1. Are Investors Through the Worst of It Yet?
The volatility of the past few months is typical of a bear market. While the defining characteristic is a negative return of 20% or more, it is common that stocks rally at certain times through the bottoming process, only to stall like they did in the late summer and may do again if the current rally can’t be sustained. Part of this is just a function of time. Notwithstanding the swift and unprecedented rebound from the pandemic selloff in early 2020, it usually takes several months if not years for equity markets to right themselves completely. For instance, during the Global Financial Crisis, the peak-to-trough drawdown in the S&P 500 Index lasted almost 17 months. — Kevin McCreadie
2. 7 Rules To Navigate The Final Leg Of A Bearish Market
Following the weaker-than-expected October inflation report, stocks surged on hopes the Fed will “pivot” sooner than later. As we discussed recently, a “policy pivot” is not necessarily bullish but instead suggests more bearish market action will come first. — Lance Roberts
3. 5-Step Approach To Addressing Mistakes With Your Clients
Any successful person would agree that making mistakes—and learning from them—is as vital to one’s growth and development as any training or life experience. That’s good because we’re human, and we all make mistakes. Even the brightest and most conscientious financial advisors make mistakes periodically. While mistakes that impact clients can be serious, they don’t have to be the end of the world or a career. — Don Connelly
4. Private Commercial Real Estate Beckons for Savvy Advisors
Amid rising interest rates in the U.S., the rate-sensitive universe of publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) is languishing this year. That’s a potentially thorny issue for advisors that have long turned to real estate as an avenue for buffering client portfolios against inflation because the Consumer Price Index (CPI) resides at 40-year highs, based on data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. — Todd Shriber
5. Retirement Is Only the Starting Line with Steve Gresham
Steve Gresham is the Founder and CEO of The Execution Project, a consulting firm providing tools, training, and adoption strategies in support of better “retirement.” Live from our fall Advisorpedia Podcast Pop-Up in New York City, Doug and Steve explore The Execution Project’s initiatives of wealth management and retirement while also examining industry trends from different perspectives. — Power Your Advice
6. Wealthy Investors Are Optimistic
The stock market and economy has been a roller coaster ride throughout 2022. The stock market has had huge ups and downs, and investors are experiencing increased inflation, increased fuel costs, and a struggling economy. Logic would think that this would be enough to make investors pessimistic about their financial future, yet many investors are not. — Catherine McBreen
7. What Is the Outlook for Long-Term Returns?
The start of this month saw the release of our 2023 Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions, where we forecast economic growth, inflation, and asset returns over a 10–15-year horizon. The current report stands in stark contrast to prior years, which were characterized by a relatively muted outlook for returns from both stocks and bonds. In fact, the combination of higher yields and lower valuations – both of which have materialized in the wake of extreme shifts in the macro landscape this year – now suggest that markets offer the best potential long-term returns in more than a decade. — David Lebovitz
8. How Your Superpower Can Lead to More Business
All of us have something we are good at doing. I have no natural rhythm, but I can write. That special skill we have is our “superpower.” What is yours? How can it lead to more business? There was a joke during World War II that the Army took people who were great cooks and taught them to be mechanics and vice versa. In the financial services business, you want to figure out what you do best and apply that skill towards making money and building a good career. — Bryce Sanders
9. The Forgotten Gold of Your Business
The lifetime value of our clients is not just how you may serve them over a lifetime, it’s also who they can introduce you to over the lifetime of the relationship. — Bill Cates
10. Why Do the Bigger Brands Control the Advice Marketplace?
It’s easy to pick holes in the business models of some of the big, branded players. Yet, despite how easy it is for us to pour scorn on them, clearly they must be doing some things right to succeed. My suggestion is to make a list of all the things you think they do wrong (that’s pretty easy), and then create a list of what you suspect they are doing really well (now it gets interesting). I had dinner recently with Nick Cann (former CEO at the IFP) and Kevin Garforth (an experienced financial services executive). We were discussing the topic of what brands like St James’s Place do well. — Brett Davidson
11. 5 Basic Tips for Helping Your Next Customers Find You
In a perfect world customers find you, rather than you having to find them. The world is never entirely perfect of course, but certainly we can often do better in having customers find us…and the good news is that today’s customers are out there looking for the right provider. — Tony Vidler