Wealth Management
In 2023, pickleball’s popularity surged, with 13.6 million Americans taking part, almost matching baseball's 16.7 million players. This represents a significant increase from the previous year, continuing the sport's rapid growth. The rise in core participants, those playing frequently, grew by 111%, highlighting a dedicated player base.
Other sports also saw increases, with off-course golf, ice skating, and bowling all experiencing growth. Overall, 78.8% of Americans engaged in sports or physical activities, marking a steady increase over recent years, particularly among those aged 65 and older.
While team sports faced a decline in core participation between 2019 and 2022, 2023 showed a rebound, with notable increases in indoor soccer and team swimming.
Finsum: In many ways recreational facilities are becoming total social experiences offering the necessities for an ongoing communal experience.
The Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn the "Chevron deference" doctrine is expected to significantly impact the financial industry, creating greater regulatory uncertainty. This doctrine, based on a 1984 precedent, previously allowed government agencies to interpret the laws they administer with substantial autonomy.
Experts like Prof. Richard Lazarus from Harvard Law School anticipate that the ruling will disrupt the legal system, as much of lawmaking over the past 40 years relied on Chevron deference. Regulatory agencies such as the SEC, Federal Reserve, OCC, CFPB, and CFTC will now need to draft rules more carefully to align with specific statutory language.
Despite the potential for less regulation, large banks and industry groups have largely remained silent on the decision, though the American Bankers Association has expressed that the ruling underscores the necessity for federal agencies to operate within their statutory limits.
Finsum: We’ll see how tightly regulation becomes as an issue leading into falls major election.
The 2024 Summer Olympics are heading into their second weekend, marked by historic moments and unforgettable highlights.
Simone Biles' triumphant return captivated audiences as she led Team USA to gold and won the all-around competition, solidifying her status as the greatest gymnast of all time. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic is on the brink of achieving a career golden slam, needing just one more victory in the men's singles tennis finals. Controversy has also emerged, with the Chinese swimming team embroiled in a doping scandal after positive tests for banned substances were attributed to food contamination.
This combination of thrilling athletic feats and off-field drama has made the Paris Olympics memorable. The excitement continues to build as athletes push the limits of their sports, creating a truly historic event.
Finsum: Additionally, the social media world went crazy as a variety of characters emerged out of the competitive shooting competitions.
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Active decisions made by asset managers in creating and maintaining index-based products should be transparent to investors, and the CFA Institute has developed a framework to assist in this. This framework aims to improve transparency, communication, and investor understanding of innovations such as smart beta ETFs and direct indexing.
It explains index-based strategies according to their level of active decision-making, placing indexing on a spectrum beyond traditional market cap weighting based on strategy, sources of returns, and level of discretion.
Rhodri Preece, CFA, highlights the outdated nature of a simple bifurcation between active and passive investment products, emphasizing the varied design features and layers of active decision-making in index-based strategies.
Finsum: Moreover, advisors need to be more familiar with these products because they bring solid advantages to clients.
Being an independent financial advisor gives you the freedom to design your business, but it also requires finding the right support to manage associated challenges. Choosing a broker-dealer that aligns with your business model and values is crucial for success.
In your next broker dealer, you need to make sure they can provide you with essentials for managing and growing your platform. These include client service teams, research insights and marketing expertise.
Evaluate potential partners based on their technology, service quality, and transition support to ensure they enhance your practice. The right broker-dealer will help you thrive and achieve your business goals.
Finsum: Keep in mind a combination of what your current broker dealer is lacking and potential innovations when selecting a new BD.
When evaluating an annuity, the advisor typically presents an illustration that outlines future values and any applicable surrender charges.
For a multi-year guaranteed annuity (MYGA), focusing solely on guaranteed values without much variability, except for potential market-value-adjustment penalties during the surrender period. On the other hand, a fixed indexed annuity features a more complex illustration, including guaranteed cash values and hypothetical future values based on favorable market performance. These annuities earn interest tied to changes in a market index like the S&P 500, offering the security of principal protection even if the index declines. However, the growth is limited, as you will only receive a portion of the index gains.
Understanding the specifics of these illustrations is vital, particularly distinguishing between the different types of value presented to clients.
Finsum: Annuities can be complex but understanding your client’s interest can put them in the perfect vehicle.