This lessening of government involvement, and the change in the corporate culture, together with a new or reinterpreted economic philosophy all combined to produce an unraveling of the United States that had for some time been incredibly materially productive for the benefit of all.
Equity investors didn't mind the extra day this February as both domestic large-cap stocks and small-to-mid-cap stocks saw steady gains through the month, bringing both groups into positive territory year-to-date, though the latter continues to lag.
Not all investment returns are the same. Some are taxed at a higher rate than others. The Form 1099-DIV can help you analyze the Investment Tax Health of your clients. By looking at how much the investor received in different investment returns, you can calculate how much federal tax they will need to pay.
OpenAI leader Sam Altman made headlines earlier this month, touting a semiconductor project requiring trillions of dollars.
An investment program with dedicated but limited internal resources can extend its staff through a strategic partnership with an external investment solutions provider.
Like travel agents, real estate agents will need to offer more value and be more available to those willing to pay. They can also be my friend, so long as they don’t charge too high a commission.
Despite conventional wisdom, political uncertainty doesn’t necessarily pose acute risks to the healthcare sector.
Dina Ting, Head of Global Index Portfolio Management for Franklin Templeton Exchange-Traded Funds, delves into these positive developments and sheds light on Japan’s expanding economic prospects.
Losing a parent is devastating. Losing both in a short time creates a unique set of emotional and practical challenges.
In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people with the means to do so left New York City and New York state. With state finances in particular highly dependent on high earners’ income taxes, this was a worrying development.
The second-largest stock market has captured the interest of investors, supported by stronger, more broad-based earnings, and incentivized by Japan's fiscal and monetary policies.
When it comes to differentiating your message, here are some tips we offer our clients.
Every day this week, investors will get data on the economy. New home sales today, then capital investment, GDP, consumer incomes and spending, manufacturing, and auto sales are on the list. All of this will feed into the outlook for what the Federal Reserve might do with interest rates this year.
In the first installment of this series, I pledged to unveil a retirement strategy with such merit that it warrants widespread adoption by the investment advisor community. Let's delve into the compelling case for this approach.
For high income earners, a 4.5% after-tax return is equivalent to an 8%+ pre-tax return. Whole-life insurance can provide the same after-tax return of an investment with a higher pre-tax return – but without the higher investment risk.
Debt levels will likely continue to rise absent policy changes, and the yield curve is likely to steepen.
The current housing shortage has been long in the making.
Recently I saw a T-shirt for sale that said, “Science Doesn’t Care What You Think.” I used a similar metaphor recently, observing how many experiments show that jumping off a cliff will send you rapidly downward. If you want to test that theory, please add me to your will first.
Careful data management and having a formal impact measurement framework in place are essential to preventing greenwashing and ensuring consistent impact delivery.
NVIDIA’s spectacular quarter and forecast are dominating headlines this week.
Cash may still be king for the moment, but after more than $1 trillion flowed into money-market funds last year as short-term rates rose, investors are trying to figure out where it goes next.
The Magnificent Seven stocks (Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta, and Tesla) have been the largest driver of equity returns in recent years and were again the dominant contributors in 2023, accounting for more than half of the market increase.
The current speculative environment seems to increasingly resemble the Technology Bubble of 1999/2000. All bubbles eventually burst and the burst of the Tech Bubble led to the so-called lost decade in equities.
Regarding the surprisingly strong employment data, Fed Chair Powell said the quiet part out loud. The media hopes you didn’t hear it as we head into a contentious election in November.
None of the Magnificent Seven companies existed in the heyday of the Nifty Fifty, but a unique valuation and narrative thread aligns the companies.
Looking back, I believe the financial advisors who were most willing to adapt to changing times were generally more able to set themselves apart from the crowd and experienced a higher rate of success.
This year continues to follow in the footsteps of 2023, marked by increased investor optimism but ongoing uncertainty. For now, much remains unknown, and a higher January inflation print only proves the challenges that still lie ahead.
Your clients have their own sub language. The more you use their words, the more trust and rapport you will have.
Investment banks including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Barclays Plc are striving to get a lucrative fee-making machine back in action.
If you’re a parent or grandparent, you may know of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” storybook series. Written in second person, they make “you” the hero.
Many midstream companies provide guidance for the year ahead, but a select group also offer EBITDA growth guidance or targets for the next few years. Visibility to future EBITDA growth provides important context for dividend growth.
The consumer price index (CPI) for January showed that core inflation held steady at a rate of 3.9% last month, a small setback in a trend of moderating inflation in the U.S. Healing in global supply chains and a rebalancing of the U.S. labor market have helped to dramatically tame inflation over the past year.
A new life insurance strategy, one that is funded by index-universal life, offers investors so many advantages it deserves to be enthusiastically embraced by the RIA community.
A 529 plan offers higher contribution limits as well as more flexibility when it comes transferability and your range of investment choices.
Very few advisors can comfortably recite their distinguishing characteristics and, of course, their clients can't either.
Could Toyota, not Tesla, be at the forefront of a significant technological advance for automobiles?
Two seasoned investment professionals bring us up to date on the intersection of commercial real estate and bank lending.
A new approach to environmental, social and governance (ESG) research could ease investors’ frustrations with sourcing and evaluating the data required for objective credit analysis. Thanks to a surge in company reporting, ESG metrics can now be quantified and incorporated into analyses that were historically rooted in fundamental research alone.
Here’s how your clients’ birthdays trigger marketing moments that matter.
While it may seem natural to entrust family members or close friends with an end-of-life choice, there are valid concerns about the emotional bias loved ones bring to decision-making.
Lead-generation services present a paradox for the advisory profession: Many advisors have no luck with those services, but others use them to cost-effectively generate revenue. My research untangled that paradox.
Referrals may have gotten you here, but they won’t take you where you need to go.
There is a five-step process to turn someone into a COI.
Investors who stay too long in cash may find they’ve missed out.
Once again, as we have argued several times before, if the Fed, once after having achieved its 2% target and remained at the target for several years, decides that a different target may be more effective for conducting monetary policy, they may decide to change the target.
We see the usual mess and risks in the world as you do, but we also are seeing more than enough interesting things in which to invest capital.
The private equity industry has rediscovered its mojo. The latest updates from the publicly traded firms specializing in the asset class satisfied investors’ appetite for bullish vibes from the leadership teams. As shares in alternative investment managers build on an already strong recovery, the risks of disappointment can only mount.
Most of us associate 529 accounts with college savings. They’re flexible, allowing you to transfer assets to anyone, including yourself, for the express purpose of furthering the education of your beneficiary. But did you know that a 529 can be a powerful estate planning tool?
Tomorrow marks the start of China’s Lunar New Year, meaning it’s out with the Rabbit and in with the Dragon… but all eyes remain on the Bear. And no, I’m not talking about the hit Hulu series, but Russia.
Investors experienced a shift in global risk sentiment during Q4, marked by lower inflation and the anticipation of an end to the rate hiking cycle.
