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Joe is a former financial advisor and media representative for American Express and Ameriprise. He was the “Money Man” at Detroit television WXYZ-TV, appearing twice weekly. He’s also appeared in Bride, Best Life, and Child magazines, the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Detroit News and Baltimore Sun newspapers and numerous other media outlets.  Joe holds B.A Degrees from The Citadel and Michigan State University. 

2 Guys & Your Money Episode #6: Top 5 Investment for New Investors

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Just when you thought the show couldn’t get any better, we bring you another awesome episode!

Barbara Friedberg joins our normal roundtable of Carrie Smith and Dominique Brown for “case analysis” on a hypothetical couple with student loans, children and credit card debt.

PK from DQYDJ.NET discusses the Monty Hall problem, and how you can apply it to your life and decision making.

Finally, OG & I top off the program with a look at our Top 5 Investment Options for New Investors. I think you’ll be surprised by our discussion!

<> Open, Welcome back to OG.

<>

<> On the Blog: Emergency Funds, do you need one?

<> PK from DQYDJ.NET: The Money Haul Problem

<> Let’s Give Something Away! Congrats to Lance at MoneyLifeAndMore.com, who won our free copy of Keith Ferrazzi’s Never Eat Alone!

<> Roundtable, Featuring Barbara Friedberg of Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance

The situation:

Mickey & Minnie
Ages – 32 and 28. Mickey makes 45k and Minnie makes 30k. Both are teachers.
They both have 403b retirement plans available.
They have 25k in student loans at an 8% interest rate. They break down this way:
Mickey:
8k loan, $110 per month
$500 loan, $20 per month
Minnie
$10k loan, $140 per month
$200 loan, $40 per month
$6,300 loan, $185 per month
Total monthly debt service: $495/month
They also have $8k in credit card debt:
Victoria Secret – $3k at 22.5%
Visa (get airline miles) – $5k at 18.5%
They have children, ages 3 and 6. The 3 year old is in daycare. They pay $500 per week in daycare expense.
They both have Universal Life insurance policies through a big name company. They pay $300 per month into these plans.
They have 2x salary through the school system in term insurance.
They have disability coverage, but aren’t sure how much.
They have car insurance through a big firm and homeowners through another big firm.
They have Roth IRAs with $3,000 in them. Mickey has three stocks: GE, Disney and Ford. Minnie has the Growth Fund of America through American Funds.
They have $15k in their 403b plans. Mickey has his in the interest income fund. He’s worried about the upcoming fiscal cliff. Minnie has hers in the Vanguard Asset Allocation fund based on her age.
There is no savings for college.
They own will planning software, but have no wills.

<> Top 5 Investment Types for New Investors

(I’m on the road Monday from Michigan, so more detailed show notes will follow on Tuesday)

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Don’t Be the Emperor With No Emergency Fund

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Before we start, minions: Today’s post features a word beginning with “S” AND a reference to horses and pornography. If that bothers you, it might be a good day to check out this website instead.

We all know the old story: emperor surrounds himself with yes men. His posse tells him he’s awesome. Some dude comes along to rip him off and tells him that he’s designing clothes only super brilliant people can see. Emperor is shocked he can’t see the new threads, so he pretends like he can. His homies, not wanting to look stupid, all say “great clothes, dude!” while their favorite ruler runs around buck-naked.

Don’t be that guy.

Two blogs I respect ran pieces about how emergency funds are overrated. While I can see portions of their point, you should think closely before following any advice to ditch your emergency fund.

Sure, interest rates are low and you can garner higher returns elsewhere. Big deal. My life isn’t about squeezing another $10 out of my $5k emergency fund. I’m not staying up at night thinking about how those $%#!ing nickels in my piggy bank are earning 0% when they could be cashing in on October hog futures. (that’s not an endorsement of October hog futures)

No, my life is about avoiding the worry around what the hell I’m gonna do when I’m dragging my muffler behind the car.

I know what I’m gonna do. I’ll attack my fund. I also might just float it on a credit card because it isn’t a big deal.

Then I worry about, “what if I lose my job?”

Hmm…..

What an emergency fund accomplishes is nothing short of amazing. A few thousand dollars in the bank can:

– ensure you don’t have to worry when shit hits the fan (and it will…you KNOW it will!).

– allow you to pay off your credit card without stopping the plan (the reserve covers all your emergencies along the way).

– lets you take that hog futures flier with your investment portfolio without having to take your money out before you reach the right time to pull the trigger and giggle all the way to the bank.

The first two points won’t stop the snoring sound from non-believers. Only the last point: investing without having to take the money out, commands the attention of emergency-fund naysayers.

 

And now, minions, Uncle Joe’s Story Time

 

Let’s say Sally decides that the #5 horse in race three is the perfect investment for her money. Screw the emergency fund. Sally wants the big cash payout, not a few Abe Lincolns. Those are for suckers. The race starts and JUST THEN she gets a call from her boss.

“Hey, Sally? We found that porn on your computer. You’re fired.”

The #5 horse is in the middle of the pack. It might win or it might lose. But Sally doesn’t have time to care. She has a mortgage, utility bills, groceries to buy, and it’s all now riding on the #5 horse. She needs that money out of the race NOW!

Oh boy. Sally’s got a problem, and not just with horses and porn…she’s got severe money issues.

Now, if Sally had an emergency reserve, she could have bet the farm on the #5 horse and watched the race in harmony. Sure, she still has some social problems and maybe a gambling habit, but her reserve will carry the day.

Now, you aren’t Sally, you don’t have those issues, and your #5 horse is called a Roth IRA. I hope you understand my parable: where are you going to go for money if you lose your job?

Probably breaking the Roth.

An emergency fund isn’t about the little bit of money in the fund. It’s about the HUGE gains you can make on the money outside the fund if you DON’T HAVE TO TAKE IT OUT AT THE WRONG TIME. Do you want to be a great investor? IF so, here’s your ticket to greatness: Don’t need your money early.

 

Why “No Emergency Fund” Won’t Fly

 

Sometimes things sound like a great idea. Clothing that only smart people can see. However, in practice, when you meet hundreds of families, you begin to see all the outliers that might happen out there.

“Oh, Joe, that’ll never happen to me!”

Maybe not. But that’s why people paid me good money…and thanked me when life happened to their goals. People did lose their jobs. Because they had an emergency fund they were able to:

– Eat

– Sleep

– Start a new business

– Build contacts by going to lunch and networking events

– Keep a car to go to interviews

Call me crazy, but when bad stuff happens, I don’t want to have to touch my investments AND I want to be able to do those things.

Worse yet, on one of the two sites (of course, the uber-popular one), the author points to having good credit as a way of avoiding the need for a large emergency fund.

Huh? Let’s think this through:

Let’s say I lost my job. How much does good credit help me? How am I going to make the payments on my debt while I look for another job?

I’ve written before about having nearly no income for twelve months. My good credit at the beginning was shot. If I’d had a six month reserve, I might have been able to squeeze through….I’m not buying the “good credit” argument.

 

I’m Not Ripping Other Bloggers

 

This isn’t meant to rip the two bloggers who wrote on the other side of this topic. Both of those guys know that I have huge respect for their blogs and love their work. I’ll keep reading their advice, because they’re real people with knowledgeable and well researched opinions. If you know who I’m referring to in this post, you should keep reading their blogs, too.

On this issue, though, I think that my public needs to hear my point of view on this subject, and it definitely is on the other side of the fence.

Really, its just that I don’t want you running around naked.

Not for you….for me. Thank you ahead of time.

 

Photos: Horse Race: You As a Machine, Starving Piggy Bank: Nieve44/Luz

2 Guys & Your Money Episode #5: Top 5 Financial Rip Offs

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What a week! The FAR MORE FAMOUS podcaster Steve Stewart from MoneyPlanSOS fame co-hosts the show while OG is sitting somewhere with his feet up and a drink with an umbrella in his hand…not that I’m jealous or anything.

PK is back with another enlightening Fractional Cents, talking the highbrow discussion of Traditional vs. Roth IRA. On most days you’ll find PK posting at DQYDJ.net.

Jana from DailyMoneyShot.net joins the fun as the roundtable tackles retailers who charge more when people use credit cards, readers who are intimidated by blogs, the best money-saving things they do that make them proud, marketers following consumers eyeballs AND a recent study that suggests children’s income is largely predetermined by the amount their parents make.

Finally, Steve & I bestow upon you our Top 5 Financial Rip Offs. Steve’s #1 is a doozy if you’re a long time listener of the show….

OH YEAH….I ALMOST FORGOT: You can TOTALLY win the BEST book on networking of ALL TIME by Keith Ferrazzi (Never Eat Alone) if you listen to the podcast and shoot me a quick email. Listen for details.

Can you believe the value here? All this AND MORE for the low price of FREE.

I’m driving across country today. More detailed show notes when I return to Texas!

Lest I forget. Here’s Bob & Doug McKenzie on The Great White North segment of SCTV:

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Managing Your 401k or IRA: Does Moving Money Around Every Day Help Your Returns?

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I was invited to speak to a nice group of people at Walsh College in Troy, Michigan last night. One woman asked, “What do you say to someone who messes with their 401k non-stop?”

btw: Thanks, Greg, for the invite! Hopefully I didn’t bore your students silly.

Let’s face it:

90% of us fall into one of two camps:

1) You obsess over your 401k and tinker with it constantly.

or

2) You only remember you have a 401k or IRA plan when the statement arrives.

I’d say that nearly 90% of the 90% number above fall into the latter category. So, when I hear about someone tinkering with their 401k or IRA all the time I think, “Why?” and then I ask “Would it help to tell them to stop?”

 

Why People Do It

 

I don’t have any scientific evidence, only years of experience with people. Here’s the complete list I can imagine:

– Natural worrier.

– Concerned they won’t reach retirement.

– Anxious to get every last penny out of investments.

– Intensely interested in investing.

– Secretly always wanted to be a day trader.

I can’t think of any others (fill in my blanks in the comments below).

 

Would It Help To Tell Them To Stop?

 

I think the answer to this question largely depends on how the individual answers the question “Why People Do It”.

 

Natural Worrier

 

I could tell this person all day that he isn’t helping himself, but the only method that actually has worked for me in the past is DATA. If I explain how funds in a 401k plan work, it’s easy to see how much damage you’re doing to your retirement.

First, a 401k plan is a professionally managed investment. This doesn’t guarantee success, but it does mean there are people who work with money all day managing the funds.

Second, each investment is a collection of stocks that largely move with the market. Do you really think you can beat the market? According to a New York Times article, investors spent over $100 billion dollars in 2008 trying to beat the market, and largely lost due to fees. You would have been better off buying and holding low cost index funds.

Besides fees, your ability to time the market isn’t probably as good as you’d hope. According to one of my favorite Kiplinger articles: Can You Time The Market?, there are certainly some good indicators you can track, but the pitfalls are enormous. Going with your “gut” feeling about the market isn’t going to pave the way for a successful retirement.

 

Concerned They Won’t Reach Retirement

 

This person needs data, but instead of information on investment returns, they need a financial plan. I’ve found that once this person sees in writing that they’re okay (or not okay) they largely settle down.

Not only can you use the Planwise tool imbedded in our site, but many retirement calculators exist on other (less) popular sites, like Yahoo! Finance, CNNMoney, and MSN Money.

 

Intensely Interested In Investing

 

These are some of my favorite people. They want better returns and are willing to go the extra mile to learn more about investments. They’ve dove (dived?) into the 401k because it’s available and easy to understand.

I recommend this person reviews the same data presented above on investment returns (and that his chance of helping his return is going to prove more difficult than just “moving money around”). Then I recommend he take community education classes on investing rather than experiment with hard-won retirement dollars.

 

Secret Day Trader

 

I try to present the data above on how hard it is to add to your investment returns first (but this rarely works for the person who is sure they’ll beat the market in their spare time). Once this tactic has failed, I’ll recommend developing a small Roth IRA to use as a “sandbox” to play day trader in. These people are usually placated if they have a “play” account to go along with their professionally managed “backstop” account. How much do I recommend people place in the day trader account? First, we look at what the goal will cost, then I recommend taking money that isn’t crucial to the goal. You don’t want to miss your goal because you thought today was a great time to buy Facebook and it turned out you were wrong…..

Americans Are Worried About Retirement. Really?

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Yesterday’s USA Today featured a study commissioned by the Consumer Federation of America and Certified Financial Planner Board of Standard, which revealed that more households are struggling financially than 15 years ago.

I’m not shocked by this “revelation.” Talking to one of my favorite bloggers, Len Penzo (from the aptly named Len Penzo dot Com) a couple weeks ago, Len commented that a “big” financial blogger is lucky to find 700-800 unique visitors per day. I know that financial blogs don’t always have the money answers, but on a recent visit to web-traffic website Compete.com, I saw that another favorite, humorist writer The Bloggess receives about 1400 unique visitors a day.

So, using my extraordinary math and non-scientific research skills, it appears that about double the number of people enjoy humor during their day than seek out financial management techniques and discussion.

 

Are we really worried?

 

People sometimes think that financial plans are for the rich. “I don’t have money to plan,” you may be telling yourself right now. But how can you get out of debt if you don’t plan your financial future?

The survey shows that when low-income families put together a financial plan, they’re able to stay out of debt and pay credit card bills in their entirety. However, only 31% of people surveyed have put together a financial plan (with or without an advisor’s help).

31%? And the headline reads that we’re “worried about retirement?”

More evidence of financial ennui from the study: more people are living paycheck to paycheck, less are saving toward their college-bound children’s education, less can retire at age 65 and more think they won’t be able to cover basic expenses in retirement.

It sounds like we have big financial headaches and 69% of people aren’t attacking the problem.

Normally, I’m a “glass half-full” kind of guy. However, in this case, I think the headline “Americans Worried About Retirement” should be replaced with “Americans Screwed and Not Doing Much About It.”

I’m glad you’re visiting today to be the few…the proud…the 31%!

Captain America photo: Gage Skidmore

 

Let’s vote: Glass half full? Half empty?

2 Guys & Your Money Episode #4: 365 Ways to Make Money & From Blog To Book with Kylie Ofiu

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Blogger and author Kylie Ofiu (of KylieOfiu.com fame) joins the show this week to give us some of her 365 Ways to Make Money.

Interested in becoming a blogger or author? Kylie goes on to explain how to turn your blog posts into a sellable product. Imagine…your own book!

PK from DQYDJ.net tells us which is the worst tax of all (queue the scary background music….).

Meanwhile….OG & I discuss recent comments by Ben Bernake (are interest rates going to fall? rise? stay even?) and the PF Olympics.

Detailed show notes to come soom!

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Two Guys & Your Money Episode #3: Top 5 Tips For Buying Insurance

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Just when you thought your Monday couldn’t get better, we release Episode #3 of the world’s most relaxed financial podcast.

Paula Pant from Afford Anything joins the roundtable this week to talk about financial harmony.

PK from DQYDJ.net is all about Monopsony this week. I didn’t know what the word meant either until I heard his segment.

Finally, OG & Average Joe gift you with their top 5 tips to save money when buying insurance.

 

Show Notes

<>Open

<>San Diego Fireworks

<> On the Blog: Earnings Season

<> Fractional Sense: Monopsony

<9:00> Giveaway! Win – Never Eat Alone by Keith Farazzi

<> Roundtable – F Harmony

Thanks to:

Dr. Dean from the Millionaire Nurse Blog

Dominique Brown from Your Finances Simplified

Carrie Smith from Careful Cents

and our Special Guest: Paula Pant from Afford Anything

<> Top 5 Tips For Buying Insurance

<> End: Lincoln Lawyer, My Week With Marilyn, Albert Knobbs, Wicked

 

A Shaky Earnings Season Might Be Your Wallet’s Best Friend

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There’s baseball season, football season, the holiday season and, of course, earnings season. While the first three may fill you with happiness and (in the holiday case) good cheer, earnings season fills new investors with confusion.

Why do I bring this up?

I woke yesterday morning to a nerve-wracking CNBC.com headline: Investors Brace for Shaky U.S. Earnings Season.

 

What is Earnings Season? Is It Contagious?

 

The good news: earnings season affects you directly, but not in the harmful way you may think.

Earnings season is the time (quarterly) when the majority of companies that move financial markets with their results declare how well they’ve performed recently. This news is for the prior quarter.

It’s important, when listening to reports about earnings, to listen for any future forecasting and to also determine what might have been the culprit behind a great or lousy prior quarter. If it’s increased sales on the same-old widget the company’s always sold, fantastic! If the company had a one-time mistake, things might still be looking up. If products just aren’t selling or management is quitting, it might spell bad news.

 

What Do I Need to Know?

 

Corporate earnings reports drive the stock market. Sure, financial markets respond to other pressures, but over time the stock market is simply a reflection of the economy. So, if you reread the headline above, Investors Brace for Shaky U.S. Earnings Season, what does that really mean?

Based on the information I told you above, it means this: companies didn’t have stellar profits last quarter.

That’s not nearly as shocking a headline, is it? In fact, I’ll bet you already knew that.

 

Move On, Nothing to See Here…..

 

Many investors read the CNBC headline above and think: I’ve gotta sell right now! If you’ve read my ramblings before, you’ll know that I think the opposite. I’m looking to buy when prices are low and sell when they’re high.

Here’s what I recommend instead of having a panic attack:

1) Rebalance your portfolio. Here’s how it works: if you’ve determined how much stock and bond exposure you want (among other asset classes), skim off the areas that have done well to fill in non-performing areas. Low markets are ideal times to rebalance because you’ll reaffirm your long term strategy, take gains from performing spots and redeploy in assets you already own that are low today. Smart move. Then, schedule another rebalance six months from now on your calendar.

2) Look for buying opportunities. If you’re interested in investing, shaky markets are a great place to place your first buys. Make your list of stocks to watch. Wait for earnings reports. Read what companies report, and make your move! Don’t make a common mistake and go whole-hog on a “can’t lose” investment. I’ve been involved with too many “can’t lose” things. I also told my dad I couldn’t lose my hair like he did. Glad I didn’t bet on that….

Not excited to make your own stock picks? Read our pieces on how to evaluate mutual funds and how Exchange-Traded Funds work.

3) If you’re nervous, put defensive measures in place. Use stop losses on individual stocks and exchange traded funds. Monitor fund results more frequently and establish a “worst case scenario” strategy. Remember this: never buy or sell everything on one day or at one time. It’s safer to march in slowly and march out slowly. An orderly walk toward the exit beats a panicked race to the door. Often, down markets rebound quickly.

CNBC, like other publications, is in the business of selling advertising. If the elevator is labeled “Up” or “Down” it’ll be a smooth and steady ride, but I’m sure CNBC knows that “Soar” and “Plummet” garner readers…and then advertiser dollars.

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Two Guys and Your Money Episode #2: Planwise Financial Planning Tool Creators Interview

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Happy Monday! We’re here to help you ease into the week with another nearly-awesome episode of Two Guys and Your Money.

Here’s a direct dowload link (Right Click)

Never listened to a podcast before? They’re fun and free! iTunes shares how to listen to podcasts: Tips for Podcast Fans

Want Two Guys and Your Money goodness every week automatically? Subscribe to the show on iTunes: Two Guys and Your Money

Thanks to a slew of people who made this week’s episode happen.

First, my parents, who created me.

Second, my grandparents, who created them…

Oh, is that too many?

How about a huge “Thanks!” to Vincent Turner & Ryan Paredez from Planwise for sparing time to be interviewed this week!

Also, thanks to PK from DQYDJ.NET for another great Fractional Cents piece.

Finally, thanks to Len Penzo (Len Penzo dot Com), Dominique Brown (Your Finances Simplified) and Carrie Smith (Careful Cents) for a cool roundtable segment again. Dr. Dean….we missed you dearly this week (though not the Mac user jokes…..).

 

Show Notes

 

<> Open

 

<> Listener question: “What’s the dumbest financial mistake you’ve ever witnessed?” Thanks to Tim in Eureka for the question!

 

<> On the Blog: Homeowner’s Insurance

 

<> Fractional Sense: Savings Rates w/ PK from DQYDJ.net

 

<> Roundtable: Financial Scams

 

<> Interview: the Planwise Tool w/ Vincent Turner & Ryan Paredez from Planwise.

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