investment manager Archives - Rocky Mountain Financial Solutions

Inflation Expectations Rising

jim Financial advisor, Investing, investment manager, Market Brief, Market Commentary, Market Outlook, Market Review, Retirement Income Planning, Retirement Planning, Stock Market, wealth management September 20, 2021September 20, 2021financial advisor, Investing, market brief, Market Commentary, Market Outlook, Market Review, retirement income planning, retirement planning, Stock Market, wealth management

U.S. equities fell into the weekend despite strong manufacturing data, as inflation expectations weighed. Stocks dropped for a second straight week. Last week all indexes finished down. The Dow down 0.05%, S&P 0.55%, and Nasdaq 0.46%.

Last Week

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished down less than 1%. Volatility rose with the VIX closing at a 1-month high. U.S. manufacturing numbers surged, and optimism for the next 6 months remained high. The Empire State index leapt 16 points to 34.3 in September. The Philly Fed index rose 11 points to 30.7, above estimates. Industrial production increased 0.4% in August after a revised 0.8% gain the prior month. The miss was largely due to Hurricane Ida and supply chain inefficiencies. Capacity utilization climbed to 76.4%, the highest rate since December 2019. U.S. retail sales surprised with a 0.7% gain in August despite supply chain issues and escalating Covid-19 cases.

Consumer inflation still showed a significant bump but came in less than feared. A New York Fed household survey showed inflation expectations continued to ramp up in August. Internationally, August wholesale prices sustained gains in Germany and Japan on solid global demand. CPIs in Canada and the UK surged to multi-decade highs. Weak Chinese data also contributed to the market’s choppiness. Retail sales only grew 2.5% in August versus forecasts of 7%. Industrial production came in slightly below predictions at 5.3%. British retail sales fell for a fourth straight month in August, even as payrolls increased by a record 241,000. Australia’s employment dropped more than expected, supporting the Reserve Bank’s decision to delay a review of weekly bond purchases.

Week Ahead – Inflation Expectations

All eyes will be on the FOMC as they wrap up their two-day meeting on Wednesday. Pressure is mounting for more specifics on tapering given recent U.S. economic data. According to a Bloomberg survey of economists, tapering is expected to begin in November 2021. Chairman Powell has indicated the decision to taper is independent of any decision to raise interest rates. With unemployment still above 2019 levels, the Federal Reserve is expected to be patient with increasing rates.

U.S. housing reports will also drop this week. The NAHB Index reported positive numbers. Housing start data reports on Tuesday, existing home sales on Wednesday, and new home sales on Friday. The S&P 500 is only down about 2% this month. More volatility may be on the horizon if issues like the debt ceiling gain momentum. Treasury Secretary Yellen has urged Congress to increase the debt limit as soon as possible to avoid any economic turmoil. The debate could influence the Fed’s actions as well.

Investors will focus on next week’s Fed meeting and the timing of tapering. Tapering is often viewed as a potential negative catalyst in the near term. However, strong economic growth coupled with record corporate profits can potentially keep the market moving higher. Investors will also be watching to see if Evergrande, the Chinese real estate company with a mountain of debt, poses any systemic risks to global markets. Year-to-date index performance; Dow up 13.00%, S&P up 18.02%, and Nasdaq up 16.73% through the close on Friday.

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This website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be specific advice or recommendations. For specific advice or recommendations you would need to meet directly with one of our advisers.

Can a robot really help you financially?

jim Financial advisor, invest, Investing, Investing Strategy, investment manager, investment strategy, Retirement Planning, wealth management, wealth planning strategies January 13, 2021August 2, 2023financial advisor, Investing, investment management, investment planning, retirement planning, wealth management

We’re hearing a lot about robo advisors these days. Are they right for you?

The financial services industry is no stranger to developing new products and innovations. Years ago, it was different types of stocks and bonds, then mutual funds were launched. More recently, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that mimic indexes were launched. These days, robo advice is a hot topic. While having features that are certainly attractive to some investors, robo advisors aren’t right for everyone.

But first, the “what?”

What are robo advisors?

The term “robo advisor” is actually a bit misleading. Advisors generally guide their clients through the financial planning process to help these individuals achieve their life goals.

Robo advisors are automated portfolio managers. They take a limited amount of information about a client and create a portfolio of holdings. These holdings usually include a basket of ETFs. Robo advisors require little human involvement once their algorithm has been set.

Pros and cons

Robo advisors are programmed to automatically buy and sell holdings based on a desired risk-return profile. As there is little human involvement or management, they tend to be cheaper to invest in than actively managed portfolios. They also tend to be “set-it-and-forget-it” solutions that require very little effort by individual investors.

These portfolios rise and fall according to market and macroeconomic conditions, they typically don’t make adjustments to reflect the market. Conversely, as your advisor I’ve gained a deeper understanding of your financial picture, including your long-term needs and goals. Our work together means that your portfolio is suited specifically to you. Not just to a lot of people who may simply be your age and have a similar amount of savings.

Example of robots investing versus humans investing

During periods of rising markets, robo advisors will tend to perform quite nicely. As they reflect the performance of the wider markets in which they invest.

That said, markets don’t always go up. When markets are falling, portfolios run by robo advisors will tend to drop to the same degree as their corresponding markets. Meanwhile, active portfolio managers tend to rebalance or otherwise adjust their funds to reduce the downside impact of this market weakness. Possibly even taking advantage of it. By doing so, these portfolio managers are able to negate the losses that could result from market weakness. Which is something robo advisors can’t do.

Robo advisors are also not equipped to provide all of the other services that an advisor can provide. Including access to tax and estate planning, lawyers, accountants and other professionals who can help me ensure you have a complete financial plan that truly reflects your short- and long-term needs.

Please feel free to reach out to me to learn more about the benefits of a human vs. robo advisor.

Click here if you would like to learn more about your options and if we can assist you with your wealth management, investment, and retirement planning.

How to Tame Market Volatility through Diversification

jim diversification, family wealth management, Financial advisor, invest, Investing, Investing Strategy, investment manager, investment strategy, Mutual Funds, retirement, Retirement Planning, Stock Market, wealth management, wealth planning strategies December 7, 2020December 7, 2020financial advisor, invest, Investing, Investing Strategy, investment management, investment planning, investment strategy, Investments, retirement planning, strategic wealth management

It’s that time of the year again. Whether it’s in person or virtually, the holidays are an opportunity for more conversations with loved ones. This year, let’s strive to put some positivity into our conversations. There is a lot to gripe about, but there’s more to look forward to. And the more we talk, the better we plan, prepare, and progress. Discussing your financial strategies with loved ones can help reinforce them or pivot according to new circumstances. And I’m ready to hear you! Knowing what may have changed this year will help us become more successful in pursuing your financial goals.

One topic that is front of mind is how to diversify your portfolio. One way to help investors reach long-term financial goals is through an investment technique known as diversification. Diversification basically means spreading out your invested money across different investments types, industries, countries, etc. Diversification can smooth out volatility of your portfolio and potentially lead to stronger returns over the long term. Helping you take advantage of the benefits of diversification is a central part of my job as your advisor.

One guiding factor behind diversification is that not all investment categories perform well at the same time. As some are increasing in value, others may be decreasing. Market volatility is the movement of investment categories going up and down.

Maintaining a well-balanced portfolio

As your advisor, I help maximize returns and reduce the risks associated with market volatility. Essentially, your portfolio represents a collection of different investments that work in harmony to help you reach your goals. One way you can achieve portfolio diversification is to divide your investments among the major asset classes. Such classes include equities, fixed income and cash.

Asset classes – A range of risks and rewards

Each asset class comes with varying degrees of risk and return characteristics. Typically, each class performs differently in certain market environments. Here’s a quick summary of each.

Equities (e.g., stocks)
Equities refer to buying stocks or shares of a business, making you a part owner. This means the investor is subject to stock appreciation when the company outperforms. But also subject to the risks of declining stock value if companies underperform.
Fixed income (e.g., bonds, Treasury bills)
Fixed income investors lend capital in exchange for interest. Considered as creditors, bondholders often have a priority claim in case of company bankruptcy. This makes the investments less risky. Fixed income typically provides income at regular intervals.
Cash (e.g., money market funds, bank accounts)
Cash investments provide low returns versus other asset classes, in the form of interest payments. These investments typically come with very low levels of risk.

Investment funds – One-stop diversification

I can also help achieve diversification through the use of investment funds; namely, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These investment vehicles represent convenient and affordable ways to access a wide range of investments.

Mutual funds – These are made up of a pool of assets from many investors. Mutual funds are managed by a portfolio manager. The portfolio manager actively seeks to produce greater returns than a specific market benchmark, such as the S&P 500 Index. With the large scale of a mutual fund, you benefit from professional management and can get strong diversification by gaining access to investments that would normally be inaccessible or too expensive for most individuals.
ETFs – These are funds that track and seek to replicate the performance of select market indexes. ETFs represent a basket of securities based on the underlying index. This allows investors to gain broad diversification across entire markets, industries, regions or asset classes. ETFs are known to incur fewer administrative costs, therefore charging lower fees to investors.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions on the terms discussed in this article, or on how your investment portfolio is diversified.

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Positive Investing News

jim family wealth, family wealth management, invest, Investing, Investing Strategy, investment manager, investment strategy, retirement, Retirement Planning, wealth management, wealth planning strategies March 26, 2020March 26, 2020family wealth, family wealth management, invest, Investing, Investing Strategy, investment planning, investment strategy, Investments, strategic wealth management, wealth management

Finding good news right now can be tough. The Q&A below highlights some of the positive investing news that can result from a crisis.

What is the one positive that you see coming out of this crisis
that is least expected?

Buying opportunity! Valuations have soared during the bull market run following the 2008-2009 recession, individuals interested in long-term investment growth should consider this as one of the best discount sales in recent years. Many people I speak to wish they could go back to the 2008-2009 time period and buy stocks. Today, some quality companies are down 30-80% year-to-date.

What new businesses will break into the marketplace, as a result of this crisis, that no one expected to grow so fast?

Technology has proven to be the winner. The S&P 500 Info Tech sector index has greatly outperformed the market. Included in this index are businesses supporting those working from home, such as, video conferencing and e-document companies.

What existing industries do you feel will rebound the fastest
as things begin to return to normal?

The travel industry is taking an enormous hit. This will not last. Consider how many people will need a vacation after being stuck in their homes for a month (or longer). Or even had their trips postponed. Hotels, airlines, cruises, they are beaten down right now but will bounce back as the virus is contained. The stimulus will also aid, to some extent, discretionary spending for some. Travel is a huge component of discretionary spending.

Click here if you would like to learn more about our thoughts on Positive Investing News. Also, to discuss options and if we can assist you with your wealth management, investment, and retirement planning.

Portfolio Management Perspective

jim family wealth, family wealth management, Financial advisor, Investing Strategy, investment manager, investment strategy, Market Commentary, money manager, Retirement Planning, wealth management, wealth planning strategies March 13, 2020March 26, 2020financial advisor, financial planning, investment planning, investment strategy, Market Commentary, retirement planning, wealth management

Review of Benchmarks, Strategy, Risk, and Performance – Perspective from one of our Portfolio Manager’s – March 13, 2020

Whenever the topic of investing is discussed we are conditioned to think first of the New York Stock Exchange opening bell and Wall St. bankers in Brioni suits. And why shouldn’t we? Over the past 200 years, stocks have arguably been the most powerful generator of wealth.

That rosy conventional wisdom has the benefit of a perpetual time-horizon and an ambivalence towards risk. As we all know, stocks might be notorious for rising over time, but they also can produce nasty results if improperly managed. Very few of us are fortunate enough to be ambivalent towards risk or the trajectory of our investments – if we were, being 100% invested in the DOW or S&P 500 would be a fine strategy. That is where financial planning and asset management comes in.

As a conservative asset manager, we are tasked with two main objectives a) produce a rate of return that achieves an objective (generally retirement/self-sufficiency) and b) protect against downside and volatility. Our definition of success in both goals is directly related to the specifics of your financial situation.

Since the inception of our Total Return strategy in 2004, we’ve employed a mix of equities (stocks), commodities, fixed income, and cash to achieve the objectives stated above for clients. At any given point, we may be more dependent on one asset class or another to provide upside thrust or downside support for our clients’ portfolios. As you might expect, this asset mix is largely dependent on (among other things) the outlook for the economy, interest rates, and the inclination for risk in the markets.

In some environments, such as 2017, the stock market and high-quality individual equities genuinely are the best option for capital appreciation. In other periods such as late 2018 and 2019, a choppy market and unclear fundamental prospects warranted a higher concentration in traditionally less economically sensitive asset classes like bonds, gold, and cash. No matter the environment, we are continually assessing our outlook and corresponding exposures.

In the client updates over the past week, we noted how our conservative positioning at the outset of this decline was yielding promising results. That remains the case, and when we evaluate client performance relative to equity benchmarks (DOW, S&P 500, NASDAQ), we are heartened by the fact that client accounts have a) declined substantially less than the benchmarks and b) exceeded the results previously experienced in similar periods of stress.

Since our inception, having a trained eye on risk management has allowed clients to generally experience asymmetric rates of upside and downside participation vs. equity benchmarks. In other words, we’ve consistently achieved more upside than downside through the course of market trends.

Finally, we understand that the personal nature of the virus and the corresponding downside reaction in markets can be especially anxiety provoking. And while this is everybody’s first time managing through a true pandemic, it is far from our first time managing through a panicked market. We will get through this turbulent time and be prepared to deploy the capital we’ve preserved throughout the episode.

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