Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 29, 2024

For financial advisors, the promise of technology has always been to help advisors better leverage their time to grow their business. One possible way to do this is to use the time savings of technology to serve a higher number of clients. However, another approach advisors can take is to use their technology to do more – and better – work for the same number of clients while earning higher fees for the higher-value services they provide.

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Clients Planning Numbers Financial Advisor 224

The Big Picture

JANUARY 31, 2024

At the Money: Forecasting Recessions with Claudia Sahm (January 31, 2024 ) Investors don’t like recessions. But how can they tell if one’s coming? There’s an indicator for that. It’s called the “Sahm Rule,” named for economist Claudia Sahm. In this episode, we discuss how to use labor data to forecast recessions.

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Abnormal Returns

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

January 2024 How major asset classes performed in January 2024. (capitalspectator.com) The S&P 500 was in positive territory for the month, in contrast with small and mid caps. (on.spdji.com) Strategy Overconfidence is a killer for investors. (collabfund.com) Four steps to build a no-fuss portfolio including eliminating redundant accounts. (morningstar.com) Bitcoin Will spot Bitcoin ETFs follow the path of gold ETFs?

Financial Advising 286

Financial Advising Taxes Manufacturing Media 286

The Chicago Financial Planner

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

With the start of a new year, many people resolve to get their finances in order. A part of this process might include hiring a financial advisor or hiring a new financial advisor if you have decided to move on from your current advisor. Hiring the right advisor for your needs is critical. Here are six questions to ask when choosing a financial advisor: How do you get paid?

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Financial Advisor Financial Planner Fee Only Clients 249

Speaker: Amanda Adams, Fractional CFO, CPA

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Amanda Adams, 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

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 31, 2024

In late 2019, Congress passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, introducing several significant changes to retirement planning. Of the many provisions in the bill, the so-called "Death of the Stretch" arguably received the lion's share of consternation from the financial advisor community. Under the new law, non-spouse beneficiaries (with few exceptions) must now withdraw the entirety of an inherited IRA within 10 years of the account owner's passing rather

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Financial Advisor Estate Planning Nonprofit Financial Planner 234

Abnormal Returns

JANUARY 29, 2024

Private equity Dividend recaps are back on the table for private equity. (axios.com) When a company raises debt, and interest rates rise, trouble ensues. (adweek.com) The legal case for opening up private equity to the masses. (papers.ssrn.com) The private equity industry doesn't love academic research about its performance. (institutionalinvestor.com) Gambling Americans are going to the casino.

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Financial Advising Media 287

Alpha Architect

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

While the evidence makes clear that active management is a loser’s game (one that it is possible to win but so unlikely you should not try), we don’t want active managers to disappear. Hope should continue to triumph over evidence, wisdom, and experience because active managers help eliminate market anomalies and inefficiencies created by the misbehavior of investors (such as noise traders).

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Investing Investments Management Marketing 137

Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that a Morningstar survey has found that financial advisory clients are more likely to stick with their advisor for emotional reasons rather than investment returns alone. Which suggests that building trusting relationships with their clients and giving them added confidence in their financial decision-making (rather than focusing on ways to juice investment returns) could be t

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Financial Planner Compliance CFP Clients 229

The Big Picture

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

This week, we speak with Tom Hancock, a partner at GMO LLC, where he is also head of the Focused Equity team. He manages the focused quality fund and its new Quality ETF, and is the portfolio manager for quality strategies. He previously served as co-head of the firm’s global equity team. Before joining GMO, he was a research scientist at Siemens and a software engineer at IBM.

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Portfolio Management Engineering Distribution Retail 157

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

Abnormal Returns

JANUARY 28, 2024

Also on the site An example where investing out of spite doesn't work out. (abnormalreturns.com) Top clicks this week Putting the past bear market into historical perspective. (awealthofcommonsense.com) Wealthy Americans are increasingly leaving their windows uncovered. (msn.com) What you need to know about all-time highs. (carsongroup.com) Lessons learned from the two-year bear market.

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Portfolio Investing Investments Marketing 286

A Wealth of Common Sense

JANUARY 30, 2024

Some money stuff I’ve been thinking about lately: 1. Freedom is overrated as a financial goal. There are plenty of billionaires who can do whatever they want, whenever they want and spend as much money as they want. Many of these people still seem miserable or don’t take advantage of their perceived freedom. Financial contentment is a better goal than financial freedom. 2. ‘Money can’t buy happines.

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Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 30, 2024

Welcome back to the 370th episode of the Financial Advisor Success podcast ! My guest on today's podcast is Tim Goodwin. Tim is the founder of Goodwin Investment Advisory, an RIA based in Woodstock, Georgia, that oversees $275M in assets under management for 370 client households. What's unique about Tim, though, is how he leaned into Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Google Reviews in particular – coupled with paid search ads to capture consumers actually searching for "financial a

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Financial Advisor Clients Compliance Engineering 214

The Big Picture

JANUARY 30, 2024

 The transcript from this week’s, MiB: Sarah Kirshbaum Levy, CEO Betterment , is below. You can stream and download our full conversation, including any podcast extras, on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube , and Bloomberg. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite pod hosts can be found here. ~~~ This is Masters in business with Barry Ritholtz on Bloomberg Radio. 00:00:07 [BARRY RITHOLTZ] This week on the podcast, I have an extra special guest, Sarah Kirschbaum Levy, CEO of Betterment has a

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Media Wealth Management Investing Investments 144

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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

Abnormal Returns

JANUARY 27, 2024

EVs EVs may have hit a bit of a bump in the road, but they are still the future. (wsj.com) Why Americans are opting for hybrids. (bonddad.blogspot.com) Looking at new EV? Think about leasing it. (wsj.com) Auto insurance Why car insurance premiums are soaring. (bloomberg.com) Auto insurance companies having no problem pushing through higher rates. (wsj.com) Nuclear Why uranium prices are surging.

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Insurance Financial Advising Commission Food 276

A Wealth of Common Sense

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

A reader asks: I work in the construction industry and I’m always trying to spread a little financial literacy to my coworkers. Whenever I see a young guy getting ready to drop $70k on a new pickup I try to show them what that money could become if they invested in index funds instead. I like to call it “sequence of spending risk” Of course this rarely works so I thought having the experts comment could.

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Investing Investments 127

Calculated Risk

JANUARY 29, 2024

Altos reports that active single-family inventory was down 0.6% week-over-week. Inventory will likely decrease a little seasonally until the Spring (it could remain mostly flat for a few months like in 2019). Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of January 26th, inventory was at 503 thousand (7-day average), compared to 506 thousand the prior week.

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The Big Picture

JANUARY 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: • Why Walmart pays its truck drivers 6 figures : Walmart’s stores are bare-bones — but their truckers’ pay stubs aren’t. ( Freight Waves ) • How a Lucky Break Fueled Eli Lilly’s $600 Billion Weight-Loss Empire : The company’s new obesity shot, Zepbound, is expected to be the bestselling drug of all time. ( Businessweek ) • Welcome to 2034: What the world co

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Advertising Media Food Investment Advisor 144

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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

Abnormal Returns

JANUARY 28, 2024

Strategy Stop obsessing about the Fed's next move. (tker.co) Why the vast majority of investors should avoid alternatives. (humbledollar.com) What happens when you stop focusing on the stock market. (wsj.com) Bitcoin Will Charles Schwab ($SCHW) eventually launch its own spot Bitcoin ETF? (riabiz.com) The ETF industry keeps pushing the boundaries, now Bitcoin.

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Marketing Marketing Financial Advising Economy 274

The Irrelevant Investor

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Today’s Compound and Friends is brought to you by BlackRock: See here for more information on BlackRocks iShares Bitcoin Trust On today’s show, we discuss: New York Community Bancorp stock plunges 38%, reigniting fears for regional banks Mark Zuckerbergs reported $100M compound in Hawaii Listen here: Charts: Tweets: Worst Fed day for the stock market since March 2023 (and fourth-worst.

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Banking Marketing Marketing 125

Calculated Risk

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

From the BLS : Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 353,000 in January, and the unemployment rate remained at 3.7 percent , the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in professional and business services, health care, retail trade, and social assistance. Employment declined in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry.

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Retail 127

A Wealth of Common Sense

JANUARY 28, 2024

One of the defining characteristics of every younger generation is they assume the generations that came before them had it easier. And one of the defining characteristics of every older generation is they think the younger generations are softer. My belief is some generations have been luckier than others but every cohort has been forced to deal with uncomfortable times, especially in their younger years.

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Speaker: Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader

In today’s competitive market, pricing is more than just a number — it’s the cornerstone of profitability. The right pricing strategy ensures that you capture the true value of your offering, paving the way for sustainable growth and long-term success. Join Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader, in this exclusive session where he will explore how a well-crafted pricing approach balances customer perception with business objectives, creating a powerful tool for securing both competitive advantage a

Numbers

Abnormal Returns

JANUARY 31, 2024

Podcasts Meb Faber talks with Jared Dillian author of "No Worries: How to Live a Stress-Free Financial Life." (mebfaber.com) Dan Haylett talks with Sonya Lutter about addressing 'your money scripts' in retirement. (humansvsretirement.com) Rick Ferri talks real estate investing with Dr. Jim Dahle and John Worth. (bogleheads.podbean.com) Homes Why people prefer owning over renting.

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Insurance Retirement Taxes Planning 263

Alpha Architect

JANUARY 29, 2024

The paper aims to investigate whether experienced institutional portfolio managers (PMs) exhibit behavioral biases in their decision-making processes, specifically focusing on the selling decisions. The Smart Money Can Buy Stocks, but They Can’t Sell Them was originally published at Alpha Architect. Please read the Alpha Architect disclosures at your convenience.

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Portfolio Management Portfolio Management Government 123

Calculated Risk

JANUARY 31, 2024

From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications decreased 7.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 26, 2024. Last week’s results included an adjustment to account for the MLK holiday.

Accounting 125

Accounting Marketing Marketing 125

A Wealth of Common Sense

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

One of the reasons the current housing market is so frustrating for homebuyers is how quickly things have changed. For years, housing prices were reasonable (in most places) while mortgage rates were low. Housing was affordable for most buyers. It’s not anymore. I updated the growth of housing prices and disposable income going back to 1975: The growth in prices was far below the growth in disposable income for muc.

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Marketing Marketing 118

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

Abnormal Returns

JANUARY 31, 2024

Inflation Why investors are pulling money from TIPS ETFs. (ft.com) Is there an ideal level of inflation? (klementoninvesting.substack.com) Crypto Bankrupt FTX says it will pay out customers in whole. (coindesk.com) Are spot Bitcoin ETFs going to start showing up in 401(k) plans? (investmentnews.com) Companies Boeing's ($BA) decline has been decades in the making.

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Financial Advising Media Economy Accounting 261

Wealth Management

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Private equity firm Charlesbank, which also owns a stake in Lido Advisors, will be a majority owner of the firm; the capital will be used to invest in Rise Growth's targeted RIAs.

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Investing Investments 124

Calculated Risk

JANUARY 30, 2024

From the BLS: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary The number of job openings changed little at 9.0 million on the last business day of December , the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, the number of hires and total separations were little changed at 5.6 million and 5.4 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (3.4 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.6 million) changed little. emphasis added The following graph shows job openings (black line), hires (da

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Numbers Economy Marketing Marketing 122