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5 Ways To Prepare Your Investments For A Recession

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Preparing ahead of time for a recession can protect you against making costly mistakes and adding undue stress to your life!

The U.S. economy is slowly starting to disintegrate, and many experts are predicting that the next recession is going to hit hard. Citizens worldwide are feeling the effects of inflation on their finances, and as such, they’re also noticing that their investments are more prone to failure. Investors are uncertain about what the future holds, but they do know that they want to protect their portfolios against recession as much as possible. Don’t wait until the recession hits, but rather, prepare for the rocky road ahead with the following tips:

  1. Establish A Plan For Your Budget

The first step to ensure that your finances remain in the positives is to know where your money is going in the first place. Get a better picture of your spending habits by checking your expenditures for at least a month. During this time, consider how much income you have and how much you’re spending. You can use this exercise to also cut back on your spending in certain categories and adjust your budget as needed.

  1. Avoid Unnecessary Spending

During a time when the stock market is down and recession hits hard, it’s crucial to not spend money unnecessarily. Every penny you spend needs to be spent on a necessity! The easiest place to make some budget cuts is by eliminating luxury items and experiences such as travel, high-end fashion or anything else you don’t actually NEED. Whenever possible, you can further reduce your overall spending by purchasing household goods and groceries in bulk.

U.S. senator, Elizabeth Warren, authored a fantastic book titled, Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan. She explained that the best way to spend money is by breaking it down into 50/30/20 categories. That means 50% of your income is invested into necessities, 30% of it on wants, and 20% on savings. Though savings account interest rates are still fairly modest, opening an online-only savings account can net you up to 2% yearly interest. Though it may appear daunting to get started, even saving small amounts of money to get started can yield fantastic returns!

  1. Create An Emergency Fund

Though having an emergency fund is always a smart investment, it’s even wiser during a recession. Should you lose your income or unforeseen circumstances arise, your emergency funding can help pay for your education, medical expenses or home repairs. To figure out how much money you can reasonably set aside for emergency expenses, you will need to look at your overall monthly spending and budget accordingly.

Though by no means is it a rule of thumb, it’s good to have about three or four months of living expenses put aside. Depending on your lifestyle and living situation, however, you may need to have enough money to cover at least a year’s worth of expenses. This is undoubtedly the case if you have young kids or a newborn to look after.

  1. Eliminate High-Interest Debt

During a recession, high-interest debts should be the first to go. Credit card debt is usually the most expensive type of debt that families have, and if you’re struggling with your finances, all the more reason to eliminate credit cards from your life. Having said that, you may need to reach out to a financial advisor or a credit counselor to help you get your spending on track.

Here’s a jarring statistic: the national average for credit card rates have surpassed 17%! The U.S. Federal Reserve has also revealed that they’re going to raise interest rates for the remainder of this year, and as such, eliminating credit card debt is a good way to go. Not having all of these interest rates stacking up will help you cut household expenses.

  1. Understand The Risks Of Investing

Though you should aim to keep risks fairly low in your investment portfolio, you don’t need to completely eliminate it to remain successful. There are some bonds primed to bloom. Most stocks recover after the worst effects of the recession subside, and if you have steady income and plenty of years to go before retirement, investing can actually help you, even if some of your investments are best categorized as risky. Learn how to invest to suit your requirements. Of course, if you’re older and nearing retirement, you will want to choose stocks and general investments that are less risky and don’t require much time to bounce back should you look to unload. In either case, you will still retain the ability to sell your stocks quickly even if the market takes a big hit. Don’t over-monitor your assets, but still play it by ear! For those nearing the retirement age, choosing cash equivalents and bonds provides adequate cushioning against a volatile market.

 

How to Set Investing Goals

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Saving money for the future is important, but I believe it’s even more important to invest that money and make it work for you. With that said, you can’t just start investing. You need to lay some groundwork first, you need to have goals in mind, and you have to be intentional so that when things get difficult, you stick with the plan instead of abandoning it during the discomfort. Today, we’re going to talk about how to set investing goals.

What kind of goals are there?

There are typically three-goal time horizons: short-term, medium-term, and long-term. A short-term goal is something you plan on achieving in 2-10 years. Saving for a down payment is a pretty common goal that fits into that window. A medium-term goal is 10-20 years. Saving for educational expenses for a child fits into that window. A long-term goal is retirement or anything else that’s 20+ years down the road.

These time windows are my opinion, though I think they’re pretty close to conventional opinion. Also, there are more goals than the ones I listed above.

How to think through your goal-setting

There are three things to keep in mind when you set investing goals (not to mention figuring out the goal itself). How much time do you have? Is this a short-term, medium-term, or long-term goal? Do you have time to take some risks or do you have to play it safe?

Speaking of risk…what are you comfortable with? Usually, this goes hand in hand with how much time you have. A short-term goal like saving for a down payment will need to be invested conservatively, if at all. In this scenario, you’ll have a set price you’re saving for so you can’t take a chance that the market dips and your savings fall below what you need it to be at.

Conversely, when you’re saving for retirement, you’ll have an opportunity to be more aggressive (at least in the beginning) because you have time to make back the money that you’ve potentially lost.

The last part of positioning your portfolio according to your goals is your comfort level/investor psychology. Time horizon and risk tolerance are small factors here, but it’s more about how volatility affects your mind. If the market drops and you’re panicked, maybe you need to be more conservative.

How to invest based on your goals

Here are some thoughts on how to invest based on your goals. If you’re saving for a short-term goal, like a down payment, I wouldn’t even invest it. UNLESS you’re very confident and you’re an expert in the particular field (though that applies to all of the time horizons).

If you’re saving for a medium-term goal, like saving for college, here’s what I’d do. You can be a little aggressive in the beginning because you have time to earn some money back. As you get closer to the end of your window, you’ll need to be more cautious. Maybe start 50/50 (stocks/bonds) and as you get closer, either get out of the market entirely or something like 10/90 or 20/80.

For your long-term goal, you’re able to be more aggressive for a longer period of time. 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40 all work great here. It depends on what you’re comfortable with. Same as the last one, as you get closer to the end of your window, you need to shift your allocation to be more conservative.

Keep in mind, these are blanket recommendations. I don’t know your situation, so you need to talk to a professional first before you set investing goals and make investment decisions.

Related reading:

How to Invest for the Long Term

Financial Resolutions: Debt, Saving, Investing, Real Estate, Crypto

Worthy Goals for You to Set and Crush

Why Asset Allocation Matters

Disclaimer:

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

Financial Resolutions: Debt, Savings, Investing, Real Estate, and Crypto

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The new year is right around the corner so I thought it fitting to layout some resolutions for a few different financial topics. Here are financial resolutions for crypto, investing, real estate, savings, and debt.

Debt

Pay down or pay off your debt. If you have credit card debt, make it a goal for next year to pay it off completely. The interest rates that credit card companies charge are so brutal. Getting rid of credit card debt would relieve a lot of stress and save you a lot of money that you’re wasting on interest. Not to mention, whatever you’re currently paying towards your credit card can be used for something way more productive.

If all you have is a mortgage, make extra payments. If you have no debt, congratulations! Try and save more so there’s no chance of you going into debt again.

Savings

Would you like to buy a house next year? Save for your down payment. The bigger your down payment is the smaller your responsibility will be; in terms of monthly payments and in terms of total money owed. Especially if your down payment is 20% or more. If that’s the case, you don’t have to pay mortgage insurance (AKA PMI).

If a down payment isn’t something you need to save for, increase your savings rate for retirement. Or set yourself up to cover some unexpected expenses by creating an emergency fund. Do some math, establish a goal number (emergencies, down payment, retirement savings), and then create a plan to save and hit that number.

Investing

For the most part, investing will take place in your retirement account. And for most people, the amount of time you have until retirement is a couple of decades. With that said, you can be a little more aggressive with your investments.

If this description doesn’t fit you, then figure out what works for you. Determine your time horizon, risk tolerance, and what you’d be able to tolerate in terms of short-term losses. If you’d like to get a good idea about what your preference is, take our risk tolerance quiz.

Real Estate

This one is a little challenging because it’s not like you’re going to move once per year. Also, investing in real estate isn’t for everyone. So I’m going to try and hit a few groups with this one.

Buy a new home. If you need more space for your growing family, you got a new job that requires relocation, you want to be closer to your church or family members, then make a move.

Make improvements to your current home to increase the value of your home or to make better use of the space. It can also improve tax credits especially if you use sustainable materials like solar panels. Either way, the improvement has a positive effect on your living situation.

Most people can invest in real estate, they just do it differently. Some people are going to invest in physical properties and some can invest in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT). Either way, you need to be picky (like all investments) so you get a good return on your money.

Crypto

This applies to everything in this post, but especially here…do your homework. I like crypto. I think there are investment opportunities, but I also think there’s a possibility it all collapses. I like the technology it’s created on, but I don’t know how it’ll transform and what the adoptability will be. Invest only what you can afford to lose is my best advice. With all that said, make financial resolutions to get more educated about cryptocurrencies and the blockchain.

Related reading:

8 Ways to Improve Your Retirement Savings in 2018

Diving Deep into Debt

Worthy Goals to Set and Crush

How to Invest in Cryptocurrency: A Guide for Beginners

Disclaimer:

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

The FED, The Dollar, and Opportunities

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My post for today was supposed to be a personal reflection, but in lieu of that, I’m going to lay out my thoughts on the market and the economy. Which includes the FED, the dollar, and inflation. In addition to that, I want to explain where I see risks and opportunities right now.

The dollar

We can expect the Federal Reserve to continue an accommodative monetary policy. They will invest in the fixed income market and they’ll resume the low-interest-rate stance.

If they continue this response to the Covid crisis, the dollar should go down in value. There are some risks and opportunities that arise if that happens.

Gold and cryptocurrencies should increase in value. A devaluing in the dollar is, normally, the right landscape for “alternative currencies” to do well.

International securities, especially emerging markets, do well when the value is priced lower. A large majority of international transactions take place using the USD. The value of their home currency goes up in relation to the USD.

The technology sector also has a negative correlation to a falling dollar. When the dollar goes down, that sector tends to outperform.

If the dollar, indeed, goes down look at these areas for possible investment opportunities.

The FED

As I mentioned earlier, the FED will continue to create an accommodative environment for the economy…until they don’t.

At some point, the recovery will gain momentum. GDP will go up and the population will gain confidence in that recovery. At this juncture, inflation will pop onto people’s radars.

If inflation runs too hot, the FED could possibly stop, or reduce, QE. They could halt the bond-buying program and they could raise rates. If that happens, keep your eyes out for a pullback.

We saw this happen at the end of 2018. The FED started raising rates until they went too far, and we had a 20%-25% decline in Q4. Then they reversed course and began easing again. We had a run-up in the market until March of 2020 when Covid hit.

Long term

I believe tech and healthcare will be the two sectors to watch over the next decade or more. With technology getting more advanced every day, investment opportunities will present themselves in these two areas.

Green energy, especially with the incoming administration, is also an industry with big potential. Technology will play a large role in the advancement of renewable energy.

My biggest concern

And I’ll preface this by saying I’m concerned because I truly don’t know the implications of it. MMT looks as likely as ever at this point.

The favorable stance by the FED plus the democratic party holding the House, the Senate, and the Presidency leads me to believe printing money is going to pop off.

An aggressive agenda to provide relief for Americans struggling because of Covid, a push for expanded Medicare/Medicaid benefits, possible student debt relief, as well as other initiatives.

It appears that reducing the national debt is not a concern. To be fair, it wasn’t a concern for the Trump administration either.

The bill comes due for everyone, and if other countries (namely China) are no longer buying US Treasuries like they were, I do not know how we can fund policies, branches, or even service the existing debt. Only time will tell.

Conclusion

I will close by saying that these are my opinions. Granted, I do a lot of research to come to these conclusions, but what I said above are still my thoughts and not foregone conclusions. Do your own research.

Related reading:

How to Beat Inflation with Investment

What Makes Gold so Valuable

 

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

The Best, Low Maintenance Way to Invest 30K

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If you’ve been building your savings to start investing and you’ve managed to put aside $30K, you may be wondering what your next step should be. How do I invest 30k? What is the best, low maintenance approach?

Here are some great ways to apply that 30K towards growing your wealth.

Pay Off Debt

First and foremost, use some of the money to pay off any debt you may have. It will save you money in the long-run. If you’re carrying a $10K credit card balance with a 15% interest fee, you’ll be paying an extra $1500/year in interest. That’s money that can be better spent on investments down the road. If you want to invest 30k, first start by getting rid of debt.

Emergency Fund

If you don’t already have one, put some of your money aside in an emergency fund so you know you’ll be able to manage if something unexpected happens. You should have 3-6 months’ worth of expenses put aside in an easily accessible account like a savings account. Just make sure it’s not linked to your debit card so you can’t spend it. The period of time you need to cover varies based on how long you think it would take you to find another job should something happen to your current job.

Earning return

What’s next has all to do with three things: risk tolerance, time horizon, and investment objectives. As a matter of fact, that’s how all of your investment decisions are made.

There are several different vehicles you can utilize, so what I’m going to do is give each vehicle its own section, explain what it is, and then give a little more detail as to when it could be used.

Certificate of Deposit (CD)

A bank product with a specified interest rate and a specified maturity. CDs are used to hold money for a specified period of time in a virtually risk-free fashion. More about CDs.

You’ll choose a CD for two reasons. The first is if you want a safe, federally insured vehicle to stash away some cash. The other reason is if you do not want to touch that money for a specified period. For example, you’re going to buy a house in three years and you don’t want to jeopardize that down payment. You buy/invest in a 3 year CD. At the end of year three, you’ll get back your principal (what you put in) and some accrued interest. Early withdrawal penalties apply.

Savings/Money Market Accounts

Typically used for your emergency fund. Easily accessible, and able to earn a little interest.

That’s pretty much it when it comes to these accounts. The interest they offer will be (not always) pretty low, but, like the CD, it offers a very safe place to store your cash until you need it. Unlike the CD, however, there are no early withdrawal penalties.

Qualified accounts

Basically any retirement account. Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and employer-sponsored plans (401k, Simple IRA, etc.). There are contribution limits associated with these accounts.

With these accounts, as I said, contribution limits are something to pay attention to. With your Traditional and Roth IRA, there’s a $6,000 contribution limit ($7,000 if you’re 50 and older). 401ks have a limit of $19,500 (25,500 for 50 and older). Simple IRA limit is $13,500 ($16,500 for 50 and older).

This is a long term investment solution, as early withdrawal penalties apply. There are several ways to “exempt” yourself from that penalty, however, such as a first home purchase. For an extensive list of these exemptions, click here.

These accounts are also called “tax-advantaged” accounts because, as the name suggests, there are tax advantages. You either lower your taxable income with your contributions or have the ability to withdraw the funds “tax-free” (barring an early withdrawal penalty, of course).

Non-Qualified Accounts

Brokerage accounts or any investment vehicle that doesn’t have any tax benefits. Meaning, you pay taxes on any capital gains and dividends you receive. No contribution limits.

Honestly, the only advantage to these accounts is there is no contribution limit. For example, if you’ve maxed your contribution for your employer-sponsored plan and your IRA, then you can dump the rest of your money here.

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Accounts specifically designed to help you with your medical expenses. Money that you contribute to this account is “tax-free” or “tax-deductible”, which means it lowers your taxable income. Also, the funds, if used for qualified medical expenses, are tax-free.

With some, not all HSAs, you can invest what you’ve contributed. So if you have 30k to invest, I’ll point you to the below section to help with that. There are contribution limits with the HSA, however, so keep that in mind.

Asset allocation

After you’ve selected an investment vehicle (this section does not apply to CDs, savings accounts, or money market accounts), it’s time to invest your capital.

Asset allocation is my preferred method to invest, and I’ve written extensively on it here. So if you want to invest 30k, here’s what you need to ask yourself. How long until I need these funds? What is my ultimate goal for these funds? What am I willing to lose?

If your time period is less than 5 years, ignore this section and stick your money in a savings account or a CD. The risk/reward is unfavorable in this scenario.

If you have, ideally, 10+ years, then you have some options. The next question is about risk tolerance. What kind of portfolio are you comfortable with? Using the stocks/bonds/cash breakdown, are you a 60/40/0 type of person? Maybe you’re quite tolerant and prefer an 80/20/0 approach.

For those of you that are not tolerant of risk and/or you have a shorter number of years until you need to access these funds. Your portfolio should start at 50/50/0, and then adjust as you see fit. The cash portion in this breakdown should be used as investable cash for when you see a buying opportunity and/or funds you’ll need access to in the near future (unriskable capital).

Risk Tolerance

If you really want to know what your unique risk tolerance is, take our quiz!

I know I didn’t really give a concrete answer to what’s posed in the headline, but that’s the thing about investing – it’s incredibly personal. You need to do what’s best for you.

If time is on your side, max your retirement contribution, then put the rest in a savings account until next year. At that time, max it again.

If time isn’t your friend, a CD isn’t a bad idea. As I said earlier, paying down/off debt is incredibly worth it. That’s an automatic 15% return on your money if you pay off your credit card. Money that can be used more effectively going forward.

Read our articles, ask for advice, and do what’s best for you. That’ll help you answer the question: how do you invest 30k?

 

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

How Colors Affect Your Investment Decisions

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When I was a new advisor, one area I failed to understand was the importance of color. We are, at our heart, 90% subconscious beings. Sure, we have thoughts, but while we’re deciding which ice cream to eat, our automatic mind is handling the so-much-more trivial tasks of (among many, many others) breathing and sensory response. Those who are able to reach those subconscious portions of us are more likely to sell us on pursuing whatever it is they’re selling.

I was in the business of selling you on your goals. Better yet, I was in the business of selling you on the fact that you’d rather pay me to handle as much of your money as possible.

I wasn’t selling actual products, I was selling the concepts of trust, commitment, and richness. These concepts can be expressed in colors.

Colors Affect Decision Making

The use of color in sales isn’t limited to investment advisors. On the contrary, most advisors have little understanding of the importance of the subconscious on a client’s decision to say “yes” or “no” to a strategy. Yet there’s tons of research available, from color’s role in shopping to fruit-buying, and even clean energy and cleaning supplies.

Marketers understand the role of color. So should you.

Brief overview of colors

Most of the colors below have two different associations, that depend on your experience and temperament

  • Red – Danger, power, and strength. On the other side of the coin, passion, desire, and love are also associated with this color.
  • Green – Growth and harmony. Common associations include tranquility and a sense of calm.
  • Blue – Trust, peace, compassion, and warmth. Can also emit feelings of sadness and cold.
  • Brown – Dependability and resilience. Users of brown are typically more reserved.
  • Orange – Joy, enthusiasm,  and attraction are common associations. Orange is also used to call attention.
  • Purple – Mysterious, wealthy, and soothing (to some).
  • Yellow – Aggressive, energetic, and cheerful.
  • Black – Power, aggressiveness, and sadness.
  • White – Purity, bland, and cold.

Effective Colors

If I had meetings with potential new clients, I’d choose royal blue ties. Royal blue suggests security and trust. My goal with new clients was to be the guy they could hand money over to manage. Imagine that you were meeting with an advisor that you’d never previously met. Would you trust a guy wearing red?

In later meetings, when we’d talk about investing, I’d switch colors to green. Hunter green especially is a wealthy color. This was most effective with clients who seemed to be in love with the pursuit of money. If I projected wealthy colors, they were more likely to accept my counsel and allow me to manage more of their assets inside my firm. Even so, if I wore green to meetings where we were signing contracts, it symbolized that these were going to be big money-making investments.

Avoid These Colors

I owned a kick-ass yellow tie. Besides being the color of caution, my blondish hair created a pale, washed outlook. It seemed like I might be sick. This unsteady, youthful, and pale look decreased sales.

Red was a color I played games with. I had a red marker on my dry erase board. When I was disproving something other advisors had told my client, or I was recommending areas we wanted to avoid, I purposefully used red. I switched to blue or green markers to illustrate my own strategies.

What Does This Have To Do With You?

Colors affect all of your buying decisions. If an advisor is recommending a change in your strategy, be aware of her choice of colors when making an argument. When you’re handed a prospectus for a product, look at the colors they choose. When you go to a financial company website, avoid the urge to choose based on the color pattern.

Let’s look at a few examples:

Fidelity.com: Bright, fresh green. The only orange is the “choose an account button.” Orange is a “call to action” color. Blue is only used in the words “See how Fidelity can help.” Remember what I said about trust? These colors aren’t accidents.

Vanguard.com: Red all over the place. At first blush, this seems like a mistake, but think about what Vanguard sells. They sell at a lower cost and the fact that you’re probably paying too much if you’re looking somewhere else. Even the keyword on the side, “Vanguarding” suggests stopping to think. Red increases your heart rate, gets you excited, and creates energy. Red is the perfect color for what Vanguard sells.

Scottrade: An interesting choice….purple. This isn’t a bad move either. First, it’s different from the others, but purple is a calm, soothing color. As a slightly smaller broker, Scottrade’s job is to get you to think of them as a steady ship (often I was surprised that many of my clients had never heard of Scottrade).

TDAmeritrade: Check out all the green.

Ameriprise:  Tons of royal blue. Why? This is an advisor-driven company, so they’re not going to sell red. They’re selling a trusted relationship.

E-Trade: Their site is too busy. Lots of green, some blue, and a little purple all make sense. The black across the top is interesting. Black is a power color. I used it during what we’d call “come to Jesus” meetings (I don’t mean to be offensive – that’s the term every office I ever worked in called it when clients needed to either be given the boot or get on board). However, it’s also an impulse shopping color, so maybe E-Trade thinks they have to get people while the impulse is on.

Charles Schwab: Blue, with a big lime button in the middle “get guidance” button and an orange “open an account” button at the top.

The Most Important Point To Remember

Colors are used against you all the time. To stay in control of your money, use colors defensively. Or, when you’re up for your next raise, use colors against your boss!

For more on financial advisors and how to pick the right one check out these great articles.

When I Was a New Financial Advisor
What is the Role of a Financial Advisor?
Afraid To Meet With a Financial Advisor? Here’s How the First Meeting Goes 

Photo credit: wazimu0.

A Systematic Approach to Goals

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With 2020 staring us in the face, it’s time to review goal setting and the systems you can put in place in order to reach those goals.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

That said, let’s look at systematic ways to approach goal setting and actionable tools you can use to smash those goals.

How to begin

  1. Large/Lifetime goals – These are things you want to accomplish throughout your life. They can be philanthropic, health, financial, etc. Figure these out first.
  2. Short-term – Now that you have your long-term/lifetime goals determined, you can break them down into shorter-term goals. Consider these stepping stones, and a lot of these will change as you age. For example, your philanthropic goals. There may be causes you care deeply about now, but that can change.
  3. Actionable steps – Once you have your lifetime goals broken down into manageable targets, it’s time to create steps to get there and I’ll illustrate that using the three examples above.
    1. Philanthropic – Research causes and charities. Pick the ones you most identify with. Review your budget to find out how much you can give. Do a little more research to find out if your donations are tax-deductible (most, if not all, should be).
    2. Health – Establish the specific reason you want to be healthier (for yourself, your partner, your kids, grandkids, etc.). Research a diet that could work for you. Research an exercise regimen that could work for you. Consult experts (i.e. nutritionist and personal trainer).
    3. Financial – Create a budget/spending plan. Cut expenses. Save for emergencies. Insure you and your belongings. Save for retirement.

Here are a few articles I’ve written in the past about financial goals:

Worthy Goals For You To Set And Crush

How Do You Set Financial Goals?

Systems

We can think of systems as the sub-category of actionable steps. A routine is another word for it. When it comes to goals and habits, you can’t rely on will power. You have put a plan in place to do the work for you.

Take exercising for example. You need to create low barriers for yourself. Wear your gym clothes to bed or have your bag packed the night before.

If you go to the gym, put your bag and your keys in a place where you have to pass them to get to your car.

If you exercise at home, have your routine and your equipment laid out and ready for you.

Habits

When it comes to creating habits, James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, likes to break down the habit into bite-sized pieces.

For example, if your saving for a down payment, go to your banking app and transfer $1 from checking to savings every morning (or whatever amount is realistic for you).

When that becomes second nature, bump it up a dollar a day.

Another thing that James says is, “People ask me all of the time, how many days does it take to create a habit? My answer, all of them because if you stop doing it for one day, it’s no longer a habit.”

External versus Internal

This section is speaking specifically to mental health versus other goals. You could also consider physical health as an internal goal, but for this article internal relates to mental health.

There are several things you can do to work on your mental health. See a therapist, exercise, and start a journal. Those three are low-barrier, easy things you can implement into your day to help.

Meditation, medication, and other forms of mindfulness training/practice can also help. There’s a podcast that I listen to regularly called “10% Happier” that will help you with establishing a meditation practice.

Do some research about this. Meditation can and will take many different forms, and not each modality will be right for you. Some may find that magic mushrooms from a magic mushroom dispensary can help them to relax, whilst reading has also proven to have meditative benefits.

Financial Goals

It really is up to the individual as to what they consider, short, medium, and long-term, but my definitions are as follows: Short-term – less than 3 years. Medium-term – 3-15. Long-term – 15+.

My definitions are almost entirely based on the investability of those assets for that specific time period.

  • Short-term – Emergencies, a new car, what have you. This is money you will need soon, so risking it in the stock market is out of the question. High-yield savings accounts should be your go-to in this scenario.
  • Medium-term – Things like down payments for a house or sending your kid to college. What you’re saving for will dictate the vehicle that you use. If it’s saving for college, a 529 or a Coverdell ESA should do the trick. If it’s for a down payment, your best bet is usually a taxable brokerage account, as there are no fees for early withdrawal.
  • Long-term – This should be strictly focused on retirement. Assets should be in a retirement account(s) and invested (investment selection should be based on risk tolerance and time horizon).

Once you’ve established your short, medium, and long-term goals you can break them down into actionable steps as we talked about earlier.

Wrapping it up

Each New Year brings about resolutions that we hope to achieve. Whether it’s getting in shape or paying down debt, your barometer for success should be progress and consistency.

Are you in a better place than you were on January 1st? Do you have more saved? Are you still committed to the goals you set in the first place?

Yes. It feels great to set a target and hit it, but as far as I’m concerned, if you’re better than you were yesterday, that’s all that matters.

Take it one day at a time and keep your eyes on the prize. You got this!

Related Reading:

How to Set Long & Short-Term Goals (And Reach Them Too!)

What It Take To Be A Successful Investor

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What makes a successful investor? Is it your ability to beat the market or to beat your competition?

In my opinion, being a successful investor doesn’t have to do with out-earning your peers or leaving the S&P in the dust. No, my definition is very simple.

Develop an investment plan using a variety of factors, and be able to execute and follow that plan indefinitely.

Suitability

This is step 1. You need to figure out what your “suitability” is. Your suitability will lay a very good foundation upon which you build your investment plan. Suitability involves three things:

  • Risk tolerance – This is your ability to handle drawdowns in your portfolio. If you crumble with fear every time you lose 5 percent, then you’ll probably want a fairly conservative portfolio*. On the other hand, if you have no problem seeing your portfolio drop 50 percent, then you’re ready for a more aggressive allocation.
  • Time horizon – Probably the most important factor of the three. Your time horizon is basically when you’ll need the money. A long time horizon allows an investor to take on more risk because there’s more time for them to recover from drawdowns. The inverse is true for short time horizons. You’ll want to be conservative because you have little time to earn back what’d you lost.
    • Long time horizon – 10+ years
    • Medium time horizon – 2-5 years
    • Short time horizon – Less than 2 years
  • Goals – What’s your plan? Is this savings going to be used as a down payment for a house? If so, there’s probably a minimum dollar amount you have in mind and you’ll want to tip the odds in your favor that you don’t go below that. Similarly, if this is for retirement and you have 30 years to invest, you have the green light for risk assets.

Keep in mind that all three of these things, plus one other, need to be used together when determining your asset allocation. If you are tolerant of risk, but need the money in 5 years, somewhere in the middle between aggressive and conservative is probably better. That one other thing is your behavior as an investor.

Investor behavior

The finance/investment world is coming around to this, but your psychology is a HUGE factor as an investor.

Obtaining a high return on assets is one of your goals, but it should not be the primary goal. When you create an investment plan you have to make sure it’s something you can actually stick with.

I wrote about it previously, here.

You could be tolerant to risk and you could have a long time horizon, but if you lay awake at night every time the market drops, then you need to rethink your approach.

That kind of fear and anxiety hinders your ability to follow your plan. What normally happens, is someone sets an unrealistic investment plan, one where they take on too much risk.

Thereafter, volatility picks up. They check their portfolio and it’s declined 15 percent. They wait a day and check the next.

Another 2 percent drop. Then the thought of 2008 creeps into their heads and the panic sell.

You can set up a great investment plan, but your behavior will ultimately make the decisions. Keep that in mind.

Asset allocation

Using your suitability and behavior, you can then determine your asset allocation. The types of assets you use in your allocation can vary. If you wanted to invest a small percentage of your portfolio in gold, for instance.

The three most common assets are stocks, bonds, and cash. With risks ranging from high risk to virtually (there’s always some risk) no risk.

Speaking very generally, people with long time horizons and are more tolerant of risk, have a more aggressive portfolio. The inverse is true for people with short time horizons and a low-risk tolerance.

That said, the ultimate goal is to develop a plan that meets your goals in the smoothest fashion possible.

Ignore the noise

Throughout your investment “career” you’ll run into people, friends, family, or even random people on the street that will tell you the sky is falling or that the newest IPO will go gang-busters and you need to get in now!

Put your blinders on. There are two things that hurt investors. Their own behavior and their ability, or lack thereof, to tune out what’s happening around them.

This is extremely difficult because we, as humans, have evolved to use our peers to compare or judge, our standing in society.

Stay in your lane and focus on your goals.

Never stop learning

Every single experience in your life is a learning opportunity, especially the bad one. I recommend journaling daily, recount your day, and dig little nuggets of knowledge from your experiences.

Additionally, take in some form of content every day that improves your understanding in your line of work, or in an industry that you’re interested in.

With regard to your finances, give our Toolkit page a look. There you’ll find a number of books and resources to enhance your financial know-how.

Please be advised: Everything written in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as investment advice. Opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinions of this publisher or my employer.

Further reading:

The Psychology Of Money

 

Creating A Financial Plan You Can Stick To

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The more I read and the more I meet with people, the more I realize that setting up a financial plan is more than dollars and cents.

Yes, the better financial plans have your typical items. Save this much, invest in these things, and contribute to this retirement plan.

But the best plans not only have this to take care of your financial needs but they’re also set up in a way that your psychological needs are met as well.

Can you stick with it?

The best plan is anyone that you can stick with. When setting up your plan, go through it slowly. Take each item one step at a time and consider possible scenarios when determining a particular section.

For example, when setting up a plan for your emergency fund, figure out what’s realistic for how much you’ll need and how long it will take you to get there.

Also, figure out how it will be replenished if/when it’s ever used. Perhaps you’ll have an automatic deposit setup indefinitely?

Another thing to keep in mind is including some flexibility in your plan. For example, if part of the process is setting up a budget and your weakness is eating takeout, include a little bit of money for it.

I generally advocate for eating your meals at home, but if it’s inevitable that you’ll go out to eat, it’s better to include a little bit of it, rather than trying to avoid it.

Will you gasp every time the market dips?

Investing is a vital part of your financial plan. Investing is what helps your savings grow, but at times, your investments can lose value.

Our psychology plays a big role in our success as an investor. It’s said that we experience the pain of a loss two times stronger than we experience the joy of a gain.

That said, you need to plan accordingly to keep your emotions in check. If you let them take control of your decisions, you could end up selling your investments after you’ve already lost value, at which point it may be better for you to stay in.

Most investable assets are in a retirement plan of some sort, so your time horizon is, more than likely, long-term. 20+ years for instance. Your risk tolerance is the other part to take into consideration.

How much are you willing to lose until you say, uncle? In a six month period, would you have to sell after you lost 10%, 20%, 30%, or more? Your answer to this will help determine what you are able to stomach.

The next thing to do is to stress test your portfolio. The popular investing/research websites will have this. You plug in your portfolio with dollar amounts and ticker symbols, and then (depending on the site) you can select a variety of scenarios to see how your portfolio would do during that scenario.

The 2008 Financial Crisis is a common one.

Conclusion

Creating a financial plan that has the potential to meet your goals is important, and having a plan that you’re comfortable with and one that will help you sleep at night is optimal.

Make sure, when you are developing your plan, that you are factoring in your behavior as an investor and as a human. We are emotional creatures, and that makes investing a little more difficult.

If you’d like to learn more about what was discussed here and for our disclosures, visit our website.

 

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How to Make Long-Term Investing Decisions

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One of the most valuable attributes of successful investors is being able to stick to their guns and trust their analysis even when the market is tanking.

How do you invest for the long-term? Are there certain strategies and mindsets that can be used to your advantage?

We’ll explain that and more in the following article.

Know what you are willing to risk

Whether you are someone that allocates your assets between a select few mutual funds but are looking to use a small portion of your account to enhance your returns or an investor that owns a handful of stocks, you need to be wary of how much of your total portfolio is in one security/strategy.

With either scenario, the decision of how much of your portfolio you are willing to risk in an individual security is whatever you are comfortable with. Personally, if I were in your position, I wouldn’t use more than 5% in this type of situation.

Taxes matter

If you are investing in a qualified account (tax-advantaged account) taxes don’t really have any effect on whether you should buy or sell something, or what type of security you invest in.

You’re either taxed before you deposit the funds or you pay taxes when you withdraw, otherwise the account grows tax-deferred.

If you’re investing in a non-qualified account (standard brokerage/investment account) the taxes and what securities you invest in, matters.

For example, when you invest in a mutual fund, at the end of the year, that fund will pass capital gains to the investors. It’ll come in similar to a dividend, but a much bigger number (depending on the year). You have to pay taxes on that, just like you would a dividend.

Another example, if you invest in a security and sell it for more than you bought it, you have a capital gain. If you held the security for less than 1 year, it’s a short-term capital gain. If you held it for more than 1 year, it’s a long-term capital gain. A long-term capital gain is taxed at a lower rate than a short-term gain.

Asset allocation is important

Stocks/bonds/cash. They are the three most important asset classes in investing.

I’ve written about stocks and bonds before, but the cliff notes version is stocks are risky and can reward you with high returns. They get hit hard during bear markets.

Bonds are generally less risky so you usually get a lower return. However, they tend to hold up a little better during bear markets.

Depending on where you are in life and what you’re comfortable with determines how much (by percentage) you should have in each asset class.

Someone in their 20s should have almost all stocks and a little in bonds. Maybe 90/10 or 80/20. I’d only recommend cash if they were waiting for a significant pullback and wanted to put money to work at lower prices.

Conversely, someone in their 60s that has less time to make back what they lose, would be much more conservative. Their allocation could be 40/50/10 or somewhere around there.

Keep in mind these are general rules of thumb. The most important thing with any investment is your comfort level. If you are 25 and aren’t comfortable with hanging on to your stocks during a 40% decline, be more conservative.

Fees will eat your returns

There’s no denying that trading fees, advisor fees, and the various other types of fees will reduce your returns over the long-term.

On average, expense ratios on mutual funds are much higher than expense ratios on ETFs. Though I believe paying your advisor their fee (I don’t think it should be higher than 1%) is well worth the expense, not everyone needs an advisor.

If your financial situation is relatively simple, you’re comfortable and confident with how you handle things, and you don’t foresee making any significant changes, then it’s probably not worth it.

However, it might not be a terrible idea to see one every few years to have an objective set of eyes review everything.

What’s your exit strategy?

When you invest in a security, and this is more than just asset allocation, you need to have your exit already planned. Too often, people will invest in a stock, see it climb 10% higher and then fall back down. Instead of selling with a small gain or at cost, they’ll hang onto it in hopes it’ll climb back up, even if it keeps falling.

Our emotions and our behavior is our worst enemy in investing. Having a plan and a strategy in place before you even get started is a great way to help mitigate those things from getting in the way.

Regular contributions

If you have time to ride out down markets and are comfortable with the investments you chose/the asset allocation you picked, then hang onto what you have.

An added bonus is if you are regularly contributing and adding to those positions. In a down market, those securities you invested in will get cheaper. When you regularly invest at lower prices, you effectively lower your average purchase price.

Conclusion

Investing can be very difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. In my opinion, keeping your investment plan as simple as possible paired with a unique ability to keep your emotions out of the equation is a recipe for success.

For more information about investing and for my disclosures, visit www.crgfinancialservices.com.

 

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