June, 2023

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How to Invest if You’re Sitting on a Pile of Cash Right Now

A Wealth of Common Sense

A reader asks: My wife and I are 42 with a 13-year-old son. We moved to Phoenix, AZ as immigrants 7 years ago with just a couple thousand dollars to our name. Since then have slowly progressed in our careers. At this point, here’s what we have accomplished financially: Annual combined income: $350k Cash in checking accounts: $230k Mortgage: $530k (28 years left) Investments through 401k, 529 plans: $100k Stock Ma.

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Nobody Knows Anything, 2023 First Half Edition

The Big Picture

A quick note as the first half of 2023 draws to a close, shocking the locals with its intensity. Why? Because almost nobody saw this rally coming. 1 As of this moment, the indices stand appreciably higher than where they were on January 1, 2023: The NASDAQ 100 is up >38%, the S&P 500 is up ~15.5%, and the Russell 2000 small cap index is up almost 7%.

Numbers 325
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Wealth.com Debuts ‘Ester,’ An AI-Powered Estate Planning Legal Assistant For Advisors

Wealth Management

Wealth.com's Ester is a proprietary model that can read and restate documents and hold both short and long-term memories of previous client actions.

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Black Knight: "Past-Due Mortgages Approach Recent Record Lows" in May

Calculated Risk

From Black Knight: Black Knight: Past-Due Mortgages Approach Recent Record Lows as Serious Delinquencies Continue Improvement; Prepayments See Seasonal Rise • Reversing much of April’s calendar-driven spike, the national delinquency rate fell 11 basis points (bps) in May to hit 3.10% – the lowest it’s been other than March 2023’s record of 2.92% • The number of borrowers a single payment past due improved by 94K (-9.5%), erasing nearly half of the prior month’s increase • Serious delinquencies (

Numbers 363
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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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“Today’s market pivots from a funeral to a party as fast as a VFW hall.”

The Reformed Broker

Please read this from Michael Santoli: Just as the depth of despond evident in investor-sentiment gauges around Labor Day was out of proportion to what the market and economy had been doing, the volume of cheer engendered by this four-week, 9% rally looks to be running at least a bit ahead of what has, after all, been a marginal upside exit from a long, grinding trading range.

Marketing 351
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Top clicks this week on Abnormal Returns

Abnormal Returns

Also on the site Why we all need regular doses of Vitamin O, i.e. optimism. (abnormalreturns.com) Top clicks this week Warren Buffett's advice on active vs. passive investing is clear. (monevator.com) Joshua Brown, "The thing that everyone’s talking about is not always the thing that ends up mattering." (thereformedbroker.com) What the CIA can teach investors.

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Americonned

The Big Picture

@TBPInvictus here: Contrary to 40+ years and counting of “trickle down” narrative, the reality is that the gap between the 1% and everyone else (let’s say the bottom 90%) has never been wider. It’s become a chasm, and the charts below tell the story. Here is the wealth share of the bottom 90% and the Top 1%, equalized in 1989: Here is both the share (scale at Left ) and level (scale at right) of total net worth held by the Top 1%.

Numbers 334
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Should Advisors Be Worried About Online Reviews? It Depends.

Wealth Management

While advisors should be informed and prepared as to risks and compliance issues, the opportunity with reviews is clear.

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Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims at 264,000

Calculated Risk

The DOL reported : In the week ending June 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 264,000 , unchanged from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 262,000 to 264,000. The 4-week moving average was 255,750, an increase of 8,500 from the previous week's revised average. This is the highest level for this average since November 13, 2021 when it was 260,000.

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The Day the Treasury Topped

The Reformed Broker

The parabolic spike in 2-year Treasury bond rates this winter ended with a crescendo on Thursday, March 9th and Friday March 10th. That week, the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank had thoroughly spooked the markets and convinced traders that the Federal Reserve would be forced to start downshifting its hiking cycle and the accompanying hawkish rhetoric.

Banking 346
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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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Podcast links: the science of sleep

Abnormal Returns

The biz Consolidation is here, again, as independent podcast companies sell out. (bloomberg.com) Ad buyers love podcasts, especially business-focused ones. (insideradio.com) The number of songs uploaded to streaming services just keep increasing. (om.co) Finance David Rubenstein talks with Cliff Asness about the return of value. (bloomberg.com) Christine Benz and Jeff Ptak talk with Joel Tillinghast about his biggest investing mistake, the implications of AI for portfolio management, and how pri

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Flip ‘Plan Presentation’ Into ‘Plan Engagement’ Meetings To Generate More Focus And Reflective Questions From Clients

Nerd's Eye View

One of the key steps in the financial planning process is presenting the plan to the client, which has traditionally been done as part of a single 'plan presentation' meeting that takes place once the advisor has gathered and analyzed all of the client's data. While this approach may have made sense in a time when the 'plan' itself was mostly limited to investment recommendations (which the advisor would be able to go on and implement themselves since they were managing the client's assets), fin

Planning 246
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Ramit Sethi on Living Richly

The Big Picture

 This week, we speak with entrepreneur Ramit Sethi, who is the founder and chief executive officer of the online education platform I Will Teach You to Be Rich (IWT ), which attracts more than 1 million readers a month. Sethi is also the host of the Netflix series “ How To Get Rich ,” which is based on his New York Times bestselling book “ I Will Teach You to Be Rich “; he also hosts a podcast of the same name.

Education 334
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Two Top Pershing Execs Jump Ship

Wealth Management

Crafford has resigned as head of business consulting after eight years with the RIA custodian. McGovern was head of technology consulting.

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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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Housing June 12th Weekly Update: Inventory Increased 1.5% Week-over-week

Calculated Risk

Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 1.5% week-over-week. Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of June 9th, inventory was at 443 thousand (7-day average), compared to 436 thousand the prior week. Year-to-date, inventory is down 9.7%. And inventory is up 9.3% from the seasonal bottom eight weeks ago.

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Black Swans, Stock Market Crashes and the Chaos Kings

The Reformed Broker

On this special episode of Live from The Compound, Scott Patterson, Financial Journalist and Wall Street Journal Reporter, joins Michael Batnick and Josh Brown to discuss Scott’s new book, Chaos Kings: How Wall Street Traders Make Billions in the New Age of Crisis. Follow Scott on: Twitter Book. The post Black Swans, Stock Market Crashes and the Chaos Kings appeared first on The Reformed Broker.

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Top clicks this week on Abnormal Returns

Abnormal Returns

Top clicks this week Two reasons why the stock market has surged this year. (thereformedbroker.com) Five common portfolio mistakes including 'portfolio sprawl.' (morningstar.com) The spread between the 10-year Treasury and the dividend yield on the S&P 500 is at its highest level since 2007. (capitalspectator.com) Fund fees really do matter. (humbledollar.com) A round-up of recent charts including a surge in investor sentiment.

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Learning Experiences Advisor Firm Owners Wished They Knew Before Merging Or Selling

Nerd's Eye View

One of the biggest challenges for small, independent RIA firms is that they are self-reliant with respect to designing, choosing, and implementing the systems, technology, and processes that they use. Some firm owners relish the responsibilities of building and maintaining a firm from the ground up, but others – who may be happier with simply advising and building relationships with clients – might find it more appealing to merge with or sell to a larger firm that has the resources t

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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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MiB: Gretchen Morgenson on Private Equity

The Big Picture

This week, we speak with Gretchen Morgenson, senior financial reporter for the NBC News investigative unit. A former stockbroker and alumna of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, she won the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for her “trenchant and incisive” reporting on finance. She (and coauthor Joshua Rosner) recently published “ These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs―and Wrecks―America.

Taxes 327
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Are You Smarter Than a College Financial Planning Student?

Wealth Management

This quiz is based on actual questions from The Financial Planning Challenge.

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New Home Sales increase to 763,000 Annual Rate in May

Calculated Risk

The Census Bureau reports New Home Sales in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 763 thousand. The previous three months were revised down slightly, combined. Sales of new single‐family houses in May 2023 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 763,000 , according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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We are Austin-bound June 12th

The Reformed Broker

RWM is coming to Austin, TX June 12th-14th @Downtown with more detailsEmail us at info@ritholtzwealth.com subject line “Austin” to reserve a meeting slot! pic.twitter.com/9iSdG4HFf3 — Ritholtz Wealth (@RitholtzWealth) May 19, 2023 I’m headed out to Austin, Texas this June and bringing a whole bunch of my Ritholtz Wealth Management colleagues with me, including our financial planner in the area.

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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

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Podcast links: generational differences

Abnormal Returns

Audio YouTube will soon allow automatic dubbing. (engadget.com) How many streams it takes an artist to earn $1,000 on different platforms. (genuineimpact.substack.com) Companies Matt Reustle talks with Tom Walsh, a portfolio manager at Baillie Gifford, about ASML Holdings ($ASML). (joincolossus.com) Benjamin Gilbert and David Rosenthal talk about the history of Porsche AG with Doug DeMuro.

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Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (June 24-25)

Nerd's Eye View

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week’s edition kicks off with the news that amid a flurry of SEC-proposed rules for investment advisers, the Investment Adviser Association this week called on the regulator to assess whether the compliance burden these regulations would put on advisers outweighs the potential benefits and, if adopted, to consider rolling them out on a staggered basis to give advisers sufficient time to implement them.

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What Do You Believe? Why?

The Big Picture

One of the most important aspects of becoming a good investor is creating a model of the world around you. To do this, you must have good decision-making skills, and the ability to make sense of incomplete and sometimes contradictory information. This is not easy. Indeed, it is often counterintuitive. What seems like an obvious market-moving data point or piece of news is very often already in the price.

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The 20 States With the Most Investment Fraud

Wealth Management

The top 20 states ranked by rate of investment fraud per 100,000 residents.

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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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CoreLogic: 1.2 million Homeowners with Negative Equity in Q1 2023

Calculated Risk

From CoreLogic: CoreLogic: US Home Borrowers See First Annual Home Equity Losses Since 2012 in Q1 2023, but Overall Mortgage Performance Remains Strong CoreLogic®. today released the Homeowner Equity Report (HER) for the first quarter of 2023. The report shows that U.S. homeowners with mortgages (which account for roughly 63% of all properties) saw home equity decrease by 0.7% year over year, representing a collective loss of $108.4 billion, and an average loss of $5,400 per borrower since the f

Numbers 363
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We Are Ready For Prime Time

The Reformed Broker

Welcome to the latest episode of The Compound & Friends. This week, Michael Batnick, Cathie Wood, and Downtown Josh Brown discuss investing in innovation, AI fact vs fiction, how big Tesla can get, why Ark bought Nvidia in 2014, Zoom vs Google Meet vs Microsoft Teams, and much more! You can listen to the whole thing below, or find it wherever you like to listen to your favorite pods!

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Longform links: the most informed experts

Abnormal Returns

Technology AI is making for a spate of new junk websites powered by programmatic ads. (technologyreview.com) The FTC thinks Amazon ($AMZN) customers are stupid. (stratechery.com) The many ways in which data brokers label you. (themarkup.org) The Internet is a beast that needs to be fed with content. (om.co) Water Can Utah's Great Salt Lake be saved?

Economics 246
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#FA Success Ep 338: Finding Your Why In Helping Clients Figure Out What To Retire Towards (Not From), With Tony Hixon

Nerd's Eye View

Welcome back to the 338th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast! My guest on today's podcast is Tony Hixon. Tony is the Co-founder and COO for Hixon Zuercher Capital Management, an independent RIA based in Findlay, Ohio, that oversees more than $300 million in assets under management for nearly 330 client households. What's unique about Tony's journey, is how the tragic death of his mother just 6 months after she retired, made Tony realize that even though retirees may be prepared fin

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

Speaker: Duke Heninger, Partner and Fractional CFO at Ampleo & Creator of CFO System

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Duke Heninger, 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.