Friday, June 14, 2019

Easy Emergency Fund Options


How can you make an emergency fund?
My clients used many methods to have cash available when they needed it. Some strategies are just not possible for some folks. Of course, if you have a large Wealth Reserve, you already have your money for any contingency. I made mine by saving on all my insurance, mutual funds, brokerage, and banking costs. The other options: HELOC, CC, liquid 401k, brokerage stocks, CDs, IRAs, high pay job. Several obtained a Home Equity Line of Credit from their bank. They have $100,000 loan they don’t use which is backed by a 2nd mortgage on the equity in their home. It cost nothing to set up. Use it to make upgrades to your home and the amount borrowed is tax-deductible. Another group has tons of credit cards they keep in check so charging a couple of thousand is no problem. Unfortunately, a few think their 401k future nest egg can be cracked anytime. They would need to invest 5 times their withdrawal to make up for the Miracle of Compounding they gave up. Some have been playing the market and can easily cash in enough stocks to pay for an emergency. If they sell a stock that has not done well, they may take a deduction too. Most clients use CDs for their emergencies even if it costs an early penalty. It’s tax deductible too. IRAs are not like a 401k loan—whatever you take out will cost you taxes and sometimes a penalty. A loan shark’s loan would be cheaper than giving up your future. Obviously, some people make enough money that they don’t need cash sitting around earning 1% a year. They could get a bank loan with one phone call. Finally, my choice when we recently needed a new used car: $12,000 HELOC loan at 3.5% put me into a 3-year-old Camry, made right here in the
USA’s Georgetown, KY. I didn’t have to touch my Wealth Reserve still growing to $1 million.

Which annuity is right for you?
An annuity in its simplest terms is a string of benefits. Lottery winners often have a choice: annuity or cash. Last Saturday’s $344.6 million Powerball jackpot winner was Charles Jackson. He claimed his prize: cash option of $223 million or 35% less.
Jackson will have almost 50% taxes taken out. If Jackson took the annuity, his annual total would increase over the next 30 years. Annuity ‘certain’ means his heirs would receive the annual amount if he dies sooner. You have the same choice with your nest egg. For example, $100,000 buys a monthly benefit of $549 for a 65 year old male. If you want your heirs to receive the rest of your annuity if you die early, you can pick life--10 years certain. Your benefit is $553 monthly. You could chose to receive $941 monthly for just 10 years and then buy a new annuity with your growing nest egg. This way you can keep up with inflation since $549 will be worth about HALF that in 20 years.

Value over price
Warren Buffett has maintained his rep as one of the greatest investors of all time because he knows the difference between price and value. His teacher at Columbia, Benjamin Graham, said that we should buy securities like we buy "groceries, ... not perfume." It is like buying a Land Rover or Volvo—expensive AND the most UN-dependable cars available. Only outdone by cheaper Fiat, they cost $87,350 and $68,000.  Accumulating wealth requires that we buy value--quality at the right price. We want to avoid the two KILLERS of building wealth--fees and taxes. We pay high fees and taxes from security turnover by assuming our advisor is adding value: higher price because better performance. But a recent study shows that most advisors use standard portfolios. And the performance is horrific compared to the boring index: 3.79% vs 11.06%.

Need a graduation gift?
The greatest gift you can give is financial knowledge. No matter how much your young graduate makes, it is up to YOU to show them the Buffett investment strategy. Make sure they can make and manage money. At my first job, I had no clue which investment to use for my 401k contributions and company match. The HR person told me to put it into the 'safe' stable value fund. That was the worst choice at my age I learned later when I got my securities’ licenses. If I had followed their advice I would have ended up with about $150,000 instead of a Wealth Reserve of $877,233 about 33 years later.

Is your advisor giving you their ‘Best Interest’ or Fiduciary advice?
Your brokerage firm is rejoicing with the recent decision: SEC has downgraded the client treatment rules just for them. The issue comes down to this: Brokerage owners need profits and you have the money. You can pay more for their facilities over time or you can pay a planner only when you need a full plan. My family CFP got paid for a comprehensive plan that shows how we can pay our bills for the rest of our life using the Vanguard funds we’ve built up for years. The SEC terminated the Fiduciary Rule to make brokerage happy. Brokerage sells products and if they don’t hurt you, that is in their ‘best interest.’ Helping you reach your goals is NOT "solely incidental" to you even though this is the exception brokerage uses to NOT do the right thing for you. How is putting a 90 year old widow’s nest egg into an annuity the ‘right’ plan. That model is not the best for you. Your financial picture is not helped by giving up 63% of your total possible accumulation during your working years. That is the effect of paying 1-2% of your nest egg as it grows over time. The DALBAR study shows a shocking 3.79% average earnings in investor’s managed equity accounts over time. You deserve the Fiduciary Rule which requires sellers to put your profits ahead of their profits.

Where have all the increases in productivity gone?
In 1978 our boss made 30 times our salary. Now, the average CEO pay is 271 times the nearly $58,000 annual average pay of the typical American worker, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute. We were promised that we would not have to work as much since the value of our use of automation quadrupled our output over previous generations. In 1981, I worked with an outside company’s computer programmers to automate our data capture and reporting system. We saved thousands of man hours of hand-tabulating and writing reports. But I and the 50 or so of my staff were not rewarded. Instead I could not fill positions of retirees. Instead of training our folks to handle the data process, management outsourced it until the ‘systems people’ handled everything. This process has been repeated thousands of times in America. I left because I found a better-paying job. My staff had no updated skills so couldn’t leave. Their salaries have stayed the same given their 1-2% COLA increases. Are the CEOs smarter now or have they just updated their skills—learning how to consolidate many firms—creating fewer firms; employing fewer people. Learning that customer inquiry can be handled by a group in India for a whole lot less than the 50 experienced people here. Since 1978, CEO’s have seen a 937% increase in earnings. That salary growth is even 70 percent faster than the rise in the stock market. Are CEOs 271 times smarter than us? “CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are more productive or have special talent or have more education,” says this report.

Is your advisor honest? Truth in financial selling
Advisors are sales people. The firm decides the products and price you are offered. How do you know their product recommendations are the best for you? Do you know what the product is worth to the advisor? Is the firm licensed to sell this ‘great deal’? What other options are available? Could you negotiate your advisor’s charges? Do you know all the good and bad about this product? Does your advisor share the product experiences of others? What happens to your account if your advisor moves to another firm? Does your advisor explain the tax consequences of this product in future years? What happened at your advisor/broker’s last firm to make them leave? How do you know when you are overcharged? Does your advisor speak ‘financial jagon’? What does __ mean?


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

How Govt wastes our money: Congress spends $1.3 Trillion we don’t have! 
Today Trump changes his mind about raising prices on all food, cars etc from Mexico.
US to Send 1,000 More Troops to Poland: 5,000 troops to scare Putin?
GOP halts funds for election integrity: no voting machine ‘hacker-blocks’--paper ballots?

IRS says OK to discriminate against NJ homeowners: Trump decides who pays taxes
Defense Dept not allowed to protect bases from climate changes: Words actions banned!
Arming both Israel and Saudis etc is asking for another war: Can Congress block sales?
WA state allows personal use of drugs: empty jails or cost more later?

SCAMS/SPINS:
GOP pays to put ‘citizen’ on census even tho Constitution says ‘people’: democracy??
Govt study says catastrophic climate change unless extensive fixes started.


Catholics to discuss their child abuse and accountability AGAIN: dodge the law?
Religious leaders, above the law, want to control abuse reporting to legal authorities

SCAM: undelivered email being held for you—don’t click link
Insurance agents caught rolling 401k retirement money to annuity: it’s illegal so cancel.
When NOT to file a car or home claim: It may cost you more than it’s worth!

WalgreenBoots taking health benefits from retirees before Medicare kicks in.

Nina Jessee, Cetera caught doing outside business, not cooperating with its investigations
Jovannie Aquino, Windsor Street Capital caught churning clients' accounts—defrocked.


Brokers can’t call themselves advisors anymore: SEC rules against this marketing tool

Balance or out of network surprise billing: challenge any who you did not pre-approve.

WI GOP courts reinstate Scott Walker bias laws that voters threw out: Model for all US?

Jobs:
Are you still getting low wages with the employment rate low? Won’t get better than this
Average employer 401(k) match reached 4.7% this year: new high will last?


Who owns your account now?
CA to shore up Obamacare: State fills in gaps created by GOP.
Monopolies raising health care prices throughout the systems of care: no competition.

HELOC or Home Equity Loan: Pros & Cons which is right for you!
Where are your old employer 401ks? Frozen in bankruptcy? Never leave it with others.


Miracle:
AZ law protects seniors from financial abuse but gives advisors immunity.
Who are these kids who saved the life of a neighbor? They’re your next door neighbor.

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
MontclairNJ   07042
973.746.2014
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