In this episode of Dear Ficomm, I help a financial advisor in New York elevate his website’s flow through better CTAs and word choice.

The myth of work-life balance has perpetuated unrealistic expectations and unnecessary stress. By recognizing the fluidity of life and embracing a more flexible approach, you can find greater fulfillment and mental well-being.

Wall Street is looking beyond the obvious megacap stocks to find the next leg of the artificial intelligence trade.

Tesla Inc. forming an autonomous taxi platform will be the catalyst for a roughly 10-fold increase in its share price, Ark Investment Management LLC’s Cathie Wood said, echoing years of bullish predictions about a business the carmaker has yet to stand up.

At Institutional Investor, keeper of Wall Street’s version of the Oscars for financial analysts, the winner in one category this year is — nobody.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. joined rival JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the tapping the US investment-grade market after reporting second-quarter earnings.

A growing number of Wall Street economists are cautioning the Federal Reserve is waiting too long to reverse course after raising interest rates to a two-decade high.

Since carriers are still digesting and figuring out how they want to cover DA, investment advisors should focus on working with a broker who understands this space. What was true six months ago, can easily be different now and in further down the road.

I thought I knew a lot about travel insurance until recently, when I learned something new. It was an expensive lesson.

Leveraging essential tools will energize teams, streamline operations, and drive growth. Financial advisors should actively promote education, training, networking, and personal development to foster a net wealth-supporting environment.

In short, your prospect isn’t looking for a relationship, they’re looking for someone to solve their problem. As a result, trying to build a relationship pre-sale invites the two-pronged consequence of having them doubt your motives and then reject your plan.

Credit markets are breathing a sigh of relief after inflation data showed price pressures are cooling broadly, but a weakening economy poses fresh risks to corporate debt.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. are joining rival JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the tapping the US investment-grade bond market after reporting second-quarter earnings.

Yield-hungry insurance firms are adopting an unconventional strategy: they’re skipping mortgage-backed bonds and buying the underlying whole loans outright.

It’s been clear since the fall of 2022 that the housing market needed lower interest rates to fix many of its problems including a lack of affordability for buyers, the mortgage rate lock-in dynamic for homeowners, and reduced activity for companies ranging from Home Depot Inc. and Lowe’s Cos. to suppliers of building materials.

Big tech companies have brought the 21st century some of its greatest innovations. Amazon.com Inc., Google search, Apple Inc.’s iPhone and other digital products have made people’s lives immensely more convenient and productive — a consumer benefit worth, by one estimate, more than $2.5 trillion a year. They deservedly dominate their respective markets.

A young colleague came to me recently with a shameful admission: Despite the lecturing of her friends and family, as well as her own best intentions, she had not yet signed up for the company 401(k) plan. She lives in an expensive city and is nervous about tying up her money for the next 40 or 50 years.

With the S&P 500 index up almost 18 percent since the beginning of this year, now may be a good time to check how well your retired or near retired clients’ household assets match up with their expected spending liabilities.

Notwithstanding whether there was a formal agreement, the petrodollar is not going anywhere. Even if Saudi Arabia accepts rubles, yuan, pesos, or gold for its oil, it will need to convert those currencies into dollars in almost all instances.

Conflicts are everywhere in financial planning. They exist in all fee models, whether they be commissions, assets under management, fixed fee, or hourly. Any time money changes hands there are conflicts of interests.

Apple Inc. surged to another record high on Monday after the tech giant was named a top pick at Morgan Stanley, with the broker seeing the launch of the company’s artificial intelligence platform triggering a record rush among users to upgrade their smartphones, tablets and computers.

BlackRock Inc. hauled in $51 billion of client cash to its long-term investment funds in the second quarter, pushing the world’s largest money manager to a record $10.6 trillion of assets.

No matter who wins November’s US presidential election, there’s a growing risk that Americans will be paying higher taxes next year, according to MacKay Shields LLC. That makes muni bonds an attractive shield.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s trading unit powered a surge in earnings in the second quarter.

Younger investors are thinking about their investment portfolios all wrong, and it’s not entirely their fault. Ultimately, it’s up to them to recognize where the best long-term returns lie before too much precious time is wasted.

Human nature is such that there are always some folks who put a negative spin on obviously good news.

The clubby world of private credit seems to be running out of space for the little guy.

Treasury yields tumbled after benign inflation data renewed confidence that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at least twice this year.

President Joe Biden, as you’ve no doubt heard, has had a rough few weeks. Yet on Tuesday, he signed a bill into law that could well prove transformative for America’s energy future. Here’s hoping — whatever happens in November’s election — that more progress lies ahead.

Thursday’s wildly encouraging consumer price index report shows that the Federal Reserve should be cutting policy rates at its meeting later this month. Unfortunately, they’ll probably keep us waiting until September.

The boom in portfolio trading is starting to creep into the market for state and local government debt.

As Pete Stavros addressed the private equity industry’s yearly shindig in Berlin last month, the KKR & Co. executive’s words were slightly less headline grabbing than those of Apollo Global Management’s co-president Scott Kleinman. But they were just as troubling.

Bond investors who’ve been positioning for a rally in the Treasury market are now looking for an endorsement from Thursday’s US inflation data.

Investors are growing increasingly concerned that US technology megacaps are spending too much on artificial intelligence, according Goldman Sachs Group Inc. strategists.

Bain Capital and Reverence Capital Partners have agreed a deal to take Envestnet Inc., a provider of wealth-management software, private.

One after another, the money-making trading formulas for China’s quantitative hedge funds are disappearing.

European stocks edged higher, extending gains into a second day, ahead of a key US inflation print that’s expected to show price pressures continuing to ease.

By some metrics, the US financial system is in great shape. All 31 banks that underwent the Federal Reserve’s stress tests this year maintained adequate capital even in a “severe” economic scenario.

Investors attach a $2.3 trillion valuation to Alphabet Inc. for its status as an internet search behemoth and AI innovator. Yet even that massive figure underplays YouTube’s true worth, according to analysts at Needham & Co.

Life has been getting busier for investment bankers, but dealmakers aren’t cashing any checks yet. A stream of big-ticket merger and acquisition announcements this year bodes well for future revenue and bonuses, but no one gets paid until deals are completed. And that might not happen until late 2024 or even next year.

Piper Sandler & Co. is eliminating its price target for the S&P 500 Index. Its Wall Street counterparts should follow suit.

Tracking down those in the technology industry cautious about artificial intelligence is much like looking for Republicans in San Francisco: There’s plenty of them out there, if you’d care to ask. And lately, they seem to be growing in number.

Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc. dropped plans to take board roles at OpenAI in a surprise decision that underscores growing regulatory scrutiny of Big Tech’s influence over artificial intelligence.

Trust is a precious commodity and the importance of authenticity cannot be overstated. Whether in healthcare, education, or business, being genuine and transparent is essential for building strong, lasting relationships. However, nowhere is this truer than in the financial advisory industry.

I love questions like this one – the chance to think creatively and brainstorm “what could be” without the stress of having to do something right now. I have some suggestions to start thinking about what you could do when you have more latitude and less financial responsibility.

AI and automation will revolutionize the financial advisory industry. These technologies enhance efficiency, improve client communication, and enable data-driven decision-making. By 2035, AI will be integral to most advisory firms.

As RIAs and broker-dealers consider how to allocate future spending, they would be wise to recognize how technology designed to support fee-for-service financial planning can help them meet their most immediate goals while also allowing them to grow and nurture next-generation wealth management clients.

Implementing the net wealth mindset in practice involves developing detailed financial plans that align with each client's needs and priorities, and crafting a client-centered service model.

Traditional selling has always been about persuasion and creating forward momentum in the sales conversation. Ironically, although your prospects have specific agendas, they won’t allow you into their world if they sense you’re operating with one.

Traders should brace for a significant pullback in the stock market as uncertainty swirls around the US presidential campaign, corporate earnings and Federal Reserve policy, according to Morgan Stanley’s Mike Wilson.