Beware of Emotions Affecting Your Money Decisions

Today’s impulsive moves could breed tomorrow’s regrets.

When emotions and money intersect, the effects can be financially injurious. Emotions can cause us to overreact – or not act at all when we should.  

  

Think of the investors who always respond to sudden Wall Street volatility. That emotional response may not be warranted, and they may come to regret it.

In a typical market year, Wall Street can see big waves of volatility. This year, it has been easy to forget that truth. During the first third of 2017, the S&P 500 saw only 3 trading days with a 1% or greater swing – or to put it another way, 1% swings occurred just 3.5% of the time. Compare that to 2015, when the S&P moved 1% or more in 29% of its trading sessions.¹

 

The 1.80% May 17 drop of the S&P stirred up fear in some investors. The plunge felt earthshaking to some, given the placid climate on the Street this year. Daily retreats of this magnitude have been seen before, will be seen again, and should be taken in stride.²

   

Fear and anxiety can also cause stubbornness. Some people have looked at money one way all their lives. Others have always seen investing from one perspective. Then, something happens that does not mesh with their outlook or perspective. In the face of such an event, they refuse to change or admit that their opinion may be wrong. To lose faith in their entrenched point of view would make them feel uneasy or lost. So, they doggedly cling to that point of view and do things the same way as they always have, even though it no longer makes any sense for their financial present or future. In this case, emotion is simply overriding logic.

    

What about those who treat revolving debt nonchalantly? Some people treat a credit card purchase like a cash purchase – or worse yet, they adopt a psychology in which buying something with a credit card feels like they are “getting it for free.” A kind of euphoria can set in: they have that dining room set or that ATV in their possession now; they can deal with paying it off tomorrow. This blissful ignorance (or dismissal) of the real cost of borrowing can dig a household deeper and deeper into debt, to the point where drawing down savings may be the only way to wipe it out.

 

How about those who put off important financial decisions? Postponing a retirement or estate planning decision does not always reflect caution or contemplation. Sometimes, it reflects a lack of knowledge or confidence. Worry and fear are the emotions clouding the picture. What clears things up? What makes these decisions easier? Communication with professionals. When the investor or saver recognizes a lack of understanding, shares his or her need to know with a financial professional, and asks for assistance, certainty can replace ambiguity.

  

Emotions can keep people from doing the right things with their money – or lead them to keep doing the wrong things. As you save, invest, and plan for your future, try to let logic rule. Years from now, you may be thankful you did. 

We may be reached at 800-916-9860.

www.wenadvisory.com

This material does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Please note - investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.

Citations.

1 - nytimes.com/2017/05/09/upshot/the-stock-market-is-weirdly-calm-heres-a-theory-of-why.html [5/9/17]

2 - google.com/finance?q=INDEXSP:.INX&ei=6RMeWfG_JMO7euKQkagG [5/18/17]

One Couple, Two Different Retirements?

After many years together, some retired spouses may find their daily routines far apart.

When you see online ads or TV commercials about retirement planning, do they ever show baby boomer couples arguing? No. After all, retirement planning is about the pursuit of a happy outcome – a fun and emotionally rewarding “second act” that spouses and partners can share.

  

Realizing that goal takes communication. As you approach retirement, you may not be who you were at 30 or 50. You and your significant other may want different daily lives once you retire. This is a frequently ignored reality in retirement planning. In preparing to retire, you might want to consider your individual preferences and differences when it comes to these factors:

How you spend your days. What does a good day in retirement look like to you? What does it look like for your spouse or partner?

Social engagement. How much time do each of you want to spend working, volunteering, or socializing? Your preferences may differ.

Your health. If you contend with serious health issues, you may define a “good day” in retirement much differently than your spouse or partner does.

 

Your spending. Where will your retirement income go? What will it be spent on besides basic living expenses? Your discretionary spending priorities and those of your spouse could vary. If they vary widely, this could be the source of some drama.

   

Your time alone. Some couples build businesses together or work in the same office or practice for years; others spend just a few hours per day around each other for decades. In retirement, you will likely be around each other for more hours of the day than when you worked. You will need to decide how much “me time” you need.

   

Your roles. Have you done most of the cleaning around the house? Or tackled most of the home improvement projects? Should it remain that way in retirement?

 

To some extent, your spouse or partner’s vision of retirement will vary from yours. It could vary 1%, or it could vary 99%, but some variance is almost certain. It need not breed discord so long as you recognize the following three truths.

  

Some of your shared retirement savings will be used to fulfill individual dreams. The money you have saved and invested will provide financial support for you as a couple, but you also must concede that some of those dollars will be spent relative to each other’s individual goals, passions, and pursuits. The same applies for your retirement income.

You will not automatically see money the same way. Those online ads and TV commercials would have you believe that some kind of magic happens once retirement starts, leaving every retired couple to walk along the beach smiling, laughing, and in total agreement about their future. Yes, retired couples do disagree about money; they also learn to overcome those disagreements through understanding and compromise.  

Many things are more valuable than money in retirement. Time is probably your most valuable asset, and your health and relationships are close behind. So, whether your retirement savings falls short of or far exceeds the median baby boomer amount of $147,000 (as identified last year by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies), keep what matters most in mind.¹

We may be reached at 800-916-9860.

www.wenadvisory.com

This material does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Please note - investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.

Citations.

1 - forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2017/05/15/retirement-its-not-as-simple-as-it-used-to-be/ [5/15/17] 

Having the Money Talk with Your Children

How much financial knowledge do they have?

Some young adults manage to acquire a fair amount of financial literacy. In the classroom or the workplace, they learn a great deal about financial principles. Others lack such knowledge and learn money lessons by paying, to reference William Blake, “the price of experience.”

 

Broadly speaking, how much financial literacy do young people have today? At this writing, some of the most recent data appears in U.S. Bank’s 2016 Student and Personal Finance Study. After surveying more than 1,600 American high school and undergraduate students, the bank found that just 15% of students felt knowledgeable about investing. For that matter, just 42% felt knowledgeable about deposit and checking accounts.¹

Relatively few students understood the principles of credit. Fifty-four percent thought that having “too many” credit cards would negatively impact their credit score. Forty-four percent believed that they could build or improve their credit rating by using credit or debit cards. Neither perception is accurate.¹

Are parents teaching their children well about money? Maybe not. An interesting difference of opinion stood out in the survey results. Forty percent of the parents of the survey respondents said that they had taught their kids specific money management skills, but merely 18% of the teens and young adults reported receiving such instruction.^1,2

 

A young adult should go out into the world with a grasp of certain money truths. For example, high-interest debt should be avoided whenever possible, and when it is unavoidable, it should be the first debt attacked. Most credit cards (and private student loans) carry double-digit interest rates.³   

  

Living independently means abiding by some kind of budget. Budgeting is a great skill for a young adult to master, one that may keep them out of some stressful financial predicaments.

At or before age 26, health insurance must be addressed. Under the Affordable Care Act, most young adults can remain on a parent’s health plan until they are 26. This applies even if they marry, become parents, or live away from mom and dad. But what happens when they turn 26? If they sign up for an HMO, they need to understand how out-of-network costs can creep up on them. They should understand the potentially lower premiums that they could pay if enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), but also the tradeoff – they might get hit hard in the wallet if a hospital stay or an involved emergency room visit occurs.^3,4   

Lastly, this is an ideal time to start saving & investing. Any parent would do well to direct their son or daughter to a financial professional of good standing and significant experience for guidance about building and keeping wealth. If a young adult aspires to retire confidently later in life, this could be the first step. A prospective young investor should know the types of investments available to them as well as the difference between investments and investment vehicles (which many Americans, young and old, confuse).

A money talk does not need to cover all the above subjects at once. You may prefer to dispense financial education in a way that is gradual and more anecdotal than implicitly instructive. Whichever way the knowledge is shared, sooner is better than later – because financially, kids have to grow up fast these days.

We may be reached at 800-916-9860.

www.wenadvisory.com

This material does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Please note - investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.

Citations.

1 - stories.usbank.com/dam/september-2016/USBankStudentPersonalFinance.pdf [9/16]

2 - tinyurl.com/yc6ejxjp [10/27/16]

3 - cnbc.com/2017/03/02/parents-need-to-have-real-world-money-talk-with-kids.html [3/2/17]

4 - healthcare.gov/young-adults/children-under-26/ [6/8/17]

Will You Be Prepared When the Market Cools Off?

Markets have cycles, and at some point, the major indices will descend.

We have seen a tremendous rally on Wall Street, nearly nine months long, with the S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, and Dow Jones Industrial Average repeatedly settling at all-time peaks. Investors are delighted by what they have witnessed. Have they become irrationally exuberant?

       

The major indices do not always rise. That obvious fact risks becoming “back of mind” these days. On June 15, the Nasdaq Composite was up 27.16% year-over-year and 12.67% in the past six months. The S&P 500 was up 17.23% in a year and 7.31% in six months. Performance like that can breed overconfidence in equities.^1,2

       

The S&P last corrected at the beginning of 2016, and a market drop may seem like a remote possibility now. Then again, corrections usually arrive without much warning. You may want to ask yourself: “Am I prepared for one?”³ 

Are you mentally prepared? Corrections have been rare in recent years. There have only been four in this 8-year bull market. So, it is easy to forget how frequently they have occurred across Wall Street’s long history (they have normally happened about once a year).^3,4

The next correction may shock investors who have been lulled into a false sense of security. You need not be among them. It will not be the end of the world or the markets. A correction, in a sense, is a reality check. It presents some good buying opportunities, and helps tame irrational exuberance. You could argue that corrections make the market healthier. In big-picture terms, the typical correction is brief. On average, the markets take 3-4 months to recover from a fall of at least 10%.⁴

        

Are you financially prepared? Some people have portfolios that are not very diverse, with large asset allocations in equities and much smaller asset allocations in more conservative investment vehicles and cash. These are the investors likely to take a hard hit when the big indices correct.

You can stand apart from their ranks by appropriately checking up on, and diversifying, your portfolio as needed. Thanks to the recent rally, many investors have seen their equity positions grow larger, perhaps too large. If you are one of them (and you may be), you may want to try to dial down your risk exposure.

Do you have an adequate emergency fund? A correction is not quite an emergency, but it is nice to have a strong cash position when the market turns sour. Are your retirement and estate plans current? A prolonged slump on Wall Street could impact both. Many older baby boomers had to rethink their retirement strategies in the wake of the 2007-09 bear market.

Finally, a deep dip in the equity market should not stop you from consistently funding your retirement accounts. In a downturn, your account contributions, in essence, buy greater amounts of shares belonging to quality companies than they would otherwise.

A correction will happen – maybe not tomorrow, maybe not for the rest of 2017, but at some point, a retreat will take place. React to it with patience, or else you may end up selling low and buying high. 

   

We may be reached at 800-916-9860.

www.wenadvisory.com

This material does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Please note - investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.

Citations.

1 - money.cnn.com/data/markets/nasdaq/ [6/15/17]  

2 - money.cnn.com/data/markets/sandp/ [6/15/17]

3 - fortune.com/2017/03/09/stock-market-bull-market-longest/ [3/9/17]

4 - investopedia.com/terms/c/correction.asp [6/15/17]

Should Millennials Be Your Money Models?

Gen Y is doing some things right when it comes to saving & investing.

Financially, Generation Y is often criticized for being risk averse & unaware. Is this truth, or is it fiction? In some instances, pure fiction. Here are some good financial habits common to millennials – habits their parents and grandparents might do well to emulate.

Millennials are good savers. Last year, Bankrate found that about 60% of American adults younger than 30 were saving 5% or more of their paychecks. Only around half of the adults older than 30 were doing so. This difference is even more interesting when you think about the overhanging college debt faced by many millennials and the comparatively greater incomes of older workers. Twenty-nine percent of millennials were saving 10% of their incomes last year, right in line with the average for other generations (28%).¹

  

Millennials value experiences more than possessions. Data affirms this view – in a Harris Poll of millennials, 78% of those surveyed said that they would rather spend their money on an experience or an event rather than some pricy material item. In contrast, some members of Gen X and the baby boom generation have spent too much money on depreciating consumer goods, with too little to show for it.²

  

Relatively speaking, Gen Y is less prone to drawing down its retirement funds. In the 2016 Transamerica Retirement Survey, just 22% of Gen Y workplace retirement plan participants said that they had tapped into a plan for a loan or a withdrawal. That compares with 28% of boomers and 30% of those in Generation X.³

 

Millennials are directing money into equity investments at a relatively early age. As Investors Business Daily reported in May, the median age at which millennials begin investing in these vehicles is 23. For Generation X, it was 26. Younger baby boomers made their first such investments at a median age of 32, and older baby boomers did so at a median age of 35. While roughly one-third of millennials are invested in equities, their comparative head start may help them compensate.⁴

 

They also embrace technology in a way that some boomers do not. The Internet is filled with financial information, and millennials may go out and learn on their own about investment types, tax laws, and saving and investing resources rather than waiting for a tax, financial, or human resources professional to explain things to them. While a little knowledge can be dangerous, having some information is better than none.

In short, the members of Generation Y are doing some things that may really pay off for their financial futures. Other generations might want to take notice.

   

We may be reached at 800-916-9860.

www.wenadvisory.com

This material does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Please note - investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.

Citations.

1 - cnbc.com/2016/03/28/are-you-as-good-at-saving-as-millennials.html [3/28/16]

2 - money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2016-10-07/5-finance-lessons-baby-boomers-could-learn-from-millennials [10/7/16]

3 - transamericacenter.org/docs/default-source/retirement-survey-of-workers/tcrs2016_sr_retirement_survey_of_workers_generation.pdf [12/16]

4 - investors.com/etfs-and-funds/mutual-funds/why-many-millennials-retirement-savings-will-be-more-than-twice-baby-boomers/ [5/15/17]