The two should not be confused.

Provided by Magnate Wealth Management

What is risk? To the conservative investor, risk is a negative. To the opportunistic investor, risk is a factor to tolerate and accept.

Whatever the perception of risk, it should not be confused with volatility. That confusion occurs much too frequently.

Volatility can be considered a measurement of risk, but it is not risk itself. Many investors and academics measure investment risk in terms of beta; that is, in terms of an investment’s ups and downs in relation to a market sector or the entirety of the market.

If you want to measure volatility from a very wide angle, you can examine standard deviation for the S&P 500. The total return of this broad benchmark averaged 10.1% during 1926-2015, and there was a standard deviation of 20.1 from that average total return during those 90 market years.1

What does that mean? It means that if you add or subtract 20.1 from 10.1, you get the range of total return that could be expected from the S&P two-thirds of the time during the period from 1926-2015. That is quite a variance, indicating that investors should be ready for anything when investing in equities. During 1926-2015, there was a 67% chance that the S&P could return anywhere from a 30.2% yearly gain to a 10.1% yearly loss. (Again, this is total return with dividends included.)1

Just recently, there were years in which the S&P’s total return fell outside of that wide range. In 2013, the index’s total return was +32.39%. In 2008, its total return was -37.00%.2

When statisticians measure the volatility of major indices like the S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, or Dow Jones Industrial Average, they are measuring market risk. Trying to measure investment risk is another matter.

You can argue that investment risk is not measureable. How can investors measure the probability of a loss when they invest? Even after they sell an investment, can they go back and calculate what their risk was at the time they bought it? They only know if they made money or not. Profit or loss says nothing about risk exposure.

Most experienced investors do not fear volatility. Instead, they fear loss. They think of “risk” as their potential for unrecoverable loss.

In reality, most apparent “losses” may be recoverable given enough time. True unrecoverable losses occur in one of two ways. One, an investor sells the investment for less than what he or she paid for it. Two, some kind of irrevocable change happens, either to the investment itself or to the sector to which the investment belongs. For example, a company goes totally out of business and leaves investors with worthless securities. Or, an innovation transforms an industry so profoundly that it renders what was once a leading-edge company an afterthought.

Accepting risk means accepting the possibilities of equity investing. The range of possibilities for investment performance and market performance is vast. History has shown that to be true, history being all we have to look at. It fails to tell us anything about the negative (or positive) disruptions that could come out of nowhere to upend our assumptions. A “black swan” (terrorism, a virus, an environmental crisis, a quick evaporation of investor confidence) is always a possibility. Next year, the performance of this or that sector or the small caps or blue chips could be spectacular. It could also be dismal. It could certainly fall in between those extremes. There is no way to calculate it or estimate it in advance. For the equities investor, the future is always a flashing question mark, regardless of what history tells or pundits predict.

Diversification helps investors cope with volatility & risk. Spreading assets across various investment classes may reduce a portfolio’s concentration in a hot sector, but it also lessens the possibility of a portfolio being overweighted in a cold one.

Volatility is a statistical expression of market risk, constantly measured. Volatility, however, should not be confused with risk itself.

Magnate Wealth Management may be reached at 502-855-3160 or bgorter@magnatewealth.com.

This material was prepared by MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. This information has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. 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.

Registered Investment Advisory services offered through Magnate Wealth Management, LLC., a Registered Investment Adviser. Securities and advisory services offered through Silver Oak Securities, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Magnate Wealth Management, LLC., Capital Wealth Management, LLC. and Silver Oak Securities, Inc. are separate entities

Citations.
1 – fc.standardandpoors.com/sites/client/generic/axa/axa4/Article.vm?topic=5991&siteContent=8088 [3/31/16]
2 – ycharts.com/indicators/sandp_500_total_return_annual [3/31/16]

These spending and investing precepts may encourage its longevity.

Provided by Magnate Wealth Management

All retirees want their money to last a lifetime. There is no guarantee it will, but, in pursuit of that goal, households may want to adopt a couple of spending and investing precepts.

One precept: observing the 4% rule. This classic retirement planning principle works as follows: a retiree household withdraws 4% of its amassed retirement savings in year one of retirement, and withdraws 4% plus a little more every year thereafter – that is, the annual withdrawals are gradually adjusted upward from the base 4% amount in response to inflation.

The 4% rule was first formulated back in the 1990s by an influential financial planner named William Bengen. He was trying to figure out the “safest” withdrawal rate for a retiree; one that could theoretically allow his or her savings to hold up for 30 years given certain conditions (more about those conditions in a moment). Bengen ran various 30-year scenarios using different withdrawal rates in relation to historical market returns, and concluded that a 4% withdrawal rate (adjusted incrementally for inflation) made the most sense.1

For the 4% rule to “work,” two fundamental conditions must be met. One, the retiree has to invest in a way that will allow his or her retirement savings to grow along with inflation. Two, there must not be a sideways or bear market occurring.1

As sideways and bear markets have not been the historical norm, following the 4% rule could be wise indeed in a favorable market climate. Michael Kitces, another influential financial planner, has noted that, historically, a retiree strictly observing the 4% rule would have doubled his or her starting principal at the end of 30 years more than two-thirds of the time.1

In today’s low-yield environment, the 4% rule has its critics. They argue that a 3% withdrawal rate gives a retiree a better prospect for sustaining invested assets over 30 years. In addition, retiree households are not always able to strictly follow a 3% or 4% withdrawal rate. Dividends and Required Minimum Distributions may effectively increase the yearly withdrawal. Retirees should review their income sources and income prospects with the help of a financial professional to determine what withdrawal percentage is appropriate given their particular income needs and their need for long-term financial stability.

Another precept: adopting a “bucketing” approach. In this strategy, a retiree household assigns one-third of its savings to equities, one-third of its savings to fixed-income investments, and another third of its savings to cash. Each of these “buckets” has a different function.

The cash bucket is simply an emergency fund stocked with money that represents the equivalent of 2-3 years of income the household does not receive as a result of pensions or similarly scheduled payouts. In other words, if a couple gets $35,000 a year from Social Security and needs $55,000 a year to live comfortably, the cash bucket should hold $40,000-60,000.

The household replenishes the cash bucket over time with investment returns from the equities and fixed-income buckets. Overall, the household should invest with the priority of growing its money; though the investment approach could tilt conservative if the individual or couple has little tolerance for risk.

Since growth investing is an objective of the bucket approach, equity investments are bought and held. Examining history, that is not a bad idea: the S&P 500 has never returned negative over a 15-year period. In fact, it would have returned 6.5% for a hypothetical buy-and-hold investor across its worst 15-year stretch in recent memory – the 15 years ending in March 2009, when it bottomed out in the last bear market.2

Assets in the fixed-income bucket may be invested as conservatively as the household wishes. Some fixed-income investments are more conservative than others – which is to say, some are less affected by fluctuations in interest rates and Wall Street turbulence than others. While the most conservative, fixed-income investments are currently yielding very little, they may yield more in the future as interest rates presumably continue to rise.

There has been great concern over what rising interest rates will do to this investment class, but, if history is any guide, short-term pain may be alleviated by ultimately greater yields. Last December, Vanguard Group projected that, if the Federal Reserve gradually raised the benchmark interest rate to 2.0% across the three-and-a-half years ending in July 2019, a typical investment fund containing intermediate-term fixed-income securities would suffer a -0.15% total return for 2016, but return positively in the following years.3

Avoid overspending and invest with growth in mind. That is the basic message from all this, and, while following that simple instruction is not guaranteed to make your retirement savings last a lifetime, it may help you to sustain those savings for the long run.

Magnate Wealth Management may be reached at 502-855-3160 or bgorter@magnatewealth.com.

This material was prepared by MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. This information has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. 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.

Registered Investment Advisory services offered through Magnate Wealth Management, LLC., a Registered Investment Adviser. Securities and advisory services offered through Silver Oak Securities, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Magnate Wealth Management, LLC., Capital Wealth Management, LLC. and Silver Oak Securities, Inc. are separate entities

Citations.
1 – money.cnn.com/2016/04/20/retirement/retirement-4-rule/ [4/20/16]
2 – time.com/money/4161045/retirement-income/ [5/22/16]
3 – tinyurl.com/hjfggnp [12/2/15]

Saving is a great start, but planning to reach your financial goals is even better.

Provided by Magnate Wealth Management

Are you saving for retirement? Great. Are you planning for retirement? That is even better. Planning for your retirement and other long-range financial goals is an essential step – one that could make achieving those goals easier.

Saving without investing isn’t enough. Since interest rates are so low today, money in a typical savings account barely grows. It may not even grow enough to keep up with inflation, leaving the saver at a long-term financial disadvantage.

Very few Americans retire on savings alone. Rather, they invest some of their savings and retire mostly on the accumulated earnings those invested dollars generate over time.

Investing without planning usually isn’t enough. Most people invest with a general idea of building wealth, particularly for retirement. The problem is that too many of them invest without a plan. They are guessing how much money they will need once they leave work, and that guess may be way off. Some have no idea at all.

Growing and retaining wealth takes more than just investing. Along the way, you must plan to manage risk and defer or reduce taxes. A good financial plan – created with the assistance of an experienced financial professional – addresses those priorities while defining your investment approach. It changes over time, to reflect changes in your life and your financial objectives.

With a plan, you can set short-term and long-term goals and benchmarks. You can estimate the amount of money you will likely need to meet retirement, college, and health care expenses. You can plot a way to wind down your business or exit your career with confidence. You can also get a good look at your present financial situation – where you stand in terms of your assets and liabilities, the distance between where you are financially and where you would like to be.

Last year, a Gallup poll found that just 38% of investors had a written financial plan. Gallup asked those with no written financial strategy why they lacked one. The top two reasons? They just hadn’t taken the time (29%) or they simply hadn’t thought about it (27%).1

October is National Financial Planning Month – an ideal time to plan your financial future. The end of the year is approaching and a new one will soon begin, so this is the right time to think about what you have done in 2016 and what you could do in 2017. You might want to do something new; you may want to do some things differently. Your financial future is in your hands, so be proactive and plan.

Magnate Wealth Management may be reached at 502-855-3160 or bgorter@magnatewealth.com.

This material was prepared by MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. This information has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. 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.

Registered Investment Advisory services offered through Magnate Wealth Management, LLC., a Registered Investment Adviser. Securities and advisory services offered through Silver Oak Securities, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Magnate Wealth Management, LLC., Capital Wealth Management, LLC. and Silver Oak Securities, Inc. are separate entities

Citations.
1 – gallup.com/poll/184421/nonretired-investors-written-financial-plan.aspx [7/31/15]