Category: Analysis

Analysis

Improving The Scalability Of Flat-Fee Models To Capture The ‘Whole Value’ Of Advice

Market Expert Sep 1, 2026

Over the decades, the work that financial advisors do has changed considerably – from product sales to investment management to more 'holistic' financial advice and behavioral coaching. As the advisor's offerings have shifted, so too have their fee models: product sales have evolved towards an assets under management (AUM) model. Some of today's advisors, facingRead More... The post Improving The Scalability Of Flat-Fee Models To Capture The ‘Whole Value’ Of Advice first appeared on Kitces.com.

Analysis

Using A “Pillow Test” To Make The Hard Business Decisions On The Way To $3.5B AUM: #FASuccess Ep 505 With Andrew Rosen

Market Expert Sep 1, 2026

Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 505th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast! My guest on today's podcast is Andrew Rosen. Andrew is the executive chairman of Diversified, LLC, an RIA based in Wilmington, Delaware, that oversees approximately $3.6 billion in assets under management for 2,500 client households. What's unique about Andrew, though, is howRead More... The post Using A “Pillow Test” To Make The Hard Business Decisions On The Way To $3.5B AUM: #FASuccess Ep 505 With Andrew Rosen first appeared on Kitces.com.

Analysis

Dolly Parton

Market Expert Aug 31, 2026

1. What you’ve got to know is she WROTE those songs! So it’s October 1973. I’m driving with the top down on my 1963 Chevy Impala trying to get something on the radio. This was before cassette decks. Sure, you could buy an aftermarket 8-track, but they sat under the dash and were notorious… Read More The post Dolly Parton appeared first on The Big Picture.

Analysis

MiB: David Booth, Dimensional Fund Advisors Founder & Chairman

Market Expert Aug 30, 2026

This week, I speak with David Booth, founder and chairman at Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) and author of the new book, Stay Calm. We discuss his time at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he was the research assistant to American economist and Nobel Laureate Eugene Fama, before leaving… Read More The post MiB: David Booth, Dimensional Fund Advisors Founder & Chairman appeared first on The Big Picture.

Analysis

Wanted: A More Humble Fed

Market Expert Aug 29, 2026

My professional focus has been identifying and trying to correct the common behavioral errors we all make as investors. One cannot help but notice how similar mistakes are made by these collections of people operating within large organizations. It is a side effect of observing markets and the economy: giant institutions making errors.… Read More The post Wanted: A More Humble Fed appeared first on The Big Picture.

Analysis

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (August 29–30)

Market Expert Aug 29, 2026

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" – this week's edition kicks off with the news that Vanguard is planning to acquire RIA custodian Altruist and how it is likely to send ripples across the wealth management and asset management spectrum. While it immediately provides Altruist with the backing of an enormousRead More... The post Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (August 29–30) first appeared on Kitces.com.

Analysis

At The Money: Dividend Growth with David Bahnsen

Market Expert Aug 27, 2026

At The Money: Dividend Growth with David Bahnsen (August 25, 2026) Dividends are among the oldest and most highly regarded forms of equity investing. But in an era of mega-cap growth, should you own dividend-paying equities? Full transcript below. ~~~ About this week’s guest: David Bahnsen is founder, managing partner and chief investment… Read More The post At The Money: Dividend Growth with David Bahnsen appeared first on The Big Picture.

Analysis

What’s Upsetting the Bond Market?

Market Expert Aug 26, 2026

This question keeps coming up — first Cash, now Bonds — so it’s probably time to address why the fixed-income market seems to be having a rough go of it lately… This has been a confusing couple of weeks (years?) for market watchers and bond investors: Yen interventions; announced (but not yet executed) Treasury… Read More The post What’s Upsetting the Bond Market? appeared first on The Big Picture.

Analysis

Medicaid Planning Trade-Offs: The Ethical Challenges In Balancing Asset Preservation And Care Needs

Market Expert Aug 26, 2026

One of the most challenging realities of retirement planning is the risk that long-term care needs in the final few years of life can consume a disproportionate amount of a household's entire retirement savings. At best, this culminates in a fear that someone might not be able to afford their desired level of care inRead More... The post Medicaid Planning Trade-Offs: The Ethical Challenges In Balancing Asset Preservation And Care Needs first appeared on Kitces.com. Click the icon below to listen.

Analysis

Taking Your Growth To The Next Level By Building An Authentic Personal Brand: #FASuccess Ep 504 With Sheri Fitts

Market Expert Aug 26, 2026

Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 504th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast! My guest on today's podcast is Sheri Fitts. Sheri is the founder of Sheri Fitts and Co., a marketing, event, and consulting business that works alongside financial advisors and firms. What's unique about Sheri, though, is how she helps financial advisors developRead More... The post Taking Your Growth To The Next Level By Building An Authentic Personal Brand: #FASuccess Ep 504 With Sheri Fitts first appeared on Kitces.com.

Analysis

Transcript: Alex Morris, “Buffett and Munger Unscripted

Market Expert Aug 25, 2026

The transcript from this week’s, MiB: Alex Morris, “Buffett and Munger Unscripted,” is below. You can stream and download our full conversation, including any podcast extras, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube (video), YouTube (audio), and Bloomberg. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite pod hosts can be found here. ~~~ MASTERS… Read More The post Transcript: Alex Morris, “Buffett and Munger Unscripted appeared first on The Big Picture.

Analysis

How Seller Multiples For Advisory Firms Get Reduced Post-Deal By Retention And Earnout Growth Contingencies

Market Expert Aug 25, 2026

When selling a business, it's only natural to want to negotiate for the highest price you can. In the context of the advisory business, this has led to a growing focus on the "going rate" valuation multiples of revenue or earnings (EBITDA), with advisors asking what they can do to maximize the overall sale priceRead More... The post How Seller Multiples For Advisory Firms Get Reduced Post-Deal By Retention And Earnout Growth Contingencies first appeared on Kitces.com.

Analysis

MiB: Alex Morris, “Buffett and Munger Unscripted”

Market Expert Aug 23, 2026

This week, I speak with Alex Morris, author of “Buffett and Munger Unscripted: Three Decades of Investment and Business Insights from the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder Meetings.” They discuss his research into the legendary investors and the challenges in interpreting markets. The book dives into decades of Berkshire’s annual meetings. Morris began… Read More The post MiB: Alex Morris, “Buffett and Munger Unscripted” appeared first on The Big Picture.

Analysis

The Written Word Is Not Your Work Product

Market Expert Aug 22, 2026

There has been a lot of discussion about the impact of AI slop on writing and other creative works. I can’t speak to AI music or AI-created actors, but I can talk a bit about writing. To me, the biggest single issue is output over process. Any output – from a full-length book… Read More The post The Written Word Is Not Your Work Product appeared first on The Big Picture.

Analysis

Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (August 22–23)

Market Expert Aug 22, 2026

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" – this week's edition kicks off with the news that the recent termination of an editor at Forbes over a payment received from the founder of a company it worked with to produce "best advisor" rankings brings to light that such lists are quite subjectiveRead More... The post Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (August 22–23) first appeared on Kitces.com.

Analysis

How Wealth Is Created in America

Market Expert Aug 20, 2026

Recent claims of the “Closing of the K” are wishful thinking. I have a longish piece on this that I plan to cut down to a manageable size soon. But before we can intelligently discuss “K” or “C” or “E,” we need to understand the two arms of the K. In particular, what is… Read More The post How Wealth Is Created in America appeared first on The Big Picture.

Analysis

Working With ‘Misengaged Couples’: Ways To Engage Both Parties In Planning Conversations

Market Expert Aug 20, 2026

When advisors work with couples, the goal is to make both parties feel seen and heard. Yet while many advisors aim to include both clients, this is often easier said than done. One client may be very engaged in the financial planning relationship, and the other may be less enthused by the prospect of meetingRead More... The post Working With ‘Misengaged Couples’: Ways To Engage Both Parties In Planning Conversations first appeared on Kitces.com. Click the icon below to listen.

Analysis

Helping Clients Align Their Capital To What’s REALLY Important When They Don’t Know What Is: Kitces & Carl 197

Market Expert Aug 20, 2026

The value of financial planning often stems from helping clients realize their goals… both in the literal financial sense of managing cashflow and in the figurative sense of determining what those goals actually are. The former is often 'just' a question of good planning, but the latter takes continual time and investigation. Aspirations like owningRead More... The post Helping Clients Align Their Capital To What’s REALLY Important When They Don’t Know What Is: Kitces & Carl 197 first appeared on Kitces.com.