For the more than two decades, the concepts of “quality” and “efficiency” have been woven into the operational fabric of major global companies. Six Sigma and ISO 9000 have had profound impacts on several industries – most notably manufacturing and shipping/distribution. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification has become an international standard in large-scale commercial and residential construction.   Read the full article in the downloadable PDF »
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The first calendar quarter of 2017 saw a continuation of the prior quarter’s positive performance in most capital markets, with global equity markets delivering further gains, and extending the equity markets’ rally that accelerated in the last two months of 2016 (a.k.a. “the Trump Bump”). Domestic and developed foreign equity markets around the globe delivered solid, mid-single-digit returns last quarter, with most of those gains gleaned in the first two months of the new calendar year. Momentum in the stock markets cooled in March, as investors’ sentiment reached dangerously high levels, leaving few “buyers” holding capital on the sidelines, and
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Now that your attention has been garnered, perhaps some clarification is in order. Think about it. As a financial advisor and/or financial planner, your life is devoted to detail. Consider the moving parts of onboarding new clients. Aligning calendars to schedule meetings. Forms and questionnaires. Privacy notices. Prospectuses. Form ADV brochures. Client folder prep, either digitally or manually. And, complying with the DOL Fiduciary Rule will only add to the list.   Read the full article in the downloadable PDF »
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Earlier this month (March 9th), the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, a “proxy” for U.S. stock markets, celebrated the eighth anniversary of the end of its most recent “bear market” decline. Its chilling effects still fresh in many investors’ memory, the bear market that ended eight years ago will long be remembered as a nasty side effect of “The Great Housing/Credit Crisis”. The stock market’s violent decline took just seventeen months from start to finish, but it took (-57%) of the market’s capital as well (Source: www.marketwatch.com). Since its merciful end on March 9th, 2009, when the Index closed at
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To say that change is sneaking up on an entire group of financial advisors who may not have seen it coming and now face tough decisions about the future of their practices is probably not an understatement at all…   Read the full article in this downloadable PDF.
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The Bella Twins meet with financial planner Aaron Brodt of Ashton Thomas.
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Is it just me, or are the capital markets seemingly oblivious to the “warning signs” I see forming on the investment horizon? Is it the incredible heat we’re experiencing here in the desert this summer that is causing market participants to “see” refreshing oases in the near-term horizon, or are they just mirages? As the first half of calendar-year 2017 comes to an end, it’s an opportune time to review market and economic conditions as they are today, not as we wish them to be, and to try to identify “trends” that may impact our clients’ capital during the remainder
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Greetings, The second calendar quarter of 2017 saw a continuation of global capital market advances, particularly in overseas markets, continuing the rotation away from the U.S. capital markets we noted in last quarter’s Investor Quarterly. More attractive equity valuations in European, Asian and Emerging Markets saw net capital flows headed that way, causing U.S. capital markets to underperform foreign markets for the first time in several years. Broadly speaking, while equity market returns globally were relatively strong in Q2 2017, both foreign and domestic equity markets saw a deceleration in their advances during the second quarter, when compared to the
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Recently, we explored the concepts of simplicity and efficiency in managing a financial advisory/planning practice. With those lessons learned – or constantly being learned, as growth is a process – the focus now turns to profitability. While some financial advisors get into the business purely for the rush of being a “hunter” finding new opportunities, many of the best financial professionals choose the career path because they want to help people. People who help people for a living often do not think about profitability as a primary objective. Read the full article in the downloadable PDF »
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