As is common around this time of year, many people are making resolutions to better themselves in some form or fashion including money related goals. Over the years we’ve written a number of posts about personal finance including several on the importance of building financial freedom through budgeting. In today’s post, we’ll take a new look at this important and timely topic. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/sinking-our-way-to-happiness/
The age of the internet has ushered in numerous modern conveniences that many would have thought impossible just a few decades ago. But along with all the benefits technology has brought into our lives, it has also ushered in some drawbacks including what we now call FOMO or what has always been known as just plain old jealousy. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/monkey-see-monkey/
Baby Boomers are the first generation to be entering retirement in worse financial shape than the previous generation since Harry Truman was president. As Shakespeare once opined, “Expectation is the root of all heartache.” It appears to us that there is a large amount of retirement heartache on the horizon for many Americans. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/wishful-thinking/
Last week we introduced a short series on the retirement crisis in America rooted in unrealistic expectations embedded in three categories: social security, public and private pensions and individual savings rates. This week we’ll focus on the future outlook for America’s social security system. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/a-political-hot-potato/
It’s National Retirement Week in America, and I think the planning and execution of individual retirements is an area where setting appropriate expectations is incredibly important - not only for emotional reasons but also because math doesn’t tend to care about our feelings. Unfortunately, the retirement outlook in our country is not looking great. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/retirement-heartache/
I started my professional career working at a large utility company in California. Fifteen years ago when I worked on RFPs to procure new long-term power purchase agreements, renewable energy was a very niche industry that was heavily reliant on government subsidizes and mandates. But today, the story is entirely different. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/no-longer-niche/
Jim Rogers is no stranger to the headlines. Known for his natural charisma, easygoing southern charm and trademark bowtie, he has long been an industry favorite for interviews and guest speaker slots. But what he is most known for is his willingness to go on record with bombastic, headline-worthy predictions. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/jim-rogers-said-what/
In the same way that an escalating price does not validate cryptocurrency as legitimate, a collapsing price does not necessarily reveal it to be a fraud. Its long-term staying power will be determined by a whole host of other aspects in addition to investor sentiment and price behavior. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/is-cryptocurrency-a-bubble/
Year-end giving is a common theme for us and our clients, both because of the general spirit of the holiday as well as the calendar year tax deadline for charitable contributions. Structuring gifts to take full advantage of tax breaks is only prudent, as it reduces the “net cost” to you of supporting your favorite charity and empowers you to consider multiplying your gift and impact. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/multiplying-charity/
In order to generate returns in excess of the risk free rate (think FDIC insured savings accounts at banks which are as close to “risk free” as you can get), one will have to take on some degree of risk, which could lead to a loss of principal. As the saying goes, “you can’t have your cake and eat it too.” Or can you? https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/having-your-cake-and-eating-it-too1/
Over the past year, we have spent a good amount of time researching different options for our clients in the private equity space. In today’s post, we will look at private equity from a very high level to explain what it is exactly and why it might be a good addition to a well-diversified portfolio. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/the-private-equity-advantage/
If the circumstances are right, the Solo 401k can be a powerful retirement savings tool for our small business owner clients. Compared to the commonly used SEP IRA it offers far more savings capacity without any additional expense or complexity. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/going-solok/
I’m sure everyone as experienced the internal struggle between short-term pleasures and long-term benefits, which is why it is so difficult to save for retirement. Even though our long-term, logical brain understands the merits and importance of saving for retirement, it must constantly do battle with our short-term emotional brain which is hell bent on immediate gratification. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/battle-of-the-brain/
Last week we wrote about how fees and expenses have been driven lower across our industry. Firms are being forced to consider how they get paid and what value they truly provide, which is, of course, a fantastic thing for consumers. But not all fees are created equal, and there are some costs that are still worth incurring. https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/not-just-lip-service/
Last month Wells Fargo was hit with a $185 million fine by the CFBP for illegally opening upwards of 2 million fraudulent accounts for their customers over the past several years. Their response was to fire 5,300 low level employees and issue an apology, but where is the accountability for senior level management? https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/wheres-the-accountability/
In a recent study respondents were asked how they would pay for a $400 emergency. Rather surprisingly, 47% of the respondents indicated that they wouldn’t be able to cover the expense out of their savings or checking account balances. What does that say about our collective finances? https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/ostrich-finance/
Last week I attended and spoke at a breakout session for the 2016 LendIt USA conference in San Francisco. For those that don’t already know, LendIt is a two day conference centering on the rapidly growing FinTech industry. There were over 3,500 attendees all soaking up the wealth of information on "alternative financing." https://www.seasoninvestments.com/insights/lendit-2016-takeaways/
