1. Advisers Must Make Case for Staying Invested in Volatility

Heightened bouts of volatility feels urgent in real time. Clients don’t experience markets as smooth, long-term compounding machines; they experience them through sharp drawdowns, rising oil prices, and relentless headlines.  The current Iran conflict has added to that pressure, lifting energy costs and unsettling sentiment. — Nigel Green

2. Do Wars and Geopolitical Crises Really Matter to Stocks?

History shows that markets tend to react quickly to geopolitical shocks. Over time though, it's the strength of the underlying economy, not the headlines, that ultimately determines the direction of markets. Short-term sell-offs during major conflicts are expected, but markets have bounced back every time. Since 1980, stocks were positive one year after the associated low in 8 of 10 cases and delivered gains three years later in every instance. — Lincoln Financial

3. When Helping Hurts: How Gen Z Dependence Is Derailing Parents’ Retirement Plans

Owing to the fact that as of this year, the age range for Gen Z is 14 to 29 years old, it stands to reason that based on age, a significant portion of this up-and-coming demographic is financially dependent on their parents. — Todd Shriber

4. AI Isn’t Replacing Advisors. It’s Redefining Who Adds Value.

At Future Proof Citywide last month, AI once again dominated the conversation – but the tone has notably shifted. The question is no longer whether AI will replace advisors. Instead, the focus has turned to which advisors will continue to stand out as the baseline for what constitutes “good” continues to rise. And that baseline is already moving. — Molly McClure

5. Advisor Movement Is Accelerating, but Most Are Missing the Real Signal

There’s a lot of noise right now around advisor movement… but if you read between the lines, the message is actually pretty simple. — Frank LaRosa

6. Will Private Credit Cause The Next Financial Crisis?

Believe it or not, it’s been 18 years since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Despite many detailed investigative reports on the events and even the popularity of The Big Short, a box-office hit and bestselling book, the role of subprime mortgages in the near-fatal collapse of the banking system remains a mystery to many investors. As a result, some people think that recent rumblings in private credit may be a precursor to a new financial crisis. — Michael Lebowitz

7. The Four Risks of Using AI for Marketing

I’m a marketer, not a lawyer—though I’ve been recognized for some tough mediation and negotiation skills by my three sons. Still, don’t take what I write below as legal advice. With that disclaimer out of the way, I want to introduce you to some of the legal implications of using generative AI in your marketing. If you are using an LLM such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Nano Banana, Claude, Midjourney, Firefly, or a similar tool to generate text, images or video, you need to understand a few legal basics that govern your rights as a creator. — Elizabeth Harr

8. Is the U.S. Running Out of Workers? Why Falling Labor Force Participation Matters Now

As a child of the 70s, I am pretty sure I never received a participation trophy for sports, or any other activities – at least none that I can recall. Now, I am not saying that participation trophies are a bad thing – my kids have received their fair share – or that my generation – Gen X – was cooler or tougher than the ones that followed, just that it was different back then, as a kid you were kind of on your own. Either way, participation, or the lack thereof, is the subject of this week’s note. — Tim Holland

9. Uncertainty Everywhere: Where Smart Investors Are Turning in 2026

War in the Middle East is sadly not a new concern. The rise and fall of empires – Roman, Persian, Ottoman, different religions, and valuable natural resources have all played a part in creating thousands of years of conflict. War has been fought between Israel and various Arab nations for nearly 80 years. — Emma Wall

10. Providing Clients a Steady Hand in a Volatile Market

March was a challenging month for the S&P 500 to say the least, and clients are looking to you for reassurance. Calamos Laddered S&P 500® Structured Alt Protection ETF® (CPSL) offers a straightforward, confidence-building solution that shows clients you’re actively looking out for them. — Calamos

11. Why Most Financial Advisors Are Digitally Invisible

As $4.3 trillion shifts hands annually in the Great Wealth Transfer, many firms are finding themselves functionally invisible to the very heirs and spouses they are trying to retain. The culprit? A reliance on "Social Media" strategies from 2015 that emphasize follower counts over actual authority. Lisa breaks down the seismic shift to Interest Media (a term coined by Gary Vaynerchuk) and explains why AI agents are now the gatekeepers of your firm's growth. This episode is a call to move past "Commodity Information" and start archiving your unique Judgment so that when the next generation of wealth go searching for answers, they find you. — Lisa Hinz