11 Most Read Articles of the Week!

1. Is the 60/40 Really Dead?

Since emerging from the Financial Crisis, a 60/40 portfolio of U.S. stocks and bonds has earned a whopping 11.5% average annual return.  However, 2022 has been a particularly challenging year for the 60/40, which declined 16.1% in the first half of the yearThis has prompted the question—is the 60/40 dead? — Meera Pandit

2. 9 Ways to Boost Referrals in a Volatile or Bear Market

Some advisors shy away from creating referral opportunities during bear and volatile markets, while others seize on the opportunities that are all around them. At the risk of being overly simplistic, it probably boils down to your belief in the value you bring during these times. If you believe you are as valuable to your clients during a bear market or uncertain economic times you probably never stop looking for people to serve. If, however, you doubt your value when everything isn’t smooth sailing, then you probably miss the opportunities that are right in front of you. — Bill Cates

3. Nail the First Meeting with a Prospective Client: Address What Your Prospects Want to Know

It takes a lot of time, patience, and effort to move a prospect through the funnel to the point when they finally agree to meet with you. For every prospect that makes it that far probably six to nine fall by the wayside. That makes that first meeting ever so crucial. There’s a lot that must be accomplished. It has to go perfectly. There’s a minimal margin for error. — Don Connelly

4. How Advisors Can Leverage Market Turbulence for Better Client Relationships

Experienced advisors know that turbulent market environments, including the current one, are ideal times for solidifying existing client relationships and fostering new ones. On a very much related note, seasoned advisors know that their job often entails some elements of psychology. Meaning that in rocky market settings, clients are apt to need higher levels of personalized attention, hand-holding – nothing wrong with that – and service that extends beyond mere investment allocation and market discussions. — Todd Shriber

5. Inflation or Recession, Which Concern Is Driving The Market?

Some investors were paying attention to the changes in the Fed’s tone on May 4th and the hawkish anti-inflation rhetoric in the following weeks. They sensed the Fed decided how to handle their trolley car problem. How do we know this? The price relationship between growth and cyclical stocks changed a few weeks after that meeting. Further, bond yields reversed course. These subtle market changes alerted us that the market’s inflation concerns were taking a back seat to recession fears.  Assuming its durability, such a change in sentiment can have significant implications for managing portfolio risk and maximizing returns. To help appreciate the market’s message, we must first discuss the primary factors driving growth and cyclical stocks. — Michael P. Lebowitz

6. Market Volatility Has One Final Act

With inflation still in the early innings, we expect market volatility to continue—but we’re certainly closer to the end with opportunities starting to emerge among oversold assets. When Will It be Over? The short answer: not yet. Financial tightening by central banks is never good for financial assets. And while the first half of 2022 has already been painful, we are only now in mid-summer, experiencing the onset of “quantitative tightening,” which is when the central banks stop buying bonds. This, to me, is the final act in this process, and it may take a few months to work itself out. I am hoping that there are no implosions by major, indebted countries, or major dislocations in fixed income or banking markets. — Jan van Eck

7. How Inflation and Recession are Causing Concern with Advisors

Advisorpedia interviewed Dodd Kittsley, Director at Davis Advisors, at BNY Mellon | Pershing INSITE in June, 2022. — Advisorpedia Media Group

8. How Are Financial Advisors Getting New Clients in 2022?

The more we are exposed to something, the more likely we are to say we like and trust it. When someone watches your videos, reads your words and hears you explain things, it can put them at ease. It makes them feel as if they “know” you. And psychology tells us that the more we feel we know someone, the more likely we are to trust them. Content marketing provides a way to share thoughts and build this trust. — Samantha Russell

9. Are You for Real or Full of It? How HNW People Can Tell

You have worked hard to get yourself into HNW circles.  Maybe you were accepted into the country club or asked to join the board of the hospital.  Now you are finding yourself in social situations where everyone is a heavy hitter and you don’t know anyone.  YOYO or “You are on your own” is the rule of the day.  How do these people determine if you are for real? (or not?) — Bryce Sanders

10. The Power of Integrated Marketing

Improving your website’s search engine ranking has become more challenging than ever. Each time search engines update their algorithms, website traffic experiences a drop. Ads now dominate search engine results pages and offer higher click-through rates. Social media platforms have made it harder for individuals and businesses to ramp up their visibility. The marketplace of digital content is more crowded than ever. As the world’s largest platforms strive to grow their dominance of the online user’s experience, marketers need to take a more comprehensive, multi-layered approach for their firms to survive and thrive. After all, these platforms are not only forums for engagement; they now compete for your audience’s attention and time. — Ashley Bailey, Kevin Bloom and Rowena Figueroa

11. Avoid This Disruptor in Decline

I’m blacklisting one of today’s most popular disruptor stocks... It’s the most popular and well-known crypto company in America. You’ve surely heard of it… and you may even use it. And while its stock is down 85%... and seems like a bargain to many investors... I’m not touching it. I’ll share why today. It all has to do with a pattern that plays out time and time again with disruptor stocks. The same pattern that helped me warn readers to avoid Netflix back in 2018 before it fell 40% in five months. — Stephen McBride