The Big Picture

APRIL 11, 2024

Confused about where we are today? A favorite exercise is to go back to first principles to consider how we got to where we are. (That is a favorite way to find fresh insights). On the equity side, you have to go back a century or so. Equities were considered speculative endeavors, best suited for gamblers and punters. The exceptions? A handful of “Widows & Orphan” stocks, like Ma Bell, some railroads, utilities and the rare bank that was not suffering regular runs.

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Commission Taxes Management Electronics 351

Abnormal Returns

APRIL 28, 2024

Top clicks this week You likely don't need a long-term bond fund. (wsj.com) Allan Sloan, "Don’t fall in love with your money fund." (barrons.com) Good luck trying to dial risk up and down at the right times. (collabfund.com) At what age do we say people are 'old'? (scienceblog.com) What are to make of the big, and persistent, valuation disparities between large and small caps.

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Valuation Taxes Marketing Marketing 307

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 29, 2024

Financial advisors add value for their clients not only by helping them grow their wealth, but also by working with them to create a plan for how to use it. While much of this process may focus on the client's own lifetime planning needs (e.g., helping them develop a retirement income plan), it often also addresses the client's goals for their wealth after their death.

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A Wealth of Common Sense

APRIL 28, 2024

A colleague recently asked me to run the 30 year annual returns for U.S. stocks, bonds and cash. He just wanted the returns. I couldn’t help but slice and dice the numbers and overanalyze the data because that’s what we do here. Let’s dig in. First the annual return numbers for the S&P 500, 10 year treasuries and 3 month T-bills over the 30 years ending in 2023: Some thoughts about these numbers: St.

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Financial Market Marketing Marketing Numbers 145

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.

Accounting

Advisor Perspectives

APRIL 30, 2024

The latest Chicago Purchasing Manager's Index (Chicago Business Barometer) fell to 37.9 in April from 41.4 in March. This is the fifth straight monthly decline and the lowest level for the index since November 2022. The latest reading is worse than the 44.9 forecast and keeps the index in contraction territory for a fifth consecutive month.

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Management 143

The Big Picture

APRIL 9, 2024

Between book leave and COVID I have been pretty quiet lately. Since it’s been a few months, I thought we could take a quick look at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s State Coincident Indicators out for both January and February 2024.1 As the charts above show, the economy on a state-by-state basis has markedly improved from Q4 2023’s softening.

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Banking Manufacturing Economy 306

Abnormal Returns

APRIL 14, 2024

Also on the site Some interesting developments in the financial media space. (abnormalreturns.com) Top clicks this week These 15 stocks destroyed the most value in the past decade. (morningstar.com) It's way too easy to mislead someone with charts. (awealthofcommonsense.com) Two things you probably don't need to worry about, including index concentration.

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Media Portfolio Management Investing 306

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 26, 2024

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that the Department of Labor released the final version of its Retirement Security Rule (a.k.a. the Fiduciary Rule 2.0), which is set to go into effect in September and (if it survives anticipated legal challenges) would represent a significant shift toward greater fiduciary standards in the financial services industry, including by defining as a fiduciary act a one-time recomm

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A Wealth of Common Sense

APRIL 23, 2024

There was a recent poll about my home state of Michigan where they asked people for their thoughts on the state of the nation’s economy today. Just 35% of people described the economy as excellent (6%) or good (29%) while 65% described it as either not so good (28%) or poor (37%). But when asked how they would describe their own personal financial situation these days, a majority of people (61%) described their circ.

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Economy 145

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.

Accounting

Calculated Risk

APRIL 29, 2024

Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 2.5% week-over-week. Inventory bottomed in mid-February this year, as opposed to mid-April in 2023, and inventory is now up 12.6% from the February bottom. Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of April 26th, inventory was at 556 thousand (7-day average), compared to 543 thousand the prior week.

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Carson Wealth

APRIL 4, 2024

Your parents taught you everything you know about money. From opening your first checking account to taking out your first car loan, they were always there to guide you. But as your parents get older, they may begin turning to you for help with their finances. How do you begin to navigate this new reverse dynamic? It’s not always easy. There are both practical and emotional challenges to consider before you step in and take over your parents’ financial situation.

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Management Healthcare Medical Estate Planning 137

The Big Picture

APRIL 28, 2024

In the northeast, Spring has fully sprung. Temps are expected to kiss 80 today, and after a mild winter, we have been enjoying abundant sunshine. The daffodils and tulips are up, the magnolias are blooming, and the pear and cherry trees are explosions of colors! All of that blue sky beckons us to hop in a roadster to enjoy the open road. My first high HP car was a BMW convertible, but the open-top car that set the standard was the 507.

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Engineering Sales Planning Marketing 279

Abnormal Returns

APRIL 7, 2024

Also on the site Better investors make fewer decisions. (abnormalreturns.com) Top clicks this week Two stocks accounted for a third of the Russell 2000's 5.2% return in Q1. (wsj.com) How major asset classes performed in March 2024. (capitalspectator.com) How to choose among total stock market ETFs. (humbledollar.com) Hyundai and Kia are crushing it in the U.S.

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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.

Accounting

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 30, 2024

Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 383rd episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast ! My guest on today's podcast is Troy Sharpe. Troy is the Founder and CEO of Oak Harvest Financial Group, an RIA based in Houston, Texas, that oversees approximately $750 million in assets under management for about 1,000 client households. What's unique about Troy, though, is how his firm's emphasis on driving organic growth through a multi-pronged marketing strategy, including a radio show, in-person semina

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Financial Advisor Clients Retirement Planning 246

A Wealth of Common Sense

APRIL 30, 2024

It feels like we’re in a weird place from the perspective of the economy and financial assets. Housing prices seem too high. Consumer prices seem too high. Stock prices seem too high. Government debt seems too high. I understand why people are worried. These things are cyclical and the lines can’t go up and to the right forever. Bear markets, financial crises, recessions, etc. are features we cannot do away wi.

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Government Economy Assets Marketing 144

Alpha Architect

APRIL 15, 2024

The justification for neutralizing sectors in factor strategies is a work in progress. To date, academic researchers haven't had an empirical model to mimic the impact of removing sector "effects" on the measurement and performance of factor strategies. The authors develop and test a two-component model to address the question of, "Is Sector Neutrality in Factor Investing a Mistake?

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Investing Investments 133

Calculated Risk

APRIL 8, 2024

Altos reports that active single-family inventory was down 0.9% week-over-week. Inventory bottomed in mid-February this year, as opposed to mid-April in 2023, and inventory is now up 3.8% from the February bottom. Note: the decline this week was due to the Easter holiday, and seasonally, inventory usually increases following Easter. Click on graph for larger image.

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As we step into 2024, the lending landscape evolves rapidly with technology, regulations, and market dynamics driving change. For banks and financial institutions to stay competitive and meet the evolving needs of their customers, these drivers must be understood and engaged with. Lenders can anticipate significant transformation fueled by technological advancements, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer behaviors.

Banking

The Big Picture

APRIL 25, 2024

A quick note on the state of the economy in light of some recent data. Q1 2024 Gross Domestic Product expanded at a disappointing 1.6% — note this is seasonally and inflation-adjusted annual rate. That lagged economists’ consensus of 2.4%. However, it’s not quite all it appears. Some of this is that “long and variable lag” of higher rates starting to bite — but it’s not just that.

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Economy Banking Economics Investing 214

Abnormal Returns

APRIL 21, 2024

Top clicks this week TIPS are on sale. Time to buy. (morningstar.com) Why everyone in finance seems to be doing deadlifts. (wealthmanagement.com) Franklin Templeton ($BEN) is moving aggressively beyond stocks and bonds. (wsj.com) 15 more ideas from Seth Klarman's "Margin of Safety" including 'Investment must be thought of as more than stock selection or making a series of solid individual investment decisions.

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Economy Sales Investing Investments 299

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 24, 2024

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.

Communication 246

Communication Retirement Clients Planning 246

A Wealth of Common Sense

APRIL 21, 2024

In the early-1980s, Robert Shiller set out to answer the question: Do stock prices move too much to be justified by subsequent changes in dividends? The idea was to figure out how well the stock market tracks the present value of future cash flows in the short-term. Shiller concluded that, no, stock prices do not neatly track fundamentals. He updated that data in his book Irrational Exuberance: The cash flows move very l.

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Marketing Marketing 145

Speaker: Joe Buhrmann, MBA, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC® Senior Financial Planning Practice Management Consultant eMoney Advisor

During an era of evolving consumer preferences, the banking sector is undergoing a profound shift. As customers continue to broaden their perspectives, banking professionals must support their customers' financial wellness by providing holistic financial advice that aligns with individual goals and circumstances. Without adapting, financial institutions will find that loyalty may crumble amid uncertainty.

Financial Advice

Wealth Management

APRIL 11, 2024

The news comes just days after the firm revealed that CEO and founder Ron Carson was stepping down from his role to become chairman of the board.

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Calculated Risk

APRIL 1, 2024

Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 0.9% week-over-week. Inventory bottomed in mid-February this year, as opposed to mid-April in 2023, and inventory is now up 4.7% from the February bottom. Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of March 29th, inventory was at 517 thousand (7-day average), compared to 513 thousand the prior week.

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The Big Picture

APRIL 27, 2024

The weekend is here! Pour yourself a mug of coffee, grab a seat outside, and get ready for our longer-form weekend reads: • We might be closer to changing course on climate change than we realized : Greenhouse gas emissions might have already peaked. Now they need to fall — fast. ( Vox ) • Tesla Is Not the Next Ford. It’s the Next Con Ed. Elon Musk’s EV empire is crumbling.

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Abnormal Returns

APRIL 30, 2024

Strategy Widen your investing lens. (awealthofcommonsense.com) The best investors are running their own race. (klementoninvesting.substack.com) Walmart Walmart ($WMT) is launching a new in-house brand, 'bettergoods.' (axios.com) Walmart ($WMT) is getting out of the health clinic business. (retaildive.com) Eli Lilly Eli Lilly ($LLY) is selling a lot of weight loss drugs.

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Financial Advising Communication Media Economy 290

Speaker: Carolina Aponte - Owner and CEO, Caja Holdings LLC

In today's rapidly changing business environment, building a resilient balance sheet is crucial to the survival of any business. A resilient balance sheet allows a company to withstand financial shocks and adapt to changing market conditions. To achieve this, companies need to focus on key strategies such as maintaining adequate liquidity, managing debt levels, diversifying revenue streams, and prioritizing profitability over growth.

Financial Planning

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 22, 2024

Broadly speaking, there are 2 models of working as a financial advisor: operating independently as a firm owner or with a large affiliate platform such as a wirehouse broker-dealer, independent broker-dealer, or larger corporate RIA. Deciding which model to work under is a key moment in beginning or evolving a career as an advisor. In the independent model, owners/advisors are generally paid directly by the clients they serve, and they select and pay for the vendors, services, and employees that

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Compliance Clients Financial Advisor Numbers 246

A Wealth of Common Sense

APRIL 19, 2024

How much money do you have to make to feel rich? It’s a subjective question. A lot depends on your lifestyle, where you live, how much you spend and save, your peer group, and your vulnerability to comparison. The comparison piece matters more than most are willing to admit. Wealth is relative. JP Morgan once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It’s easy to say when you’re one of the weal.

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Wealth Management

APRIL 15, 2024

Or will the family be able to squeeze the over $33 million they’re owed in civil judgments out of The Juice’s estate?

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