Trending
1. Getting Over Buying at the Highs
Financial markets are littered with acronyms and one of the more pervasive, particularly in recent years, is FOMO, or fear of missing out. Figuring out what FOMO means isn’t difficult. Simply put, it implies that market participants are willing to bid up assets that have already been on torrid paces because they don’t want miss out on further gains. That’s interesting for multiple reasons, not the least of which is the point that many investors are programmed to “buy low and sell high” when that opportunity presents itself. — Todd Shriber
2. Market Pullbacks Welcome!
Markets sold off this week in reaction to a marginally hotter-than-expected CPI report that marked down the odds of a Fed rate cut in June, marked up the US Dollar, and marked up longer-term US interest rates. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East also weighed heavily on Friday as traders zeroed out positions ahead of a potentially newsworthy weekend. — David Waddell
3. Immigration and Its Impact on Employment
Is immigration why employment reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) continue defying mainstream economists’ estimates? Many are asking this question as the U.S. experiences a flood of immigrants across the southern border. Concurrently, many young college graduates continue to complain about the inability to receive a job offer. — Lance Roberts
4. How Financial Advisors Can Drive Profits Into Their Business
It's interesting that most advisors don't talk much about household profitability. This is probably because most of us have been taught that there is no such thing as a bad client and that more is always better. However, this is not always the case. My goal for this episode is to broaden your understanding of what it truly costs to maintain a household in this sector and inspire actionable steps to enhance profitability. — Joseph Lukacs
5. How Advice Became Commoditized: Try Before You Buy
For years, your title as Financial Advisor, has been your unique value proposition: you provide financial advice. That proposition has probably been good to you over the years, it was and still is the foundation of your current book of business. Logic says, “Keep doing what you’re doing, don’t change”. — Ari Galper
6. Balancing Politics and Portfolios: Navigating Client Political Opinions in Investment Decisions
Here we are again—another presidential election year. If it’s like the last couple of elections, financial advisors are sure to see some clients wringing their hands over which candidate will win the White House and how that will impact the financial markets and their investments. At the very least, you’re likely to get an earful of some clients’ political viewpoints—which is fine if they don’t try to correlate them with how they should invest their money. — Don Connelly
7. Digitization Revolution: AI and Bitcoin Shaping Our Future
Artificial intelligence (AI) and Bitcoin were top of mind at Paris Blockchain Week, where I had the privilege of presenting to an enthusiastic crowd. The blockchain and digital assets event, held beneath the world-famous Louvre Museum, attracted close to 10,000 people, an impressive 25% increase over last year, as Bitcoin traded near its all-time high and AI dominated headlines. — Frank Holmes
8. What Is the State of Modern Investor Engagement?
Investors now expect seamless and personalized engagement with brands across various channels. But what does that actually look like? And how can you ensure your firm is up to speed on how to engage with investors in 2024? — Catherine Frick
9. Competition Is a Win-Win for Clients, Firms, Industry and Society
Competition is all-to-often viewed as a negative. However, when wielded wisely, it becomes a powerful force that drives innovation, excellence, and ultimately benefits everyone involved. Contrary to the notion that competition breeds hostility or undermines cooperation, I argue that healthy competition among financial advisors is beneficial for clients, businesses, the industry, and society at large. — Nigel Green
10. Ten Myths Why Clients Leave (And Getting Them to Stay)
Unhappy clients vote with their feet. They do not sulk or give you the silent treatment at home like an unhappy partner. They do not put you on probation, like the manager who is unhappy with your performance or sales numbers. They simply vanish. If you look at your LinkedIn total count of first level connections and see the number dropped by two overnight, you know what I mean. What do we tell ourselves to rationalize their departure? — Bryce Sanders
11. The Value of a One-Year Indexed Term Strategy in a Structured Annuity
According to the Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA) 2021 study on structured annuities, almost half of all structured annuity sales utilized a strategy term of five or six years. The other half was broken down between one and two-year indexed terms.1 So why are so many advisors choosing to make their clients wait five or six years before interest gets credited to the policy? It’s my opinion that the majority of advisors choose a strategy with the primary objective of avoiding a negative return. Maximizing growth is a secondary goal once the desired level of protection is chosen. — Scott Stolz