Kestra Private Wealth Services (Kestra PWS), a registered investment adviser subsidiary of Kestra Financial, Inc., today announced it has welcomed Turas Wealth Partners (Turas), a wealth management firm led by father-son duo John and Shea Marmion, to its platform.
For financial advisors, moving to independence and an RIA means navigating a sea of decisions, including business model types and vision.
In nominal terms, the yellow metal set multiple new all-time highs this week, exceeding $3,300 an ounce for the first time ever on Wednesday. And on an inflation-adjusted basis, gold also notched a new record price, surpassing the longstanding record set in 1980.
LPL Financial LLC announced today that financial advisor Steve Jones of Tenacity Investment Group has joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and custodial platforms.
The announcement that LPL Financial will acquire Commonwealth Financial Network marks another major shift in the wealth management landscape—and presents a pivotal career moment for Commonwealth’s nearly 2,900 financial advisors.
Global markets are in freefall in response to President Donald Trump’s universal 10% tariff on all goods being imported into the U.S., with as many as 60 countries facing “reciprocal” tariffs on top of that.
In the current installment of The Roundup, Oaktree experts explore various investment risks and opportunities, including the heightened demand for mezzanine financing, potential entry points for special situations investors, the limited competition for unrated asset-backed finance investments, and the growing need for specialized life sciences lenders.
Digital tokenization of assets, made possible by the crypto-blockchain construct, can boost efficiency in the capital markets, thus greasing the wheels that drive the economy.
Retail investors are expected to become more bullish about increasing equity exposure when markets rise.
While domestic politics can certainly influence asset prices, it is just one of many variables, and our research has shown it to be an inaccurate indicator of future returns. We caution investors against making changes to their portfolios based on political developments.
The threat of tariffs is ramping up ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. This is pushing up silver and copper prices.
Newly released research from State Street Global Advisors breaks down why financial advisors are embracing model portfolios more this year.
Here are three ways to help you find balance in your business – and perhaps find opportunities for growth along the way.
Dana Rhodes is the COO of Axtella, contributing valuable expertise on money matters and crafting impactful wealth management programs.
RIAs should consider becoming more like VC firms by adopting the principles that govern them.
Digital assets are emerging as a crucial subset of alternative investments, and their integration into wealth management portfolios is inevitable.
After the Fed's 50-basis-point rate cut, big banks kick off earnings season amid fears that lower rates could hurt the net-interest income that propelled growth the last two years.
MassMutual Head of Annuity Distribution Matt DiGangi recently sat down with VettaFi to discuss the increasing demand he is seeing for annuities, and how MassMutual has sought to meet client investor needs.
When you pay attention to details in the financial services industry, you elevate your firm’s standing and demonstrate to clients that their relationships are valued. Small, considerate gestures can transform clients’ perception of your service, often bridging the gap between a satisfactory experience and an exceptional one.
Outlook 2024: A Turning Point, released in December 2023, featured our perspective on how stocks might respond to turning points in inflation and monetary policy.
Net interest income helped big banks, which begin reporting second-quarter earnings July 12, but there's concern about how long it can keep going.
The years-long parade of freedom-seeking advisors out of the wirehouses continues unabated. Meanwhile, consolidation of RIA firms, driven by private equity’s hot money, has similar momentum. Are these trends on a collision course?
Financial advisors get a bad rap. Some deserve it; most don’t. The problem for the entire investment advisory and portfolio management community stems from the “career risk” they inevitably face.
Tesla Inc. is expected to report another quarter of weaker sales, and it’s running out of alibis.
Goldman Sachs recently upped its price target to S&P 6300 for the end of this year, along with Evercore ISI upping its year-end target to 6000. Such is not surprising given the strong run in the markets this year.
The US trucking market, which has been in recession for more than a year now, is poised to recover … at some unknowable point in the future.
Investors often ignore geopolitics, usually to their benefit. Now might be one of those times when we should pay attention. In the past few weeks, hostilities between East and West have accelerated. It’s a worrisome trend.
Traders in the US rates options market are embracing a nascent wager on the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate path: a whopping 3 percentage points worth of cuts in the next nine months.
Financial markets have posed a number of vexing questions to investors over the past two years, not the least of which included the height to which interest rates could rise without negatively impacting US economic activity.
The latest consumer survey data from the New York Federal Reserve had interesting data.
This summer, countless bankers and financiers will get away to the Hamptons or vacation in Europe. And a handful will be traveling nearly every weekend — to play lacrosse.
Dell Technologies Inc. shares rose on Thursday after Chief Executive Officer Michael Dell said the company is building a “Dell AI factory” for Elon Musk’s startup xAI alongside Nvidia Corp.
In the second half of the year, investors will likely be navigating a potential divergence in monetary policy among the major economy central banks, a more normalized U.S. interest rate regime, and an equity market that may favor quality.
In this article, I will discuss what compliance officers do and the various factors advisors should consider in determining who should serve as their CCO.
This third and final part of this series focuses on alternative energy sources, utility companies, and other companies related to the power grid infrastructure.
Traders are lavishing billions of dollars on quant-powered stock trades, boosting an investing style that’s struggled to gain traction in an era when simple bets on traditional large-cap indexes have paid off handsomely.
GMO’s Small Cap Quality portfolio managers, Hassan Chowdhry and James Mendelson, discussed why small cap valuations are attractive today and why they believe using quality is a better way of investing in the asset class.
Artificial intelligence is sweeping across the economy. It’s showing up in the stock market with Nvidia’s meteoric rise, and the marketing blitz around AI is inescapable, whether from software providers peddling the promise of harnessed data to golf-club makers trumpeting an AI design. Narrow AI is now a real tool, and companies are figuring out how to deploy it.
JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s asset-management arm raised more than $500 million for a biotech venture-capital fund that will bet on the hottest corner of health care: weight-loss drugs.
In today’s complex global economy, currency fluctuations play a crucial role in shaping investment outcomes. While we’ve previously emphasized the importance of currency hedging in a U.S. investor’s international portfolio, there’s a subtle aspect that often goes unnoticed: the positive impact of weak currencies for Japanese and European companies and U.S. tolerance of it as a check on Chinese exports.
Consider toning your prospecting efforts by prioritizing referrals and integrating them into your broader strategy for sustainable growth.
Wednesday is shaping up to be a doozy in the US bond market. Following the release of the consumer price index at 8:30 a.m. in Washington, investors will turn to the Federal Reserve’s policy rate decision at 2 p.m., which includes an update to policymakers’ carefully scrutinized economic projections.
General Motors Co. authorized a new $6 billion share buyback plan as improving profitability in its electric vehicle operations allows the automaker to return cash to investors.
Wall Street’s half-trillion-dollar business cloning quant trades has some surprising new customers: the very firms whose strategies it mimics.
It is essential for financial professionals to include a variety of sources of guaranteed income to give clients the freedom to worry less, gain confidence about the future and enjoy life more.
There was a significant reaction in the bond market to the latest job growth figures, which exceeded expectations. The positive surprise led to a sharp 10 basis point rise in long bond yields. Interestingly, equity markets remained resilient in the face of this increase, suggesting a collective market relief that we are not heading toward a slowdown or recession.
When US markets reopen next Tuesday after the long weekend, everything will likely seem normal. It’s only after the close and in the following days that any cracks are expected to appear.
How and why more advisors are tapping into alternatives—Tony Davidow, Senior Alternatives Investment Strategist at Franklin Templeton Institute, shares insights from a recent gathering.
It does you no good to meet with a prospect or client who doesn’t feel comfortable enough to be candid about what they want. Give them options, help them discover their goals, ask deeper questions and “prime the pump.”
Tax-management strategies are crucial for clients, and they need today’s most sophisticated tools to relieve the tax burden for their clients. In this episode, my guest will dive into those strategies, such as tax-loss harvesting, and will explain how tax technology plays a significant role in driving value through smart, automated processes that find the right investment strategies for every client. We’ll also discuss why it’s important to deliver tax-loss harvesting with a purpose as well as some other hot topics affecting the advisory profession.
In the most recent report from FINRA, margin debt levels have surged as bullish investors leverage their bets in the equity market. The increase in leverage is not surprising, as it represents increased risk-taking by investors in the stock market.
The First Eagle Credit Opportunities Fund (FECRX) just reached its three-year anniversary. The fund offers advisors and their clients access to private credit and syndicated loans through an interval fund structure.
This is the story of the implications of fiduciary best interest dying at the SEC.
More advisors and firms are moving to fee-centric affiliation models, dropping their FINRA registrations and focusing on providing investment advice for a fee. What is the driver behind this trend?
There have been several big changes in the municipal bond market lately. Here's what you should know.
Between adjustments in Fed policy and a coming presidential election, it's going to be an emotional year, but historical data shows staying invested is the best course for investors.
Breaking away from wirehouses has never been easy. But the leap of faith to independence demands a lot more work for advisors than it did even a few years ago.
The SEC's dysfunctional process doesn’t benefit or protect clients.
Advisors love to whine about marketing. I will solve your three biggest marketing problems in two paragraphs or less.
Crypto exuberance is hitting overdrive thanks to the game-changing launch of Bitcoin ETFs — with seven issuers now pushing US regulators to greenlight funds tracking Ether, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency.
The markets these days have been especially sensitive to economic data, as any indication of weakness could mean rate cuts may finally be close. That, in effect, should also push the S&P 500 to even higher heights.
We hope you enjoy the latest Newsletter from Harold Evensky.
Emergencies happen both in and out of the office. Here are some strategies to protect yourself and your clients.
The SEC is using its authority over dealers to sneak in the back doors of these entities, which will inevitably create new or modified entities to reduce the cost of regulation.
In February 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted rule amendments to shorten the standard settlement cycle to T+1 for transactions in U.S. securities including equities, corporate bonds, unit investment trusts, and exchange-traded funds.
Here are seven uncommon marketing tactics that were hyper-successful for the firms that used them.
I'm going to predict the future. Not the coming year. Not the markets. But the trends that will emerge in 2024 and will shape the future, which advisory firms can prepare for now so that the strong, gusty winds of change will howl at their backs instead of in their faces.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, Tom Lydon discussed the PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active ETF (MINT) with Chuck Jaffe of “Money Life.” The pair talked about several topics regarding the fund to give investors a deeper understanding of the ETF overall.
To be considered a best-in-class outsource trading provider, one must excel in many areas.
A decade ago, fiduciary opponents sought to weaken fiduciary advice. Today, they have embraced a more ambitious objective – to eliminate fiduciary advice.
Tweedy Browne is one of the most respected value managers. In this wide-ranging interview with its investment team, they explain why the opportunity set they are seeing among stocks is the best in 20-plus years.
It's that time of year when we start thinking about the old and envisioning the new. This has always been a special season for me, perhaps because of my unusual quirk of really wanting to divine the nature of the future—not just an investment in economics but in general.
As is our custom, we conclude the year by reflecting on the 10 most-read practice management articles over the past 12 months. Tomorrow, we will highlight the 10 best articles you probably missed.
If today were the last day of 2023, Bitcoin would have returned almost 155%, marking the best year since 2020, when it rose a phenomenal 305%.
In the past five years, US ETF market assets have more than doubled, over 1,000 new funds launched, and annual trading volumes jumped by around $11 trillion.
According to a recent J.D. Power study, fewer than 15% of clients say their advisor provides an ideal advice experience; and yet many advisors likely suffer from Dunning Kruger cognitive bias, where they think they are among that 15% when for the majority, that’s impossible.
Why is financial advice in such a state? Because, despite their best efforts, financial advisors aren’t hitting the core attributes of comprehensive advice.
To solve this, Practice Intel, a new firm led by Dr. Preston Cherry, Tom Rieman, Larry Shumbres, and Nick Gudz, among others, has launched. Combining practice-level insights with innovative e-learning resources and a proprietary index that benchmarks a firm’s valuation against its peers, Practice Intel helps advisors enhance their advice experience while achieving more organic growth and, ultimately, increasing their valuation.
Last week’s article helped you determine if your clients would benefit from consulting a financial therapist. But how do you find one?
Everyone has an opinion on how you should run your practice. Here is how to know which suggestions are worth following.
What are some of the more unique gifts or events advisors are doing for clients?
As we know all too well, human beings are neither perfect nor consistently rational, especially when our hard-earned money is involved.
My previous webinars were sponsored by my clients. Everything was handled for me. With this one, I was entirely on my own.
Could it be that your internal eagerness to comply with your prospect’s apparent requirements conveys a subservience that dissuades them from trusting you?
I show how the best way to utilize bonds in retirement is not to rebalance between stocks and bonds in retirement, but rather to draw down on the bond side of the portfolio first and let the portfolio drift towards a greater equity allocation.
The Age of AI (And Our Human Future), by Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Daniel Huttenlocher, is keenly relevant.
Investors should embrace a genuine long-term perspective, extending their time horizons to at least 20 to 30 years. The traditional notion of long-term investing (five to 10 years) may fall short of realizing the full benefits of long-term strategies.
Advisor Perspectives, the premier digital publisher for the financial advisory profession and a recent addition to the fast-growing VettaFi lineup of research and educational offerings, today announced that it has been ranked as the most-read electronic newsletter among financial advisors for the fifth year in a row by Erdos Media Research’s Financial Advisor Media Outlook and Usage Study (FAMOUS).
Are you curious about what a transition in the digital age truly entails? My guest, Lizzie Warner, and I will step inside the world of broker-dealer/RIA transitions and unveil the timeline and milestones of these transformations. We want this to be your gateway to making your move smoother and more accessible than ever before.
Lizzie Warner, vice president of transition and strategic acquisitions at Cambridge, shares her insights and stories from guiding countless financial advisors through this pivotal change.
Lizzie will also introduce Cambridge's complimentary resource, “Asking the Right Questions of Your Next Transition Team.”
Fiduciary duties are either unneeded or harmful, according to the opponents of the DOL rule. In their view, the finance and insurance industries have already achieved perfection.
A cash cushion is needed not just for initial startup costs but for peace of mind as you leave your firm, move clients over and reestablish revenue.
Several ex-Cantor Fitzgerald executives started a crypto lending platform with the expectation that it will serve operators of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds once they gain US regulatory approval.
RIA Independence
Turas Wealth Partners Joins Kestra Private Wealth Services To Further Focus on Client Experience
Kestra Private Wealth Services (Kestra PWS), a registered investment adviser subsidiary of Kestra Financial, Inc., today announced it has welcomed Turas Wealth Partners (Turas), a wealth management firm led by father-son duo John and Shea Marmion, to its platform.
3 Considerations for Advisors Branching Out to an RIA
For financial advisors, moving to independence and an RIA means navigating a sea of decisions, including business model types and vision.
Analysts See Gold at $4,000 as Faith in the U.S. Dollar Tumbles
In nominal terms, the yellow metal set multiple new all-time highs this week, exceeding $3,300 an ounce for the first time ever on Wednesday. And on an inflation-adjusted basis, gold also notched a new record price, surpassing the longstanding record set in 1980.
LPL Financial Welcomes Tenacity Investment Group
LPL Financial LLC announced today that financial advisor Steve Jones of Tenacity Investment Group has joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and custodial platforms.
Commonwealth Advisors On The Power Play In LPL Acquisition
The announcement that LPL Financial will acquire Commonwealth Financial Network marks another major shift in the wealth management landscape—and presents a pivotal career moment for Commonwealth’s nearly 2,900 financial advisors.
America’s Tariff Rate Hits the Highest Level Since 1909—And That’s Before Retaliation
Global markets are in freefall in response to President Donald Trump’s universal 10% tariff on all goods being imported into the U.S., with as many as 60 countries facing “reciprocal” tariffs on top of that.
Top Takeaways from Oaktree’s Quarterly Letters – March 2025 Edition
In the current installment of The Roundup, Oaktree experts explore various investment risks and opportunities, including the heightened demand for mezzanine financing, potential entry points for special situations investors, the limited competition for unrated asset-backed finance investments, and the growing need for specialized life sciences lenders.
Tokenization: The New Frontier for Capital Markets
Digital tokenization of assets, made possible by the crypto-blockchain construct, can boost efficiency in the capital markets, thus greasing the wheels that drive the economy.
Retail Exuberance Sets Market Up For A Correction
Retail investors are expected to become more bullish about increasing equity exposure when markets rise.
Politics and Investing
While domestic politics can certainly influence asset prices, it is just one of many variables, and our research has shown it to be an inaccurate indicator of future returns. We caution investors against making changes to their portfolios based on political developments.
Tariff Threats Boost Silver & Copper Prices
The threat of tariffs is ramping up ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. This is pushing up silver and copper prices.
State Street Reports Advisors Driving More Assets to Model Portfolios
Newly released research from State Street Global Advisors breaks down why financial advisors are embracing model portfolios more this year.
3 Tips to Help Financial Advisors Find Balance & Grow Their Business
Here are three ways to help you find balance in your business – and perhaps find opportunities for growth along the way.
Axtella COO Looks Ahead to the Firm’s Future
Dana Rhodes is the COO of Axtella, contributing valuable expertise on money matters and crafting impactful wealth management programs.
Think Fast: How RIAs Can Make Decisions at the Speed of Venture Capital
RIAs should consider becoming more like VC firms by adopting the principles that govern them.
Digital Assets' Growing Role in Wealth Management
Digital assets are emerging as a crucial subset of alternative investments, and their integration into wealth management portfolios is inevitable.
Bank Earnings Start as Lower Rate Impact Debated
After the Fed's 50-basis-point rate cut, big banks kick off earnings season amid fears that lower rates could hurt the net-interest income that propelled growth the last two years.
Demand Is High for Annuities as Client Needs for Guaranteed Retirement Income Grow
MassMutual Head of Annuity Distribution Matt DiGangi recently sat down with VettaFi to discuss the increasing demand he is seeing for annuities, and how MassMutual has sought to meet client investor needs.
Small Changes Can Make Big Impacts in Enhancing Client Interactions
When you pay attention to details in the financial services industry, you elevate your firm’s standing and demonstrate to clients that their relationships are valued. Small, considerate gestures can transform clients’ perception of your service, often bridging the gap between a satisfactory experience and an exceptional one.
Key Themes for Stocks in the Second Half of 2024
Outlook 2024: A Turning Point, released in December 2023, featured our perspective on how stocks might respond to turning points in inflation and monetary policy.
Weaker Q2 Estimates May Dampen Mood on Banks
Net interest income helped big banks, which begin reporting second-quarter earnings July 12, but there's concern about how long it can keep going.
Wirehouses and RIAs—Will They Meet in the Middle?
The years-long parade of freedom-seeking advisors out of the wirehouses continues unabated. Meanwhile, consolidation of RIA firms, driven by private equity’s hot money, has similar momentum. Are these trends on a collision course?
Career Risk Traps Advisors Into Taking On Excess Risk
Financial advisors get a bad rap. Some deserve it; most don’t. The problem for the entire investment advisory and portfolio management community stems from the “career risk” they inevitably face.
Tesla Is Running Out of Excuses for Its Prolonged Sales Slump
Tesla Inc. is expected to report another quarter of weaker sales, and it’s running out of alibis.
S&P 6300? Is That Outside The Realm Of Possibility?
Goldman Sachs recently upped its price target to S&P 6300 for the end of this year, along with Evercore ISI upping its year-end target to 6000. Such is not surprising given the strong run in the markets this year.
A Trucking Rebound Is Near. For Real This Time.
The US trucking market, which has been in recession for more than a year now, is poised to recover … at some unknowable point in the future.
Get Ready for Resiliency-Driven Inflation
Investors often ignore geopolitics, usually to their benefit. Now might be one of those times when we should pay attention. In the past few weeks, hostilities between East and West have accelerated. It’s a worrisome trend.
Bond Traders Boldly Bet on 300 Basis Points of Fed Cuts by March
Traders in the US rates options market are embracing a nascent wager on the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate path: a whopping 3 percentage points worth of cuts in the next nine months.
CIM Market Commentary: Cue the Great Moderation
Financial markets have posed a number of vexing questions to investors over the past two years, not the least of which included the height to which interest rates could rise without negatively impacting US economic activity.
Consumer Survey Shows Rising Bullishness
The latest consumer survey data from the New York Federal Reserve had interesting data.
Wall Street Bankers Skip Hamptons Summer for Pro Lacrosse League
This summer, countless bankers and financiers will get away to the Hamptons or vacation in Europe. And a handful will be traveling nearly every weekend — to play lacrosse.
Dell, Super Micro Shares Jump on Reports of ‘AI Factory’ for Elon Musk’s xAI
Dell Technologies Inc. shares rose on Thursday after Chief Executive Officer Michael Dell said the company is building a “Dell AI factory” for Elon Musk’s startup xAI alongside Nvidia Corp.
Midyear Outlook 2024
In the second half of the year, investors will likely be navigating a potential divergence in monetary policy among the major economy central banks, a more normalized U.S. interest rate regime, and an equity market that may favor quality.
Selecting a Chief Compliance Officer for Your Advisory Firm
In this article, I will discuss what compliance officers do and the various factors advisors should consider in determining who should serve as their CCO.
Investment Ideas For The Coming Power Grid Expansion- Part Three
This third and final part of this series focuses on alternative energy sources, utility companies, and other companies related to the power grid infrastructure.
Retail Funds Dive Into Quant-Factor ETFs After $48 Billion Haul
Traders are lavishing billions of dollars on quant-powered stock trades, boosting an investing style that’s struggled to gain traction in an era when simple bets on traditional large-cap indexes have paid off handsomely.
The Quality Advantage in Small Cap Stocks
GMO’s Small Cap Quality portfolio managers, Hassan Chowdhry and James Mendelson, discussed why small cap valuations are attractive today and why they believe using quality is a better way of investing in the asset class.
AI Is Making Robots Smarter. They’ll Need Boundaries.
Artificial intelligence is sweeping across the economy. It’s showing up in the stock market with Nvidia’s meteoric rise, and the marketing blitz around AI is inescapable, whether from software providers peddling the promise of harnessed data to golf-club makers trumpeting an AI design. Narrow AI is now a real tool, and companies are figuring out how to deploy it.
JPMorgan to Wager on Weight-Loss Boom With $500 Million Fund
JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s asset-management arm raised more than $500 million for a biotech venture-capital fund that will bet on the hottest corner of health care: weight-loss drugs.
Case for Currency Hedging: Weak Currency Benefits Europe and Japan
In today’s complex global economy, currency fluctuations play a crucial role in shaping investment outcomes. While we’ve previously emphasized the importance of currency hedging in a U.S. investor’s international portfolio, there’s a subtle aspect that often goes unnoticed: the positive impact of weak currencies for Japanese and European companies and U.S. tolerance of it as a check on Chinese exports.
The Role of Referrals in a Successful Prospecting Strategy
Consider toning your prospecting efforts by prioritizing referrals and integrating them into your broader strategy for sustainable growth.
A Brief Guide to What Really Matters on CPI-Fed Day
Wednesday is shaping up to be a doozy in the US bond market. Following the release of the consumer price index at 8:30 a.m. in Washington, investors will turn to the Federal Reserve’s policy rate decision at 2 p.m., which includes an update to policymakers’ carefully scrutinized economic projections.
GM Approves $6 Billion Stock Buyback on Growth in EVs
General Motors Co. authorized a new $6 billion share buyback plan as improving profitability in its electric vehicle operations allows the automaker to return cash to investors.
Hedge Funds Pile Into Copycat Quant Trades They Once Derided
Wall Street’s half-trillion-dollar business cloning quant trades has some surprising new customers: the very firms whose strategies it mimics.
Diversify Retirement Saving Strategies to Boost Clients’ Overall Financial Wellness
It is essential for financial professionals to include a variety of sources of guaranteed income to give clients the freedom to worry less, gain confidence about the future and enjoy life more.
A Cushion Against Potential Economic Turbulence
There was a significant reaction in the bond market to the latest job growth figures, which exceeded expectations. The positive surprise led to a sharp 10 basis point rise in long bond yields. Interestingly, equity markets remained resilient in the face of this increase, suggesting a collective market relief that we are not heading toward a slowdown or recession.
Speedier Wall Street Trades Are Putting Global Finance On Edge
When US markets reopen next Tuesday after the long weekend, everything will likely seem normal. It’s only after the close and in the following days that any cracks are expected to appear.
Alternative Allocations: Due Diligence Meetings
How and why more advisors are tapping into alternatives—Tony Davidow, Senior Alternatives Investment Strategist at Franklin Templeton Institute, shares insights from a recent gathering.
How to Get Prospects and Clients to Be More Candid
It does you no good to meet with a prospect or client who doesn’t feel comfortable enough to be candid about what they want. Give them options, help them discover their goals, ask deeper questions and “prime the pump.”
The Power of Tax-Loss Harvesting
Tax-management strategies are crucial for clients, and they need today’s most sophisticated tools to relieve the tax burden for their clients. In this episode, my guest will dive into those strategies, such as tax-loss harvesting, and will explain how tax technology plays a significant role in driving value through smart, automated processes that find the right investment strategies for every client. We’ll also discuss why it’s important to deliver tax-loss harvesting with a purpose as well as some other hot topics affecting the advisory profession.
Margin Debt Surges As Bulls Leverage Bets
In the most recent report from FINRA, margin debt levels have surged as bullish investors leverage their bets in the equity market. The increase in leverage is not surprising, as it represents increased risk-taking by investors in the stock market.
An Interval Fund to Access Alternative Credit
The First Eagle Credit Opportunities Fund (FECRX) just reached its three-year anniversary. The fund offers advisors and their clients access to private credit and syndicated loans through an interval fund structure.
The Failure of Reg BI and the Death of Fiduciary Principles
This is the story of the implications of fiduciary best interest dying at the SEC.
Easing the Migration to Fee-Centric Planning
More advisors and firms are moving to fee-centric affiliation models, dropping their FINRA registrations and focusing on providing investment advice for a fee. What is the driver behind this trend?
Potential Opportunities in the Muni Bond Market
There have been several big changes in the municipal bond market lately. Here's what you should know.
Emotional Rescue: Markets, Fed Policy, and Elections
Between adjustments in Fed policy and a coming presidential election, it's going to be an emotional year, but historical data shows staying invested is the best course for investors.
Breakaways Need Allies
Breaking away from wirehouses has never been easy. But the leap of faith to independence demands a lot more work for advisors than it did even a few years ago.
The Driving Force Behind an Irrational Compliance Structure
The SEC's dysfunctional process doesn’t benefit or protect clients.
The Three Most Common Marketing Complaints – Solved!
Advisors love to whine about marketing. I will solve your three biggest marketing problems in two paragraphs or less.
Crypto Exuberance Is Hitting Overdrive as Ether ETF Battle Looms
Crypto exuberance is hitting overdrive thanks to the game-changing launch of Bitcoin ETFs — with seven issuers now pushing US regulators to greenlight funds tracking Ether, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency.
Increased Jobless Claims Could Fuel Rate Cuts & S&P 500
The markets these days have been especially sensitive to economic data, as any indication of weakness could mean rate cuts may finally be close. That, in effect, should also push the S&P 500 to even higher heights.
Newsletter - February 2024
We hope you enjoy the latest Newsletter from Harold Evensky.
Emergency Planning for Advisors
Emergencies happen both in and out of the office. Here are some strategies to protect yourself and your clients.
New SEC Rule Will Impair the World's Most Important Market
The SEC is using its authority over dealers to sneak in the back doors of these entities, which will inevitably create new or modified entities to reduce the cost of regulation.
T+1 Settlement: Is Your FX Trading Impacted With the Equity Settlement Shift to T+1?
In February 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted rule amendments to shorten the standard settlement cycle to T+1 for transactions in U.S. securities including equities, corporate bonds, unit investment trusts, and exchange-traded funds.
Seven Unconventional but Successful Marketing Tactics
Here are seven uncommon marketing tactics that were hyper-successful for the firms that used them.
The Trends That Will Matter to Advisors in 2024
I'm going to predict the future. Not the coming year. Not the markets. But the trends that will emerge in 2024 and will shape the future, which advisory firms can prepare for now so that the strong, gusty winds of change will howl at their backs instead of in their faces.
PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active ETF (MINT)
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, Tom Lydon discussed the PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active ETF (MINT) with Chuck Jaffe of “Money Life.” The pair talked about several topics regarding the fund to give investors a deeper understanding of the ETF overall.
How Do Clients Rate Their Outsourced Trading Providers?
To be considered a best-in-class outsource trading provider, one must excel in many areas.
What Fiduciary Opponents Really Want
A decade ago, fiduciary opponents sought to weaken fiduciary advice. Today, they have embraced a more ambitious objective – to eliminate fiduciary advice.
Tweedy Browne: This is the Best Opportunity Set in 20+ Years
Tweedy Browne is one of the most respected value managers. In this wide-ranging interview with its investment team, they explain why the opportunity set they are seeing among stocks is the best in 20-plus years.
Looking Back and Forward
It's that time of year when we start thinking about the old and envisioning the new. This has always been a special season for me, perhaps because of my unusual quirk of really wanting to divine the nature of the future—not just an investment in economics but in general.
Our Top 10 Most-Popular Practice Management Articles of 2023
As is our custom, we conclude the year by reflecting on the 10 most-read practice management articles over the past 12 months. Tomorrow, we will highlight the 10 best articles you probably missed.
5 Bitcoin And Digital Asset Predictions For 2024
If today were the last day of 2023, Bitcoin would have returned almost 155%, marking the best year since 2020, when it rose a phenomenal 305%.
Almost Entire $8 Trillion ETF Market Hinges on a Few Key Firms
In the past five years, US ETF market assets have more than doubled, over 1,000 new funds launched, and annual trading volumes jumped by around $11 trillion.
How to Create a Winning Advice Experience
According to a recent J.D. Power study, fewer than 15% of clients say their advisor provides an ideal advice experience; and yet many advisors likely suffer from Dunning Kruger cognitive bias, where they think they are among that 15% when for the majority, that’s impossible.
Why is financial advice in such a state? Because, despite their best efforts, financial advisors aren’t hitting the core attributes of comprehensive advice.
To solve this, Practice Intel, a new firm led by Dr. Preston Cherry, Tom Rieman, Larry Shumbres, and Nick Gudz, among others, has launched. Combining practice-level insights with innovative e-learning resources and a proprietary index that benchmarks a firm’s valuation against its peers, Practice Intel helps advisors enhance their advice experience while achieving more organic growth and, ultimately, increasing their valuation.
How To Find a Qualified Financial Therapist
Last week’s article helped you determine if your clients would benefit from consulting a financial therapist. But how do you find one?
Some Advisors Don’t Know What They Are Doing
Everyone has an opinion on how you should run your practice. Here is how to know which suggestions are worth following.
New and Creative Ideas for Holiday Gifts
What are some of the more unique gifts or events advisors are doing for clients?
Coaching Clients to Take Your Advice
As we know all too well, human beings are neither perfect nor consistently rational, especially when our hard-earned money is involved.
My Webinar Experience: How I Avoided the Big Mistakes
My previous webinars were sponsored by my clients. Everything was handled for me. With this one, I was entirely on my own.
Don’t Let Your Prospects Tell You What to Do
Could it be that your internal eagerness to comply with your prospect’s apparent requirements conveys a subservience that dissuades them from trusting you?
How Rebalancing Thwarts Achieving Retirement Goals
I show how the best way to utilize bonds in retirement is not to rebalance between stocks and bonds in retirement, but rather to draw down on the bond side of the portfolio first and let the portfolio drift towards a greater equity allocation.
Henry Kissinger on the Promise and Threats of AI
The Age of AI (And Our Human Future), by Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Daniel Huttenlocher, is keenly relevant.
Breaking the Chains of Time
Investors should embrace a genuine long-term perspective, extending their time horizons to at least 20 to 30 years. The traditional notion of long-term investing (five to 10 years) may fall short of realizing the full benefits of long-term strategies.
VettaFi’s Advisor Perspectives Named Most Read E-Newsletter for Financial Advisors for Fifth Consecutive Year by Erdos Media Research
Advisor Perspectives, the premier digital publisher for the financial advisory profession and a recent addition to the fast-growing VettaFi lineup of research and educational offerings, today announced that it has been ranked as the most-read electronic newsletter among financial advisors for the fifth year in a row by Erdos Media Research’s Financial Advisor Media Outlook and Usage Study (FAMOUS).
The Insider's Guide to Transition
Are you curious about what a transition in the digital age truly entails? My guest, Lizzie Warner, and I will step inside the world of broker-dealer/RIA transitions and unveil the timeline and milestones of these transformations. We want this to be your gateway to making your move smoother and more accessible than ever before.
Lizzie Warner, vice president of transition and strategic acquisitions at Cambridge, shares her insights and stories from guiding countless financial advisors through this pivotal change.
Lizzie will also introduce Cambridge's complimentary resource, “Asking the Right Questions of Your Next Transition Team.”
Securities Industry to DOL on Fiduciary: We’re Perfect, Leave us Alone
Fiduciary duties are either unneeded or harmful, according to the opponents of the DOL rule. In their view, the finance and insurance industries have already achieved perfection.
Ask Brad: How Much Cash Do You Need to Transition to an RIA?
A cash cushion is needed not just for initial startup costs but for peace of mind as you leave your firm, move clients over and reestablish revenue.
Ex-Cantor Executives Start Lending Platform for Anticipated Spot Bitcoin ETFs
Several ex-Cantor Fitzgerald executives started a crypto lending platform with the expectation that it will serve operators of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds once they gain US regulatory approval.