Thu.Feb 13, 2025

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NY Fed Q4 Report: Household Debt Increased; High auto loan delinquency rates

Calculated Risk

From the NY Fed: Household Debt Balances Continue Steady Increase; Delinquency Transition Rates Remain Elevated for Auto and Credit Cards The Federal Reserve Bank of New Yorks Center for Microeconomic Data today issued its Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit. The report shows total household debt increased by $93 billion (0.5%) in Q4 2024, to $18.04 trillion.

Economics 205
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Longform links: built not born

Abnormal Returns

Books An excerpt from Yoni Appelbaums new book, "Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity." (theatlantic.com) An excerpt from "Humans: A Monstrous History" by Surekha Davies. (lithub.com) An excerpt from "The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West" by Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W.

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Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Decrease to 213,000

Calculated Risk

The DOL reported : In the week ending February 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 213,000, a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 219,000 to 220,000. The 4-week moving average was 216,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average.

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Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Before Retirement?

A Wealth of Common Sense

Barry Ritholtz joined me on the show this week to discuss questions about timing market corrections with your savings account, how your portfolio should look heading into retirement, managing your parent’s financial plan and how to force yourself into splurging a little when you have more than enough money. Further Reading: How Much is a 3% Mortgage Worth?

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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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Part 2: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-February 2025

Calculated Risk

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Part 2: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-February 2025 A brief excerpt: Earlier this week, in Part 1: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-February 2025 I reviewed home inventory, housing starts and sales. In Part 2, I will look at house prices, mortgage rates, rents and more.

Marketing 162
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Left on Read: The Cost of Ignoring iMessage Compliance

Wealth Management

iMessage isnt going anywhere, and neither are the regulators. Here's how financial advisors can stay compliant.

More Trending

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Say ‘I Love You’ With an Estate Plan

Wealth Management

At its core, estate planning is about deep, enduring lovethe kind that extends beyond Valentine's Day, a single day of chocolates and roses

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Friday: Retail Sales, Industrial Production

Calculated Risk

Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios. Friday: At 8:30 AM ET, Retail sales for January is scheduled to be released. The consensus is for a no change in retail sales. At 9:15 AM, The Fed will release Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization for January. The consensus is for a 0.3% increase in Industrial Production, and for Capacity Utilization to increase to 77.7%.

Retail 147
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Cerulli: Independent RIAs to Outpace All Other Channels by 2028

Wealth Management

The consultancy projects independent RIAs to grow 4% annually through 2028, with insurance broker/dealer advisors seeing the most attrition with 2.6% annual declines.

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How to Find a Fee-Only Financial Advisor

Darrow Wealth Management

When starting to search for a financial advisor, investors may not realize the different types of advisors out thereand theyre not all trying to sell you something. If youre looking for a fee-only financial advisor or wealth manager, its probably because you know fee-only advisors don’t sell products. Finding the right financial advisor is so important.

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

Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker

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Link Ventures Invests Another $5M In Prospecting Platform Datalign Advisory

Wealth Management

Link Ventures invests another $5 million in artificial intelligence-based prospecting platform Datalign Advisory.

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Plan Your Client Event in 2025: How to Host Successful Events that Generate Quality Leads

FMG

Client events are evolving in 2025, offering unparalleled opportunities to connect with clients, strengthen relationships, and drive quality leads. Whether youre hosting virtual webinars or in-person gatherings, the right approach can transform your client event into a lead-generating, referral powerhouse. In this guide, well walk you through actionable strategies, creative ideas, and promotion tips to ensure every event you plan is a success.

Clients 52
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Fidelity: Advisors Continue to Gravitate to Active ETFs

Wealth Management

Use of active ETFs when constructing portfolios rose to 40% of advisors at the end of 2024, up from 13% in 2022. Strategic beta products and liquid alts are also on the rise.

Portfolio 165
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Plan Your Client Event in 2025: How to Host Successful Events that Generate Quality Leads

FMG

Client events are evolving in 2025, offering unparalleled opportunities to connect with clients, strengthen relationships, and drive quality leads. Whether youre hosting virtual webinars or in-person gatherings, the right approach can transform your client event into a lead-generating, referral powerhouse. In this guide, well walk you through actionable strategies, creative ideas, and promotion tips to ensure every event you plan is a success.

Clients 52
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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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Yes, Advisors Can Manage Their Clients’ 401(k) Accounts

Wealth Management

Understanding the options financial advisors have to support your clients largest investment asset, 401(k) retirement accounts.

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Tax Planning Checklist

Carson Wealth

Each year it is important to review your plan to ensure you are taking advantage of all the tax breaks and incentives available to you. Annual inflation adjustments and new laws create opportunities to save for retirement or reduce your tax bill. To help you make the best decisions regarding your taxes, retirement savings, and charitable giving, here are a few of the common planning opportunities and current tax benefits to consider as you update your plans for this year.

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The Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors: The Lifecycle of a Billion Dollar Business

Wealth Management

Sweet Financial Partners' Bryan Sweet shares his business growth story, starting with 32 years under Raymond James' broker/dealer, then as an RIA, and most recently selling to Carson Wealth.

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A Navy SEAL says Making Better Decisions is SIMPLE.

Alpha Architect

The following guest piece outlines the SIMPLE framework (SIMPLE) for making better decisions. SIMPLE was developed by a Navy SEAL with combat and business experience. An application of the SIMPLE framework, applied to financial advisors, is at the end of the piece. A Navy SEAL says Making Better Decisions is SIMPLE. was originally published at Alpha Architect.

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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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The Data Demands for Cross-Border Wealth Management Innovations

Wealth Management

Firms operating in multiple countries must also manage their data estates in compliance with many different data-related regulations.

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Ten Fundamentally Sound Technology Stocks

Validea

While technology stocks have experienced remarkable momentum and appreciation in recent market cycles, savvy investors recognize that opportunities for value still exist within this dynamic sector. The key lies in looking beyond surface-level market movements to identify companies with robust fundamentals. Using Validea’s comprehensive analytical framework, which evaluates stocks through the lens of 22 distinct investment strategies pioneered by some of the most successful investors in his

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Kabir Sethi Joins Board Of AI Startup Zeplyn

Wealth Management

Kabir Sethi, a veteran industry executive, who spent two years at LPL and a much longer stint at Merrill Lynch, is joining the board of AI startup Zeplyn

Startup 150
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Household Debt Rises to $18.04 Trillion in Q4

Advisor Perspectives

Household debt increased by $93 billion (0.52%) in Q4 2024, reaching $18.04 trillion. While all debt categories saw quarterly gains, the overall rise was primarily driven by credit card debt.

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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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A Navy SEAL says Making Better Decisions is SIMPLE.

Alpha Architect

The following guest piece outlines the SIMPLE framework (SIMPLE) for making better decisions. SIMPLE was developed by a Navy SEAL with combat and business experience. An application of the SIMPLE framework, applied to financial advisors, is at the end of the piece. A Navy SEAL says Making Better Decisions is SIMPLE. was originally published at Alpha Architect.

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Unemployment Claims Down 7K, Lower Than Expected

Advisor Perspectives

In the week ending February 8th, initial jobless claims were at a seasonally adjusted level of 213,000. This represents a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week's figure. The latest reading was lower than the 217,000 forecast.

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A "Safe" Way To Use A 100/100 Fund?

Random Roger's Retirement Planning

Yesterday, we mentioned the PIMCO StocksPLUS suite of funds. The PIMCO StocksPLUS Absolute Return Fund seems to play right into what we do here in terms of theoretical portfolio construction. The fund has a bunch symbols, I'm going to go with PSPTX. The fund leverages up 100/100, S&P 500 equities and absolute return. Absolute return can be a nebulous concept but the big idea is a low volatility strategy that maintains a relatively even growth rate no matter what is going on in the world.

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DoubleLine Asks Whether Microsoft Debt Is Safer Than Treasuries

Advisor Perspectives

Microsoft Corp. is bigger than most countries’ whole stock markets and its bond rating would be the envy of many nations.

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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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What We Shipped in 2024

Wealthfront

At Wealthfront, we help you build long-term wealth on your own terms. Our investment in technology allows us to build and ship new products and enhancements quickly, which means our offerings get better every year. This was especially true in 2024we launched a new product or feature almost every month of the year, all designed […] The post What We Shipped in 2024 appeared first on Wealthfront Blog.

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Apple’s Stock-Market Performance Is Increasingly Made in China

Advisor Perspectives

Investors in America’s biggest company are increasingly focused on China, where Apple Inc. is striving to win over a crucial customer base while also facing tariff-related risks.

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Thursday links: responding to crashes

Abnormal Returns

Markets Want to hedge inflation? Buy stocks. (axios.com) Why investors need to consult primary sources. (newsletter.rationalwalk.com) Finance Why gold traders are shipping bullion from London to New York. (wsj.com) A cool thing about the hedge fund industry is that success comes in a lot of different ways: the case case of QRT. (bloomberg.com) Would you read a sell-side research report written by AI?

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Producer Price Index: Wholesale Inflation Remained Hot in January

Advisor Perspectives

Wholesale inflation remained hot in January, rising more than expected. The producer price index for final demand was up 0.4% month-over-month, higher than the 0.3% forecast. On an annual basis, headline PPI increased 3.5%, above the 3.2% forecast.

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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.