Calculated Risk
MAY 20, 2024
Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 1.7% week-over-week. Inventory is now up 17.0% from the February bottom, and above the maximum for inventory last year! Click on graph for larger image. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of May 17th, inventory was at 578 thousand (7-day average), compared to 568 thousand the prior week.
Wealth Management
MAY 21, 2024
The acquisitions of Wealth Management Solutions and Autumn Wind Asset Management represent Modern Wealth’s seventh and eighth transactions and bring its assets to over $3.7 billion.
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Abnormal Returns
MAY 19, 2024
Top clicks this week Three assets that don't diversify your portfolio as well as you think. (morningstar.com) The problematic math of passing down generational wealth. (blogs.cfainstitute.org) International diversification requires a long time horizon. (awealthofcommonsense.com) The S&P 500 is now nearly 40% of global market cap. (apolloacademy.com) Don't confuse selling calls with income.
Nerd's Eye View
MAY 20, 2024
Ongoing research into how advicers can structure their practices to be better and more successful has consistently highlighted the benefits of choosing to serve a specific niche. In fact, the more specific the niche, the better, as a highly specialized niche not only allows an advicer to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace of other 'generalist' advicers, but also helps them build a more efficient practice where they serve clients who share similar characteristics (and puzzles to so
Speaker: Claire Grosjean
Finance teams are drowning in data—but is it actually helping them spend smarter? Without the right approach, excess spending, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities continue to drain profitability. While analytics offers powerful insights, financial intelligence requires more than just numbers—it takes the right blend of automation, strategy, and human expertise.
Calculated Risk
MAY 22, 2024
From the NAR: Existing-Home Sales Retreated 1.9% in April Existing-home sales receded in April, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. All four major U.S. regions posted month-over-month declines. Year-over-year, sales decreased in the Northeast, Midwest and South but increased in the West. Total existing-home sales – completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – slid 1.9% from March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.14 million
Wealth Management
MAY 23, 2024
The digital-focused advisory recruits advisors from UBS, Farther and others, bringing its total assets to over $400 million.
Financial Advisor Source brings together the best content for financial advisor professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Nerd's Eye View
MAY 22, 2024
Non-compete clauses are common features of employment agreements around the business world and are often used to dissuade companies from 'poaching' another's employees, and/or to prevent employees (at least for a certain time period) from taking the knowledge gained from working at one company to a competitor. Which can allow companies to protect the 'investments ' they have made in their employees and maintain continuity amongst their staff.
Calculated Risk
MAY 24, 2024
From STR: U.S. hotel results for week ending 18 May The U.S. hotel industry reported higher performance from the previous week and positive comparisons year over year, according to CoStar’s latest data through 18 May. 12-18 May 2024 (percentage change from comparable week in 2023): • Occupancy: 67.4% (+0.2%) • Average daily rate (ADR): US$163.11 (+2.6%) • Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$109.93 (+2.8%) emphasis added The following graph shows the seasonal pattern for the hotel occupancy r
Wealth Management
MAY 24, 2024
After nearly 40 years with Merrill, advisor Alicia Fuller and her team join under Steward's W2 employee model and will use Raymond James for custody.
Abnormal Returns
MAY 24, 2024
Economy Derek Thompson talks with David Leonhardt author of "Ours Was the Shining Future." (theringer.com) Ezra Klein talks with James Pethokoukis author of "The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised." (podcasts.apple.com) Russ Roberts talks with Nick Bostrom author of "Deep Utopia: Life and Meaning in a Solved World.
Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker
A Wealth of Common Sense
MAY 21, 2024
Here’s a take from Dave Portnoy: A lot of people share these views. It’s the kind of thing that gets people riled up. The market is rigged! It’s one giant casino where the house always wins! That narrative tends to accompany stories like this: Investors who jumped into the latest online frenzy over shares of the struggling video game retailer lost $13.1 billion in just three days from the mania’s.
Calculated Risk
MAY 21, 2024
Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios. Wednesday: • At 7:00 AM ET, The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) will release the results for the mortgage purchase applications index. • At 10:00 AM, Existing Home Sales for April from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The consensus is for 4.18 million SAAR, down from 4.19 million.
Wealth Management
MAY 24, 2024
Integrated Partners President Andree Mohr details the benefits of having the right partner.
Abnormal Returns
MAY 20, 2024
Podcasts Daniel Crosby talks with Jason Pereira, Partner and Financial Planner at Woodgate Financial, about AI and wealth management. (standarddeviationspod.com) Dan Haylett talks with Derek Hagen who is the founder of Money Health Solutions about creating a meaningful retirement. (open.spotify.com) Leadership Vanguard has a new CEO, and its sooner than anticipated.
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
A Wealth of Common Sense
MAY 24, 2024
Here are some facts and figures about the S&P 500: According to Global Financial Data, the S&P only contained 90 stocks when it was created in 1928. It became the S&P 500 in 1957. At the time, the index was comprised of 425 industrial stocks, 60 utilities and 15 railroads. Financials and transportation stocks weren’t added until 1976.
Calculated Risk
MAY 18, 2024
At the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter this week: Click on graph for larger image. • Single Family Starts Up 18% Year-over-year in March; Multi-Family Starts Down Sharply YoY • Lawler: Early Read on Existing Home Sales in April & 3rd Look at Local Housing Markets • Part 2: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-May 2024 • MBA: Mortgage Delinquencies Increased Slightly in Q1 2024 • 2nd Look at Local Housing Markets in April This is usually published 4 to 6 times a week a
Wealth Management
MAY 23, 2024
A convergence of factors creates a tsunami of opportunities for advisors to demonstrate their value.
Abnormal Returns
MAY 22, 2024
Podcasts Thomas Kopelman and Jacob Turner talk with Abby Davisson about making big life decisions. (podcasts.apple.com) Barry Ritholtz talks with Jan van Eck about sectors going in and out of style. (ritholtz.com) Steve Chen talks with Robert Brokamp about retirement planning and purpose. (newretirement.com) Retirement Don't let too risky a portfolio ruin your retirement.
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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.
A Wealth of Common Sense
MAY 19, 2024
Four charts about the economy you might find surprising: 1. Wages are cumulative too. The Congressional Budget Office released new research comparing inflation on a basket of goods and services households at different income levels consume between now and 2019 along with changes in wages. Here’s the chart: And the explanation: For households in every quintile (or fifth) of the income distribution, the share of inc.
Calculated Risk
MAY 21, 2024
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Single Family Built-for-Rent Up 20% Year-over-year in Q1 A brief excerpt: Along with the monthly housing starts report for April released last week, the Census Bureau also released Housing Units Started by Purpose and Design through Q1 2024. The first graph shows the number of single family and multi-family units started with the intent to rent.
Wealth Management
MAY 22, 2024
Wealthy individuals with a red flag on their tax returns are more at risk.
Abnormal Returns
MAY 24, 2024
Markets Why do companies do stock splits? (sherwood.news) T+1 settlement is here. (axios.com) Strategy Ian Cassel, "Time is always trying to put you out of business." (microcapclub.com) A rock, digital or not, is still just a rock. (humbledollar.com) Crypto The SEC has approved spot Ethereum ETFs. (theblock.co) It was a big week for cypto regulation.
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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?
Advisor Perspectives
MAY 19, 2024
Few practices in the business world are as absurd, senseless, irrational, and cynical as the allocation of investments of large public pension funds and endowments. And few fail so often and so predictably to achieve their true objectives.
Calculated Risk
MAY 22, 2024
From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications increased 1.9 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 17, 2024. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 1.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.
Wealth Management
MAY 22, 2024
Ranging from whiskey to venture capital funds, the Alto Marketplace focuses on “true alternative assets” with long-term holds.
Abnormal Returns
MAY 21, 2024
Markets The stock market is not rigged against the little guy. (awealthofcommonsense.com) Should stock market investors care about the coming election? (ofdollarsanddata.com) Why don't more people engage in probabilistic thinking? (behaviouralinvestment.com) Why does gold still have a hold on us? (unherd.com) Microsoft Windows had to die so Microsoft ($MSFT) could thrive.
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
Alpha Architect
MAY 24, 2024
There is strong empirical evidence demonstrating that momentum (both cross-sectional and time-series) provides information on the cross-section of returns of many risk assets and has generated alpha relative to existing asset pricing models. Momentum Everywhere, Even Cross-Country Factor Momentum was originally published at Alpha Architect. Please read the Alpha Architect disclosures at your convenience.
Calculated Risk
MAY 22, 2024
Note: This index is a leading indicator primarily for new Commercial Real Estate (CRE) investment. From the AIA: ABI April 2024: Pace of billings decline at architecture firms slows slightly While the AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for the month rose from 43.6 in March to 48.3 in April , it indicates that billings continued to decline at the majority of firms (a score below 50 indicates declining billings).
Wealth Management
MAY 20, 2024
Thoughts about major trends affecting the 401(k) and defined contribution industry and what the future might hold.
Abnormal Returns
MAY 20, 2024
Strategy Options are a tool. Use them accordingly. (fortunesandfrictions.com) Why finance professionals should take less equity market risk. (rogersplanning.blogspot.com) 11 investing principles from Bill Miller including how to avoid value traps. (investmenttalk.co) Financial media Sam Ro's favorite free finance newsletters. (tker.co) The 18 best investing blogs of 2024.
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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