The Federal Reserve signaled late last week that it will likely cut its benchmark interest rate in September, which has already helped push mortgage rates lower, Freddie Mac says.

Salespeople should have multiple tools to demonstrate value to customers, asserts Collen Francis, including presentations, demos and calculators that show return on investment. "If you can put tools in all of those categories, you can build broad stakeholder engagement and a multithreaded value approach that shows everybody that you have their best interests at heart," Francis writes.

Brand strategist Sonia Thompson gives examples of how top brands such as Walmart, Lululemon and KitKat work to attract new customers—and grow sales—from underrepresented and underserved communities. In taking that extra effort to expand your customer base, "not only will you acquire more people from those communities, but you'll earn their loyalty as well," Thompson writes.

Social media managers often work as "teams of one" as they juggle multiple roles and are inundated with tips and algorithm hacks that rarely help, writes Jon-Stephen Stansel, founder of Saturn 9 Media. Companies can help this key marketing arm by giving social media pros budget and professional development opportunities, allow them to be part of related networking communities and don't hesitate to offer more praise than criticism.

Millennials have closed early wealth gaps, in large part thanks to rising home values during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Despite starting their careers in weak labor markets and facing higher Social Security retirement ages, their wealth-to-income ratio now surpasses that of Generation X and baby boomers at similar ages. However, the stability of this wealth, given potential housing market reversals and typical retirement spending habits, remains uncertain for their retirement readiness.

The company offering a suite of tools to help real estate professionals improve their personal safety and production in the field.

Budgeting for digital transformation can be a tricky process, writes Jon Lightman from ISG, but companies should do the upfront work to ensure a successful transformation. "Every transformation should have a robust and detailed business case that has defensible and realistic numbers for all elements of the transformation and considers the total cost of ownership," Lightman writes.

California real estate pro Jodie Francisco has become deeply involved in multiple efforts in Los Angeles to bring resources to the unhoused.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have introduced new tenant lease standards for the multifamily properties they back, including a five-day grace period for rent payments and a 30-day notice for both rent increases and lease expirations. These standards will apply to new loans under application starting in February 2025.

The Conference Board's U.S. consumer confidence gauge climbed to a six-month high in August, reaching 103.3 from a revised 101.9 the month before. Rate-cut prospects could be boosting sentiment, but it remains below prepandemic levels amid higher living costs and moderating job growth.

In observance of Labor Day in the US, SmartBrief will not publish Monday, Sept. 2.