Good afternoon,
Let’s talk financial decisions for a moment. We mentioned last week that we spent a few days in Miami. And while it was nice, the weather didn’t cooperate during our brief stay and then we wound up missing our scheduled flight home (note to self: if you plan to check a bag onboard the aircraft, be sure to arrive at least 45 minutes prior to departure time, otherwise just use a carry on) so it could have turned out better. But something else bothered us as well. Everything is so expensive in South Beach. Hotels, restaurants, stores, shops, everything. Now, the WMR doesn’t consider itself cheap, frugal is a much better description, and we weren’t even paying for everything, but we’re opposed to the pricing structure on general principle. Restaurants charging a minimum $1,000 or $2,500 up to many more thousands for a guaranteed reservation. The minimum, BTW, doesn’t include the food. So either spend that much on beverages, bottle service preferred, or just cough up the minimum for the pleasure of spending a bundle more on dinner. We get it, SoBe (and other places like NY and Chicago and LA, et. al) strive to portray a certain cache. So a fancy meal or a night out in those places isn’t really an economic decision. It’s more of a lifestyle choice. And that’s fine, we just choose not to participate when the tab can run into the 4 figure range or even higher for a few hours of entertainment. Even if we had hit the lottery or signed a nice MLB contract or something that made us comfortable enough to afford that lifestyle, we’d still be fundamentally opposed to it. It’s bad enough when we order a bottle of wine at a local spot that we know is marked up 3x or 4x, but it strikes us as patently absurd to pay $800 for a bottle of something that might retail for $50. Or seeing Wagyu beef displayed on the menu at $185 per ounce. We’re just not willing to make food or entertainment that much of a priority. Our IRA will get funded first, or our life insurance, or our kids college plans. Which shouldn’t be surprising given our chosen profession. And we’re not judging others for their spending habits, since we have our lifestyle weak spot, convertible sports cars come to mind, we’re only trying to help others prioritize their finances. Rant concluded. Thank you for listening.
In bad news this week, Ford has announced that it will be laying off 7000 salaried employees around the world this year. That’s too bad.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/20/ford-to-cut-7000-jobs-by-august-including-900-this-week.html
We know that several in the WMR audience are or have been with the FoMoCo, so if this development affects any of your colleagues, they’ll have some difficult decisions coming up. Please let them know that we’re available to help with the financial part, rollovers, pensions, etc. They’ll have enough other things to deal with.
Here’s some other disappointing news, Millennials and Gen Z are pessimistic about their lives.
Hmmm. That seems unfortunate. Millennials and Gen Z haven’t even been around long enough to become pessimistic. Just our opinion, but maybe they should look up from their screens for a few moments and smell the roses. Focus on the good stuff all around them instead of the latest Twitter battle or Facebook post. Just a thought.
Here’s the title of an article in an industry publication we saw recently, “Longevity: Blessing or Curse?” In our opinion, the short answer is Yes it is. We all want to live a long time, God willing, and that takes two things, health and wealth. Sticking around for too long without either of those can be very difficult. Fortunately, the WMR is here to help. Officially, as a long time professional financial advisor, we are fully qualified, capable and equipped for the wealth part. Unofficially, as an exercise and nutrition geek and long time gym meathead, we love discussing those topics as well. Off the record, of course. Here comes the mandatory disclaimer, neither Michael, the WMR, nor Lincoln Financial Advisors offer official nutrition and/or exercise advice.
And just under that article, there was another titled, “Annuities Can be Good, Bad or Ugly.” In our opinion, the short answer is Yes they can. If you own an annuity and you don’t know which one of those yours is, allow us to do a Stoplight Review. We’ll tell you whether your current contract still meets your needs (Green light), seems to still meet your needs but should be monitored (Yellow light) or is no longer appropriate and needs attention right away (Red light.) The Stoplight Review is complimentary and confidential.
And just under that article (sounds like a riveting publication, don’t it?) was one that said “Best Annuities Available in 2019.” In our opinion, the short answer is Wait A Minute. No one can make that claim without knowing anything about the potential annuity investor. That would amount to financial malpractice. Individual circumstances will dictate which of the hundreds of annuities available on the market are appropriate for which clients. So don’t make an annuity decision without professional advice. We’d also advise clients not to cut their own hair, and owning an annuity is a far more important consideration.
Lastly this week, drumroll please, our shiny new website, www.weeklymarketreview.com is up and running! Finally. And we hope that it’s not as boring and generic as most in our industry have become. So if you have a few minutes, please visit the site, pass it along to friends, or strangers, and by all means respond back to me with any suggestions for changes or upgrades or content ideas or anything else that you think it needs. Any input is appreciated. Thank you. And while you’re there, check out our section on exercise, nutrition and longevity.
LF25 – “A long life is a life well spent.” – Leonardo da Vinci
Have a great week.
Michael J. Acho, MBA, CFP®
Private Wealth Advisor
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Lincoln Financial Advisors/Sagemark Consulting
1000 Town Center, 26th Floor
Southfield, MI 48075
248-948-5100 direct
248-948-5101 fax
248-933-4339 cell
Michael.Acho@LFG.com
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-acho/27/913/3a8
An annuity is intended for retirement or other long-term needs. Optional features are available for an additional charge and are based on the financial strength of the insurer. The annuity’s value fluctuates with the market value of the underlying investment options, and assets accumulate tax deferred. Guarantees are based on the claims paying ability of the issuer.
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