Alright, here's a good question for the advisors from Greg
So much of planning is NOT about investments. Think estate planning (the will AND documents for the living you if you are unable to act on your behalf), education funding, financial distress, cash flow plans, risk management. I often see clients with limited investments. I strongly suggest you look for hourly advice by going to NAPFA.com planner serarch (some do have minimums but there are hourly planners here) and Garrent Planning Network (all fee only hourly planners). Hourly adivce is a great way to get a start at a reasonable cost. And NAPFA has online educational events for the public. You might also check community finanical education offereings. But beware educational events that are a front for selling product!!!1
Also know that in many cases, an advisor can see something that will save you money well in excess of what is spent on the consultation.
@Greg: Part of why NAPFA members hold these events, write article, and hold free seminars is specifically to help those who may not be able to afford it otherwise. Getting a financial plan in place is daunting even when you are working with an advisor. We have a daily financial blog for people to pick and choose the parts of their plan they are working on and whittle away at comprehensive wealth management. Subscribing to these might help, but here is the priority I would set:
I love seeing several posts from younger adults. There is no doubt that getting a good start in your 20s ort 30s is MUCH easier than making up for lost time/mistakes at age 60.
Here's our next question from Richard.
And to throw it out there, Susan wants to know what you all think about Facebook's upcoming IPO.
I've got to step out. Thanks to everyone for their questions and thanks to the other advisors. We certainly get something out of these events, too! Have a great day!
Thanks so much for joining us, Danielle.
Richard, 98% of market movement is noise. What matters is how your portfolio performs over the long haul. If you are concerned about a -4% short-term move, you either need to adjust your expectations or consider low yielding investments that are not tied to the market. Vanguard has lower fees but they will not shield you from the ups and downs of the market. The worst case scenario is for you to sell after seeing a big drop which is always likely to come at some point.
@Richard: This isn't the week to panick and get out of the markets. So I agree with what Matthew Illian has said completely. Having said that, these funds are not necessarily the best choices for fees and expenses. Am I correct that Wells Fargo Advantage Asset (EACFX) has an expense ratio of 2.08%? All three of these funds are in the bottom half of funds according to the 3-year fiduciary score from fi360.com. We use that service to help rate mututal funds according to their score on a fiduciary acceptableness. It works at least as a first pass for funds which are are not familiar with.
As a rule of thumb, stocks historically do not do well in the six months after the IPO. This insiders usually have a lock-up period during this time and selling pressure becomes large when these hand-cuffs are lifted.
Here's a timely question from Adriana about how to pay for college
I agree with the other advisors re:IPOs (if you want them wait 6 months) AND VGT (which we love to use). I believe that tech has some robust years ahead.
We have a follow-up question from Richard, as well.
@Richard: I would recommend switching to better funds, and Vanguard has some of the best. I would not necessary want to be out of the markets a long period of time, so I would open the Vanguard accounts and give them the information to get the funds from where they are now by liquidating those accounts and transferring the money where it would be invested again quickly.
Dear possilbe MBA, I think lot of people are doing more thinking about the cost of a BA or graduate degrees. While a good education offers many intangibles, basically when you are thinking of the money you should think of return on investment. I've counseled many who went 150K in debt to get non-professional graduate degrees only to lack the subsequent salary to make the loan payments. They will be paying on student loans the rest of their lives...a big load to tote.
MBA, so how much would you have to borrow to make the degree happen? How much more are you likely to earn because you have the MBA?
@Adriana: Since graduating from college I got the following degrees while working full-time: Graduate degree in Biblical Studies, Masters in Computer Information Science, AAMS, AIF, and CFP. It takes a little longer, but you learn and appreciate more learning part time and continuing to work
.
Very important questions to consider, Bobbie.
BTW I would address the readers by name but I am having a hard time reading the very light text under the posts:-)
And very impressive, David!
Our next question comes from Ed about estate planning.
Very impressive David. And you DO value the things you work for much more.
I think I can make the text darker, Bobbie.
@Adreana: A quick google search lists part-time MBA Rankings by school. I would look at those first. You can always start part time and then decide how much you like it. Any courses taken may even be transferable.
New parents, it is essential that you get wills, powers of attorney (for financial matters) and Advance Healthcare Directives /Living Wills for each of you (and level term life insurance).
David, Richard has one more question for you.
I'm a 36 yo single male, no kids. Last year, I purchased two life insurance policies (250K/25 yrs and 300K/30 yrs) paying $45/mo total, thinking that if I die today, my heirs can use one policy to pay off the mortgage and funeral expenses and use the other policy to pay for the ongoing home expenses until they sell or rent the home. Am I over-insuring myself?
@Elizabeth: Your 401k materials are required to disclose exactly how much are the fees associated with each investment choice. For our clients we look at these fees carefully to determine what choices are best for the 401k portion of their portfolio. Then we build the rest of their portfolio around these choices. Even John Boogle said that he is not primarily an indexer, he is a "fees matter" investor. www.marottaonmoney.com
So much of planning is NOT about investments. Think estate planning (the will AND documents for the living you if you are unable to act on your behalf), education funding, financial distress, cash flow plans, risk management. I often see clients with limited investments. I strongly suggest you look for hourly advice by going to NAPFA.com planner serarch (some do have minimums but there are hourly planners here) and Garrent Planning Network (all fee only hourly planners). Hourly adivce is a great way to get a start at a reasonable cost. And NAPFA has online educational events for the public. You might also check community finanical education offereings. But beware educational events that are a front for selling product!!!1
Richard, 98% of market movement is noise. What matters is how your portfolio performs over the long haul. If you are concerned about a -4% short-term move, you either need to adjust your expectations or consider low yielding investments that are not tied to the market. Vanguard has lower fees but they will not shield you from the ups and downs of the market. The worst case scenario is for you to sell after seeing a big drop which is always likely to come at some point.
