1. Why Gen X Women Are Advisors’ Biggest Growth Opportunity
The current age range for Gen X is 46 to 61 and according to some estimates, that demographic is populated by 65 million people in this country. From that it can be inferred that roughly 32.5 million are women, representing a lot clients and prospects for advisors. That age range also implies that only the oldest Gen Xers are knocking on the door of retirement, at least as defined by the earliest age at which Social Security can be claimed. In other words, there millions of women in the U.S. that are likely balancing family (perhaps to the tune of two generations) and work while entering the most financially crucial period of their lives. — Todd Shriber
2. Gold Monthly: Iran War Is a New Catalyst for Gold
New geopolitical events have been arriving fast and furious over the past year. Key events include Liberation Day in April 2025; regime change in Venezuela in January 2026; Trump’s discussion of possibly acquiring Greenland in January 2026; and then the start of the U.S./Israel-Iran war at the end of February 2026. — Christopher Gannatti, CFA & Nitesh Shah
3. 8 Fractional Leadership Roles Every Growing RIA Should Consider Now
Growing RIAs don’t always need another full-time hire. More often, they need to identify the right leadership gap and bring in the right person to help fill it. That’s where fractional professionals can make a lot of sense. They give firms access to senior-level expertise in areas like marketing, operations, compliance, finance, technology, or advisor development without adding every role to payroll too early. The key is being honest about which gap matters most right now. This is where the “Who, Not How” mindset applies. Instead of asking, “How do we figure this out ourselves?” the better question may be, “Who has already solved this problem, and how can we bring that experience into the firm?” — Joel Crampton
4. S&P Earnings Record May Be A Warning
The S&P 500 closed at a fresh all-time high Friday, capping a week in which the market did something remarkable: it largely stopped caring about Iran. That wasn’t recklessness. It was earnings. Five of the Magnificent Seven reported this week, and the results were, on balance, strong enough to shift the market’s center of gravity from geopolitical fear to fundamental momentum. As we wrote in “Hormuz, Why The Markets Are Shrugging Off The Oil Shock,” the market ultimately reprices around what matters most: earnings. We’re seeing exactly that play out now. — Lance Roberts
5. The Discipline Difference Between Average and Elite Advisors
Most Advisors already know what to do. That’s usually not the problem. They know they should prospect consistently. They know they should ask for commitment. They know they should listen more carefully and more patiently. None of those ideas are revolutionary. The challenge is repetition. — Don Connelly
6. AI Isn’t a Bubble—It’s a Supply Chain Gold Rush Hiding in Plain Sight
Have you seen this stat making the rounds... “Thanks to AI, the top 10 stocks now account for nearly 40% of the S&P 500.” It gets repeated on CNBC every morning. The implication is always the same: artificial intelligence (AI) is one giant bubble. And when it pops, it’ll take the whole market down with it. That’s the wrong way to look at it. AI isn’t one trade. It’s a rolling series of waves. Consider Nvidia (NVDA). It surged 10X in the early days of AI. Yet it’s flat since last October. Meanwhile, a lesser-known group of AI winners is ripping higher right underneath the surface. — Stephen McBride
7. Stop Asking for Referrals Until You Fix This Core Problem
There is no shortage of tricks and tips created specifically for financial advisors who want to get more referrals. And yet… The entire industry struggles hard to actually land referrals. You might ask your clients to refer others to you in hundreds of different ways, but you can't trace back a single client to a referral. — James Pollard
8. Prospecting Strategies for Advisors Who Hate Prospecting
Attrition happens. Financial advisors lose clients. There can be many reasons. Some are beyond the control of the advisor. Clients die. They move away. You need a strategy to identify and cultivate people with new client potential. This makes sense until it is described as the prospect pipeline because it awakens the reluctance many advisors have towards prospecting. What can you do if you despise traditional prospecting? — Bryce Sanders
9. The Most Profitable Client Conversation Advisors Still Aren’t Having
There are many advisory services which most professionals can provide to clients and a distinct area of opportunity is to look at combining those services where it makes sense to do so, and up-sell a higher value package of service to clients. Up-selling is not the same as cross-selling however, and while cross-selling presents its own opportunities it is the up-selling of professional services which tends to create greater client value. I mean that in both senses: greater value FOR the client, and greater value OF the client to the firm. — Tony Vidler
10. SpaceX IPO Is Coming: Smart Money Isn’t Buying on Day One
SpaceX and OpenAI are both getting ready to IPO. These will be historic events for the stock market. SpaceX will be the biggest public debut in history. We’ll have a lot to say about it leading up to its IPO, which is expected in June. Today, I (Chris Reilly) want to zero in on a specific question: Should you buy SpaceX on “Day 1” when it IPOs? — Chris Reilly
11. Cutting Through the Noise: How Robo-Advisors Will Actually Impact RIAs
If you read the current discourse around robo-advisors, you’d be forgiven for thinking that AI tools are rising as a replacement for human financial advice. It’s true that investors across major markets, like the US and Europe, are increasingly turning to AI-driven financial advice. Research shows that 56% of adults in the UK have used AI to help manage their money, with 37% turning to robo-advisory for investment research and 39% for financial planning. Similarly, in the US, 51% of consumers say they have turned to AI for financial advice. — Christopher Ainsworth