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1. 60/40 Portfolios: Give Me Evolution, Not Death
In recent years, particularly in 2022 when stocks and bonds decline in unison, the most common ways of viewing the 60/40 portfolio structure is that it’s alive or dying. Binary, black and white choices to be sure, but options that don’t leave room for a gray area. — Todd Shriber
2. Prepare for a Stock Market Correction
Elon Musk wants to put a chip in your brain. You in? Elon is best known for building battery-powered cars (Tesla) and 400 ft. rocket ships to get us to Mars (SpaceX). But his startup, Neuralink, might end up helping mankind the most. Neuralink is building a special chip that will allow us to control computers with our minds. The big news is the first human received a Neuralink brain implant this week. — Stephen McBride
3. Discover a Bounty of Unsolicited Referrals
Hint: it is not luck or just delivering good service. The number one new business driver for financial professionals is referrals. And the number one way to generate referrals is not through asking, but as a result of UNSOLICITED referrals. — Maribeth Kuzmeski
4. An Explanation of Private Market Fund Fees
In September 2022, Preqin published the results of its institutional investor survey, which focused on private fund fee terms and conditions. The survey results showed that transparency around fees, rather than the amount of fees charged, were of primary concern. Of the institutional investors surveyed, 59% indicated that transparency at the fund level required improvement, while 80% noted they have either frequently or occasionally decided not to invest in a private fund, due to the proposed terms and conditions. — Kunal Shah
5. Cautionary Signals: Divergences and Other Key Market Indicators
While the bulls remain entirely in control of the market narrative, divergences and other technical warnings suggest becoming more cautious may be prudent. In January 2020, we discussed why we were taking profits and reducing risk in our portfolios. At the time, the market was surging, and there was no reason for concern. However, just over a month later, the markets fell sharply as the “pandemic” set in. While there was no evidence at the time that such an event would occur, the markets were so exuberant that only a trigger was needed to spark a correction. — Lance Roberts
6. How To Fix Your Referral Game
In this episode, I'll discuss the psychology behind referrals and introductions, share simple strategies I consistently teach my clients, and expected results based on data I have tracked in my decades of experience. — Joseph Lukacs
7. Making Higher-Income People Pay for Social Security Shortfalls
Because past Congresses enacted a Social Security law requiring the benefits of current retirees to be cut in about a decade, proposals for Social Security reform are finally getting attention. Among the most popular are those that offer ways of making higher-income people, but not most of the population, cover most or all of the cost. Two recent articles provide examples. Laying claim to their conservative and liberal credentials, Andrew Biggs and Alicia Munnell suggested reducing or eliminating tax breaks for retirement accounts that favor those in higher tax rate brackets. Natasha Sarin proposed an array of “tax hikes on the wealthy and large corporations,” including not extending the temporary Trump tax cuts enacted in 2017. — Eugene Steuerle
8. Are the Markets as Fundamentally Broken?
On the most recent “Masters in Business” podcast, Greenlight Capital’s David Einhorn said, “I view the markets as fundamentally broken. Passive investors have no opinion about value. They’re going to assume everybody else has done the work.” — Tim Pierotti
9. Why it's Time to Reconsider Your Approach to Prospecting
Buy today—that’s what your prospects are so used to hearing. And this is what they expect when they come into your firm for the first time. “Buy today” has become America’s default sales tactic, and your prospects are jaded toward sales. They’ve been talked into products or services that weren’t a good fit. They’ve been conned, scammed, and pressured into handing over their hard-earned money to silver-tongued salespeople. — Matthew Jarvis
10. Why Financial Advisors Quit
It’s estimated that nine advisors out of ten don’t last three years in the industry. That seems high for a career that offers so much promise and potential. Most people come into the business checking all the appropriate boxes for having what it takes. Still, when you consider the gap between reality and expectations of fledgling financial advisors, it begins to make sense why most choose to leave the business. — Don Connelly
11. Risk Management Audits: Safeguarding Your Clients’ Investments
Investments always require some degree of risk tolerance. However, as a financial advisor, you’re in an excellent position to help clients identify risks, assess their potential impacts and explore the most effective and appropriate mitigation strategies. Then, clients have the best chances of maintaining asset security while facing risks within and outside their control. — Devin Partida