September, 2021 | Live a Life By Design

Basic Economics; Complex World

Posted on September 24, 2021September 24, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

There have been times when the world around us seemed like it was always a sunny day and when it wasn’t rainbows appeared boldly in the sky. Recently, most Americans are feeling isolated and anxious because of factors beyond their control. The pandemic has forced us to abruptly change our lifestyle from one of hope to one of despair and desperation.

I have some good news and bad news. First, the good news is that the world is never bad in and of itself. Your interpretation of the world’s events causes you to perceive your current situation as bad. The bad news is that many of us lack the will, vision and desire to turn the current events into positive ones.

One of my favorite pastimes is watching people. I don’t mean watching them for purposes of finding humor but rather to understand why and how they may be feeling about life. Too often the hard times are written on their faces, hands and the gait of their walk. Life has a method of breaking people based on outcomes from poor decisions.

A young mother and her very small daughter were in a convenience store recently while I was purchasing gasoline for my car. As I watched the little girl, of maybe three or four years of age, relentlessly asking her mother for some food to eat, the resounding decline of her mother rang loudly in my ears. She was told that they didn’t have any money for food. As I thought about this situation, I quickly decided to act by purchasing some food and drinks for the little girl. When I reached the counter to pay for the food and hand it to the little girl, I noticed the mother was ordering cigarettes and slowly found the money to pay the attendant.

This simple, yet excellent, example of economics popped into my mind. When faced with a decision that impacted them both – the buying of food to eat – the individual purchased something that only the mother could utilize for satiation. Addictions of all types are experienced, and holding captive, too many people in world. Poor choices with money cause even greater harm to the family unit when more wholesome choices were obvious.

After asking the mother if I could give the little girl the food and drinks, I saw a smile radiate on the little girl’s face like the noon-day sun! The two of them made their way out the door and a stranger came up to me and, with a haughty tone in his voice, said, “I wouldn’t have bought them food! Didn’t you see her buy the cigarettes?” I smiled and simply replied, “For me, it was only economics and kindness to buy the little girl some food. For her, it was the difference between going hungry and losing hope. You see, we live in a complex world that functions on simple, basic economics.”

The moral of this story is that each of us has limited means. What we choice to do with this resource can be an investment (buying a little girl food to help and provide hope) or simply an expense (cigarettes). The former pays dividends many times over. The latter causes greater pain when the goods are used up.

Before making spontaneous purchases for items, you may not have the means to buy, think about the type of use of your funds. Are you making an investment or simply spending money? The difference is enormous.

It takes producers and consumer to maintain an economy. Next week we will investigate the savings rate in the United States and provide you some strategies to help you become an exponential, economic saver.

Until next week, be a help to someone in need. Help change their life by applying this simple lesson in economics. You will be the one who receives the dividends of goodwill!

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Direction of Your Life

Posted on September 17, 2021September 17, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Do you feel like life is just a little out of sync? In the crazy world in which we now find ourselves, it is critical to create a safe place to give you hope and optimism. The best method of creating this stability in your life is to create and monitor your activities and emotions with a life plan.

Life planning has become an industry unto itself. There is more to your life than financial matters. You have relationships, hobbies and other activities that can’t be purchased with money. By properly setting your goals and life plan into motion, you have found your “true north”.

When you have properly placed your passions and actions into a formulated methodology that increases your probabilities for success, you are on your way. Think about these three aspects of life when planning your future. First, remember that life is finite. This is not a morbid tale but one that gives you urgency to seek your best life on your terms. If you are granted only twenty-four hours to do what you want to do in life, would you be doing what you are doing now?

Your happiness depends on the framework you have placed around yourself. Friends, community and family, all contribute greatly to the quality of life you lead. It is not all about money. I know several people who are very rich in worldly goods but bankrupt of happiness. On his deathbed, a very successful real estate developer in California told a young Darren Hardy that he made one mistake in life – he is poor. When the confused teenager looked at the dying man, he exclaimed, “You have 7 houses worth millions of dollars, cars worth millions of dollars and other investments that contribute to your overwhelming wealth! How can you say you are poor?” The wise, old man pulled the boy closer to him and, in a raspy voice wrecked by radiation and cancer treatments said, “I am poor because I spent all of my time making money and failed to create true wealth by having relationships with others.”

The second aspect of life is future thinking. Too often we find ourselves mired in the world of today. Thoughts of life in the future seem fleeting and so far out of our realm of thinking that they are irrelevant. By applying a little of your current assets and income to your future, you would be amazed at the potential results. The Chinese proverb comes to mind about our future. It states, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.” Don’t allow the irreversible passage of time rob you from a lifetime of happiness by merely enjoying today beyond your means.

Lastly, the aspect of life that makes the most impact is choice. Og Mandino, the New York Times Bestselling Author, wrote in his book titled, Choice, “The key is choice. You have options. You need not spend your life wallowing in failure, ignorance, grief, poverty, shame, and self-pity. There is a better way to live!”

Live your life with passion and happiness. Set your future in motion as you define it. The best method of accomplishing these actions is to focus on your future while living for today. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional can help you plan for the best outcomes in your life. This choice is a simple one…

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The Power of Ownership

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

You have worked hard for many years to accumulate the assets you utilize to sustain your retirement. This balance sheet of tangible and intangible items may last beyond your needs. What are you to do with the remainder of this estate?

As the owner of the assets, you possess a tremendous power of control. You may have heard, as I did, that “you can’t control what happens after you die”. Of course, this is a false statement! To benefit those you love, it is important to properly describe beneficiaries and charities in your estate planning. But there is a simpler method of transitioning assets to your loved ones. The secret is proper asset titling.

Let’s assume you own a parcel of land and a home in fee simple title. The property has no mortgage or claims against it and you wish for your children to own the home after you die. Instead of probating the property as part of your estate, simply consider the retitling of the deed to the property. Depending on the state of domicile, or location, of the property, you may be able to transfer the property to your beneficiaries (i.e., kids or other loved ones) through the filing of a transfer on death deed.

This process is simple and effective. However, there are a few caveats to this type of transfer. For example, the beneficiaries named on the deed must convert the title to their own name(s) within 90 days of death or the beneficial statement of the deed is void. Most real estate in Oklahoma may be conveyed to beneficiaries in this manner.

Other assets such as bank accounts may be transitioned to beneficiaries in a similar manner. By placing a paid-on death designation on the account, upon your death, the named individual(s) will receive the balance of the account without the process of probate. Checking, savings, certificates of deposit and other banking accounts may be conveyed using this type of designation.

Your individual retirement account and Roth accounts may be transferred to your heirs by using properly prepared designation forms. These qualified accounts require the naming of beneficiaries when establishing the accounts. Should you not be clear on the person(s) you wish to leave the account at the time of funding and opening, many people simply leave the assets to their estate. In my humble opinion, this is the last option. If you were to prematurely die, the assets will be owned by your estate and many tax planning options are lost.

Other types of investment accounts may be conveyed with a transfer on death designation form. You may name as manner beneficiaries as you desire to receive a portion of the account upon your death.

Life insurance policies require a beneficiary to be stipulated when procuring the policy. One horror story comes to mind where an individual divorced later in life to marry a much younger woman. His wife of 39 years was his beneficiary when he purchased the policy a year after they were married. During the divorce the assets were separated and support was sought for the wife. He agreed to pay alimony for a set term of years to resolve further property division.

As part of the divorce agreement, the paid-up life insurance policy and its $2,000,000 death benefit would remain in his ownership. After marrying his new bride of 28 years of age only two months after the divorce decree was filed, the man dies of a heart attack. Thinking she had just become a millionaire; the new bride attempts to claim the death benefits of the life policy. To her surprise, and angst, her new husband had not changed his beneficiary on the life policy even though he had been advised by his financial advisor to do so. The moral of this story is to annually verify your beneficiary designations name those you truly wish to receive your assets. Meanwhile, the ex-wife is smiling all the way to the bank!

A best practice in September of each year is to review two tasks: 1) check your beneficiary designations on your financial and other assets; and 2) check the battery in your smoke detectors.

If your estate plans are not complete, or existent, seek out a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional to help you plan for the best outcomes in your life. See you on the jogging trail!

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The Federal Reserve’s Role in the Economy

Posted on September 3, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

One of the most influential organizations to our economy in the United States is the Federal Reserve Board. Many people don’t notice the substantial impact the decisions of the governors of this board effect on the lives of citizens.

Why is it important to understand the role of this agency in your life? It affects how much you pay in interest on your mortgage, car loans, credit card balances and other credit instruments involving the banking system of our country.

The Federal Reserve Board (referred to simply as “the Fed”) was created on December 23, 1913 through the Federal Reserve Act. Seven Governors guide the functions of the board with each Governor appointed by the President and confirmed by Senate. A full term on the board is fourteen years with one Governor rotating off the board every two years.

Primarily, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve are charged with serving the public interest by promoting effective operation of the U.S. economy. This charge is accomplished by regulating the banking system and managing the economy to maximize employment and manage stable prices of goods in the country.

One of the most powerful committees of the Federal Reserve Board is the Federal Open Market Committee. This committee is charged with maintaining orderly markets by reviewing economic and financial conditions, determining appropriate monetary policy and evaluating the risks to long-term goals of price stability and sustainable economic growth. Twelve members govern this committee consisting of the original seven Governors of the Federal Reserve Board and five of the presidents of the regional banks of the Federal Reserve of which the President of the Bank of New York is a permanent committee member.

What does all of this have to do with you, the citizen? Everything! Think about the credit card you have in your wallet. The interest rate charged by banks for unsecured debt is typically higher than that charged for a mortgage collateralized with real estate. The Federal Reserve Board is the primary policymaker that establishes the discount rate (the rate at which banks participating in the Federal Reserve System can borrow money from the Federal Bank) which serves as the basis for calculating loan rates.

The Board of Governors meets every other Monday to review economic data for purposes monitoring progress. Should the Fed desire to slow down the money supply in the economy which would slow inflationary pressure, a simple raising of the discount rate will be entertained.

Inflation is the invisible effect that all consumers feel when buying gas, groceries or other goods. The U.S. Dollar is directly impacted by the inflation present in the economy and buys fewer goods when inflation is higher.

If you wish to make your retirement income last a lifetime, contact a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional to help you plan for the best outcomes in your life. See you on the jogging trail!