth of Common Sense

Nick Maggiulli joined me again this week to talk about questions on dollar cost averaging, locking in higher bond yields and how much leverage is enough for your personal balance sheet. Further Reading: The Bond Bear Market & Asset Allocation 1Maybe I would change my mind if long-term rates ever get to 7-8%. The post Experts vs. Amateurs appeared first on A Wealth of Common Sense.

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Going for Broke

The Better Letter

TBL is back, baby. Many thanks to all of you who reached out during my hiatus. Yes, I’m fine. I hurt my Achilles playing pickle ball but, really, I’m fine. However, a lot gone on since we were last together. My lovely bride and I packed up our home of 28 years and moved 2636 miles to where we bought and moved into a new house. We drove across the country (much slower than last time ).

Insurance 114
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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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Best Biofuel Stocks in India 2023 To Add To Your Watchlist

Trade Brains

Best Biofuel Stocks in India : Biofuels are renewable energy sources obtained from living organisms. Biodiesel, Corn ethanol, and biogas from organic byproducts are the most common biofuels. Renewable energy lessens the demand for a limited amount of nonrenewable resources such as fossil fuels. Biofuels have the ability to totally replace fossil fuels and decarbonize the transportation sector.

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Stand out from other advisors by preparing clients to retire

Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)

By Clay Gillespie, CFP, CLU There are myriad ways to prepare clients for a fulfilling retirement. Clients accumulate assets for many years in the hope of retiring and living comfortably, but that’s only part of it. While clients may think everyone is happy and excited about retirement, it also can be one of the biggest stressors in their lives because their self-worth is tied to what they do for a living.

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Fundamental Analysis of Siyaram Silk Mills – Future Plans & More

Trade Brains

Fundamental Analysis of Siyaram Silk Mills: In the ever-changing world of fashion, the textile industry plays a big part in deciding what clothes we wear. India is well-known for making clothes and fabrics, with a long history of expertise in this field. Within this industry, there’s a stock called Siyaram Fashion Mills that has consistently delivered returns to its shareholders since its listing.

Planning 105
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The Compound and Friends:

The Irrelevant Investor

Today’s Compound and Friends is brought to you by Birddogs: Go to birddogs.com/COMPOUND or enter code COMPOUND for a free dad hat. On today’s show, we discuss: Jay Powell on instagram Questions, shrugs, and what comes next: A quarter century of change AIs $200B question The AI boom-bust FTX employees found Alameda’s secret backdoor months before collapse Listen here: Charts: Recommendations.

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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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Estate Planning Checklist

Carson Wealth

No matter how few your assets or how extensive your properties, an estate plan will help you preserve your legacy and provide clarity to your surviving family. Our estate planning checklist can help you start the process and tick those important boxes on your way to confidence about the future. Fill in the form below to download the checklist: Download the checklist today to get started.

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ETF Sophistication Continues To Evolve

Random Roger's Retirement Planning

One of the fun things about having this blog is the ongoing search for improving portfolio construction, discovering new funds and whether they could be part of the solution. Hint: most aren't but it is a fun and interesting exercise and every so often a fund does make the cut. With that in mind I wanted to look at a couple of new (to me) funds and circle back to a couple we've looked at before to see if we can glean anything new.

Clients 75
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Nvidia: The King of AI & Reigning King Of The Stock Market – But Is It Still a Good Investment?

Advisor Perspectives

As Markets Insider reported, NVIDIA is the king of AI and it’s recently become the king of the stock market. But is NVIDIA still a good investment today after rising so much?

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The Morris Morrison Mindset

NAIFA Advisor Today

Morris Morrison is a world-class speaker, author, and entertainer who has learned the value of choosing to tell a better story and the power that comes from the stories we live. Drawing purpose and inspiration from his faith, family, and motivation to energize individuals and communities, Morris builds stronger, smarter, and kinder human beings.

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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.