1. The Silent Retirement Risk No One Warns Women About

In recent years, the combination of important financial topics and women have getting more attention and rightfully so. Many of those conversations have been positive or, at the worst, neutral. They’ve centered around subjects such as women being major beneficiaries of the great wealth transfer, positive lack of risk aversion relative to men and their willingness and desire for more financial education and top-tier advice. — Todd Shriber

2. Welcome to the Era of European Strategic Rearmament

NATO just changed the game. At its latest summit, the alliance unveiled a radical commitment: defense spending is to be raised to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP), combining traditional military budgets with infrastructure that supports dual-use resilience. This is not posturing—it's policy. Europe is no longer anchoring its defense architecture to Washington's umbrella. It is building a perimeter of its own, with investment-grade capital behind it. What this means for capital allocators is straightforward: the geopolitical burden is being regionalized, and money is flowing—by design—toward European industry. — Christopher Gannatti

3. Top 5 Marketing Questions Advisors Are Asking in 2025 – Answered

Advisors want to grow this year, but time is tight and client expectations keep rising. The most common themes we’re hearing? Advisors want help standing out, saving time, staying compliant, and getting real results. If you’re trying to bring in more right-fit prospects, these five questions are where most successful advisors are focused. — FMG

4. What’s Behind the Bullish Buzz? Analysts Upbeat on Earnings Forecasts

Markets traded mixed last week as macro headwinds collided with high-stakes earnings. The S&P 500 slipped -2.36%, while the Nasdaq fell 2.17% in a volatile tech-led week. Most of that decline came on Friday following a much weaker-than-expected jobs report and a resurgence in tariff announcements. Here are the data highlights. – Lance Roberts

5. Want To Succeed as a Financial Advisor? Follow These 17 Rules

You’re in a coaching session. The kind where real clarity shows up. You’ve been grinding, showing up, but deep down, you’re wondering: “What do the best advisors know that I don’t?” Your coach smiles, pauses, looks through his briefcase, picks out, and slides a sheet across the table. On it are 17 simple, powerful truths. Not opinions. Not theories. Just the rules that never change—no matter your country, city, firm, or market cycle. — Jeff Thorsteinson

6. What’s Holding Back Organic Growth in Wealth Management Today

Between 2018 and 2023, the S&P 500 grew at an annual compound growth rate of 12.4%. According to research by Cerulli, Hybrid RIAs (12.9%) were the only type of advisory firms on aggregate to exceed that figure in the growth of their AUM. Wirehouses (8.6%), national and regional BDs (11.3%), and even independent RIAs (11.2%) failed to keep pace. — Chris Heye, PhD

7. Will the Catholic Church Launch Its Own Cryptocurrency?

Here’s a prediction. In a few years, launching a crypto will be as common as launching a website. Your favorite coffee shop will have one. Your gym. Your go-to podcast. Maybe even your church. Today, most people still see cryptos as vehicles for speculation. A chance to get rich quickly. In reality, cryptos are extremely practical and versatile tools. You can use them to raise money… build customer loyalty… and give investors a stake in a business. — Stephen McBride

8. Permission To Prosper: Helping Retirees Let Go of Guilt and Embrace the Life They’ve Earned

It’s a funny thing about retirement. After decades of hard work, diligent saving, and putting others first, many people finally cross the finish line—only to realize they’re not sure how to live the very life they worked so hard to afford. Advisors and wealth managers often talk about preparing clients for retirement with numbers: asset allocations, Monte Carlo simulations, tax efficiency. But what many clients need in this new chapter isn’t a better withdrawal strategy—it’s emotional permission. Permission to spend. To enjoy. To indulge, without guilt, in the life they’ve built. — David Conti

9. Triple Your Advisory Practice in 2025—By Aiming Higher Than Ever

What if the real problem isn’t that your goals are too big—but that they’re not big enough? After working with an advisor who wanted to triple revenue in 10 years, I challenged him to think bigger—and faster. In this episode, I’ll break down why setting impossible goals is the key to unlocking breakthrough growth, and how leveraging unconventional strategies—like CPA partnerships—can fast-track your results. — Joseph Lukacs

10. Financial Plans Aren’t Selling—Here’s the Real Reason Clients Walk Away

Working with financial advisors as a coach and practice management expert I always get asked the question what do I do when the client or prospect does not want a plan? Financial advisors are baffled about why someone would not want a financial plan. There are several reasons why people would not want a financial plan, The number one reason is they had a crappy experience with another financial advisor and felt like it was a sales tactic and sales process to sell their products and services. — Grant Hicks

11. Stocks Are Surging—So Why Are Insiders Cashing Out?

While the market steadily rose throughout June and July, corporate insiders were growing less enthusiastic about the stock market. Less than a third of S&P 500 companies saw insiders purchase stock in their own company in July. That is the lowest figure since 2018. Moreover, the ratio of buys to sells for insiders fell to almost half of its longer-term average and now sits at its second-lowest reading in four years. Per Bloomberg’s article “Corporate Insiders Were Dumping Stocks Into July’s Record Rally“ — Michael Lebowitz