The Big Picture

JUNE 27, 2024

I’ve been observing how radically unusual various sentiment readings have been for a few years now. It made little sense to me that the post-pandemic era saw sentiment levels far below major dislocations such as the ‘87 crash, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Dotcom implosion, or the 08-09 great financial crisis. We have tried to identify the causal factors by considering social media , increases in partisanship , ignorance, even trolling of pollsters.

Economics 307

Economics Budgeting Sales Media 307

Abnormal Returns

JUNE 23, 2024

Strategy Mean reversion happens in the stock market. Good luck trying to time it. (awealthofcommonsense.com) Successful investing requires getting your time horizon correct. (disciplinefunds.com) Always check the ticker. (scheplick.com) Business The degenerate economy is booming. (howardlindzon.com) How veterinary medicine became a big business. (nytimes.com) The defense sector can't hire workers fast enough.

Medicine 281

Medicine Financial Advising Economy Media 281

Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 25, 2024

Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 391st episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast ! My guest on today's podcast is Christopher Jones. Chris is the founder of Sparrow Wealth Management, an RIA based in Orlando, Florida, that oversees approximately $110 million in assets under management for 68 client households. What's unique about Chris, though, is how he has built a highly efficient solo practice that allows him to work fewer than 25 hours/ week to have more time for his family and manage

Clients 161

Clients Financial Advisor Financial Planning Wealth Management 161

Advisor Perspectives

JUNE 25, 2024

I have long admired Jonathan Clements. His columns in The Wall Street Journal introduced me to index-based investing. I was deeply saddened to read his column in HumbleDollar, dated June 15, 2024, that, at age 61, he has been diagnosed with lung cancer that has metastasized to his brain and “a few other spots.

Investing 128

Investing Investments 128

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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

JUNE 28, 2024

This week, we speak with Eva Shang , co-founder, general partner, and chief executive officer of Legalist , an institutional alternative asset management firm. She leads the company’s 35-person team of engineers, attorneys, and analysts, and is a member of the firm’s valuation and investment committees. Before co-founding Legalist at 20, Eva studied economics at Harvard College.

Engineering 176

Engineering Valuation Government Economics 176

Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 26, 2024

Traditionally, the challenge in using a 529 plan to save for higher education expenses has been figuring out how much to save to cover the beneficiary's college costs without overshooting and saving more in the 529 plan than is actually needed. Because while 529 plans' combination of tax-deferred growth on invested funds and tax-free withdrawals for qualified education expenses (plus many state-level tax deductions or credits on 529 plan contributions) make it a powerful savings vehicle for coll

Education 194

Education Retirement Taxes Distribution 194

Advisor Perspectives

JUNE 26, 2024

What I see emerging, though, is the idea that the CRM isn’t a single pane of glass to view the entire business. Effective CRMs are more like prisms, where the viewer’s role determines what they see, and what information leaps to their fingertips.

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The Big Picture

JUNE 22, 2024

What Frank Lloyd Wright tells us about late bloomers The celebrated architect enjoyed two periods of profound productivity — some 50 years apart. [link] Roaring Kitty Is Playing With Fire : Influencer Keith Gill, known online as Roaring Kitty, became a pied piper for amateur stock traders after sparking a historic GameStop short squeeze. But his next move could land him in big trouble.

Electronics 167

Electronics Engineering Taxes Management 167

Abnormal Returns

JUNE 27, 2024

Markets By this measure, the stock market is at record-high concentration. (axios.com) It's been awhile since we had a 2% stock market drop. (carsongroup.com) Strategy Investing is planning. (mrzepczynski.blogspot.com) Why you shouldn't care what other investors or the markets are doing. (safalniveshak.com) Companies Monster Beverage ($MNST) is unique not only for its stock performance.

Financial Advising 234

Financial Advising Startup Valuation Manufacturing 234

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

Nerd's Eye View

JUNE 24, 2024

The requirements to run a successful, growing advisory firm are often less about doing the technical work with clients and more about marketing value to get prospects in the door in the first place. Yet, many firms' prospecting strategies have often relied on individual advisors being able to bring business to the firm instead of actively shaping and promoting the firm's own reputation.

Financial Advice 154

Financial Advice Clients Financial Planning Planning 154

Calculated Risk

JUNE 26, 2024

Note: This index is a leading indicator primarily for new Commercial Real Estate (CRE) investment. From the AIA: ABI May 2024: Business conditions at architecture firms continue to soften The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score declined to 42.4 for the month , as more firms reported a decrease in billings in May than in April. In addition, there is increasing softness in the pipeline of new work coming into firms.

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Clients Economics Numbers Investing 117

The Big Picture

JUNE 22, 2024

“ THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS : Word has it that Sony Music has prevailed in the contest for Queen’s [link] recording and publishing rights and their attendant revenue—including that from the Disney deal—for which House Stringer and Platt has reportedly tendered the winning offer of a cool 1 billion pounds sterling. Disney, which owns the recording rights in North America thanks to the 1990 deal that cost the Mouse $10m, has hitherto paid a handsome royalty to Queen; that will go to Sony under

License 157

License Estate Planning Advertising Commission 157

Abnormal Returns

JUNE 23, 2024

Top clicks this week There are two types of money people. (awealthofcommonsense.com) The traditional IRA looks less and less attractive. (thinkadvisor.com) What's different about the Magnificent Seven stocks. (awealthofcommonsense.com) What matters when your mortality stares you in the face. (humbledollar.com) The case for swapping large caps for small caps.

Investing 247

Investing Investments Marketing Marketing 247

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

A Wealth of Common Sense

JUNE 23, 2024

I posted the following on Twitter this week: It’s turning into another banner year for the U.S. stock market (so far). Here’s a good follow-up question on these numbers: This is a legitimate concern. Since 2020 the S&P 500 has compounded at more than 14% per year. That’s not just a pandemic phenomenon either. Since the start of 2009, the S&P 500 has seen returns of 14.5% per year.

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Marketing Marketing Numbers 122

Calculated Risk

JUNE 24, 2024

Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 2.2% week-over-week. Inventory is now up 28.4% from the February seasonal bottom, and at the highest level since July 2020. Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of June 21st, inventory was at 634 thousand (7-day average), compared to 621 thousand the prior week.

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The Big Picture

JUNE 23, 2024

10 Avert your eyes! My Sunday morning look at incompetency, corruption and policy failures: • The Great American Poisoning or, wtf is going on with our food system. We’ve evolved to exist in an ancestral environment where health was the default. Today, as I look around, I see the opposite. Americans have never been fatter. We’ve never been sicker. Our kids have never had more cancer, more obesity, more diabetes, more behavioral disorders.

Medicine 144

Medicine Startup Engineering Food 144

Abnormal Returns

JUNE 22, 2024

Autos On the barriers to continued growth in EV sales in the U.S. (ft.com) Car dealerships around the country are dealing with a software outage. (theverge.com) Fisker ($FSRN) has filed for bankruptcy. (wsj.com) The Tesla ($TSLA) Model Y is the most made-in America car. (axios.com) Congestion pricing Why congestion pricing has failed in NYC, so far.

Food 233

Food Financial Advising Media Sales 233

Speaker: Wayne Spivak, President and CFO of SBA * Consulting Ltd., Industry Writer, Public Speaker

If you’re lost in the world of spend management needs and your GAP analysis is lacking perspective on the future state of your business performance, listen up! With the advancement of technology, the implementation of spend management best practices and concrete GAP analyses is more streamlined and accessible than ever before. And while this may sound like great news for you and your clients, it won’t be worthwhile unless you have the latest techniques to back up your ambitions!

Management

Advisor Perspectives

JUNE 28, 2024

Official recession calls are the responsibility of the NBER Business Cycle Dating Committee, which is understandably vague about the specific indicators on which they base their decisions. There is, however, a general belief that there are four big indicators that the committee weighs heavily in their cycle identification process.

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Calculated Risk

JUNE 27, 2024

From the NAR: Pending Home Sales Dropped 2.1% in May Pending home sales in May slipped 2.1% , according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The Midwest and South posted monthly losses in transactions while the Northeast and West recorded gains. Year-over-year, all U.S. regions registered reductions. The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI)* – a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings – decreased to 70.8 in May.

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Sales Economy Marketing Marketing 110

A Wealth of Common Sense

JUNE 28, 2024

I came across a bunch of charts in the past few weeks about Europe’s economic and market struggles. Let’s take a look. These charts that show how the biggest companies in the U.S. stock market are as big or bigger than some of the biggest economic powers in Europe always get me: The UK has something like 1,900 stocks on the London exchange.

Economics 106

Economics Marketing Marketing 106

Abnormal Returns

JUNE 28, 2024

Business Matte Reustle talks with Joseph Shaposhnik about the business of Motorola Solutions ($MSI). (joincolossus.com) Barry Ritholtz talks with Peter Rawlison, CEO of Lucid Motors ($LCID). (ritholtz.com) Finance Ted Seides talks market narratives and more with Ben Hunt. (capitalallocators.com) Matt Zeigler talks with Epsilon Theory co-founder Rusty Guinn.

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Assets Management Investing Investments 206

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Digital platforms can provide you with plenty of solutions, yet many are still intimidated by them. It's time to end that worry and embrace what could make a major difference for your bank. Understanding how they work and how to best utilize them for your banks is key toward success. In this article, Biz2X breaks down all things digital platforms, including the many advantages of embracing them.

Banking

Advisor Perspectives

JUNE 27, 2024

The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) released the latest monthly data for its pending home sales index. The index fell 2.1% in May to 70.8, its lowest level in the history of the series. Pending home sales are down 6.6% from one year ago.

Sales 105

Sales 105

Trade Brains

JUNE 27, 2024

Praj Industries: Imagine a company that’s not just about building, but about building a better tomorrow. They’re the engineers who can design a brewery that produces your crafted beer, but also ensure wastewater from the process. Meet Praj Industries the green guardian, a forward-thinking company which provides sustainable solutions. Praj Industries are a unique blend of innovators and environmental stewards.

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Engineering Marketing Marketing Commission 99

Calculated Risk

JUNE 26, 2024

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: New Home Sales Decrease to 619,000 Annual Rate in May Brief excerpt: The Census Bureau reports New Home Sales in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 619 thousand , however the three previous months were revised up sharply. The next graph shows new home sales for 2023 and 2024 by month (Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate).

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Sales 103

Abnormal Returns

JUNE 26, 2024

Podcasts Amy Arnott and Christine Benz talk with Scott Rick author of "Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships." (morningstar.com) Barry Ritholtz talks with Carl Richards about how smart spending trumps not spending at all. (ritholtz.com) Jack Forehand and Justin Carbonneau talk simple investing with Rick Ferri.

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Retirement Planning Engineering Retirement Accounting 210

Speaker: Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach®

Niche markets represent a huge opportunity for the financial services industry in America. From college students and women to communities of color and low-to-moderate-income households, niche populations have specialized financial needs – but they often underutilize many valuable financial products and services. How can you better connect with these consumers?

Clients

Advisor Perspectives

JUNE 24, 2024

Will the energy transition, from fossil fuel to other sources of energy, happen? It seems almost sacrilegious to suggest that it might not, or that the transition will be halting and incomplete.

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Trade Brains

JUNE 22, 2024

Three Outside Down Candlestick Pattern: Candlestick patterns are a fundamental tool in technical analysis, used by traders to predict future price movements based on historical data. Among the various candlestick patterns present, the “Three Outside Down” is a significant pattern that indicates potential bearish reversals in security. In this article, we shall look into the specifics of the Three Outside Down candlestick pattern, its identification, meaning, and trading strategy with

Electronics 106

Electronics Marketing Marketing Portfolio 106

Wealth Management

JUNE 26, 2024

With lessons learned from his previous experience running Sanctuary, Dickson's Elevation Point was formed with United Atlantic Capital’s Mark Penske and launches with the acquisition of Mount Yale Capital Group.

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Investing Investments 97