No doubt about it, this has been a very challenging market environment to navigate, and we look to be in for more of the same. The Fed will continue to tighten monetary policy, and the longer the conflict in Ukraine persists, the longer we’ll likely feel the pressure from elevated gas prices.
Digital marketing is the center of any successful marketing strategy, and social media plays a significant role in that outreach. Kestra Financial’s Mark Schoenbeck EVP, advisor engagement hosts a panel of trailblazing financial advisors who have built leading businesses with strong social media strategies. Ted Jenkin, CEO of oXYgen Financial, Liz Hand, Co-Owner of Pleasant Wealth, and Derrick Jackson, owner of Ryleigh Wealth Management share their stories of how they grew their practices and tips for how you can too.
For years, investors valued Facebook’s parent company as if its growth would never falter. Now that it has, fund managers who buy cheap, out-of-favor stocks are finally getting a chance to own shares of Meta Platforms Inc.
If finance could be distilled into one idea, it likely would be that there should be a tradeoff between risk and reward: an investment with low risk should have a low expected return, while one that could make you rich should also be one that could lose you a lot of money. The Overnight Effect flies in the face of this core tenet.
Delegates at the second annual Qatar Economic Forum, from Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and Nouriel Roubini to Atlas Merchant Capital’s Bob Diamond and StanChart’s Bill Winters, warned the US was heading toward a recession.
Delegates at the second annual Qatar Economic Forum, from Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and Nouriel Roubini to Atlas Merchant Capital’s Bob Diamond and StanChart’s Bill Winters, warned the United States was heading toward a recession.
Here’s how financial marketers can repurpose virtual meetings and video content.
For as long as the market allows, brokers, lenders, and investors are cashing in on the real estate boom in America’s prime vacation spots.
Social Security has a problem.
Wall Street is pounding the table on the next big thing in technology, predicting the metaverse could be a $13 trillion industry by the end of the decade.
Elon Musk formally and forcefully revived his assertion that Twitter Inc. has a serious bot problem, and threatened to walk away from his deal to buy the company if the social network doesn’t do more to prove its users are real people.
There are costs to living a virtuous life; It requires going without.
How can you put the “know, like, trust” element of relationship marketing to work for your business at scale?
Recent warnings from corporate executives and rapidly declining regional manufacturing surveys make me wonder if a recession has already started.
U.S. equities are trading lower in afternoon action with the markets unable to extend yesterday's solid gains.
For several years, the largest US technology and new media companies were widely seen a cluster of similar stocks.
“What does a yellow light mean? Slow down!
Some big-name investors forecast that Bitcoin will eventually hit $100,000, $1 million or more. It could very well do that, but for now, its price is closer to $0. That’s both a risk and an opportunity.
I don’t care how many PhDs are going to argue against me; direct indexing is Wall Street’s attempt at squeezing more fees out of the America public using advisors as the pawns.
“Don’t be bearish.” That was the message delivered by a Wall Street Journal article in August 2021.
The major market indices finished mixed this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.63%. The S&P 500 Stock Index rose 0.40%, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.02%. The Russell 2000 small capitalization index lost 0.28% this week.
LinkedIn statistics show that members who include a professional photo receive 21x more profile views and up to 36x more messages.
Economic policy seems especially susceptible to a certain dynamic. Ideas get fixed too firmly and for too long, so when they’re forced to change, the shift is violent. Narratives drive decisions, and stories shape events, rather than the other way round. The new account of inflation is an arresting example.
Let’s look at 10 must-haves for financial advisor websites.
From organizing your closet to deep cleaning your kitchen, we're sure there's plenty for you to do. But we've got one more item to add to your list – spring clean your business plan.
Big Tech founders like Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet Inc.’s Sergey Brin and Larry Page have fashioned themselves as modern-day autocrats of business, thanks to the way they have structured their initial public offerings and voting shares over the past decade.
I will present several studies that explain the broad increase in online video usage, along with “how-to” instructions.
The world’s richest person proved the naysayers, including himself, wrong Monday when he clinched a deal to buy Twitter Inc. for about $44 billion, using one of the biggest leveraged buyout deals in history to take private a 16-year-old social networking platform that has become a hub of public discourse and a flashpoint in the debate over online free speech.
Hire before you need help. You’ll win no awards for all the extra work you’re doing.
Twitter Inc., which is trying to defend itself against Elon Musk’s $43 billion takeover bid, has a poison pill in place, so the next obvious move on the hostile M&A to-do list is likely already being contemplated: a white knight.
Retail investors piled into Twitter Inc. stock on Thursday, after the world’s richest person and head of Tesla Inc. roiled the financial world with an audacious bid to purchase the company for $43 billion. Musk later expressed doubt about whether the blockbuster deal will succeed, but that didn’t do much to deter non-professional traders.
Give yourself a year to implement a marketing plan, and it will promote procrastination and won’t be nimble. Instead of planning out your advisory firm’s marketing tactics for an entire year, create a plan that spans just 12 weeks.
Hundreds of celebrities from Madonna and Reese Witherspoon to Paris Hilton and Justin Bieber, have bought, endorsed or invested in projects or companies that promote nonfungible tokens over the last year — in some cases sending the prices of digital assets soaring.
The world’s richest person will offer $54.20 per share in cash, valuing Twitter at about $43 billion. The social media company’s shares initially soared in pre-market trading before falling slightly to about $48, after investors began to assess how one of the platform’s most outspoken users will succeed in his takeover attempt.
This article discusses how to build a prospect list, from generating leads to getting potential clients to meet with you.
Easter 2022 arrives this week with its usual egg-hunting and chocolate-bunny traditions, but also with some bitter new realities. Major candy makers such as Hershey Co., Mars Inc. and Nestlé SA need to overhaul their production practices if they want to continue feeding the world’s chocolate habit.
I hope the discomfort and pain you experience reading this piece are but a small fraction of what I experienced writing it. I keep reminding myself that most of our problems today are first-world problems that are generally trivial and insignificant compared to what people in Ukraine are going through.
John Vail, Chief Global Strategist at Nikko Asset Management, discusses Nikko AM’s Global Investment Committee views on current global market drivers as well as expectations for the markets moving forward.
The first quarter of 2022 brought violence that rocked communities – and markets – internationally. We look at what aftershocks may still be yet to come.
There is no shortage of headwinds facing both the market and the economy: the tragic Russian invasion of Ukraine and attendant commodity/energy crisis; the Federal Reserve's transition from accommodative to tighter monetary policy; and increased chatter of a recession on the horizon; among others.
While putting together a marketing plan is more complex than reading an article, here are three important pieces of advice to get female solo practitioners started.
Twitter shares surged as much as 26% after Musk’s purchase was revealed Monday in a regulatory filing, the stock’s biggest intraday increase in more than four years. The stake is worth about $2.89 billion, based on Friday’s market close.
Managing your calendar can feel like a full-time job. Using an automated scheduling tool, such as Acuity Scheduling, Calendly, or OnceHub, is a must.
Volatility from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, faster inflation and rising interest rates triggered the slowest quarter of U.S. initial public offerings in more than five years. At one point, the market ground to a complete halt, with longest period without an initial public offering since the Great Recession.
No one is born a writer. It’s a skill to be learned and nourished. Unlike most skills that erode as we age, you can always improve your writing skills.
Some of the big-name startups expected to go public early this year have slowed their rush to market as stocks continue to whipsaw. Companies including Reddit Inc. and Cohesity Inc. each discussed listing shares as soon as the first quarter of 2022, people familiar with the matter have said. Though both have filed paperwork for an initial public offering, neither has taken the next steps toward making their market debuts.
Bitcoin broke out of a narrow trading range and wiped away this year’s losses amid a broad rally for cryptocurrencies, sparking speculation that the biggest digital asset could advance past the $50,000 mark soon.
Some countries have climates and athletes that are better suited for the Winter Olympic Games, and others for the Summer Olympic Games. Every country on earth had to deal with Covid, though, whether they’re hot or cold, rich or poor.
The passing of my beloved pet and “office dog” offers an important insight into how advisors can serve clients when they truly need help.
Does being busy equate with being productive?
Last week, I was driving home from a business trip when I suddenly got a call from my parents.
Here are five winning tactics to leverage immediately for more online introductions.
You can follow all the marketing best practices and still see your strategy fail. Rather than randomly implement new tactics, view your marketing as an arch that supports your business. Here are the specific areas of your arch to assess for weakness.
The world has never seen sanctions like this. But ironically, those sanctions may give Putin even more power.
For the past three weeks Tymofiy Mylovanov, president of the Kyiv School of Economics in Ukraine, has been witnessing the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine firsthand -- working from within a war zone to bring desperately needed medical supplies to the country.
According to Sports Pro, 112 million people tuned in to watch the Bengals play the Rams in the 2022 Super Bowl. If two formerly mediocre, schlocky franchises can turn that many heads, there’s no way advisors shouldn’t be using more sports in their marketing.
The only certain way to ensure you, your organization or your product are thought of first is through frequent, repetitious contact.
As a financial planner, it’s your job to help the client understand why certain investment steps are in their best interest when their intuition may be telling them otherwise.
Greedy corporations are not causing inflation.
Just as 9/11 dramatically changed the flow of history, resulting in two wars and hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of lives ruined, so too will Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. We are seeing only the first effects and getting glimpses of second-order effects. The broad third-order effects will not be visible for a long time, though they’ll be obvious in hindsight.
Inject targeted marketing content in a stepwise approach and be patient while the relationship builds as marketing prospects see and consume your content.
If there ever were a strategy to come close to being a sliver bullet for marketing, it’s texting. Before you click away from this screen, hear me out.
A March stock market rally is likely, but does that mean the risk of a bear market is over?
As of the end of last week, markets were in an emphatic “risk-on” phase. After the initial shock of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the S&P 500 had regained a stunning 6.6% in two days’ trading. I argued that the market was working on the assumption that Vladimir Putin would get what he wanted, and that the world could live with this.
The S&P 500 Index officially fell into a correction on Tuesday, tumbling 10% from its record high on Jan. 3. The benchmark for U.S. stocks extended its decline on Wednesday, dropping as much as 1.8%. The word “correction” implies something was “wrong” with stocks.
It's called social media for a reason. Most people get the media part. They share links back to their website, blog, or podcast. But they forget about the social part.
Unlike fiat currency, Bitcoin is decentralized and cannot be controlled by any central bank or politician, making it a powerful peer-to-peer payment network. Why else are some lawmakers and bureaucrats so eager to regulate or outright ban it?
Review the latest Weekly Headings by CIO Larry Adam.
There’s so much you can learn from people who are able to create positive outcomes daily from tense situations. Here are four business skills I’ve gleaned from studying the ways of hostage negotiators, and one from the drug dealers who live down the hall.
I’ve been asked for my thoughts on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Podcasting is the most intimate medium for communicating and building a relationship with clients and prospects on their time – through opt-in marketing. My guest today, Matt Halloran, has founded the only podcasting company that has compliance completely figured out. It specializes in helping advisors and professionals in highly regulated industries to start a podcast that turns skeptics into pre-sold fans.
Here are the most common compliance concerns and how your firm can avoid them.
Cryptocurrency exchanges and other financial services companies were stars amid a Super Bowl ad blitz that featured the return of many longtime sponsors and an overall more celebratory mood than last year.
Custom-designed, printed marketing materials help customers know, like, and trust you by making your brand more recognizable and memorable, and deepen relationships with existing clients. Here’s how.
I work with student-athletes looking to cash in on their name, image, and likeness (NIL). But I also work with advisors and have found there are important similarities In how they achieve marketing greatness.
We shouldn’t read too much into pop sociology, especially when investing other people’s money. William Strauss and Neil Howe built a following by studying substantive differences among generations: Baby Boomers, Millennials, Gen X and so forth. But that view is mistaken, according to Bobby Duffy.
How do you know when it’s time to pivot your marketing?
IRS criminal investigators see cryptocurrencies and nonfungible tokens as ripe for fraud, including money laundering, market manipulation and tax evasion -- and even celebrities could get caught up in the agency’s probes.
Companies are buying raw and intermediate goods at a record pace, which we believe will influence economic growth in 2022.
Meme stocks, cryptocurrencies, the broader stock market: All have tumbled with astonishing speed this year, and few strategists think the pain will end here.
The following seven phrases tell you that someone is lying over email, instant messaging, or text.
Many analysts project China will soon be larger by GDP than the US—which shouldn’t be so hard with a population four times larger—but it’s not clear to me that China’s seemingly unlimited linear growth will continue three or four more decades. I can remember when the same was said about Japan.
Sending quick video messages is an effective way to stay top of mind and regularly remind your connections that you are a resource they can count on and trust.
The global macro environment is ripe for EM assets outperformance as a combination of stronger growth in China, the end of exceptionalism in the US and less uncertainty on US interest rates, lead to a strong backdrop for EM assets.
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts who piled into meme coins such as Dogecoin and Shiba Inu amid the long-time industry rallying call of “to the moon” are finding this year’s journey back to earth pretty painful.
Finding the right professional to manage your finances is challenging. Financial professionals have many different titles, certifications and qualifications, but which type is right for you?
Here’s how advisors can maximize their event marketing ecosystem to drive more appointments from their in-person and digital events.
In 2021, readers of the Investor Alert and Frank Talk were most interested in stories on gold mining, precious metals, natural resources and emerging markets (no surprise). But there was also interest in macroeconomic topics (inflation, mostly) as well as Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.
Alex Rodriguez’s goals in business started as soon as he turned pro. Now on the other side of one of the most successful—and controversial—careers in baseball history, his ambitions are accelerating.
The year 2021 will be remembered as one in which markets tumbled down a rabbit hole and entered financial wonderland: A once-elite undertaking became more populist, tribal, anarchic and often downright bizarre.
Social Media
Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide
No doubt about it, this has been a very challenging market environment to navigate, and we look to be in for more of the same. The Fed will continue to tighten monetary policy, and the longer the conflict in Ukraine persists, the longer we’ll likely feel the pressure from elevated gas prices.
Top Advisors Reveal How They Mastered Social Media
Digital marketing is the center of any successful marketing strategy, and social media plays a significant role in that outreach. Kestra Financial’s Mark Schoenbeck EVP, advisor engagement hosts a panel of trailblazing financial advisors who have built leading businesses with strong social media strategies. Ted Jenkin, CEO of oXYgen Financial, Liz Hand, Co-Owner of Pleasant Wealth, and Derrick Jackson, owner of Ryleigh Wealth Management share their stories of how they grew their practices and tips for how you can too.
Meta Plunge Lures Value Buyers as Growth Funds Flee
For years, investors valued Facebook’s parent company as if its growth would never falter. Now that it has, fund managers who buy cheap, out-of-favor stocks are finally getting a chance to own shares of Meta Platforms Inc.
Night Moves: Is the Overnight Drift the Grandmother of All Market Anomalies?
If finance could be distilled into one idea, it likely would be that there should be a tradeoff between risk and reward: an investment with low risk should have a low expected return, while one that could make you rich should also be one that could lose you a lot of money. The Overnight Effect flies in the face of this core tenet.
Recession Calls Grow; Mnuchin on Inflation Threat: Qatar Update
Delegates at the second annual Qatar Economic Forum, from Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and Nouriel Roubini to Atlas Merchant Capital’s Bob Diamond and StanChart’s Bill Winters, warned the US was heading toward a recession.
Recession Warnings Multiply; Exxon Signs Gas Deal: Qatar Update
Delegates at the second annual Qatar Economic Forum, from Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and Nouriel Roubini to Atlas Merchant Capital’s Bob Diamond and StanChart’s Bill Winters, warned the United States was heading toward a recession.
The Next Generation of Video Marketing
Here’s how financial marketers can repurpose virtual meetings and video content.
Americans Are Building Vacation-Home Empires With Easy-Money Loans
For as long as the market allows, brokers, lenders, and investors are cashing in on the real estate boom in America’s prime vacation spots.
Social Security: Whistling Past The $96 Trillion Graveyard
Social Security has a problem.
As Meta Ditches FB Ticker, Investors Shun Metaverse
Wall Street is pounding the table on the next big thing in technology, predicting the metaverse could be a $13 trillion industry by the end of the decade.
Musk’s ‘Buyer’s Remorse’ Won’t Get Him Out of Twitter Deal
Elon Musk formally and forcefully revived his assertion that Twitter Inc. has a serious bot problem, and threatened to walk away from his deal to buy the company if the social network doesn’t do more to prove its users are real people.
The Virtue Bubble Is About to Burst. Good Riddance.
There are costs to living a virtuous life; It requires going without.
Relationship Marketing: Scaling the “Know, Like, Trust” Factor
How can you put the “know, like, trust” element of relationship marketing to work for your business at scale?
Snap Goes the Economy
Recent warnings from corporate executives and rapidly declining regional manufacturing surveys make me wonder if a recession has already started.
Schwab Market Update: Markets See Pressure Amid Disappointing Data
U.S. equities are trading lower in afternoon action with the markets unable to extend yesterday's solid gains.
FAANG Is Dead: A Timeless Lesson for Equity Investors
For several years, the largest US technology and new media companies were widely seen a cluster of similar stocks.
What Does A Yellow Light Mean?
“What does a yellow light mean? Slow down!
Crypto Winters Have Been Great Times to Buy. Today, Bitcoin Is Half Off
Some big-name investors forecast that Bitcoin will eventually hit $100,000, $1 million or more. It could very well do that, but for now, its price is closer to $0. That’s both a risk and an opportunity.
19 Reasons to Run Like the Wind from Direct Indexing!
I don’t care how many PhDs are going to argue against me; direct indexing is Wall Street’s attempt at squeezing more fees out of the America public using advisors as the pawns.
“Don’t Be Bearish.” The Inevitable End Of Bad Advice
“Don’t be bearish.” That was the message delivered by a Wall Street Journal article in August 2021.
OnlyFans Offers a Lesson for Protesting Historically High Home Appraisals
The major market indices finished mixed this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.63%. The S&P 500 Stock Index rose 0.40%, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.02%. The Russell 2000 small capitalization index lost 0.28% this week.
Eight Tips for a Great Headshot
LinkedIn statistics show that members who include a professional photo receive 21x more profile views and up to 36x more messages.
Central Bankers Are Handcuffed by Old Narratives
Economic policy seems especially susceptible to a certain dynamic. Ideas get fixed too firmly and for too long, so when they’re forced to change, the shift is violent. Narratives drive decisions, and stories shape events, rather than the other way round. The new account of inflation is an arresting example.
10 Advisor Website Must-Haves
Let’s look at 10 must-haves for financial advisor websites.
Spring Clean Your Business Plan
From organizing your closet to deep cleaning your kitchen, we're sure there's plenty for you to do. But we've got one more item to add to your list – spring clean your business plan.
Musk and Other Tech Billionaires Are Out of Control
Big Tech founders like Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet Inc.’s Sergey Brin and Larry Page have fashioned themselves as modern-day autocrats of business, thanks to the way they have structured their initial public offerings and voting shares over the past decade.
Why You Should Incorporate Video into Your Marketing Strategy
I will present several studies that explain the broad increase in online video usage, along with “how-to” instructions.
Musk Seals $44 Billion Deal Even He Wasn’t Sure Would Succeed
The world’s richest person proved the naysayers, including himself, wrong Monday when he clinched a deal to buy Twitter Inc. for about $44 billion, using one of the biggest leveraged buyout deals in history to take private a 16-year-old social networking platform that has become a hub of public discourse and a flashpoint in the debate over online free speech.
Stop Acting Like You Can Do Everything
Hire before you need help. You’ll win no awards for all the extra work you’re doing.
Elon Musk’s Twitter Gambit Tees Up a Who’s In-or-Out White Knight List
Twitter Inc., which is trying to defend itself against Elon Musk’s $43 billion takeover bid, has a poison pill in place, so the next obvious move on the hostile M&A to-do list is likely already being contemplated: a white knight.
Online Traders Plow Into Twitter With Bet on the Power of Musk
Retail investors piled into Twitter Inc. stock on Thursday, after the world’s richest person and head of Tesla Inc. roiled the financial world with an audacious bid to purchase the company for $43 billion. Musk later expressed doubt about whether the blockbuster deal will succeed, but that didn’t do much to deter non-professional traders.
The 12-Week Advisor Marketing Plan
Give yourself a year to implement a marketing plan, and it will promote procrastination and won’t be nimble. Instead of planning out your advisory firm’s marketing tactics for an entire year, create a plan that spans just 12 weeks.
Celebrities Can’t Promote Stocks. Can They Endorse NFTs?
Hundreds of celebrities from Madonna and Reese Witherspoon to Paris Hilton and Justin Bieber, have bought, endorsed or invested in projects or companies that promote nonfungible tokens over the last year — in some cases sending the prices of digital assets soaring.
Elon Musk Makes $43 Billion Unsolicited Bid to Take Twitter Private
The world’s richest person will offer $54.20 per share in cash, valuing Twitter at about $43 billion. The social media company’s shares initially soared in pre-market trading before falling slightly to about $48, after investors began to assess how one of the platform’s most outspoken users will succeed in his takeover attempt.
Six Ways to Build a Prospect Pipeline
This article discusses how to build a prospect list, from generating leads to getting potential clients to meet with you.
Chocolate Bunnies Can Teach Us to Save Our Food Supply
Easter 2022 arrives this week with its usual egg-hunting and chocolate-bunny traditions, but also with some bitter new realities. Major candy makers such as Hershey Co., Mars Inc. and Nestlé SA need to overhaul their production practices if they want to continue feeding the world’s chocolate habit.
War in Ukraine: Part 4 – Are There Neo-Nazis in Ukraine?
I hope the discomfort and pain you experience reading this piece are but a small fraction of what I experienced writing it. I keep reminding myself that most of our problems today are first-world problems that are generally trivial and insignificant compared to what people in Ukraine are going through.
Global Investment Committee’s Outlook: Stagflation-lite, Cautious On Both Equities And Bonds, Except Positive On Pacific Equities
John Vail, Chief Global Strategist at Nikko Asset Management, discusses Nikko AM’s Global Investment Committee views on current global market drivers as well as expectations for the markets moving forward.
Quarterly Report: The War to End All Wars
The first quarter of 2022 brought violence that rocked communities – and markets – internationally. We look at what aftershocks may still be yet to come.
No Quarter (For Consistency)
There is no shortage of headwinds facing both the market and the economy: the tragic Russian invasion of Ukraine and attendant commodity/energy crisis; the Federal Reserve's transition from accommodative to tighter monetary policy; and increased chatter of a recession on the horizon; among others.
Marketing for Female Solo Practitioners
While putting together a marketing plan is more complex than reading an article, here are three important pieces of advice to get female solo practitioners started.
Elon Musk Takes 9.2% Stake in Twitter After Hinting at Shake-Up
Twitter shares surged as much as 26% after Musk’s purchase was revealed Monday in a regulatory filing, the stock’s biggest intraday increase in more than four years. The stake is worth about $2.89 billion, based on Friday’s market close.
Which is the Best Automated Scheduling Tool for Advisors?
Managing your calendar can feel like a full-time job. Using an automated scheduling tool, such as Acuity Scheduling, Calendly, or OnceHub, is a must.
IPO Bankers Crave Stability After Boom Turned to Gloom This Year
Volatility from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, faster inflation and rising interest rates triggered the slowest quarter of U.S. initial public offerings in more than five years. At one point, the market ground to a complete halt, with longest period without an initial public offering since the Great Recession.
The Right Way to Write
No one is born a writer. It’s a skill to be learned and nourished. Unlike most skills that erode as we age, you can always improve your writing skills.
U.S. IPO Hopefuls Are Hunting for Signs of Elusive Market Window
Some of the big-name startups expected to go public early this year have slowed their rush to market as stocks continue to whipsaw. Companies including Reddit Inc. and Cohesity Inc. each discussed listing shares as soon as the first quarter of 2022, people familiar with the matter have said. Though both have filed paperwork for an initial public offering, neither has taken the next steps toward making their market debuts.
Bitcoin Erasing 2022’s Losses Has Bulls Predicting More Gains
Bitcoin broke out of a narrow trading range and wiped away this year’s losses amid a broad rally for cryptocurrencies, sparking speculation that the biggest digital asset could advance past the $50,000 mark soon.
If Covid Management Were the Olympics, This Country Would Have Won Gold
Some countries have climates and athletes that are better suited for the Winter Olympic Games, and others for the Summer Olympic Games. Every country on earth had to deal with Covid, though, whether they’re hot or cold, rich or poor.
When It Really Counts
The passing of my beloved pet and “office dog” offers an important insight into how advisors can serve clients when they truly need help.
The Downside to Being Busy
Does being busy equate with being productive?
Some Stories You Can Tell The Fearful Investor
Last week, I was driving home from a business trip when I suddenly got a call from my parents.
Five Ways to Get More Referrals Online
Here are five winning tactics to leverage immediately for more online introductions.
Where Is Your Marketing Failing?
You can follow all the marketing best practices and still see your strategy fail. Rather than randomly implement new tactics, view your marketing as an arch that supports your business. Here are the specific areas of your arch to assess for weakness.
War in Ukraine: Part 3 – The Future of Russia
The world has never seen sanctions like this. But ironically, those sanctions may give Putin even more power.
How a Ukrainian Economist Is Fighting the Russians
For the past three weeks Tymofiy Mylovanov, president of the Kyiv School of Economics in Ukraine, has been witnessing the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine firsthand -- working from within a war zone to bring desperately needed medical supplies to the country.
How to Talk About Sports like Jerry Maguire
According to Sports Pro, 112 million people tuned in to watch the Bengals play the Rams in the 2022 Super Bowl. If two formerly mediocre, schlocky franchises can turn that many heads, there’s no way advisors shouldn’t be using more sports in their marketing.
How Top Brands (and Advisors) Stay Top of Mind
The only certain way to ensure you, your organization or your product are thought of first is through frequent, repetitious contact.
The Intersection of Psychology and Financial Planning
As a financial planner, it’s your job to help the client understand why certain investment steps are in their best interest when their intuition may be telling them otherwise.
No. Greedy Corporations Aren’t Causing Inflation
Greedy corporations are not causing inflation.
War in Ukraine: Part 2 – The New World
Just as 9/11 dramatically changed the flow of history, resulting in two wars and hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of lives ruined, so too will Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. We are seeing only the first effects and getting glimpses of second-order effects. The broad third-order effects will not be visible for a long time, though they’ll be obvious in hindsight.
Attract More Ideal Clients Online with This One Shift
Inject targeted marketing content in a stepwise approach and be patient while the relationship builds as marketing prospects see and consume your content.
The Next Frontier: Text Messaging for Advisors
If there ever were a strategy to come close to being a sliver bullet for marketing, it’s texting. Before you click away from this screen, hear me out.
March Stock Rally Doesn’t Negate The Risk Of A Bear Market
A March stock market rally is likely, but does that mean the risk of a bear market is over?
The Competing Narratives in Ukraine — Which Will Win?
As of the end of last week, markets were in an emphatic “risk-on” phase. After the initial shock of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the S&P 500 had regained a stunning 6.6% in two days’ trading. I argued that the market was working on the assumption that Vladimir Putin would get what he wanted, and that the world could live with this.
A Stock Correction Doesn't Mean the Market Was Wrong
The S&P 500 Index officially fell into a correction on Tuesday, tumbling 10% from its record high on Jan. 3. The benchmark for U.S. stocks extended its decline on Wednesday, dropping as much as 1.8%. The word “correction” implies something was “wrong” with stocks.
Why Is Your Social Media Failing?
It's called social media for a reason. Most people get the media part. They share links back to their website, blog, or podcast. But they forget about the social part.
The Crackdown on Canadian Truckers Shines a Spotlight on Bitcoin and Gold
Unlike fiat currency, Bitcoin is decentralized and cannot be controlled by any central bank or politician, making it a powerful peer-to-peer payment network. Why else are some lawmakers and bureaucrats so eager to regulate or outright ban it?
Weekly Investment Strategy
Review the latest Weekly Headings by CIO Larry Adam.
Five Lessons from Drug Dealers and Hostage Negotiators
There’s so much you can learn from people who are able to create positive outcomes daily from tense situations. Here are four business skills I’ve gleaned from studying the ways of hostage negotiators, and one from the drug dealers who live down the hall.
Not So Quiet on the Eastern European Front
I’ve been asked for my thoughts on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
How to Use Podcasts to Grow Your Practice
Podcasting is the most intimate medium for communicating and building a relationship with clients and prospects on their time – through opt-in marketing. My guest today, Matt Halloran, has founded the only podcasting company that has compliance completely figured out. It specializes in helping advisors and professionals in highly regulated industries to start a podcast that turns skeptics into pre-sold fans.
How to Avoid the Most Common Compliance Concerns
Here are the most common compliance concerns and how your firm can avoid them.
Financial Spots Are Stars in First-Ever Crypto Super Bowl
Cryptocurrency exchanges and other financial services companies were stars amid a Super Bowl ad blitz that featured the return of many longtime sponsors and an overall more celebratory mood than last year.
Using Custom-Printed Marketing Materials
Custom-designed, printed marketing materials help customers know, like, and trust you by making your brand more recognizable and memorable, and deepen relationships with existing clients. Here’s how.
How Advisors Should Use their NIL to Build a Personal Brand
I work with student-athletes looking to cash in on their name, image, and likeness (NIL). But I also work with advisors and have found there are important similarities In how they achieve marketing greatness.
Why Generational Differences Matter Less Than You Think
We shouldn’t read too much into pop sociology, especially when investing other people’s money. William Strauss and Neil Howe built a following by studying substantive differences among generations: Baby Boomers, Millennials, Gen X and so forth. But that view is mistaken, according to Bobby Duffy.
Seven Signs It’s Time to Pivot Your Marketing
How do you know when it’s time to pivot your marketing?
Crypto, NFTs Are Rife With ‘Mountains’ of Fraud, IRS Says
IRS criminal investigators see cryptocurrencies and nonfungible tokens as ripe for fraud, including money laundering, market manipulation and tax evasion -- and even celebrities could get caught up in the agency’s probes.
Precautionary Stockpiling and Its Impact on Growth
Companies are buying raw and intermediate goods at a record pace, which we believe will influence economic growth in 2022.
Market Crash Hands Defeat to Traders Who Warred With Wall Street
Meme stocks, cryptocurrencies, the broader stock market: All have tumbled with astonishing speed this year, and few strategists think the pain will end here.
Seven Phrases that Scream, “I’m lying”
The following seven phrases tell you that someone is lying over email, instant messaging, or text.
Beijing’s Dilemmas
Many analysts project China will soon be larger by GDP than the US—which shouldn’t be so hard with a population four times larger—but it’s not clear to me that China’s seemingly unlimited linear growth will continue three or four more decades. I can remember when the same was said about Japan.
Use Quick Video Messages to Connect with Contacts
Sending quick video messages is an effective way to stay top of mind and regularly remind your connections that you are a resource they can count on and trust.
Four Mega-Trends Shaping the 2022 Outlook and Beyond
The global macro environment is ripe for EM assets outperformance as a combination of stronger growth in China, the end of exceptionalism in the US and less uncertainty on US interest rates, lead to a strong backdrop for EM assets.
Meme Coins Return to Earth as Gloom Overtakes Crypto Fanatics
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts who piled into meme coins such as Dogecoin and Shiba Inu amid the long-time industry rallying call of “to the moon” are finding this year’s journey back to earth pretty painful.
A Consumer’s Guide to Selecting a Wealth Advisor
Finding the right professional to manage your finances is challenging. Financial professionals have many different titles, certifications and qualifications, but which type is right for you?
How Advisors can Optimize Event Marketing
Here’s how advisors can maximize their event marketing ecosystem to drive more appointments from their in-person and digital events.
These Were the Biggest Investment Stories of 2021
In 2021, readers of the Investor Alert and Frank Talk were most interested in stories on gold mining, precious metals, natural resources and emerging markets (no surprise). But there was also interest in macroeconomic topics (inflation, mostly) as well as Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.
Inside A-Rod’s Sprawling Business Empire
Alex Rodriguez’s goals in business started as soon as he turned pro. Now on the other side of one of the most successful—and controversial—careers in baseball history, his ambitions are accelerating.
The Paranoid Style in American Investing
The year 2021 will be remembered as one in which markets tumbled down a rabbit hole and entered financial wonderland: A once-elite undertaking became more populist, tribal, anarchic and often downright bizarre.