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1. “We’re Talking To Other Advisors” – Obstacle or Opportunity?
More advisors are running into this roadblock every day: “We’re talking to other advisors, we’ll get back to you when we’ve made our decision”. Hearing that out at the end of a promising initial prospect conversation is deflating and it can feel like a gut punch. Should you just passively accept it, smile, and say: “No problem, it was a pleasure meeting you.” — Ari Galper
2. Golf and Investing: Mastering Long and Short Games for Success
Let’s play a hole of golf to appreciate how two distinct aspects of golf provide valuable lessons for investors. You tee off with a driver on a 450-yard par four hole. Your drive is perfect. Not only does the ball land in the middle of the fairway, but you only have 200 yards remaining to the pin. Next, you pull out an iron, hit a beautiful shot, and the ball bounces onto the putting green. With only 40 feet between the ball and the pin and over 95% of the hole behind you, you think a birdie is possible, and in the worst case, you can get a par. — Michael Lebowitz
3. It’s About Owning the Correct Stocks
Friday morning’s Payrolls report freaked out the bond market. But by the end of that day and so far today, stocks don’t seem to care. When we look deeper into the underlying trends in the equity market, we see that today’s performance is less about the bulk of stocks performing well than the correct stocks doing so. — Steve Sosnick
4. The Cost of Surprising the Client
Surprising customers with something they weren’t expecting doesn’t have to be expensive. In many cases, it can be very inexpensive or even free. — Shep Hyken
5. How to Diversify When Equities and Bonds Move Together
For three years, stock and bond returns have been moving in the same direction. When times are good, this is not thought of as a problem; however, when stocks sell off and bonds are not there to catch them, then investors are faced with an important portfolio construction challenge to solve. This year, equities have continued to be sensitive to daily moves in Treasury yields as the macroeconomic narrative continues to change frequently. — Gabriela Santos
6. The US Government's U-Turn: Embracing Crypto
Before we get to the big news… a word on the S&P 500’s fresh all-time highs. Many investors’ “Spidey-Senses” start tingling when stocks reach new heights, like they did last week. Understandable. But new highs aren’t dangerous. In fact, you’re more likely to make money over a one-, three-, and five-year time horizon buying at record highs vs. any other time. — Stephen McBride
7. Peak 65 Retirees Have a Big Problem. But You Can Help!
As this slow-moving demographic wave crashes onto the shores of retirement over the next few years, many of them aren’t ready (financially or mentally). Here are three points to consider as you guide them. We’ve been carefully studying this wave of retirees for decades — in particular, how they’ve been preparing for retirement and reacting to the many curveballs the market has thrown at them over the years. — Tim Seifert
8. Understanding Why Small-Caps Are Disappointing
There’s no denying that small-cap stocks are in the midst of a lengthy run of disappointment relative to large-cap counterparts. For three years ending June 11, the S&P 500 returned 33.1% while the Russell 2000 and S&P SmallCap 600 indexes posted an average loss of 6.7%. — Todd Shriber
9. The Financial Education Paradox: How Excess Knowledge Can Lose You Clients
Financial advisors constantly walk a tightrope between empowering clients and overwhelming them. While financial literacy is crucial for informed decision-making, overeducating prospects and clients can backfire, resulting in the loss of an account. This phenomenon can be better understood by examining the psychology of financial decision-making and the delicate advisor-client relationship. — Don Connelly
10. Why Investors Should Worry & What About
Worry is not a desirable state of mind. It increases stress, can cause us to get emotional, and we could even lose sleep by worrying too much. Like many things in life, moderation may be the key. Not worrying about anything means you may not be anticipating and preparing for the future. Worrying too much can induce significant anxiety and stress, and may very well result in making emotional, thoughtless decisions. A moderate or reasonable amount of worry can be beneficial to our livelihood. — Jay Mooreland
11. Commodities and the Boom-Bust Cycle
It is always interesting when commodity prices rise. The market produces various narratives to suggest why prices will keep growing indefinitely. Such applies to all commodities, from oil to orange juice or cocoa beans. For example, Michael Hartnett of BofA recently noted ... — Lance Roberts