Validea
JANUARY 15, 2025
High free cash flow yield stocks represent companies that generate substantial cash relative to their market value, creating several compelling advantages for investors. These companies typically demonstrate strong operational efficiency and have proven their ability to convert revenue into actual cash flow after accounting for capital expenditures and working capital needs.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 14, 2025
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Part 1: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-January 2025 A brief excerpt: This 2-part overview for mid-January provides a snapshot of the current housing market. I always focus first on inventory, since inventory usually tells the tale ! Im watching months-of-supply closely. New home inventory, as a percentage of total inventory, is still very high.
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The Big Picture
JANUARY 17, 2025
This week, we speak with Jonathan Clements. He has been a personal finance reporter at the Wall Street Journal for over twenty years and has written more than 1,000 columns. He discusses how he became a financial journalist, and eventually Director of Financial Education for Citi Personal Wealth Management. Last summer, Jonathan received a terminal diagnosis and announced it at his site and on social meda.
Nerd's Eye View
JANUARY 17, 2025
Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" – this week's edition kicks off with the news that at a time when brokerage firms' cash sweep programs come under increased scrutiny (and as the Federal Reserve has cut interest rates), Charles Schwab (the largest RIA custodian) continues to slash sweep rates for client cash (down to 0.05%), well below the rates available on other cash-like products, leaving advisors on the platform with the task of determining wheth
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
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 14, 2025
Strategy Vanguard investors are letting their equity allocations drift higher. (jeffreyptak.substack.com) It's counterintuitive, but frictions can make for better investors. (behaviouralinvestment.com) The markets are a mirror. (safalniveshak.com) Companies Corporate spinoffs are getting bigger and more complex. (axios.com) Databricks is raising venture debt.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 14, 2025
There were four bank failures in 2024. The median number of failures since the FDIC was established in 1933 was 7 - so 2 failures in 2024 was below the median. There were five bank failures in 2023, however 3 of the failures were larger banks: First Republic Bank, San Francisco, CA, Signature Bank, New York, NY, Silicon Valley Bank, Santa Clara, CA.
Financial Advisor Source brings together the best content for financial advisor professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Nerd's Eye View
JANUARY 13, 2025
With another strong year in the markets, most advisory firms are near or at record highs for their revenue, their numbers of clients, and the headcounts of their teams. Which is surprising to some, given that a decade ago, the emergence of so-called "robo-advisors" was supposed to displace human financial advisors and compress advisory fees. In reality, though, the robos struggled to gain traction, and the human financial advice business just continues to grow.
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 15, 2025
Podcasts Khe Hy talks with Christine Benz author of "How to Retire: 20 Lessons for a Happy, Successful and Wealthy Retirement." (youtube.com) Dan Haylett talks with Dr. Jordan Grumet author of "The Purpose Code: How to Unlock Meaning, Maximize Happiness, and Leave a Lasting Legacy." (humansvsretirement.com) Peter Lazaroff on what you need to know when choosing a financial advisor.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 17, 2025
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Housing Starts Increased to 1.499 million Annual Rate in December A brief excerpt: Total housing starts in December were above expectations and starts in October and November were revised up. The third graph shows the month-to-month comparison for total starts between 2023 (blue) and 2024 (red). Total starts were down 4.4% in December compared to December 2023.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 15, 2025
Helping clients address the roots of large societal problems is about more than writing checks.
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A Wealth of Common Sense
JANUARY 17, 2025
Derek Thompson wrote the story of the year so far at The Atlantic about how anti-social we’ve become as a society: Some facts and figures from Derek’s excellent piece: 74% of all restaurant traffic is takeout or delivery (up from 61% pre-Covid) The share of people have dinner or drinks with friends on any given night has declined by more than 30% in the past 20 years.
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 14, 2025
C-suite Narcissistic CEOs take unnecessary risks. (on.ft.com) Why some female CEOs get downgraded by investors. (klementoninvesting.substack.com) The bigger a firm gets, the more it spends on lobbying. (papers.ssrn.com) Research How much of the S&P 500's returns in 2024 came from idiosyncratic factors? (mailchi.mp) Don't forget that active ETFs can be sold short.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 15, 2025
Fed's Beige Book Economic activity increased slightly to moderately across the twelve Federal Reserve Districts in late November and December. Consumer spending moved up moderately, with most Districts reporting strong holiday sales that exceeded expectations. Vehicle sales grew modestly. Construction activity decreased overall, with several Districts indicating that high costs for materials and financing were weighing on growth.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 13, 2025
AI plus remote work are boosting employee productivity, resulting in massive changes affecting benefits and 401(k) plans.
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NAIFA Advisor Today
JANUARY 16, 2025
Advisor Today Guest Column January of 2025 is the 50th anniversary to one of the most important pieces of legislation in the retirement planning arena ever put into law by Congress. What Im referring to is the enactment of ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Without question, ERISA brought about significant changes during the second half of the twentieth century.
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 12, 2025
Also on the site When the world is in flux, experience could actually be a detriment. (abnormalreturns.com) You can now follow us on Bluesky. (bsky.app) Are you signed up for daily e-mail newsletter? Well, you should. (abnormalreturns.com) Top clicks this week Why the CAPE ratio should be higher today than it was in the past. (theirrelevantinvestor.com) The equity risk premium is negative.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 15, 2025
The Cleveland Fed released the median CPI and the trimmed-mean CPI. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the median Consumer Price Index rose 0.3% in December. The 16% trimmed-mean Consumer Price Index increased 0.3%. "The median CPI and 16% trimmed-mean CPI are measures of core inflation calculated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland based on data released in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) monthly CPI report".
Wealth Management
JANUARY 13, 2025
The regulator found firm employees were using unapproved texting apps for business and failing to archive the communications. It follows earlier settlements made with large firms like Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, LPL and Raymond James.
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
A Wealth of Common Sense
JANUARY 12, 2025
Most investors would like the world of finance to exist in black or white. Just tell me when to buy or sell, get bullish or bearish, buy this stock or avoid that one, go all in or get out of the market. Markets are hard because most things exist in shades of gray. It’s difficult to be certain about anything because no one knows what the future holds and the past can be unreliable when used incorrectly.
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 13, 2025
Markets Luke Kawa, "The idea that the stock market is always and everywhere rooting for lower interest rates, even if it requires outright weakness in the US job market to get them, is not consistently borne out by the data, to say the least." (sherwood.news) Bond yields are rising around the globe, not just the U.S. (wsj.com) Fund management Don't confuse 'yield' for a return of capital.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 17, 2025
From housing economist Tom Lawler: Based on publicly-available local realtor/MLS reports released across the country through today, I project that existing home sales as estimated by the National Association of Realtors ran at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.15 million in December , unchanged from Novembers preliminary pace and up 7.0% from last Decembers seasonally adjusted pace.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 13, 2025
According to a lawsuit filed in Ohio federal court, Paul Saba created fictitious email addresses to falsely accuse two Raymond James employees of assault, insider trading and supporting a networking group for neo-Nazis.
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.
A Wealth of Common Sense
JANUARY 16, 2025
We also answered questions about 2025 retirement account limits, Coast FIRE strategies, when to take money off the table from the stock market, how to account for pension and Social Security income during retirement and how other economies impact the U.S. markets. Further Reading: Updating My Favorite Performance Chart For 2024 The post The 2024 Sector Quilt appeared first on A Wealth of Common Sense.
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 17, 2025
Listening How Google's Daily Listen turns your interests into a short podcast. (engadget.com) Do you really want to listen to AI podcast hosts? (forbes.com) Economy Danny Crichton talks with Byrne Hobart and Tobias Huber authors of the new book "Boom: Bubbles and the End of Stagnation." (podcasts.apple.com) Katie Gatti Tassin talks about the economics of weight loss drugs.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 15, 2025
Here are a few measures of inflation: The first graph is the one Fed Chair Powell had mentioned when services less rent of shelter was up around 8% year-over-year. This declined, but is still elevated, and is now up 4.0% YoY. Click on graph for larger image. This graph shows the YoY price change for Services and Services less rent of shelter through December 2024.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 13, 2025
Hack VC's Peter Hans prognosticates about the year to come in.
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The Big Picture
JANUARY 17, 2025
My end-of-week morning train reads: The Plethora of Unknowns Means Questions for Bond Investors in 2025 : Private and global credit offerings could provide diversification as debt markets deal with political and policy uncertainty. ( Chief Investment Officer ) After a Great Run for Stocks, Be Ready for Something Different : Sizzling returns may well continue, but our columnist suggests that it would be wise to prepare for the next storm. ( New York Times ) Mega Cap World Domination :Markets a
Abnormal Returns
JANUARY 13, 2025
Podcasts Christine Benz talks with Dr. Jordan Grumet author of "The Purpose Code: How to Unlock Meaning, Maximize Happiness, and Leave a Lasting Legacy." (morningstar.com) Michael Kitces talks sustainability with Peter Krull, the Director of Sustainable Investing of Earth Equity Advisors. (kitces.com) Custodians Charles Schwab ($SCHW) has cut its cash sweep rate to 0.05%.
Calculated Risk
JANUARY 17, 2025
From the Census Bureau: Permits, Starts and Completions Housing Starts: Privately-owned housing starts in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,499,000. This is 15.8 percent above the revised November estimate of 1,294,000, but is 4.4 percent below the December 2023 rate of 1,568,000. Single-family housing starts in December were at a rate of 1,050,000; this is 3.3 percent above the revised November figure of 1,016,000.
Wealth Management
JANUARY 16, 2025
Despite efforts to develop next-gen talent, the total number of advisors in the wealth management industry has remained stagnant over the last decade.
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.
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