Financial Failings of NBA Legend Antoine Walker

Former NBA All-Star forward Antoine Walker possessed a varied skill-set that enabled him to play both inside and outside. A big man who also shot the three, Walker was notorious for his hilariously erratic shot selection and, later in his career, an aversion to running that led to lazy play.

The quality of financial advice Walker received throughout his career was evidently very close to the quality of his shot attempts, as he filed for bankruptcy in 2010, two years after he retired from the game. In a recent column in the Players’ Tribune, Walker writes a letter to his younger self detailing what went wrong and what he could have done better.

Surprisingly, there are a few money management lessons that anyone—NBA star or not—can apply. (For related reading, see: Do You Need to Change Your Financial Advisor?)

Actively Screen Advisors
Screen advisors before you hire them, and after you do, make sure you know where your money is going. Walker frames his letter with the importance and difficulty of saying “no,” whether to friends asking for money or, most crucially, a friend of a friend who asked for money to start a real estate venture.

The advisor, who Walker met at a dinner with NBA colleagues, started Walker Ventures with bank loans guaranteed by Walker’s personal portfolio, an incredibly risky move. Walker let the advisor have complete control of managing the properties since he was playing basketball nine months of the year. Ultimately, Walker Ventures was forced to close after the housing crash with $20 million of debt. The advisor went to jail, and Walker was forced to file for bankruptcy.

There were a couple ways this could have been prevented. First, Walker didn’t do much due diligence before making the deal. He could have run it by another advisor, who probably would have told him it was structured as an extremely risky venture. Second, because of his schedule, Walker did not adequately check up on the investments.

Many people, particularly young investors, share Walker’s desire to make some money outside of their main job, especially to save for retirement. Finding a financial advisor who is trustworthy, and right for your unique needs, is very important. (For related reading, see: 6 Questions to Ask a Financial Advisor.)

The Upside of Having Someone Say No
Walker’s trouble with the real estate venture was compounded by his reckless spending. While he confesses that he spent lavishly on himself, including a $350,000 Maybach car, it appears that what took the biggest bite out of Walker’s wallet was his spending on family and friends. “I gave them whatever they wanted and spoiled them. You can’t do that,” Walker said in a CNN/Money interview. “It ended up being an open ATM throughout my career.”

While most of us don’t take our friends to a Gucci store and let them buy whatever they want—as Walker has said he did—spending without at least an idea of what is manageable is a problem many people encounter. For young professionals in particular, overspending can seriously hinder retirement saving.

A good financial advisor will do more than simply invest your money. They will incorporate periodic spending goals, major expenditures like vacations, and life events like a new home or wedding into your comprehensive financial plan. Sometimes, this could mean advising against a big purchase for the sake of a long-term goal.

Obviously, we don’t all have $110 million to blow like Antoine Walker. But lackadaisical spending control and being too busy to check on our investments or advisors are traps anyone could fall into. Ensuring that your money is in the right hands is a universally important objective. (For related reading, see: Which Investor Personality Best Describes You?)

This article was originally published on Investopedia.com

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The views expressed in this blog post are as of the date of the posting, and are subject to change based on market and other conditions. This blog contains certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected.
Please note that nothing in this blog post should be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase an interest in any security or separate account. Nothing is intended to be, and you should not consider anything to be, investment, accounting, tax or legal advice. If you would like investment, accounting, tax or legal advice, you should consult with your own financial advisors, accountants, or attorneys regarding your individual circumstances and needs. No advice may be rendered by Sherman Wealth unless a client service agreement is in place.
If you have any questions regarding this Blog Post, please Contact Us.

Which Investor Personality Best Describes You?

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This article was originally published on investopedia.com

According to many studies, our different personality traits and preferences, along with a range of emotional and mental behavioral biases, have a strong impact on the way we invest. This is commonly referred to as behavioral finance. As part of a two-part series on Behavioral Finance, we will start by exploring the different personality types of most investors. When it comes to money and investing, there are many factors that contribute to the “how” and “why” of important financial decisions.

Investor Personality Types

There are four different types of investors, according to the CFA Institute, each with their own distinct behavioral biases. Understanding your own investor personality type can go a long way toward helping you determine and meet your long term investment goals, as well as producing better returns. (For more from Brad Sherman, see: 6 Questions to Ask a Financial Advisor.)

Which of these profiles best describes you?

Preservers

Preservers are investors who place a great deal of emphasis on financial security and on preserving wealth rather than taking risks to grow wealth. Preservers watch closely over their assets and are anxious about losses and short-term performance. Preservers also have trouble taking action for fear of making the wrong investments decisions.

Common Issues with Preservers: An investment strategy should take into account short-, mid- and long-term goals. By overemphasizing short-term returns, an investor risks making an emotional decision based on the short-term performance, which may end up being more detrimental to them in the long run.

Accumulators

Accumulators are investors who are interested in accumulating wealth and are confident they can do so. Accumulators tend to want to steer the ship when it comes to making investment decisions. They are risk takers and typically believe that whatever path they choose is the correct one. Accumulators have frequently been successful in prior business endeavors and are confident that they will make successful investors as well.

Common issue with Accumulators: Overconfidence. We recently wrote a blog on the issue with stock picking and active management. Overconfidence is a natural human tendency. As investors, accumulators consistently overestimate their ability to predict future returns. History has shown that it is impossible to predict markets at large scale, yet accumulators continue to try and do so and expose themselves to extreme risk.

Followers

Followers are investors who tend to follow the lead of their friends and colleagues, a general investing fad, or the status quo, rather than having their own ideas or making their own decisions about investing. Followers may lack interest and/or knowledge of the financial markets and their decision-making process may lack a long-term plan.

Common Issues with Followers: The herd mentality is a concept of investors piling into the same investments as others. This is often the basis of investment bubbles and subsequent crashes in the stock market. When you are a follower, you are typically following fund managers who have tools and recourses to act on new information in a fraction of a second. By the time the average investor “follows” them into a position, it is often too late. It is always important to understand your investment decisions and how they fit into your overall plan.

Independents

Independents are investors who have original ideas about investing and like to be involved in the investment process. Unlike followers, they are very interested in the process of investing, and are engaged in the financial markets. Many Independents are analytical and critical thinkers and trust themselves to make confident and informed decisions, but risk the pitfalls of only following their own research.

Common Issues with Independents: Similar to overconfidence bias associated with accumulators, independents face similar issues with relying too heavily on their own train of thought. We as humans have ability to convince ourselves that we are correct or that we don’t need guidance, even when that is not the case.

 

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The views expressed in this blog post are as of the date of the posting, and are subject to change based on market and other conditions. This blog contains certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected.
Please note that nothing in this blog post should be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase an interest in any security or separate account. Nothing is intended to be, and you should not consider anything to be, investment, accounting, tax or legal advice. If you would like investment, accounting, tax or legal advice, you should consult with your own financial advisors, accountants, or attorneys regarding your individual circumstances and needs. No advice may be rendered by Sherman Wealth unless a client service agreement is in place.
If you have any questions regarding this Blog Post, please Contact Us.

Personal Finance – Why Didn’t I Learn That?

I recently returned from a reunion weekend with some of my college buddies. We caught up on wives, kids, work and all the other important parts of our lives. One thing struck me about the conversations, no matter whether I was speaking with liberal arts majors or those who studied corporate finance: While we all know that E=MC2 and maybe even know a fair amount about Einstein’s theory, most of them graduated without having a real clue about personal finance.

In other words, the financial skills we learn in school are not necessarily the ones we need in the real world — at least when it comes to our personal lives.

Personal finance is not typically part of a college curriculum. And while some of us have parents or family members who can guide us along the way, those individuals may not be financial experts, and there is a limit to the help they can provide.

From my experience, most people are interested in financial literacy but don’t know where to go to get started. We all face similar issues, and the less familiar we are with the mechanics of approaching them, the more anxiety-provoking they become.

The younger you learn, the better off you are. When I was in the first grade, I wanted to be Alex P. Keaton, the money-savvy teenager played by Michael J. Fox on the television sitcom “Family Ties.” It was clear early on that I had an affinity for sound saving, investing and growing money. When I was 7, my grandmother gave me a dollar; I turned it into $5, then $50. I am thrilled by the challenge of helping people reach their financial goals at all stages of their lives.

For example, take buying that first home. Your career is on track, and becoming a homeowner seems like an appropriate goal. So with some excitement and anticipation, you decide to start looking.

Then the questions begin flooding in. How much home can I afford? How much should I be saving? When is the ideal time to buy? How does a mortgage work? Will I qualify? What’s my credit score? Do I need insurance? How do property taxes work?

Imagine if there were a course in college (let’s not get crazy and imagine they would teach this in high school) called Personal Finance 101. In addition to the homebuying lessons above, the curriculum could look something like this:

Cash flow and budgeting

Topics covered: What is a budget? How do I create one? How do I know what I can afford?

Building credit and understanding credit cards

Topics covered: What are the advantages and disadvantages of owning a credit card? How should I decide which one to get?

Intro to the stock market and investing

Topics covered: What are the differences in the various investment vehicles — exchange-traded funds, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit?

Taxes

Topics covered: How do I pay taxes? What do I need to pay attention to in my tax planning?

Future workplace retirement plan options

Topics covered: What is a 401(k), IRA, Roth IRA? When should I start saving? How much should I save?

My guess is that a course like this would be incredibly valuable to many. It’s complicated stuff. It’s important stuff. It’s the kind of stuff that you actually need to know.

This is the main reason I chose to get in this line of work. Younger people have no idea where or how to start, and they have no idea where to find help. Traditional financial management institutions have investment minimums that most of us won’t be able to meet for over a decade, if ever. These minimums can range from $250,000 to $500,000, and sometimes are higher. Even if you were fortunate enough to be accepted by a big institutional investment manager, you’re kidding yourself if you think a large institution is going to take the time to explain to you the difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA.

That’s why I chose to create a wealth management model where we would provide the same customized service to all of our clients, without consideration of a minimum initial investment and irrespective of the size of their accounts. We hope that by investing in you early, you’ll see our value for the long term.

If you are reading this and can relate to some of these thoughts, know that it’s not just you. It doesn’t matter whether you majored in art or corporate finance, you almost certainly did not take a class in Personal Finance 101. The good news is, you don’t have to go at it alone. Seek the help that is out there, and learn what you may have missed in college.

This article was originally published on NerdWallet.com

This article also appears on Nasdaq.

 

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The views expressed in this blog post are as of the date of the posting, and are subject to change based on market and other conditions. This blog contains certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected.
Please note that nothing in this blog post should be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase an interest in any security or separate account. Nothing is intended to be, and you should not consider anything to be, investment, accounting, tax or legal advice. If you would like investment, accounting, tax or legal advice, you should consult with your own financial advisors, accountants, or attorneys regarding your individual circumstances and needs. No advice may be rendered by Sherman Wealth unless a client service agreement is in place.
If you have any questions regarding this Blog Post, please Contact Us.

6 Questions to Ask A Financial Advisor

6 Questions for Financial Advisor

Finding a financial advisor who is right for you is an important process. A good financial advisor is there to prevent you from making decisions that would have a negative, unintended impact on you. Who wouldn’t love to have a financial coach to keep you on track to achieve your financial goals?

Just like with any working relationship, it’s a good idea to interview advisors until you find the one who is the best fit for you, your life, and your financial goals. Since you are entrusting your financial well-being to someone, you should get to know them and their financial planning and investing philosophy before committing to a long-term relationship.

As you may have heard the Department of Labor (DOL) has just released its new fiduciary rule in its final form. We previously wrote about the reasons why someone would oppose this rule considering it was created to improve financial transparency and eliminate conflicted advice from advisors. While this rule would still allow advisors to keep their “conflicted” commissions in some instances, it would require advisors to act as fiduciaries (a.k.a. “best interests contract”) when handling client’s retirement accounts.

We have long been proponents of more transparency and conflict-free advice and feel this is a step in the right direction.

So how does this affect your search for the right financial advisor? Here are 6 questions to ask to help with finding a financial advisor.

1. Are You a Fiduciary? (Are You ALWAYS a Fiduciary?)

As we mentioned earlier, this new rule will only require financial advisors to act as a fiduciary for client’s retirement accounts. A fiduciary is regulated by federal law and must adhere to strict standards. They must act in the client’s best interest, in good faith, and they must provide full disclosure regarding fees, compensation, and any current or potential conflicts of interest.

Until now, broker-dealers, insurance salesman, bank and financial company representatives, and others were only required to follow a Suitability Standard. That means they only had to provide recommendations that are “suitable” for a client – based on age or aversion to risk for example – but this may or may not be in that client’s best interest.

The brokerage industry, as you can probably imagine, and all those who earn their compensation from commissions are strongly against these new rules.

Even with this new law passed, we feel it is important to make sure your advisor is acting as a fiduciary when dealing with ANY of your finances, not just retirement accounts.

 

2. What is Your Fee Structure? (Difference Between Fee-Only, Fee-Based and Commission)

Advisors throw out terms like “fee-based” and consumers assume that is the same as
“fee-only.” That is not the case. At Sherman Wealth Management, we are fee-only which means that we are paid exclusively by our clients, so we are completely conflict-free. We do not get commissions from the investments or products we recommend. We do not get bonuses based on how many clients we get to invest in company products. We are paid an hourly or quarterly fee by our clients who retain us because we are making their money work for them with only their best interest in mind.

Think of it this way: would you want to work with an accountant who also gets commissions from the IRS? Of course not. You want your accountant to represent your best interests. Would you go to a doctor who makes money each time he prescribes penicillin? No, you want your doctor to prescribe what is right for you.

Do not assume that an advisor is following a fiduciary standard with their compensation now. The new rules will not be enforced until 2018. Ask your financial advisor to clearly specify their fees. With many layers of diversification that can be applied to your portfolio, you want to be aware of whether you are exposed to up-front charges, back-end fees, expense ratios, and/or whether a percentage of your returns will be deducted.

 

3. Why Are They Right for YOU?

A financial advisor should be able to tell you their strengths and what sets them apart. Some advisors will advise on investments while others specialize in comprehensive financial planning. While you may think all advisors are the same, and it certainly may seem like that on the surface, by now you should be seeing that is not the case.

Ask how involved they are with their client’s portfolios. Are they hands-on in their approach? How available are they for their clients’ needs?

For us, we enjoy serving a wide-range of clients, from young first-timers who are just getting started with investing and financial planning, to experienced savers, to high-net-worth investors who are well on their way to financial independence.

We strive to understand our clients wants and needs. We help our clients plan for the long term while simultaneously working to avoid short-term roadblocks. We do so by making it a point to SHOW you that you are not alone. We’re just like you, we’ve been there, and we know that financial planning can be an anxiety provoking activity for many. We use a fluid process to help set clear, realistic goals with an easy to understand roadmap of what you need to do to get there. We are right there with you every step of the way.

In today’s world you don’t just want a trusted advisor, you want instant access to your accounts and the progress you are making. That is why we offer some of the best in new financial services technology tools.

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The relationship with your financial advisor is an important one. You need to feel comfortable with whom you are working with.

 

4. What is Your Investment Philosophy?

Every financial advisor has a specific approach to planning and investing. Some advisors prefer trying to time the market and actively manage funds versus passive investments. Others may seek to gain high returns and make riskier investments. Your goals and risk tolerance need to align with the advisor’s philosophy.

When anyone invests money, they are doing so with the hopes of growing it faster than inflation. While some traditional investment managers not only want to generate a profitable return, they aim to beat the market by taking advantage of pricing discrepancies and attempting to time the market and predict the future. Some investment companies offer “one-size-fits-all” investment management solutions that only take into account your age and income.

We have a different approach. We believe an individuals best chance at building wealth through the capital markets is to avoid common behavioral biases in the beginning and utilize a well thought out, disciplined, and long-term approach to investing. We create a well diversified, customized portfolio that focuses on tax efficiency, cost effectiveness, and risk management. Read more about how we do this.

Make it a top priority to understand the strategy your advisor uses and that you are comfortable with it.

 

5. How Personalized Are Your Recommendations for Your Clients?

It is important that your financial advisor tailors your financial plan to your specific goals. Your retirement plan and investment strategy should be customized to take into account your risk tolerance, age, income, net-worth, and other factors specific to your situation. There should not be a one-size-fits-all approach to managing your money.

Some traditional brokers and insurance companies are so big that it becomes impossible for them to give you a truly individualized experience. They have a corporate agenda that they must follow and it can restrict the service they provide to you.

As frustrating as the requirement for a high minimum balance is for first-time investors, it has also inspired a new breed of smaller independent Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs), like Sherman Wealth Management. What our clients all have in common is that they appreciate the focus on their own individual goals and best interests that we guarantee as a boutique, independent, fee-only fiduciary.

We know that each client is unique.  We don’t look for “market efficiencies” or work for sales commissions on the products we recommend. Our focus is different. We strive to help investors build a strong foundation and grow with them, not by profiting off good or bad trades. This gives us the opportunity to create individual strategies and plans that are uniquely suited to each client, not just a cookie-cutter plan based on age, income, or broadly assessed risk tolerance.

 

6. Do You Have Any Asset or Revenue Minimums?

Some have argued that the proposed DOL rule will end up hurting the small investor because larger institutions will not be willing to serve small accounts. This logic is fundamentally backward and flawed, as those clients were never on their radar to begin with. In fact, the ability for these large institutions to generate commissions and thus charge more to these small investor clients have driven that business, without regard to the best interests of the individual investor.

For example, In a company statement quoted by Janet Levaux in Think Advisor, Wells Fargo, the most valuable financial institution in the world according to the Wall Street Journal, said that in 2016, “bonuses will be awarded to FAs with 75% of their client households at $250,000.”

Wells Fargo isn’t the only large institution effectively ignoring Millennials and other smaller and entry-level clients. Most of the corporate institutions prefer high-net-worth clients because it creates “efficiencies of scale” and a higher profit margin on larger trades.

The complaints against the new DOL rule have nothing to do with protecting the little guy. Rather, the complaints are driven by the desire of commission-based large institutions, insurance companies, and broker-dealers who are trying to protect their ability to generate commissions and charge clients unnecessary fees.

Make sure you understand your advisor’s motivations. If they don’t want you, why should you want them?

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The views expressed in this blog post are as of the date of the posting, and are subject to change based on market and other conditions. This blog contains certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected.
Please note that nothing in this blog post should be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase an interest in any security or separate account. Nothing is intended to be, and you should not consider anything to be, investment, accounting, tax or legal advice. If you would like investment, accounting, tax or legal advice, you should consult with your own financial advisors, accountants, or attorneys regarding your individual circumstances and needs. No advice may be rendered by Sherman Wealth unless a client service agreement is in place.
If you have any questions regarding this Blog Post, please Contact Us.

March Madness and Investing: Surprising Similarities (And How to Avoid Common Mistakes)

March Madness (1)

What a great time of the year. Cherry blossoms are out, baseball opening day is right around the corner, and the best single elimination tournament in sports is on its way. That’s right, it’s March Madness time.

For those of you unfamiliar, March Madness, as it’s commonly called, is a 64-team college basketball single elimination tournament. There are four regions that each have 16 teams seeded 1 though 16. The winners of each region meet in the “final four” to determine who will emerge as the champion.

Offices around the country are buzzing with brackets, upset picks and friendly wagers. In other words, it’s chaos both on and off the court and it’s glorious!

In case you couldn’t tell, I love sports. As a financial advisor, I am constantly looking at seemingly unrelated topics, and comparing them to the world of finance. What may come as a surprise to you is that investing and March Madness have more in common than you think.

So what does the tournament have to do with investing? Let’s have some fun and take a look.

You Can’t Predict the Future

Every year people get excited about their bracket. We watch the “experts” on TV and eagerly listen to their reasons for picking one team over another. We all go into the season thinking that this is “our year.” We’ve done the research and we’ve studied history. What could possibly go wrong?

In the first round of this year’s tournament, a record 10 double-digit seeds advanced to the second round! Do you think a lot of people predicted that? Not a chance.

March Madness BracketsHave you ever heard the saying on Wall Street that past performance does not guarantee future performance? There’s a reason the saying exists. Just like last year’s successful mutual fund managers aren’t any more likely to pick this year’s best accounts, the winner of last year’s bracket pool is no more likely than you to pick this year’s winning March Madness team.

When it comes to investing, “experts” love to tell us what is going to happen in the future. People brag about their best stock picks and conveniently leave out their poor ones. The truth is, no one knows what is coming. Once you accept that, you can create a financial plan that takes into account your risk tolerance, and current life situation to make the best investment decisions for you.

Diversification and Risk vs. Reward

No one picks a perfect bracket. The odds of filling out a perfect bracket are 1 in 9.2 quintillion (source: USA Today). According to that number, if everyone in the US filled out one bracket each year, we would see a perfect bracket once every 400 years. You’d be better off gambling with the lottery based on those odds.

However, straying from the standard “favorites” isn’t always the answer either. People love to pick the underdog or “dark horse,” but if you do this consistently year after year, you aren’t likely to have much success. That doesn’t mean you can’t pick an underdog here or there, but the risky picks should be a subset of your overall picks, not the full strategy.

The truth is, no one wins a bracket pool by picking all favorites or all upsets. As the point above taught us, everyone is just guessing. By diversifying your picks with some favorites and some upsets, you give yourself the best chance at success.

The same principal applies with investing. If your portfolio is composed of stocks from one sector or all growth stocks, you are exposing yourself to huge amounts of risk. Sure, the reward may be great if you end up being right, but as we’ve seen time and time again, that is a strategy that can set you up for disaster.

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The views expressed in this blog post are as of the date of the posting, and are subject to change based on market and other conditions. This blog contains certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected.
Please note that nothing in this blog post should be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase an interest in any security or separate account. Nothing is intended to be, and you should not consider anything to be, investment, accounting, tax or legal advice. If you would like investment, accounting, tax or legal advice, you should consult with your own financial advisors, accountants, or attorneys regarding your individual circumstances and needs. No advice may be rendered by Sherman Wealth unless a client service agreement is in place.
If you have any questions regarding this Blog Post, please Contact Us.

In Times of Uncertainty, Feeling Certain about Your Plan

As I was listening to Fed chair Janet Yellen’s testimony in front of Congress last week, I was intrigued by a tweet from Morgan Housel: “Go back to 2008 and tell people that in 2016 our biggest headwind would be low oil prices and a strong dollar. Economics is hard. Not in a “things are actually good today” way. But in mid-2008 surging oil prices and a falling dollar were a big headwind.”

As a Financial Advisor, I read every piece of economic data available to me and follow the thought processes of the top thinkers at virtually all the key financial institutions so I can carefully invest money on behalf of our clients.

Here’s what I’ve discovered: none of them, and none of us, have been given a roadmap to what the future holds. They can watch and study the relevant economic indicators, but they cannot predict the financial future with absolute certainty. We all live with uncertainty while trying to make the best decisions we can with the information available.

Given the certainty of uncertainty, what can individuals do to best prepare for their financial future?

With all of the speculation about the upcoming elections, questions about possible negative interest rates, and concerns about international instability, it’s easy to feel anxious about the potential effects on the economy and on your savings and investments. Particularly because the airwaves and the Internet are full of news reports, commentary, blogposts and Tweets about how volatile and risky the markets are.

One thing that is certain: there will always be volatility and risk in the markets. That’s what makes the stock market the stock market. Even if we are currently experiencing a bit more than just normal market volatility, remember that the markets have historically rebounded extremely well after corrections (which are considered a drop of at least 10%). Don’t take my word for it, take a look at the chart below:

 

These charts show 27 corrections of at least 10% or more since 1987. All of those corrections had one thing in common: they all rebounded with a bullish rally. What history has shown is that, over the long run, markets continue to move higher.

What does this mean for individual savers and investors? No matter your age or experience with financial planning and investments, there is one universal “must” that applies to everyone. You need a financial plan:  a carefully thought-out, customized financial plan, not just something you downloaded from Google. Once you have that plan in place, the next steps are to implement it, then put your head down and trust in that plan.

This current market in particular highlights the importance of having a financial plan that is both age-appropriate and risk-adjusted to your specific financial situation, goals, and needs. If you’re in your 20s or 30s, for instance, the correction we’re experiencing is a great opportunity. Why? Because you have the luxury of time on your side. With the market currently down significantly from where it was a year ago, this is a great time to implement a dollar cost averaging strategy and start saving and investing on a consistent basis.

One of the things that differentiates us at Sherman Wealth, however, is that we believe that no two people are alike and that everyone’s investment strategy and portfolio should be customized to suit his or her individual situation, needs, and goals. We get to know each client – or potential client – so we can analyze their actual risk tolerance in a holistic way, rather than just plugging their age and one or two other factors into a simple, one-size-fits all algorithm the way some of the Robo-Advisor platforms do. Then we create a plan that is designed to work for our clients.

I can’t tell you what the market is going to do tomorrow or six months from now – no one can. But with a well-thought-out financial plan – one that takes into consideration who you are now, where you want to be, and how much risk you can tolerate – you will feel much more confident about your own strategy and less likely to panic about what the next crazy pundit to pop up on the internet has to say.

Photo Source: AP

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The views expressed in this blog post are as of the date of the posting, and are subject to change based on market and other conditions. This blog contains certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected.
Please note that nothing in this blog post should be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase an interest in any security or separate account. Nothing is intended to be, and you should not consider anything to be, investment, accounting, tax or legal advice. If you would like investment, accounting, tax or legal advice, you should consult with your own financial advisors, accountants, or attorneys regarding your individual circumstances and needs. No advice may be rendered by Sherman Wealth unless a client service agreement is in place.
If you have any questions regarding this Blog Post, please Contact Us.

Straight Talk about Volatility and Compound Interest – the Snowball Effect

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Compound interest is, simply put, the interest you earn on the sum of both your initial investment and the interest that investment has already earned.

Why is it important? Because your two potential advantages when it comes to maximizing potential earnings over time are:

  • The power of compound interest
  • Investing regularly through market highs and lows

Let’s break this dynamic duo down:

 

The Power of Compounding

 

Compound interest is often compared to a snowball. If a 2-inch snowball starts rolling, it picks up more snow, enough to cover its tiny circumference. As it keeps rolling, its surface grows, so it picks up more snow with each revolution.

If you invest $1000 in a fund that pays 8% annual interest compounded yearly, in 10 years you’ll have $2158.93, in 20 years that will be $4660.96, in 30 years it will be $10,062.66, and in 40 years it will be $21,724.52. All it takes is patience to turn $1000 – the price of one ski weekend – into $21,724.52.

That’s why it’s so important to start saving early.

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The above chart is hypothetical and assumes an 8% rate of return compounded annually. It is for illustrative purposes only and is not indicative of the performance of any specific investment.   Investment return and principal values will fluctuate so that your investment when redeemed may be worth more or less than its original cost. Rates of return do not include fees and charges, which are inherent to other investment products. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

Volatility – Market Highs and Lows

 

But what happens if the market dips and your investment loses value?

Volatility – when market value fluctuates up and down – can be an opportunity for disciplined savers who contribute regularly to their investments, regardless of share price. When prices are low, you’re able to buy more shares. When prices are high you’re able to buy fewer shares for the same amount but those shares earn more interest, which is called Dollar Cost Averaging (Dollar cost averaging does not protect against a loss in declining markets. Since such a plan involves continuous investments in securities regardless of the fluctuating price levels, the investor should consider his or her financial ability to continue such purchases through period of low price levels.)

Imagine that snowball again, rolling down a hill, acquiring more and more snow as it goes. What happens when it hits a bare patch with no snow? Often it picks up rocks and pebbles, which add even more surface volume. So, when it hits the snow again, it picks up even more because it’s larger.

That’s how compound interest, coupled with regular investments, may work too: the “rough patches” produce more volume, which then allows you to acquire more compounded interest. So if you buy more shares during a dip, when the market recovers you could hypothetically not only earn compound interest on more shares, you earn more interest. So long as the price of your particular investment recovers, of course.

As Josh Brown points out in his recent blog post about Warren Buffett and David Tepper, both these legendary investors have gotten to where they are today because they’ve successfully ridden out volatility. In 1998 Warren Buffets own Berkshire Hathaway’s “A” shares had dropped in price from approximately $80,000 to $59,000 but Buffet didn’t sell. Those shares just hit a high of $229,000 this year.

If you see volatility – like what we experienced in August – as a tool and keep contributing regularly to your investments, you’ll potentially maximize the effect of compounded interest and watch your investments snowball over time!

 

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Additional Reading:

How two of history’s greatest investors deal with losses

http://awealthofcommonsense.com/did-investors-just-experience-the-best-risk-adjusted-returns-ever/

http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm

http://www.moneychimp.com/features/market_cagr.htm

http://investor.gov/tools/calculators/compound-interest-calculator

Millennials – Time to Wake Up and Smell the Stock Market

Smell the Stock Market

On Monday, as things were heating up a bit, Cullen Roche tweeted “The stock market is the only market where things go on sale and all the customers run out of the store…”

The problem is, many Millennials weren’t even in the store.

Only 26 percent of people under age 30 own stocks, according to a CNBC story that same day. That means that, while not panicking, most Millennials may have been missing one of the biggest potential opportunities of the past 10 years.

Why Aren’t Millennials Investing?

There are many theories –from Millennials being shell-shocked by experiencing their families’ anxiety in 2008, to YOLO, the feeling that it’s better to spend and enjoy the money now because who knows what the future may bring. The problem is that the future is likely to bring a whole lot fewer opportunities if you haven’t planned properly!

Are You Even Beating Inflation?

Let’s say hypothetically that the stock market may rebound by 5%… Simple, common sense math shows that keeping your money in the bank at .05% interest means it would take you 100 years to make the same amount of money that investing it now could. And the cash you are saving under the mattress or in one of your vintage vinyl sleeves? That money is just losing value every second you leave it there, as the cost of blankets and concert tickets continues to climb with inflation.

Risk, Volatility, and Paper Losses

It’s important to know the difference between risk and volatility and many people get it wrong.

Volatility – stock prices moving up and down – is a normal part of the stock market and an opportunity for a disciplined saver to buy when the market is both up and down. When you have a solid plan in place you can capitalize on market price dislocations, like what happened this week. Risk is how likely you are to lose it all and it’s important to remember – while everyone has their own risk tolerance – price corrections and market volatility does not necessarily mean you are going to lose it all. As the chart below borrowed from The Irrelevant Investor’s excellent post on staying the course shows, the stock market has historically climbed in spite of dips. And paper losses are just that: it’s not real loss if you don’t sell.

stock market drops

As this chart by Deutsche Bank’s Torsten Slok shows, in spite of other times of great volatility, markets have always recovered. It’s just a question of timing.

 

torsten

Millennials: This is Your Wake-up Call

When I speak to fellow Millennials, they say that the real reasons they don’t invest are that 1) it’s daunting to get started and 2) they don’t know where to get help. The big companies aren’t interested in smaller investors with less than 250-500K and the robo solutions don’t understand what makes each smaller investor’s situation unique. There’s a whole new breed of financial advisors, however, who combine personalized service with targeted tech solutions for smaller investors. So no excuses – there are financial pros ready help you create an investment strategy that makes sense for your personal goals and financial situation. And volatility doesn’t disrupt what we do!

The Bottom Line

If you’ve got a solid financial plan, investing in the stock market does not affect your ability to pay your rent, take care of yourself or your family, or add to that rainy day emergency fund. The money you’re saving and investing is money that you’ve determined you don’t need now, it’s money you have set aside for the long haul. Assuming your planner has planned correctly, you’re not going to miss your car payment because the Chinese stock market is crashing.

And that huge correction that scared you in 2008? It eventually rebounded and the market continued to climb. As a Millennial you’ve got years on your side if you start investing now. And you’re losing the potential for growth and compounded interest every moment you wait.

Baron Rothschild, of the Rothschild banking family, is credited with saying “The time to buy is when there’s blood in the streets.”

Look around. If you’re not investing yet, this might just be the time to start.

 

 

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Has the Internet Replaced Personal Financial Advisors?

human technology

With the wealth of information readily available online, it’s easy to feel that we’re all experts about everything. From scouring the finance blogs and Twitter for the latest “surefire” ways to beat the market, to diagnosing our aches on WebMD, to grilling along with Bobby Flay on YouTube, it can seem like we have almost instant access to the same information as the pros.

So when it comes to personal finances, why is it necessary to have a financial advisor when financial news is so readily available, Twitter is flooded with “hot tips,” robo advisors are ready to automate the whole process for you, and comparison shopping is so easy? Why can’t you just use this treasure trove of information to make your own financial decisions? Or subscribe to an algorithm-based service that will make the best lightning-quick decisions for you?

A couple of reasons…

If you’re good and you dedicate a lot of time online, you can definitely pick up some great information and strategies that the experts are sharing (follow me on Twitter by clicking here!) The tricky part is making sure that the information and the strategies are actually appropriate for you and appropriate right now. We all know that, if we’re not careful, the instantaneous nature of the internet, social media, and impersonal algorithms can lead to impulsive decisions that may not support our own long-term goals and personal risk profile. Quick reactions to new stock market “darlings” or to sudden market volatility can lead to choices that are not the best for your long – or even near – term financial health and growth. In fact, there is a whole science called Behavioral Finance that addresses how personal biases can lead investors to make decisions that actually work against the goals they set for themselves.

A good financial professional is able to sift through the vast amount of information available to you and determine what is significant to your strategy and what may just be a distraction. A financial advisor who understands Behavioral Finance can help you see where your assumptions, habits, and biases about money and investing may be leading you to get in your own way.

The new algorithm-based platforms are increasingly interesting and have a lot of merit, but the level of personalization is not yet very deep. That means that portfolios are based on broad criteria that may have nothing to do with your current situation, lifestyle, and goals. Again, this is where a trained professional will be able to view your unique individual needs and create a tailored strategy that is geared to you and not just everyone who matches your age and salary level. As more and more fiduciary financial advisors are starting to use smart algorithms as part of their offerings where appropriate, the key is “where appropriate” and “in the clients’ best interest,” the very definition of a fiduciary.

Think about it: would you rather grill along with Bobby Flay on your iPad or would you rather have regular meetings with Bobby, where he looks at the size and model of your Weber, the size of your shrimp, and the recipes you’re trying to learn, and works with you to make sure you become the master of your own grill? (and shrimp!)

The same goes for your financial future. While do-it-yourself is getting easier and easier, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s getting better and better. Look for a fiduciary financial advisor who also has access to the latest information online and is familiar with the latest algorithmic innovations, but who uses that information to get to know clients individually, and tailors a long-term growth strategy for them that will put them on the road to achieving the goals they have set for themselves.

 

With over a decade’s worth of experience in financial services, Brad Sherman is committed to helping his clients pursue their financial goals. Learn more about our Financial Advisor services.

Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date with investment news and wealth management information.

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What Should You Do in a Market Sell-off? Rule #1: Don’t Panic

psycology-investment

Whenever there’s a crisis, it’s good to have an emergency plan, and when there’s a financial crisis, it’s good to have a financial emergency plan. When you’ve thought through a plan, it’s less likely that panic – or other “behavioral mistakes” – will lead you to react in ways you may be regretting for a long time.

While most investors say they’ll continue to hold on to their investments when there’s a sharp downturn (and many even say that they’ll add money when their investments go down), data tells a far different story. In December 2008, right as the market was near its lowest point, investors pulled out a whopping $10.6 billion from equity mutual funds alone.

Panicking during market bottoms is a form of “behavioral bias” that can have a devastating effect on financial health. While the S&P 500 has averaged around 10% a year, costly behavioral mistakes cause many individual investors to significantly miss those gains. That’s because, despite good advice, people still tend to put money in the stock market as it rises and pull money out as the market falls. The result: many investors buy at market tops and sell at market bottoms.

While none of us are immune to behavioral biases, there are several things we can do to help avoid costly mistakes.

1.  Learn From the Past

The first step is to understand that market declines are a normal part of investing and resist the urge to panic!

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CRSP 1-10 Index

While the S&P has historically returned almost 10% annually since the 1960s, those returns are not consistent. One year the market could be up 20% and the next it could decline 12%! To make the ride even bumpier: the market also has streaks where returns decline for several consecutive years. That’s when investors often begin to panic and pull their money out. Unfortunately, that’s usually the worst time to do so, and when investors often should be increasing their investments instead.

Although the market can move up and down in the course of a year, or several years, it has historically trended upwards over longer periods of time (10 or 20 years.) So if your investment horizon is longer than just a few years, remember that it’s likely the market will recover its losses – and then some – over time.

Understanding that the U.S. stock market bounces back after its declines is a helpful first step in creating “un-biased” financial habits!

2.  Understand that Accepting Lower Returns May be Okay

Generally speaking, younger investors have more years ahead of them to invest. That means they are often able to put a higher percentage of their money in stocks and a very low, or even zero, percentage in bonds. How much you allocate to stocks will depend on factors such as your own investment objectives and your ability to tolerate risk.

If you know that you’re prone to panicking during market declines, however, you may want to keep your portfolio in more conservative investments than your age and investment horizon would normally indicate.

It’s much better to be a bit more conservative and hold on to your investments during market downturns, than to buy riskier assets and sell during market crashes!

3.  Speak with a Professional

If you’re like most Americans, chances are you spend more time researching your next car than researching your investments!

Investing can be a difficult – and sometimes dry – subject. Learning about the history of the stock market, your own risk tolerance, and behavioral biases that can trip you up is challenging for most people and probably something you don’t want to spend a lot of time on.

That’s where a trusted financial planner can help.

A good financial planner can help guide you along the path in planning for your own financial goals; explain difficult concepts; help you discover your own risk tolerance; recommend appropriate investments based on those risk tolerances; and help you avoid making the behavioral mistakes that ruin so many people’s portfolios.

A good financial planner also understands the history of the market and knows that, while bull markets don’t last forever, declines are generally temporary as well. Knowing that, and having a plan tailored to your specific financial goals will help you to avoid panicking when markets go south, and avoid making the behavioral mistakes that ruin so many people’s portfolios.

 

Brad Sherman is a financial advisor based in Gaithersburg Maryland who is experienced in understanding both the history of the market, as well as how behavioral biases affect investor returns. He has a Masters in Quantitative Finance from American University and over a decade’s worth of experience in the financial industry.

If you think it may make sense for you to hire a financial advisor, call him today to see if you are a good fit.

 

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