Sat.Sep 23, 2023 - Fri.Sep 29, 2023

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24 Things I Believe About Investing

A Wealth of Common Sense

Here are some things I believe about investing. 1. I believe simple beats complex. The problem is simple is much harder to implement because complex will always sound more intelligent and appealing. 2. I believe the timing of buy or sell decisions matters less than your holding period. Picking tops and bottoms is for the lucky and the liars. Patiently holding onto your investments is more important for most investors than.

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More Firms to Pay $79M To Settle SEC Off-Channel Communication Charges

Wealth Management

The firms, ranging from broker/dealers and dual registrants to affiliated investment advisors, include Interactive Brokers, Nuveen Securities and Baird, among others, and are similar to 2022 charges against Wall Street firms resulting in $1.1 billion in collective penalties.

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Personal Income increased 0.4% in August; Spending increased 0.4%

Calculated Risk

The BEA released the Personal Income and Outlays report for August: Personal income increased $87.6 billion (0.4 percent at a monthly rate) in August , according to estimates released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Disposable personal income (DPI), personal income less personal current taxes, increased $46.6 billion (0.2 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $83.6 billion (0.4 percent).

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The Least Bad Choice

The Big Picture

I have been watching various sentiment polls and Right/Wrong Track questionnaires with detached bemusement. Bemused because they are so silly, and detached because I know I can’t change human nature. What I can do is share a few modest insights; hopefully, these will allow you to gain a fresh perspective you might not have otherwise considered or perhaps even garner a better understanding of what is happening right here and now.

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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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Personal finance links: agency and power

Abnormal Returns

Podcasts Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway talk with Morgan Housel about how to think about money. (podcasts.apple.com) Christine Benz and Jeff Ptak talk with Michael Santoli about the state of the stock market and economy. (morningstar.com) Home ownership House ownership isn't for everyone. (awealthofcommonsense.com) Why you should keep track of the tax basis of your house.

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Layoffs Expected At Envestnet

Wealth Management

Certain positions are too be eliminated across the company, while certain units were asked to name 25% of their staffs for possible layoffs.

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Can Economists Predict Recessions?

The Big Picture

Before your week ends and you head out for door, I had to share a new paper from St. Louis Fed. The title: Can Economists Predict Recessions? Short answer: Maybe a quarter ahead (but not always). Beyond that short time frame, it’s simply too variable: “These questions have taken on particular importance recently. In the past four quarters, economic forecasters have, on average, predicted a 42% probability of a contraction in the U.S. economy in the next quarter, according to the Survey of

Banking 298
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Tuesday links: dislocated from reality

Abnormal Returns

Alternatives Private market access funds are all the rage. (morningstar.com) Alternative assets are not all that alternative. (integratinginvestor.com) Will music royalties turn out to be a worthy investment? (wired.com) Asset allocation How various asset classes performed during a recession. (morningstar.com) Achieving these three portfolio goals simultaneously is tough.

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As Family Offices Become More Sophisticated, So Do Their Compensation Plans

Wealth Management

Family offices are relying more on salary increases and incentive compensation to compete for talent, according to a new survey by Morgan Stanley’s Single Family Office Advisory group.

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Q2 GDP Growth at 2.1% Annual Rate

Calculated Risk

From the BEA: Gross Domestic Product (Third Estimate), Corporate Profits (Revised Estimate), Second Quarter 2023 and Comprehensive Update Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.1 percent in the second quarter of 2023 , according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 2.2 percent (revised).

Economics 312
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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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Where’s Everyone Going?

The Big Picture

Mapped: The Migration of the World’s Millionaires in 2023 Source: Visual Capitalist The post Where’s Everyone Going? appeared first on The Big Picture.

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Monday links: doing nothing

Abnormal Returns

Cash Advisers are seeing more clients interested in cash. (etf.com) Higher yields are going to be a headwind for risky asset classes. (mrzepczynski.blogspot.com) Finance Zero-day options make up 50% of the S&P 500 options volume. (ft.com) Betterment is closing two of its crypto strategies. (citywire.com) Companies Amazon ($AMZN) just made a big investment in AI startup Anthropic.

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Wealth.com Adds Brian Hamburger as Strategic Advisor

Wealth Management

MarketCounsel founder Brian Hamburger joins estate planning tech platform Wealth.com as a strategic advisor.

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New Home Sales decrease to 675,000 Annual Rate in August

Calculated Risk

The Census Bureau reports New Home Sales in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 675 thousand. The previous three months were revised up, combined. Sales of new single‐family houses in August 2023 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 675,000 , according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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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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Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (September 30-October 1)

Nerd's Eye View

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that RIA custodial platform Altruist announced that it is offering its portfolio accounting software for free to advisors who custody with the firm, offering the opportunity to advisory firms to reduce the costs of their tech stacks and perhaps presaging competition among custodians to offer more software capabilities for their advisory firm clients!

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Top clicks this week on Abnormal Returns

Abnormal Returns

Top clicks this week How Morgan Housel invests his portfolio. (etf.com) The hardest thing about being an investor is deciding what to focus on. (behaviouralinvestment.com) Why selling a stock is harder than buying. (flyoverstocks.com) Bond investors are being given an opportunity to lock in 2% real yields. (capitalspectator.com) The credit markets are very different than they were in 2009.

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Mindy Diamond on Independence: Orion’s Eric Clarke on How Advisors Can Innovate, Disrupt and Win

Wealth Management

The outgoing CEO of Orion Advisor Solutions shares his journey from the founding of the company, the firm’s growth over the years and perspectives on the future of wealth management, technology and AI.

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MBA: Mortgage Applications Decreased in Weekly Survey

Calculated Risk

From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications decreased 1.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending September 22, 2023. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 1.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.

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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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Navigating The Double Consolidation Process To Help Parent PLUS Student Loan Borrowers Reduce Loan Burden

Nerd's Eye View

When it comes to advising clients on student loan issues, many financial advisors might first think about recent graduates seeking advice regarding the most effective way to pay down their balances. However, the number of Federal student loan borrowers over the age of 50 has increased significantly in the past 20 years, with many of these borrowers holding Parent PLUS loans that were used to help fund their children's undergraduate education.

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Longform links: remembering sentences

Abnormal Returns

Books An excerpt from "Optimal Illusions: The False Promise of Optimization" by Coco Krumme. (engadget.com) An excerpt from Michael Wolff's new book, "The Fall: The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Dynasty." (theankler.com) A Q&A with Taylor Lorenz author of "Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet." (vox.com) Health Is the 'war on cancer' a failure?

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WealthStack Roundup: Farther Raises $31M

Wealth Management

Also, Vise introduces AI-powered workflow; SEI updates portal, tools; a new report finds that API security incidents are rising in financial services and more.

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Fannie and Freddie: Single-Family Mortgage Delinquency Rate Declined, Multi-Family Increased in August

Calculated Risk

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Fannie and Freddie: Single-Family Mortgage Delinquency Rate Declined, Multi-Family Increased in August Brief excerpt: I’ve argued that there would not be a huge wave of single-family foreclosures this cycle since lending standards have been solid and most homeowners have substantial equity. That means we will not see cascading price declines like following the housing bubble.

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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.

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#FA Success Ep 352: Finding Personal Scale By Leveraging Yourself Through Outsourced Delegation, With Bridget Venus Grimes

Nerd's Eye View

Welcome back to the 352nd episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast ! My guest on today's podcast is Bridget Venus Grimes. Bridget is the President of WealthChoice, a virtual independent RIA that oversees nearly $80 million in assets under management for 68 client families, and Co-Founder of Equita Financial Network, an advisor platform that helps advisors plug in and share resources.

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Podcast links: making meetings better

Abnormal Returns

The biz Google ($GOOGL) is sunsetting Google Podcasts in favor of YouTube Music. (techcrunch.com) Apple ($AAPL) Podcasts now pulls in more content from associated apps. (theverge.com) Spotify ($SPOT) wants to translate podcasts into different languages using the host's voice. (theverge.com) A profile of the guys behind the popular ‘Tooth and Claw’ podcast.

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Charityvest Looks to Socialize DAFs

Wealth Management

Charityvest, a new entrant into the growing DAF-related advisortech space, is leaning into community to set them apart.

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Q3 GDP Tracking: Around 3%

Calculated Risk

From BofA: Overall, the data flow since our last weekly lowered our 3Q US GDP tracking estimate by a tenth to 2.8%. [Sept 29th estimate] emphasis added From Goldman: The foreign trade details of this morning’s report were stronger than our previous assumptions, and we boosted our Q3 GDP tracking estimate by 0.3pp to +3.5% (qoq ar). We left our domestic final sales growth forecast unchanged on a rounded basis at +2.6%.

Economics 300
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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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50th Anniversary Of The CFP Marks: The Journey, Current State Of CFP Board, And Growing The Financial Planning Profession

Nerd's Eye View

In the mid-20th century, the first phone call for a person who needed guidance on saving or planning for retirement was likely to be to a stockbroker or a mutual fund or insurance salesperson. But while some of these salespeople may have certainly been able to provide sound advice, there was really no way at that time for a consumer to know which among the many brokers and agents out there were actually capable of giving true and sound advice that would help them reach their goals.

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Sunday links: telling better stories

Abnormal Returns

Strategy Individual investors win by not competing with professionals. (awealthofcommonsense.com) How long is too long when it comes to your bond allocation? (humbledollar.com) Your view of the markets often depends on your time horizon. (mrzepczynski.blogspot.com) 5%+ T-bill yields are a welcome relief, but don't overdo it. (disciplinefunds.com) Crypto What Ric Edelman sees for the spot Bitcoin ETF space.

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How Top RIAs Go About Organizational Design

Wealth Management

As the RIA space has become more professionalized, so has the organizational design of top firms.

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New Home Sales decrease to 675,000 Annual Rate in August; Median New Home Price is Down 13% from the Peak

Calculated Risk

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: New Home Sales decrease to 675,000 Annual Rate in August Brief excerpt: The Census Bureau reports New Home Sales in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 675 thousand. The previous three months were revised up, combined. The next graph shows new home sales for 2022 and 2023 by month (Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate).

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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.