In This Section : Investment Options : Developing Financial Plan

INVESTMENTS OPTIONS

What are the steps in the investment process?

The investment process is comprised of several steps that enable you to select a portfolio appropriate to your risk tolerance and desired return. The primary steps in this process are:

Determine your desired return and risk tolerance

Develop an asset allocation plan

Select diversified investments within each asset class

Monitor your investments

Q:

How are risk and return related?

A:

Risk and return are positively correlated. The higher the risk of an investment, the higher a return it must offer in order to compensate for the risk. Risks come in many forms such as the volatility of the market, inflation risk, interest rate risk, and business risk. You must determine the degree of risk that you are willing to tolerate. Your investment professional can assist you in this process.

Select the level of risk that permits you to sleep at night. If you have a long investment horizon, then focus on your desired return. Year to year fluctuations should not be a concern. Over the long term, stocks have generated annual returns of about 10 to 11 percent and have had the highest level of risk while long-term government bonds have had long-term returns of 5 to 6 percent and have had the lowest level of risk. The more risk you can tolerate or the higher your desired rate of return, the higher the portion of your portfolio invested in stocks should be.

Q:

What is an asset allocation plan?

A:

Asset allocation is the distribution of investments among asset classes. Asset classes include different types of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. It is a significant factor in determining your investment return relative to risk. Proper asset allocation maximizes returns and minimizes risk. This is because different classes of assets react differently to economic upswings or downswings. Allocation differs from diversification in that it balances a portfolio among different classes of assets, for example, growth stocks, long bonds, and large-company stocks, while diversification focuses on variety within an asset class. Generally, allocation among six or seven asset classes is recommended.

Q:

What is diversification?

A:

Diversification is the selection of multiple investments within a portfolio. For example, investing in a portfolio of 30 stocks rather than in just a few. By maintaining a diversified, varied portfolio, you are minimizing risk. You’re less likely to make that “big killing,” but when individual investments take a nose-dive, you won’t take a big hit.

Q:

How can I best monitor my investments?

A:

Examine carefully and promptly any written confirmations of trades that you receive from your broker, as well as all periodic account statements. Make sure that each trade was completed in accordance with your instructions. Check to see how much commission you were charged, to make sure it is in line with what you were led to believe you would pay. If commission rates have increased or will increase in the immediate future, or if charges such as custodial fees are to be imposed, then you should be informed in advance.

If securities are held for you in street name (where the customer’s securities and assets are held under the name of the brokerage firm instead of the name of the individual who purchased the security or asset), you may request that dividends or interest payments be forwarded to you or put into an interest-bearing account, if available, as soon as they are received, rather than at the end of the month or after some other lengthy period of time.

Periodically, ask yourself the following questions about your investment:

Is this investment performing as I was told it would?

How much money will I get if I sell it today?

How much am I paying in commissions or fees?

Have my investment goals changed? If so, is the investment still suitable?

Have I decided what contingencies need to happen for me to sell the investment (i.e., a certain percentage decrease in value)?

What types of risks are involved in investing?

Nobody invests to lose money. However, investments always entail some degree of risk. Be aware that:

The higher the expected rate of return, the greater the risk. Depending on market developments, you could lose some or all of your initial investment or a greater amount.

Some investments cannot easily be sold or converted to cash. Check to see if there is any penalty or charge if you must sell an investment quickly or before its maturity date.

Investments in securities issued by a company with little or no operating history or published information may involve greater risk.

Securities investments, including mutual funds, are not federally insured against a loss in market value.

Securities you own may be subject to tender offers, mergers, reorganizations, or third party actions that can affect the value of your ownership interest. Pay careful attention to public announcements and information sent to you about such transactions. They involve complex investment decisions. Be sure you fully understand the terms of any offer to exchange or sell your shares before you act. In some cases, such as partial or two-tier tender offers, failure to act can have detrimental effects on your investment.

The past success of a particular investment is no guarantee of future performance.

What steps can I take to avoid unnecessary risks?

1. Never give in to high pressure. A high-pressure sales pitch can mean trouble. Be suspicious of anyone who tells you, “Invest quickly or you will miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

2. Never send money to purchase an investment based simply on a telephone
   sales pitch.

3. Never make a check out to a sales representative.

4. Never send checks to an address different from the business address of the brokerage firm or a designated address listed in the prospectus.

Tip: If your broker asks you to do any of these things, contact the branch manager or compliance officer of the brokerage firm.

5. Never allow your transaction confirmations and account statements to be delivered or mailed to your sales representative as a substitute for receiving them yourself. These documents are your official record of the date, time, amount, and price of each security purchased or sold. Verify that the information in these statements is correct.

What questions should I ask before making any investment?

Have this list of questions with you the next time you talk to your broker. Write down the answers you get and the action you decide to take. Your notes may come in handy later if there is a dispute or a problem. A good broker will be happy to answer your questions and will be impressed with your seriousness and professionalism.

Is this investment registered with the SEC and a state securities agency?

Does the investment match my investment goals?

How will the investment make money for me (dividends, interest, capital gains)?

What set of circumstances have to occur for the value of the investment to go up? To go down? (e.g., must interest rates rise?)

What fees do I have to pay to buy, maintain, and sell the investment? After fees, how much does the value have to increase by before I make a profit?

How easy is it for me to unload this investment in a hurry, should I need the money?

What are the specific risks associated with this investment, for example what is the risk that rising interest rates will devalue your investment or the risk that an economic recession could decrease its value?

Is the company experienced at what it is doing? How long has it been in business? What is their track record? Who are their competitors?

Can I get more information: a prospectus, the latest SEC filings, or the latest annual report?

What questions should I ask before making a mutual fund investment?

Here is a list of potential questions to ask before making a mutual fund investment:

How has the fund performed over the long run? Where can I get an independent evaluation of it?

What specific risks are associated with it?

What type of securities does the fund hold?

How often does the portfolio change?

Does this fund invest in derivatives, or in any other type of investment that could cause rapid changes in the NAV (Net Asset Value)?

How does the fund’s performance compare to other funds of its type, or to an index of similar investments?

How much of a fee will I have to pay to buy shares? To maintain shares?

How often will I get statements? Can you explain what the statement tells me about the investment?

What investment hazards should I look out for?

There are no magic formulas for successful investing. It takes a disciplined, reasoned approach, a commitment to follow some basic, solid rules that have proved effective over time, and to stay in it for the long haul.

Consider All Your Needs and Get a Plan That Fits. For financial planning to be truly effective, all your needs must be considered: money management, tax planning, retirement planning, estate planning, insurance, etc.

Evaluate Investments Periodically. An investment program is not static and unchanging. Your financial situation and objectives may change, as does the economic situation. Review your plan with your adviser and, if necessary, update it to reflect your current and long-term needs.

Monitor your investments. Stay informed. Don’t rely on others to “take care of” your portfolio. Keep up with your reading, whether in newsletters, magazines, or the internet.

Read Broker-Account Forms With Care. Many investors pay scant attention to the forms involved in opening and maintaining a brokerage account. As pointed out earlier, many investors are not aware that much of the paperwork is intended, at least in part, to protect the broker and the form against any complaints they might bring.

DEVELOPING FINANCIAL PLAN

Developing a Financial Plan: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I determine my long-term financial goals?

The first step is to decide what you realistically want to achieve financially. Financial goals might include early retirement, travel, a vacation home, securing your family’s financial comfort on the death of a bread-winner, planning for the care of elderly relatives or building a family business.

Is there any validity to financial planning “rules of thumb” such as “saving 10 percent of your gross income?”

The following rules of thumb may work for some people, but they do not make financial sense for everyone. What is more important is to be able to know whether a particular rule of thumb suits your situation. Here are six of the more common rules along with some considerations that should not be overlooked.

1. Life insurance should equal five times your yearly salary

This rule of thumb has been used to answer the question: How much life insurance should I have? The ideal amount of life insurance is the amount that will, when invested, generate enough income to allow your survivors to maintain the level of income they are used to. “Five times your salary” will accomplish this objective in some cases, but there is no substitute for making the calculations necessary to find out how much life insurance you need to buy for your particular situation. The amount of life insurance you need depends on how many people there are in your family, whether there are other sources of income besides your salary, how old your children are, and a few other factors.

2. Save 10 percent of your salary per year

You may need to save much more than ten percent of your gross income to have a comfortable retirement. The amount you need to save for retirement depends on how large your existing nest egg is and how old you are. Those who started saving late in life, for instance in their 40s, need to save at least 15 or 20 percent per year.

3. Contribute as much as you can to retirement plans

This makes sense for most people, but if you’ve accumulated a large amount of money in a retirement plan, say close to a million dollars, you may reach the point where the negatives of contributing to your retirement plan savings outweigh the positives.

4. You need 80 percent of your pre-retirement income to retire comfortably

Although people may need 80 percent of their salaries during the first few years of retirement, later on, they are often able to live comfortably on less. The amount of income you need depends on whether you have paid off your mortgage, whether you will have other sources of retirement income, and other factors.

5. Subtract your age from 100 and invest that percentage in stocks

This is one of those “cookie cutter” rules that only pans out for certain investors. For others, it results in a portfolio that is much too conservative. The best method of allocating percentages among various types of investments depends on your investment goals and needs and your willingness to risk your capital. In this case, rules of thumb do not serve the investor very well at all.

6. Maintain an emergency fund of six months’ worth of expenses

Depending on your family’s situation, three months’ worth of expenses might be enough. On the other hand, for some families, even six months’ worth might be totally inadequate. The amount you should keep on hand depends on how easy it would be for you to take out a short-term loan and how much money you have in savings and investments among other things.

Tip: Do not rely on any rule of thumb to make financial decisions. Instead consider carefully what your needs and goals are, and then calculate what you’ll need to do to fulfill them.

What do women in particular need to keep in mind with regard to financial planning?

With more women remaining single, nearly half of all marriages ending in divorce, and the odds of becoming a widow by the age of 55 hovering around 75 percent, nearly 9 out of 10 women will be solely responsible for their financial well-being at some point in their lives. But many are ill-prepared to do so.

Here are several areas where women fall behind when it comes to planning for their financial future:

Women save considerably less for retirement, on average 60 percent less than men according to a 2010 study conducted by LIMRA of close to 2,500 employees. This is significant because women typically live longer than their male counterparts and need more retirement savings.

What special problems do unmarried couples have to be concerned with in financial and estate planning?

In 2016, 18 million adults were cohabiting, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of the Current Population Survey. This represents an increase of 29 percent since 2007. Because unmarried couples don’t enjoy the same legal rights and protection as married couples do, financial planning considerations for issues such as retirement planning, estate planning, and taxes can be quite different. For example:

Unmarried partners do not automatically inherit each other’s property. When an unmarried partner dies intestate (without a will) the estate is divided according to laws of the state, with property and assets typically going to parents or siblings and rarely or never to the beloved partner. In other words, married couples who do not have a will have state intestacy laws to back them up, but unmarried couples need to have a will in place in order to make sure that their wishes are met.

Couples who aren’t married also do not have the right to speak for each other in the event of a medical crisis. If your life partner loses consciousness or becomes incapacitated, someone has to make a decision whether to go ahead with a medical procedure. That person should be you, but unless you have a health care directive such as a living will in place, you have no legal right to make decisions for your partner.

Tax and estate issues are also more complicated. In most cases, it makes more sense not to own property such as a car or electronics equipment together or to have a joint loan. Whereas marital assets can be divided equally by a judge, there is no legal recourse for unmarried couples in the event of a breakup. Another example is home ownership. If one partner is listed as the sole owner of a home that the couple lives in together and he or she dies, the surviving partner might be left homeless. This can be resolved by properly titling assets, in this case making sure the home is in joint tenancy with rights of survivorship.