This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Consumers have a wide range of options when it comes to choosing a provider of financial advice, from larger wirehouses and asset managers to smaller Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs). Given that larger firms tend to have more substantial marketing budgets to attract clients, smaller firms and their advisors have had to look for alternative ways to differentiate themselves from the competition.
One of my favorite responsibilities as chief investment officer at Ritholtz Wealth Management is the quarterly conference call I do for our clients. I run through 30 charts in 30 minutes that explain where we are in the economic cycle, what markets are doing, and what it means to their portfolios. I like to finish with a thought-provoking, often “investing-adjacent” idea they might not have previously considered.
Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: 30-Year Mortgage Rates Hit 8.0% Excerpt: Mortgage News Daily reports 30-year fixed rate mortgages rose to 8.0% today (for top tier scenarios). This will mostly impact closed sales in November and December, and strongly suggests we will see new cycle lows for existing home sales over the winter. Note: The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is scheduled to release September existing home sales tomorrow, Thursday, October 19th, at 10:00 AM ET
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
Also on the site This blog just celebrated its eighteenth anniversary. (abnormalreturns.com) The current ETF market provides something for everyone. (abnormalreturns.com) Dying with zero: the life of Charles Feeney. (abnormalreturns.com) Sub-3% mortgage rates are now a distant memory. (abnormalreturns.com) Top clicks this week Five common mistakes investors make.
“I need the US Dollar to be a store of value between the time I make it until I spend it, invest it, pay my taxes with it, or give it away. It does that splendidly.” 1 Today, we’re going to look at a perennial (un)favorite #chartfail. To be more precise, I want to discuss the type of chart that reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of money, currency, spending, investing, and taxes.
On a monthly basis, retail sales were up 0.7% from August to September (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up 3.8 percent from September 2022. From the Census Bureau report : Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for September 2023, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $704.9 billion, up 0.7 percent from the previous month, and up 3.8 percent above September 2022.
Transport How to make cars safer for pedestrians. (bbc.com) Stockholm has banned petrol and diesel vehicles from the city center. (semafor.com) How AI is finding its way into the cockpit. (newatlas.com) Electric garbage trucks? Yes, please. (thecooldown.com) Offshore wind The world’s largest floating offshore wind farm is now operational. (thecooldown.com) Offshore wind has a cost problem.
click for ginormous chart While I am wrapped up working on a few projects today, I wanted to share this map/chart/table showing US real estate prices relative to income. A lot of factors drive home prices — available supply, mortgage rates, inflation, salary/income growth, demand, etc. Its not as simple as many make it out to be. It has also become obvious that the big shortage of single-family homes housing prices has kept prices elevated (although there are some signs that some aspiratio
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.
Realtor.com has monthly and weekly data on the existing home market. Here is their weekly report from Danielle Hale: Weekly Housing Trends View — Data Week Ending Oct 14, 2023 • Active inventory declined, with for-sale homes lagging behind year ago levels by 2.7%. For 17 straight weeks, the number of homes available for sale has registered below that of the previous year. • New listings–a measure of sellers putting homes up for sale–were down again this week, by 4.4% from one year ago.
Join Downtown Josh Brown and Michael Batnick for another round of What Are Your Thoughts? On this week’s episode, Josh and Michael discuss the biggest topics in investing and finance, including: ►Earnings – “Average commercial and consumer loans were both down from the second quarter as higher rates and a slowing economy have weakened loan demand, and we’ve continued to take some credit tighteni.
Trend following The case for medium-term trend signals. (mrzepczynski.blogspot.com) The problem with trend following systems: an abundance of parameters. (priceactionlab.com) Research On the corporate bond factor zoo. (papers.ssrn.com) There is still no good explanation for momentum. (alphaarchitect.com) Why post-earnings drift happens. (klementoninvesting.substack.com) Does private credit have a return smoothing problem?
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?
Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 1.8% week-over-week. Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of October 13th, inventory was at 546 thousand (7-day average), compared to 537 thousand the prior week. Year-to-date, inventory is up 11.3%. And inventory is up 34.8% from the seasonal bottom 26 weeks ago.
Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that a recent study from Fidelity Institutional highlights the growing popularity of the RIA model and the success advisors have had after going independent. The study found that 1 in 6 advisors have moved firms in the past 5 years, with the majority opting for the independent channel.
Markets We are living through the worst bond bear market in history. (cnbc.com) Why the stock market can rise in the face of war. (priceactionlab.com) Retail traders are taking a break from trading. (wsj.com) How to think about core bond funds. (nytimes.com) Policy Covid stimulus had a cost. Was it worth it? (disciplinefunds.com) Why getting malaria vaccines out into the world is so important.
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
Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: NAR: Existing-Home Sales Decreased to 3.96 million SAAR in September; New Cycle Low Excerpt: Sales Year-over-Year and Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA) The fourth graph shows existing home sales by month for 2022 and 2023. Sales declined 15.4% year-over-year compared to September 2022. This was the twenty-fifth consecutive month with sales down year-over-year.
A key value proposition for financial advisors is helping clients avoid common behavioral biases that can lead to suboptimal investment decisions. Even people who are normally rational decision-makers can be prone to fear, greed, and overconfidence, and the persistence of market bubbles where investors chase whatever company or sector is all the rage at the time (and often get stuck with losses when the bubble pops) shows that herd mentality in investing is as prevalent as ever.
Markets Narratives drive stocks and the GLP-1 narrative is strong these days. (herbgreenberg.substack.com) Just how expensive are the 'Magnificent Seven' stocks? (blog.validea.com) Why international equities may belong in your taxable account. (corporate.vanguard.com) There is no single model for the term premium. (wsj.com) Finance What makes for a good annual shareholder letter?
The firm’s proprietary Relationship Quality Index combines multiple metrics, based on a 14-question survey, to measure the quality of client relationships.
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.
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Preliminary 2024 Housing Forecasts A brief excerpt: Towards the end of each year, I collect some housing forecasts for the following year - and also provide my own outlook. Several more forecast will be available in early December. A few key points from these early forecasts: 1) Forecasters expect house prices in increase next year. 2) Everyone expects multi-family starts to be down sharply in 2024. 3) 30-year fixed rate mortgages rates are e
Much of the marketing and practice management advice in the financial advisory space comes back to 1 recommendation: Specialize in a niche. Niching offers several advantages, allowing advisors to be more specific in their marketing, more targeted in their prospecting calls, and more efficient in their processes (since clients within a similar niche are likely to have similar problems, especially in niches of profession).
Bonds The bond market is going through its worst bear market in history. [correct link] (awealthofcommonsense.com) American household are buying up Treasuries. (ft.com) Equities Why are consumer-focused stocks doing so poorly? (wsj.com) Are corporate profit margins set for another leg up? (tker.co) Companies The impact of the weight loss drugs is still underplayed.
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.
Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: September Housing Starts: Near Record Number of Multi-Family Housing Units Under Construction Excerpt: The third graph shows the month-to-month comparison for total starts between 2022 (blue) and 2023 (red). Total starts were down 7.2% in September compared to September 2022. And starts year-to-date are down 12.1% compared to last year.
This week, we speak with Graeme Forster, a director at Orbis Investments Ltd., which has $34 billion in assets under management. Graeme joined Orbis in 2007 and is responsible for international equity and optimal strategies. Orbis has a unique corporate structure, owned by a not-for-profit foundation as the result of the original founder gifting its value towards philanthropy (similar to Rolex and The Guardian).
Podcasts Peter Lazaroff on what constitutes 'evidence-based investing.' (peterlazaroff.com) Bogumil Baranowski talks with Brian Feroldi, author of "Why the Stock Market Goes Up." (talkingbillions.co) Frazer Rice talks with Jared Dillian about his forthcoming book "No Worries: How to Live a Stress-Free Life." (open.spotify.com) Peter Dunn on understanding your relationship with money.
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.
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 36,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
246 
Let's personalize your content