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1. How Clients Choose a Financial Adviser When They All Seem the Same
How do clients choose a financial adviser to use when everyone looks about the same? Sure there are individual differences in the human beings, with the full range of beautiful people, and those who are beautiful only to their mothers perhaps, and all the different skin tones and body shapes that one would expect in any other large group of humans. It is not that sort of sameness…it is “professional sameness” that makes it difficult to choose the right adviser from a typical consumers’ perspective. Same titles, positioining, licences, letters after the name. — Tony Vidler
2. What Do You Do When a Client Asks for a Discount
No one wants to pay full price. Fran Dresher in the TV series, said: “It ain’t half off, it ain’t on sale”1 As Americans, we want to get a good deal. The financial services industry is very competitive and has many challenges. What do you do when a client asks for a discount? The simple answer is you will probably give them one. Bear in mind certain items cannot be discounted because the fees are baked into the product. Insurance policies are a good example. The advisor’s compensation is built into the product price. If the advisor were to hand cash back to the client, the law would likely view that as a kickback. That is illegal. — Bryce Sanders
3. Are Cryptocurrencies Following the Same Path as 90s Internet Stocks?
Many of the greatest tech stocks of our time trace their beginnings to the dot-com era. I’m talking about giants like Nvidia (NVDA), Google (GOOG), and Amazon (AMZN). If you had the foresight to invest in these new types of companies—and the fortitude to hold them through the downside of the dot-com bubble (not easy!)—you made life-changing money. — Stephen McBride
4. 2025 ETF Outlook: Expect More Big Things
No matter how it’s sliced or diced and no matter what the rapidly quieting group of critics might claim, 2024 was a stellar year for the global exchange traded funds industry. On a global basis in 2024, the ETF industry set records for inflows, assets, fund launches and institutional usage, confirming adoption is accelerating and there’s no end in sight to that trend. Advisors are big reasons why ETF adoption is surging and assets are swelling. — Todd Shriber
5. Goldilocks Turns Into the Grinch
Frequent readers of these pieces – thank you – have repeatedly seen me refer to Fed Chair Jerome Powell as “Goldilocks in a Suit” because of his remarkable ability to maintain an even keel during his press conferences and offset worrisome monetary concerns with a positive spin. That skill was not in evidence yesterday. On the surface, this week’s FOMC announcement should have provided little surprise. We noted yesterday that market expectations were for a “hawkish cut,” writing ... — Steve Sosnick
6. AI in 2025: What’s Next and Where Are the Biggest Opportunities?
What could be next for artificial intelligence (AI) stocks in 2025 and where are the opportunities for investors? Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just a futuristic concept – it’s a part of our daily lives, from the way we shop to how we work and even how we entertain ourselves. As we head into 2025, the opportunities and challenges in AI are growing rapidly, and investors have good reason to keep a close eye on this space. — Matt Britzman
7. More To Come From China?
Global oil markets are already over-supplied, and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)’s willingness to sit and watch the U.S. take a larger share of global demand is wearing thin. OPEC had already announced that it would unwind its production restraint, which has kept the market in balance over the past two years. Last Sunday, it announced that it would delay the unwind until the end of the year, but it is unclear if it will keep postponing it. Giving up market share has been a painful act, as Saudi Aramco demonstrated earlier this week with a 15% drop in Q3 profits from a year ago. — Nitesh Shah & Liqian Ren
8. The Marketing Mistake That’s Draining Your Budget
The other day, a private advisor client said something that made me cringe. When I asked him how much money he was spending on marketing, he replied, “I’ve spent $80k on marketing this year.” But that wasn’t the worst part. When I asked how many clients he had acquired for that $80k, he said, “None.” $80k spent on marketing and not a single new client. — Ari Galper
9. Why “ONLY” Is The Most Important Word in Business
In the competitive landscape of business, differentiation is not just a strategy—it’s a necessity. Amidst a sea of competitors, the ability to stand out is the key to survival and success. This is where the word “ONLY” becomes a game-changer. Here’s why ONLY is the most important word in business. — Roy Osing
10. What Does the Latest Fed Rate Cut Mean for Markets?
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) met this week and voted to cut rates 0.25 percent, bringing its policy range to 4.25 percent–4.5 percent. This leaves us with 1 percent of cumulative rate cuts in 2024, a notable loosening of monetary policy from where we were at the end of summer. Consensus expectations largely priced in this cut before the meeting, yet markets sold off sharply after the announcement. Let’s look at what contributed to the Federal Reserve’s (Fed’s) decision to cut rates in December, why markets initially reacted so negatively, and which opportunities to focus on in 2025. — Joe Dunn and Chris Fasciano
11. How to Wrap Up the Year & Get Ready for 2025
Many advisors are overwhelmed in December, scrambling to complete CE credits, RMDs, and last-minute tax planning while juggling holiday obligations. Downtime is critical, not just for recharging but also for entering the new year with clarity and focus. — Joseph Lukacs