Retirement | Live a Life By Design

Opportunity or Tragedy?

Posted on June 16, 2022June 16, 2022 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

The world has become a tenuous planet over the past couple of years. Many people have been impacted, some positively and many negatively. How do you think a person can become positively affected by such trauma and chaos in the world? First, the maintenance of attitude.

Negative people only seek ratification of their advice by recruiting others to the depths they find themselves. The positive people will be a much smaller, yet growing, group of people. No matter the opportunity, someone will always find the negative or “how can I lose” option in the venture. This mindset has not created happy people but rather a group of cynical, and often, maligned population that is skeptical of all positive attributes of life.

A person’s attitude is influenced in many ways. It is better to feed your mind with positive stories of successful people than to focus on excessive newsfeeds of the tragedies of the world. I recommend a good book be the focus of your time rather than negative news on a daily basis.

Another attitude influence is the friend circle you maintain. Personally, I spend ninety-nine percent of time around people that are successful, optimistic and charitable. There is always a success story shared among the group that inspires the rest of us to keep growing and making the world a better place for mankind. The most important asset we hold is our attitude. Assets and net worth are merely tools to accomplishing and maintaining a positive outlook in life by contributing the improvement of less fortunate people. When I see the reaction of families that are recipients of positive support, it motivates me to work harder in creating greater change in our community.

The stock market has recently reached bear market territory. That simply means the S&P 500 Index has fallen by 20% since January 1, 2022. Many of us look at our investment statements on the day after such market changes are posted and frown. Some of us look at this lower price in stocks as an opportunity to buy undervalued stocks that will pay dividends for decades to support our livelihood. Remember, the United States stock exchanges are auction markets. For every one that wishes to sell a stock, someone else must be willing to buy it.

For example, if I were to sell XYZ stock and posted my intentions on the exchange at “market”, a buyer could purchase the stock at whatever its price at the moment of purchase was posted in the marketplace. However, if I were a potential purchaser, I may wish to calculate a target price for which I wish to purchase XYZ and order a stock buy at the price. This means if I want to purchase for $25 and the stock is currently at $26 in the market, my buy order will go unfilled until the stock hits the order price called a buy limit order.

Why I am telling you all of this about attitude and your finances? The real reason is that you have worked for more than 30 years accumulating sufficient assets for your lifetime needs. Don’t allow your fears to cause you to make an immediate decision on a lifetime investment because of short-term market activities. We, as a country, have been here before in the markets and we will improve, and most likely, set new market highs in the future. The bigger question is when.

The manner you have invested your lifetime savings is critical to your long-term success. If you have concerns about your portfolio’s allocation and capabilities to withstand significant market headwinds, consider contacting a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^TM professional. The goal is lifetime income for a better night’s rest. Stay positive!

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Buy or Sell?

Posted on March 3, 2022March 3, 2022 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Life has a way of keeping things interesting. After a long cycle of bull returns, the time for profit-taking has arrived. This is the process of capturing the gains in the investments that have performed well. I will explore some of the factors that are currently active in the economy, the markets and what you can do to maximize your family’s best interest.

The overall economy is improving in the United States. When I state that comment I sort of cringe thinking about the impact that is being felt by the families of our country. Inflation has reached a 40-year high at 7.5% according to tradingeconomics.com. Some of the factors leading to this excessive rate are labor shortages, soaring energy costs and supply chain disruptions. Based on a review of ktvz.com, March and April, 1980, inflation had risen to an unprecedented peace time level of 14.6%. Acknowledging that this rate is extremely high by today’s standards, the highest inflation factor in the United States was experienced in 1778 at 29.78% (Investopedia.com).

Improvements in market controls, inventory production, delivery methods and banking policies contributed to maintaining a more reasonable inflation experience for many decades. It is not unusual for the people of the United States to be subjected to a 2% – 3% inflation rate in our overall economy. However, in our modern world where we rely on transportation and housing that must be heated and cooled with natural gas or electricity, an inflation rate above 4% begins to reflect on people’s lifestyles.

The unemployment rate is at historic lows for our country. This rate often touted by politicians to show their outstanding work on the economy is misunderstood by the mass of Americans. To properly understand the application of the rate to the economy, you must consider that underemployed and those individuals not actively looking for work are not considered in developing the rate. For those individuals seeking employment, there are currently more job opportunities than workers to fill them. This is a big plus for our economy. During times of high demand for skilled workers the hourly wage rises. It is simple economics – supply and demand. When demand for something (or someone) rises and the supply (people looking for work) is static or lower, the price for labor will be higher.

Rising wages are good for workers until they realize the costs of goods rise along with them. Companies will increase prices on goods to cover the increased cost of labor while maintaining the profit margin necessary to continue operations.

Another factor affecting the economy is the supply chain disruption. Goods that are manufactured outside the United States must be imported for sale by businesses to the public. Recently, the shelves of some of the largest retailers have been limited or out of products demanded by the public for their functions in life. Don’t get me started about the “Toilet Paper Run of 2020”. There was plenty of the product for the current needs of people in our country. However, a rumor on social media stoking the fears of people caused a panic to buy greater quantities of toilet tissue. Some of the memes on social media were hilarious! At one point it appeared that toilet tissue would become the currency of choice due to the high value it held in the public’s mind.

All these factors create economic conditions of expansion or, more recently, contraction in the economy. People are subjected to many emotions in life. However, in my 34-year career, I have discovered two emotions that are most prominent when it comes to financial decisions about a person’s retirement and investment accounts – fear and greed. Memory fades quickly from the very positive returns of only a few months earlier when a market correction appears. People who have enjoyed almost 14 years of positive returns in their portfolios are suddenly stricken with the fact that markets can (and often do) go down.

Recently, I asked a client if she would sell her home if it went down in value. The look on her face was as if I had asked her to donate a kidney! Her response was “that is a long-term asset and has tremendous value to me”. I then asked the simple question, “Your retirement account is your lifetime asset. Why do you want to sell it when it is down?” She simply stated, “You are right.” The stock market is the only investment I am aware that people buy when its high and sell when its low. This is the opposite to increasing your overall lifetime return and cash flow.

Buy or sell? Each person must deal with their fear or greed. By remaining calm when others are frantic and scared, you will be rewarded with greater opportunity for growth over a lifetime. Make certain your risk tolerance is properly reflected in a diversified portfolio and your cash reserves will accommodate 90 – 120 days of living expenses. This correction will pass.

Your lifetime of financial security for your family is no laughing matter. To alleviate the stress from worrying about your finances, seek out a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^TM professional to help you build confidence in your future so you can laugh all the way to retirement and beyond.

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Three Steps to Reduce Risk In Your Portfolio

Posted on January 21, 2022January 21, 2022 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if you could predictably earn 8% returns on your portfolio every year and only invest in certificates of deposit? Of course! One problem with this thinking is that you wouldn’t live in the United States of America and the dollar would be worthless.

You face some type of risk every day of your life. While driving your car through town, you may experience an automobile accident. This is the risk of driving a vehicle. You think about staying home and raking leaves. A sudden gust of wind causes a tree limb to fall on your roof causing significant damage to your home. This is environmental risk.

We all seek the best outcomes but many of us do not wish to experience the associated risks involved in the process. The universe works within a risk/reward paradigm. When more risk is accepted, we expect a higher reward. By investing in certificates of deposit, you believe you are undertaking a risk-free investment. Alas, you may expose yourself to interest rate risk, inflation risk, default risk (highly improbable, but a risk nonetheless) and liquidity risk. That sounds like a great deal of risk for an FDIC-insured investment.

Diversify Your Portfolio

The best approach to life is to manage risk, not attempt to alleviate it. The first method of mitigating risk is to fully diversify your portfolio. Diversification does not remove the risk factors but may lower them to a more acceptable level by investing in many different types of investments that are noncorrelated. Simply put, don’t put all of your monetary eggs in one basket.

Inexperienced investors make mistakes that may cost them significant money and time.

Two emotions generally guide individuals in their investment approach – fear and greed. One of the best methods of taking advantage of the stock market, an auction market in which one entity is selling the shares and another is buying them, is the focus on the emotions of other investors in the market. The famous investor, Warren Buffett, is cited as originating a quote that is used as the premise to maximizing your opportunities in the stock market – “Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful.”

Understand the Investments You Are Buying

The second method of reducing risk in your portfolio is to understand the investments you are buying. Significant hype typically precedes Initial Public Offerings (IPO) as the underwriter is attempting to create a market for a stock. Without a historic picture of the company’s capabilities to generate a profit and pay a dividend, beyond its operations as a private company, the investor is buying based solely on prospective anticipated performance (i.e., hope). Many of the companies going public provide novel products and services not yet proven in the marketplace. For example, many IPOs will list for a price that reflects much higher value than the performance of the company may sustain. After the hype of the issue, realism sets in and the price may fall to a level that is a fraction of the issue price.

When to Rebalance Your Portfolio

Lastly, consider rebalancing your portfolio to its original target allocation when the variance is 5% – 10% above the intended percentage. For example, when your portfolio experiences growth in one asset class, the allocation for the original investments will change. Stocks have performed reasonably well in 2021 and bonds have provided lower yields. After the year has faded, you look at your portfolio and realize your 60/40 portfolio is now 75/25! Good news is that you have a larger portfolio value but inherently gained more risk. By rebalancing the portfolio consistently and timely, you will maintain better control of the risk in the portfolio.

Many investors may receive a benefit from seeking the assistance of a Certified Financial Planner^TM professional to analyze their portfolio. By implementing a few consistent steps in managing your retirement assets, you may increase your probabilities to achieve your ultimate goals.

See you on the jogging trail!

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How To Secure a Happy Retirement Life

Posted on January 12, 2022January 12, 2022 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

One of the most asked questions from our new clients is “How much wealth do I need to last my lifetime?” The obvious answer is “depends.” To help you quantify your needed savings for lifetime income, we will provide you three areas of life that must master to live the life you choose.

First, you must become a saver, not continue as a consumer. The highest savings rate in U.S. history was reached during the pandemic. Not surprising as most people did not feel safe shopping at local stores and malls but rather ordered online. Granted the online experience for shopping has improved exponentially, it is still not the experience most shoppers seek when a day is planned for the exchange of goods and currency (that is the phrase I use when my wife and daughters go shopping).

The savings rate for U.S. citizens in 2021 was a whopping 13.7% (www.statista.com)! This level of savings exceeds the 11% experienced in 1960. Is it enough to meet the demands of rising costs of living for most people? Perhaps if this savings trend were to continue for a period of 40 years representing the work life of most people, their post-career years would be sufficiently funded.

To bring another statistic into this discussion, the total savings of U.S. citizen in 2021 exceeded $2.3 trillion. This is a staggering amount of money considering the U.S. Government has distributed $4 trillion dollars during the pandemic. The average balance maintained in the 401(k) plan of a 65 years of age and older person is $216,720 according to www.personalcapital.com.

If you seek a lifetime of income, in the realm of reasonable support, it is important that you become a saver on a consistent basis to allow the compounding of investments to perform over a significant period of time.

Second, you must determine what happiness is for you in life. One of our clients was an older woman whose husband predeceased her while she was in her career. Her position was mostly clerical, and she enjoyed her work. During her career, she had the opportunity to invest in the company’s stock through a plan where the employer matched her contributions to buy the stock. The highest salary she earned during her career was $51,000, which was two years before her retirement from the company. Granted she worked for a good company and was fortunate to begin her career with the company while it was a fledgling start up organization.

At the age of 66 and 4 months, coincidentally her full retirement age for Social Security Benefits, we assisted her in filing for her benefits and prepared her for retirement. When we opened the most recent envelope containing her statement from the employee stock ownership plan, she could not help but grin at my expression. Her stock value was $1.5 million! She also was prudent and saved money through her employee retirement plan. The sum of this account exceeded $700,000. She looked at me and asked, “Is this enough for me to retire and keep my lifestyle?” Of course, we needed to perform our analysis and testing but offered her some probabilities that she would be simply fine in retirement.

The moral of the story is that time, once again, is the greatest impact on lifetime savings. Start early, be consistent with contributions and treat the account as your next income stream by never borrowing from the account for current lifestyle needs. Happiness for her was continuing to live in her home, travel to worldly destinations and help her grandchildren with college expenses. She, by thoughtfully planning, is still doing all the things that make her most happy in life.

Lastly, you must protect your health as you prepare for an active retirement. My father was one of those people that worked hard all his life and genuinely enjoyed his career. He suffered a heart attack in his early 40’s that opened his eyes to better care for himself so his future would be enjoyable. After finally retiring at 72 years of age, he has lived a wonderful life in retirement. He is reasonably healthy, has enjoyed cruises to Alaska and continues to do whatever he chooses to keep a smile on his face.

His father, my grandfather, died in his early 60’s. I always told dad that he would need to take advantage of the opportunities to maintain his health so that he could break the average mortality for males in our family. He smiled that sheepish grin and said, “I am setting a new bar for the Williams men!”

Exercise regularly, save consistently and find your happiness in life. By preparing prudently today, your tomorrows will be most enjoyable!

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Retirement Challenges and Successes

Posted on January 7, 2022January 7, 2022 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Another year of life has arrived. What are you doing to grow as a person? Grow your wealth? Grow your influence? It has been proven by scientists that individuals who live sedentary lifestyles after their career lose the cognitive abilities they once possessed. To help you keep up your psychological and emotional edge in life during these challenging times, practice the activities outlined in this article.

Get up and get going

Get up and get going. The simple act of walking each day and experiencing the wonder of nature will keep your mind inspired and active. There are differences of opinion that you should walk 10,000 steps per day or 5,000 steps per day. I say, walk until you feel sufficiently energized. If your heart rate is up to an acceptable level determined by your personal physician, walking for as little as 20 minutes per day can help you keep your mental faculties acute and ready for challenges in life that will most certainly arise.

Live each day with a plan for purpose

Live each day with a plan for purpose. Too many of us simply rise from bed and allow the “winds of the day” to blow our lives in any direction without our consent. This is not you. Set yourself a routine of rising from bed at the same time each morning and preparing a list of activities for the day that will stimulate your mind and work your body. For example, I do not start my day without clear understanding of what I must complete for the day. This type of planning gives your mind something to work on even when you are doing something else.

Perform one random act of kindness a day

Perform one random act of kindness a day. What does being kind have to do with your mindset? Everything! When we selflessly give to others in need, no matter the size or scope of the deed, your brain floods your body with dopamine. This chemical in the body brings happiness, euphoria, and other positive feelings. By helping others, you will also feel a sense of accomplishment that gives you energy to continue serving and care for yourself in a better manner. Another benefit to performing a random act of kindness is that the recipient can “pay it forward” to others in need and we can build a better community and planet based on mutual respect.

Build your confidence in your future

Build your confidence in your future. Review your financial picture and see if you have allowed parts of your budget to creep into areas that are not being utilized efficiently for your lifestyle. We often start subscriptions for products or services that automatically renew and fail to remember that we did not cancel them. Another area to focus is our savings pattern. For example, you may have saved 5% of your earnings monthly last year but your income has risen this year. If you do not utilize the additional cash flow and it is deposited in a non-interest bearing checking account, you will lose the benefit of earning interest on the funds.

Read

Lastly, read something stimulating to you each day. A good novel, a biography or anything that challenges your mind to create the background of the story or place yourself in the plot as a character that impacts the potential outcome of the storyline. The mind and body of humans are tremendously powerful devices that require our continual input of challenges, fuel, and rest.

This is a new year! Don’t become so relaxed in life that you fail to live it abundantly on a daily basis. Make 2022 a different outcome for you by facing the challenges of life confidently through strength gained by implementing one or all of the above strategies. You can truly become what you desire in life and build a better community in the process. See you on the walking trail!

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IRA Planning for 2021

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

The pandemic of the past two years has brought a tremendous amount of pain to many lives but there is a positive aspect in that dark cloud of gloom. One of the best attitudes, when performing tax and financial planning for your family, is to seize opportunities that are given you. In other words, capitalize on the negatives that impact your life and make the proverbial “lemonade from lemons.”

Many businesses are suffering net operating losses during 2021. If you are an owner of the business and the operation is conducted as a sole-proprietorship, partnership or S-Corporation, you may have a valuable tax saving asset in your future. The net operating losses of these entities are claimed on the tax returns of the owners. For example, if you were a fifty percent (50%) partner in a partnership that lost $100,000 in ordinary income for 2021, you would receive the benefit of $50,000 loss to be reported on your personal return.

With your personal return reporting a loss, or much lower income than you otherwise typically report, your Traditional IRA is holding a great value in it beyond its balance. Consider the conversion of your Traditional IRA, in whole or in part, to a Roth IRA prior to the end of 2021. A taxable event will be triggered when the conversion is performed but your tax computation is based on your taxable income which, when claiming your share of the net operating loss, may be lower than your typical year sheltering the income from the conversion from taxation.

The purpose for converting your Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA is to change the future taxability of the account. You will be taxed on distributions received from the Traditional IRA in the future. The Roth IRA does not mandate required minimum distributions to you at age 72 as a Traditional IRA. Also, you may use the benefits of the Roth IRA to accumulate tax-free income streams from a very young age.

If you believe tax rates are going down in the future, you may wish to contribute to a Traditional IRA to enjoy the current tax savings. However, if you think tax rates will be higher in the future, you may wish to forgo the tax deduction of today and contribute to a Roth IRA.

Both types of IRA may invest in many different types of investments – stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. The structure and taxation of the two IRA types are the distinguishing benefits each allows for a taxpayer. The IRS continues to close loopholes such as “back door” Roth IRA conversions and other planning opportunities.

To maximize your opportunities for most challenges in life, it is always an innovative idea to allocate your investments between qualified and nonqualified accounts. Qualified accounts such as IRAs and 401(k) plans are generally taxable upon distribution of the assets to the owner. However, nonqualified accounts such as transfer on death accounts and joint accounts pay taxes during the growth of the assets. When you wish to retire, the type of account may play heavily in your financial plan design.

IRAs are tremendous tools for tax planning. Don’t assume that you simply invest in the IRA every April to save taxes. There are so many other uses of IRAs for estate planning, gifting and lifetime income planning that are often overlooked. As retirement planning experts, we have witnessed a tremendous number of people who fail to maximize the benefits of IRAs.

Proper allocation of your assets is necessary to stage a retirement plan that will serve you well in life. Seek out the assistance of a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^TM professional to help you plan for the future that you wish to achieve. Remember, when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Be the exception. Take a pragmatic approach to your lifetime of income and enjoy the best of life on your terms. See you on the walking trail!

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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 Secret To Investment Success

Posted on June 25, 2021June 25, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

The most negative action to reaching your goals in investing your retirement assets is emotion. Markets, by their very nature, expand and contract in every cycle. Why is it important to state the obvious? When humans invest, two emotions play a part. For example, when the market indexes are setting new records for growth, investors tend to become greedy. As soon as the expansion has cycled down and contraction in the economy is prevalent, fear becomes the emotion of the day.

To control your emotions while investing for your future, it is critical that you understand three factors about the process. First, if you are investing for your retirement, you must acknowledge the process is a long-term perspective. The assets you accumulate in life must sustain for at least thirty to forty years in retirement. With this mindset, you establish a personal investment policy that helps you capture market gains with a minimal amount of risk that you are willing to accept.

By focusing on the term of your income needs in retirement, you can weather the, somewhat volatile, market cycles without excess worry. Let’s face it, everybody worries about something, right? When you initiate your savings plan during your career, the accumulation phase consists of thirty to forty years as well. What this means is that the same approach to investing for your retirement will serve you well in retirement!

The second negative to reaching investment success is continually changing your investments based on returns. There have been many occasions in which an investor has irreparably harmed their success for retirement by simply trading their account excessively. For example, we developed a plan for accumulating a client’s retirement assets. Based on the age of the person, his risk tolerance and projected cash flow needs in retirement, he only had to follow through on the plan. However, he allowed emotion to overtake him when a colleague appeared in his office one day and remarked about the excessively high returns, he was experiencing in his employer’s retirement plan.

Our client decided the well-planned approach founded in logic was not meeting his needs because the markets would yield a much higher return. This is the emotion of greed taking control of the investment process. Within a year, the market cycle collapsed, and his portfolio had fallen by 50%. Imagine the next meeting we held with him and provided a comparison of his current allocation and results to that of the original allocation for his future. He was devastated and an emotional wreck!

The story does have a silver lining. We worked with him to formulate a plan that would place him back on track but required he work three years longer than he originally planned. Allowing your mind to host greed and fear has consequences. The probability of his lifetime plan for retirement being a success is very good.

Of the three negatives that can cause significant harm to your investment success is a concentration of investments. Diversification of risks within a portfolio helps you weather the market cycles by eliminating, or attempting to reduce, the impact of significant market volatility. In recent years, daily market swings have become the rule not the exception. Early in my career, I recall substantial swings in the S&P 500 Index would only be 10 or 15 points. In our current economic conditions, it is not uncommon to see fluctuations of 30 to 40 points in the index.

To allow yourself the highest probability of success in your investments, it is critical that you avoid emotions serving as guiding force, stick with your plan for saving and consistency will help you achieve your goals and diversify your portfolio to capture opportunities for reasonable returns in the long-term. A few small errors in investing can give rise to very large costs in your future savings. Seek the assistance of a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional to help you establish a long-term plan that will give you confidence and clarity about your future. Until then, I’ll see you on the jogging trail!

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Timeline To Retirement

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

When making lifetime decisions it is critical that adequate time and consideration be given to the issue. Life has a way of paying us dividends based on the planning for events that we wish to occur. By reading this article, you will be more prepared to reach your desired results in life.

First, think about the desired outcome you seek. If you decide to retire, at some point in the future, it is integral to the level of success of this goal to plan accordingly. By initiating this process of systematic saving in your 20’s, the probability of success is higher than if you wait until you are age 60 to begin.

We highly recommend that anyone planning to retire, in the next five years, give significant thought and planning to the design of this period of life. For example, will you travel, buy a second home, make substantial gifts to grandchildren or charity? These are worthy endeavors. However, to reach your goal you must plan for these expenditures.

Second, review your lifestyle needs. Oh, I didn’t define the difference between a need and a want. These two types of lifestyle goals are very different. Our brains are wired for gratification. I call this the “monkey” brain. We can’t seem to keep this “brain” focused on the important tasks in life because we are battling an insatiable hunger for fun and immediate responses. So many people have been trapped in poorly experienced retirements because of this phenomenon.

To plan for long-term results that provide for your needs and wants, you must engage your “sage” brain which is the thought process that makes humans unique from animals. Your “sage” brain says, “When I start my first job, I will save 10% of my net earnings for my future.” The battle starts and “monkey” brain sees every toy that you have ever wished for and couldn’t afford. “Don’t worry about the future, live for today,” says “monkey” brain. You must be focused in the early years of life to create a future that is substantial.

Lastly, start today planning for your future. If you wish to live a life by design, it takes planning and soul searching. Retirement is a phase of life than can be tremendously enjoyable when planned accordingly. Seek out a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® to help you create your dream for the future. You will be glad you did!

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Managing Risk In Your Portfolio

Posted on May 27, 2021May 27, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Risk is one of the most difficult investment variables for individuals to control. All aspects of life have a risk component. A friend of mine attempted to prove his strategy for removing all risk was valid. He simply stated that he could bury his money in his backyard. When I reminded him, that thieves may discover his hiding spot, he may forget where he hid the money or environmental changes, such as a flood, may prohibit him from accessing his funds, he quickly withdrew his comment about safety.

When you invest your money in an investment account, the custodian bank will provide you coverage using membership in SIPC or the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. This type of insurance protects you in case of a bank failure in a similar process as FDIC, or Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Limits are higher for securities investors at $500,000 per investor and accounts insured under FDIC are limited to $250,000 per account. These coverages are only available if the custodian bank is insolvent.

Another form of risk is market risk. The probability of losing value in the markets may be reduced by implementing a systematic approach to investing. For example, a portfolio’s inherent risk will rise when the total investment positions within a portfolio consists of more equities than bonds or cash. However, based on the current economy of the United States, bond yields are below inflation. Simply put, your bond investments, particularly those that are rated investment grade or better, provide interest yields that will not sustain the purchasing power of your dollar. Gasoline, food and other necessary staples of life are rising faster in cost than bonds can create income.

To mitigate risk in your portfolio it is critical that you understand the purpose of diversifying your positions. Do not allow current market conditions to impact your allocation of investments within your portfolio. This action will lead to greater risk in your retirement assets than you may be willing to accept.

Investment advisers utilize two methods of rebalancing portfolios to maintain an acceptable level of risk: 1) percentage and 2) time. When a certain asset class of a portfolio increases in value, the remaining asset classes lose the same percentage of their weighting. Remember, your portfolio is a pie chart. You can only have one hundred percent of the pie at any given time. If your equity positions increase in value by 10%, then remaining positions of the portfolio will have been reduced by 10%. The best means of reducing this increased risk level is to sell the equity positions back to their original percentage in the portfolio. This action is known as rebalancing based on asset allocation.

The second method of rebalancing is based on time. For example, rebalancing the portfolio based on set periods of time passing. Continuing with the previous facts presented about percentage of asset allocation rebalancing, the growth of the portfolio would cause you to rebalance to your original allocation every quarter, semiannually or annually. Again, you would sell the positions that are growing and buy the positions that have performed less. Keep in mind that you are controlling risk in the portfolio not simply maximizing return of the portfolio.

Investing is a long-term process. To create a portfolio that will meet your long-term needs such as retirement, you will need to consistently invest in a balanced portfolio that accepts the level of risk you wish to tolerate. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained. By consistently rebalancing your portfolio, whether using the percentage of asset allocation method or the time method, you may control the inherent risk within your investments at a level you feel is acceptable.

Managing your future is difficult. Seek out a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional to guide you in establishing, monitoring and rebalancing your retirement portfolio to gain a higher probability of reaching your long-term goals. You may qualify for a complimentary stress test for your portfolio. To live the type of life you desire, without excessive risk, may just be the plan you need for success. See you on the jogging trail!