1. Now Is When Investors Make the Most Mistakes
The things that terrify other people will probably terrify you too, but to be successful an investor has to be stalwart. After all, most of the time the world doesn’t end, and if you invest when everyone else thinks it will, you’re apt to get some bargains.“ Such is the point where investors make the most mistakes. Emotions make them want to sell. However, from a contrarian view, such is precisely the time you want to be a buyer. — Lance Roberts
2. How We’ll Know Stocks Have Bottomed (Long Before CNBC Announces It)
Stocks continue to struggle. Two weeks ago, the S&P 500 closed down 2.92%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended down 4.14%. But something changed in the markets a couple weeks ago… All year, a few key sectors have consistently defied weak markets and marched higher. Commodity-related stocks like oil, metals, and fertilizer went up while many other stocks went down. But two weeks ago, the selling pressure was indiscriminate. Even the sectors that were consistently outperforming the market plunged. — Justin Spittler
3. The Dominant Investing Theme of the Decade
It’s the simplest secret in all of investing: Find the dominant theme of the decade… and bet on it. Do this one thing right, and stock market profits will effortlessly flow into your brokerage account. Today, I’ll tell you the dominant theme of the 2020s. First, take a look at this table. It shows the world’s largest companies by decade since 1980. You’ll notice the companies are almost completely different each decade… — Stephen McBride
4. We Need Same-Day Financial Firms
I’ve been writing about banks needing to refresh core systems for years, and I’m fed up with it. I’ve also been writing about the new business model of digital banking based upon apps, APIs and analytics for years, and I’m fed up with it. We need to move on. ANY bank that is still running on a platform built before 2000 is dead. ANY bank that Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) is dead. ANY bank that has not researched and internalized blockchain and AI is dead. — Chris Skinner
5. Which Clients To Keep; Which Ones To Fire
More clients is good, right? But when you have plenty of clients on the books the question becomes which clients to keep. Or which ones to get rid of. Actually, advisers should be constantly asking these questions regardless of how big their book of clients actually is. They are not questions which should only get triggered because we reached a certain size or volume of clients. — Tony Vidler
6. STOP. DOING. THIS. NOW. It’s Not What Your Clients Need Most
Financial markets are volatile. Don’t expect graphs of historical market performance to immediately make your clients feel better. — Paul Kingsman
7. Inflation Conversation Looms Large for Advisors
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 8.3% in April. These days, that’s considered “easing” and in the most literal sense of easing, it is. After all, the CPI checked in at a staggering 8.5% in March. If a month-over-month drop to 8.3% from 8.5% is considered progress, the reality is there’s much more work to be done to rein in inflation and numbers such as though confirm it’s going to be awhile and not going to be easy to get consumer prices back to more manageable levels. — Todd Shriber
8. How to Deal With Not “Right Fit” Existing Clients, Referrals, and Prospects (Kindly!)
Today I am letting you in on a conversation about how to handle clients, referrals and prospects that are just not a right fit for your practice for whatever reason. — Libby Greiwe
9. The Four Wealth Destroyers
How taxes, inflation, fees, and overreacting to the market impact our savings, income, and investments. He also unveils ways we can avoid making common mistakes and make better decisions with our money. — Kris Dureau
10. Everyone Lives by Selling Something
Treasure Island was a novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is a classic. The famous writer also made the important observation “Everyone lives by selling something.” This speaks to pride in your profession as a financial advisor. — Bryce Sanders
11. 17 Surprising Statistics About Employee Retention
Does power lie in the hands of employees? In today’s job market it does, and leaders must address the causes of attrition to retain their workforce. Employee loyalty is hard to earn but ultimately the key to business success. If you haven’t had time to think deeply about your company culture — or if you’re just starting to build out the business — finding out why a great employee leaves (or what you can do to keep one) can be a bit of a mystery. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few surprising employee retention statistics and how to avoid losing valuable team members. — Lori Li