WebCE's Weekly-Wrap Up: May 2, 2025
WebCE Staff
By
May 2, 2025
This week’s most impactful stories spotlight major structural shifts across housing, finance, and regulation. A surge in pending home sales and Gen Z’s evolving approach to real estate signal renewed momentum in the housing market, while the IRS’s updated HSA contribution limits and Social Security’s new digital access point mark important changes for financial planning and security.
At the same time, FINRA’s move to ease side gig reporting and the accelerating shift toward fee-based advisory models reflect a broader evolution in how professionals work—and how clients are served. Whether you're watching the market, rethinking your business model, or planning for the future, this week’s updates offer key insights across the board.
Let’s jump in.
Top News of the Week
From TikTok to Title: Gen Z’s Approach to Home Buying (REALTOR Magazine)
“What they lack in life experience, they often make up for with diligence in research. At the same time, they understand their limited experience and turn to agents not just as transaction facilitators but as consultants. They’re often eager to be introduced to financial advisers, attorneys and loan officers.”
Pending Home Sales Jumped 6.1% in March (Realty Times)
“Pending home sales increased 6.1% in March – the greatest month-to-month increase since December 2023 (+7.0%) – according to the National Association of Realtors®. The Northeast experienced month-over-month losses in transactions, while the Midwest, South and West saw gains, which were most substantial in the South. Year-over-year, contract signings grew in the Midwest but fell in the Northeast, South and West – with the Northeast undergoing the greatest decrease.”
FINRA Seeks to Ease Reporting Rules on Side Gigs (Think Advisor)
“Activities that are not investment related are common and varied, FINRA's proposal states, and "removing reporting requirements for such activities would relieve both registered persons and members from costs associated with this reporting and its review."”
Social Security Administration Introduces Secure Digital Access to Social Security Numbers (Social Security Administration)
“The Social Security Administration (SSA) is taking steps to provide a significant enhancement for my Social Security account holders, by introducing secure digital access to their Social Security number (SSN).”
Shift toward fee-based models accelerates among independent advisors (Investment News)
“Cerulli finds that by 2026, 54% of financial advisors expect to derive at least 90% of their revenue from advisory fees—up from 44% in 2024. At the same time, the number of advisors relying on mixed fee-and-commission models is projected to decline significantly. This marks a continued shift away from transactional models toward fee-based planning and relationship-driven service.”
Perceptions of accounting brighten among students (Journal of Accountancy)
“Recent research by the Center for Audit Quality (CAQ) found that about two-thirds of nearly 3,500 U.S. high school and college students agreed with the statement, “Accounting is a field where you can add real value at a company/organization.”...Just over half of respondents to the most recent survey agreed that “Accountants have a good/work life balance,” up from about 40% who said the same three years ago.”
Expanding Funeral Homes as Event Centers (Funeral Business Magazine)
“Reimagining funeral homes as event spaces taps into the growing demand for affordable, accessible venues. For clients, it offers a practical alternative to traditional event spaces. For funeral homes, it opens up an overlooked revenue stream—because a well-designed space doesn’t have to wait for only one kind of gathering.”
U.S. payroll growth totals 177,000 in April, defying expectations (CNBC)
“Nonfarm payrolls increased a seasonally adjusted 177,000 for the month, slightly below the downwardly revised 185,000 in March but above the Dow Jones estimate for 133,000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The unemployment rate held at 4.2%, as expected, indicating that the labor market is holding relatively stable. The survey of households, which is used to calculate the jobless rate, showed an even stronger gain, with an increase of 436,000 in those who reported holding jobs on the month.”
How Myers-Briggs test helped CPA find the right job (Journal of Accountancy)
“Discovering your personality type can reveal circumstances that motivate you, identify your strengths and challenges, understand how you perceive the world around you, and determine environments that fill rather than drain your energy.”
IRS Raises HSA Contribution Limits for 2026 (CPA Practice Advisor)
“In Revenue Procedure 2025-19, the IRS said for calendar-year 2026 the annual contribution limit for an individual with self-only coverage under a high-deductible health plan will be $4,400, up $100 from $4,300 in 2025. Last year, the amount climbed $150 from $4,150 in 2024. For an individual with family coverage, the amount is $8,750, an increase of $200 from $8,550 in 2025 and $450 from $8,300 in 2024.”
Top Podcast of the Week
Navigating Zillow’s New Listing Ban with Errol Samuelson
Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered
53 Minutes
Why did Zillow just drop a bombshell listing ban? Zillow's Chief Industry Officer, Errol Samuelson, breaks the silence exclusively with Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered to address their new listing ban.
They dissect Zillow's stance on office exclusives and delayed marketing, exploring the fairness principle driving their decision. They discuss how Zillow arrived at this decision, the internal debates, and whether they're bracing for DOJ backlash.
Get the unfiltered truth on why Zillow is banning certain listings and what it means for the future of inventory visibility.
Weekend Wind-Down
David Duchovny lists longtime Malibu home for $12.5M — complete with a restored train caboose
The free-standing train caboose is the $12.5 million listing’s most striking feature. The caboose was there when Duchovny bought the property, the Wall Street Journal reported, which he initially rented from “The X-Files” creator Chris Carter.
Duchovny spent about $1 million renovating the train car into a guesthouse, according to the outlet. The space consists of a sleeping area, a built-in dining nook, a bathroom with a rainfall shower and a rooftop deck. He called the caboose reno “one of the things I’m most proud of that I’ve ever developed in my life.”
He told the Journal he is selling the property now that his two children are both grown.