Why I Disliked my Diversified Portfolio in 2014

Let’s face it; we live in a headline kind of world these days. One of the fastest growing media outlets, Twitter, only allows 140 characters. They might as well rename it “Headwitter”! I was reminded of the power of headlines recently as I was reviewing my personal financial planning; reflecting on the progress I have made toward goals such as retirement, estate, tax, life insurance, and investments. And, after reviewing my personal 401k plan, and witnessing single digit growth, my immediate reaction was probably similar to many other investors that utilize a prudent asset allocation strategy (40% fixed income and 60% equities). I’d be less than candid if I didn’t share that my immediate thought was, “I dislike my diversified portfolio”.

The headlines suggest it should have been a better year. However, knowing that the substance is below the headlines, and 140 characters can’t convey the whole story, my diversified portfolio performed just as it is supposed to in 2014.

The Financial Headlines

The financial news -- whether it be radio, print, or social media -- almost entirely focuses on three major market indexes; the DJIA, the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ. All three are barometers for Large Stocks in the United States; they are meaningless for additional assets found in a diversified portfolio such as international stocks, small and medium size stocks, and bonds of all varieties. It is true that large US stock indexes were at or near all-time highs throughout 2014.  It is also true that many other major asset classes gained no ground or were even negative for the year including: high yield junk bonds, small cap stocks, commodities, metals, energy, international stocks and emerging markets. Moreover, even within US large stocks there was vast disparity as large cap value stocks lagged large growth stocks by almost 50%!

How to Dig Deeper into Strategy & Outlook

Our firm utilizes a variety of resources in developing our economic outlook and asset allocation strategies including research from well-respected firms such as Russell Investments and Raymond James. Review the “Russell Balanced Portfolio Returns” graphic that provides a useful visual on how a variety of asset classes have performed since 2005. (Click below image to enlarge.)

This chart shows the historical performance of different asset classes, as well as an asset allocation portfolio (35% fixed & 65% diversified equities). The asset allocation portfolio incorporates the various asset classes shown in the chart and highlights how balance and diversification can help reduce volatility (risk) and enhance returns.Risk adjusted returns are always a worthy goal and, as I have written in the past, risk is always present and matters.

Do you recall 2008-2009 or how about the lost decade of 2000-2010? If you “see” a pattern in asset class returns over time, please look again. There is no determinable pattern. Asset class returns are cyclical and it’s difficult to predict which asset class will outperform in any given year. A portfolio with a mix of asset classes, on average, should smooth the ride by lowering risk over a full market cycle. I’d suggest if there is any pattern to see, it would be that a diversified portfolio should provide aless volatile investment experience than any single asset class. A diversified portfolio is unlikely to be worse than the lowest performing asset class in any given year, and on the flip side it is unlikely to be better than the best performing asset class. Just what you would expect!

Staying Focused & Disciplined

The current environment reminds me of the strong US stock market experienced in the late 1990’s.  During that time, unfortunately some folks were willing to abandon discipline because of increased greed or conversely, increased fear. Currently I sense an interesting phenomenon, an increase in fear. Not of markets going down, but rather a fear of being left behind in such a strong US stock market. As important as it is not to panic out of an asset class after a large decline, it remains equally important not to panic into an asset class. I believe maintaining discipline in both environments is critical to investment success.

Like the late 1990’s, many folks have taken note of the S&P 500’s outperformance of many other asset classes over the last five years and wonder why they should invest in anything else. The question is understandable. If you find yourself asking the same question, you might consider the following:

• The S&P 500 Index has had tremendous performance over the last five years, but it’s difficult to predict which asset class will outperform from year to year. A portfolio with a mix of asset classes, on average, should smooth the ride by lowering risk over a full market cycle.

• Fundamentally, prices of U.S. companies are hovering around the long-term average. International equities, particularly the emerging markets, are still well below their normal estimates and may have con­siderable room for improvement.

• U.S. large caps, as defined by the S&P 500 Index, have outperformed international equities (MSCI EAFE) four of the last five years. The last time the S&P outperformed for a significant time 1996-2001, the MSCI outperformed in the subsequent six years.

Managing Risk

Benjamin Graham, known as the “father of value investing”, dedicated much of his book, The Intelligent Investor, to risk.  In one of his many timeless quotes he says, “The essence of investment management is the management of risks, not the management of returns.”  This statement can be counterintuitive to many investors.  As I have shared before, risk does not have to be an alarm; rather a healthy dose of reality in all investment environments. That’s how we meet life’s financial goals. Diversification is about avoiding the big setbacks along the way – it doesn’t protect against losses – it is used to manage risk.

So, if you are feeling like I did initially about your portfolio, hopefully after review and reflection you might also change your perspective like I did from “I dislike my diversified portfolio” to “My diversified portfolio - just what I would expect”. As always, if you’d like to schedule some time to review anything contained in this writing or your personal circumstances, please let me know. Lastly, our investment committee has been hard at work for several weeks and will be sharing 2015 comments in the near future. Make it a great 2015!

Timothy Wyman, CFP®, JD is the Managing Partner and Financial Planner at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. and is a frequent contributor to national media including appearances on Good Morning America Weekend Edition and WDIV Channel 4 News and published articles including Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. A leader in his profession, Tim served on the National Board of Directors for the 28,000 member Financial Planning Association™ (FPA®), trained and mentored hundreds of CFP® practitioners and is a frequent speaker to organizations and businesses on various financial planning topics.

Required Disclaimer: This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. Any opinions are those of Tim Wyman and not necessarily those of Raymond James. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), commonly known as “The Dow” is an index representing 30 stock of companies maintained and reviewed by the editors of the Wall Street Journal. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index of 500 widely held stocks that is generally considered representative of the U.S. stock market. The NASDAQ Composite Index is an unmanaged index of securities traded on the NASDAQ system. MSCI EAFE (Europe, Australasia, and Far East) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure developed market equity performance, excluding the United States & Canada. The EAFE consists of the country indices of 22 developed nations. Inclusion of these indexes is for illustrative purposes only. Keep in mind that individuals cannot invest directly in any index, and index performance does not include transaction costs or other fees, which will affect actual investment performance. Individual investor's results will vary. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Diversification and asset allocation do not ensure a profit or protect against a loss. Raymond James is not affiliated with Benjamin Graham.

SRI: Investing in your Ideals & Values

Socially responsible investing (SRI) is a rapidly expanding option in the investment arena.  This includes Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria in the stock and bond selection process.  This approach to investing looks beyond simple financial return, allowing individuals and institutions to express their personal values and ideals with their investments.

Millennials more interested in ESG strategies

We are starting to see generational differences in investing as younger high net worth investors are more interested in expressing their values through investing.   For example, in a survey conducted by U.S. Trust Insights, 63% of Millennials (individuals born between 1980 and 2000) are interested in owning socially responsible strategies versus just 35% of the total number of responders.  These investors believe that they also don’t have to give up returns in order to do so as 60% believe it is possible to achieve market rates of returns while investing in ESG strategies.

Source: U.S. Trust Insights on Wealth and Worth Annual Survey

The Center Expands ESG Recommendations

Based on increasing demand from our clients, our investment committee and research department have expanded our recommended list to include companies that offer these types of investment strategies.  Having applied our same rigorous due diligence process to these selections, we feel we have an excellent combination of managers in a variety of asset classes that will allow our clients to express their ideals in the way they invest their assets (see our recent blog on this).  If you are looking for ways to express your values through your investments don’t hesitate to contact us!

Angela Palacios, CFP®is the Portfolio Manager at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. Angela specializes in Investment and Macro economic research. She is a frequent contributor to Money Centered as well as investment updates at The Center.

Links are being provided for information purposes only. Raymond James is not affiliated with and does not endorse, authorize or sponsor any of the listed websites or their respective sponsors. Raymond James is not responsible for the content of any website or the collection or use of information regarding any website’s users and/or members. Investing always involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss. No investment strategy can guarantee success. Material is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation. C14-040265

Benchmarking in Investing: Tools to track relative performance

 Ever wonder how to know whether your portfolio is performing well?  Some people will simply look at the overall return, and if it’s higher than their neighbor’s, they figure they are doing well!  However, simply looking at the bottom line rate of return doesn’t tell the whole story because returns are directly related to how much underlying risk you have taken in the portfolio. To an amateur investor an annual rate of return of 7-8% might feel good, but a professional looks at how much risk you had to take to achieve such a result.  One method everyone should use to better understand the relative performance of an individual portfolio is referred to as “benchmarking”. 

Performance tracking methods

A few commonly used benchmarks for large U.S. stocks are the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (more commonly known as the S&P 500).  You will hear these two indexes referred to constantly in the news. If you hear the Dow was up 100 points, you may find yourself checking how your portfolio’s performance compares.  The problem with this is that you might not own anything in your portfolio that looks anything like the Dow Jones Index. This is why you need to understand what makes up your portfolio and what indexes to track to understand relative performance. 

Benchmarking Best Practices

Hypothetically, let’s say you have a portfolio that looks like this:

30% Large International Stocks

30% Large U.S. Stocks

40% highly rated U.S. corporate bonds   

You look at the annual return for the Dow Jones, see that this particular index was up 9% at the end of the year, and then check your portfolio’s overall return to see that it was only up 4%.  Before you rush to the phone to fire your financial advisor, first get the full picture!  Your portfolio only has 30% of the money invested in Large U.S. companies and 70% of the money invested elsewhere. To expect 100% of the money to perform the same as the Dow Jones is highly unrealistic.  Instead, you should look at a few other “benchmarks” that are commonly used in financial circles to track different types of stocks and bonds.

Here is a list of benchmarks to track different asset classes to help you make a fair comparison about your portfolio’s performance compared to the types of risk you took:

S&P 500-  Large U.S. Stocks

Russell 2000- Small U.S. Stocks

MSCI EAFE- International Stocks

Barclays Aggregate U.S. Bond Index- U.S. Bonds

Back to the example, our hypothetical investor decides to look up the returns for the Barclays Aggregate Index and MSCI EAFE since he has money invested in those types of asset classes as well as Large U.S. Stocks.  Our investor sees that bonds actually had a negative 2% rate of return for the same time frame, and that the MSCI EAFE was essentially flat.  So 30% of his money he expects to be up somewhere near 9%, 30% of his money he expects to be right around 0%, and 40% of his money he expects to be down 2%. 

Putting Performance Benchmarking to Work

If our investor had $100,000 at the beginning of the year invested in our hypothetical portfolio here’s how it breaks down:

Add it up and the ending portfolio balance is $101,900 or a rate of return of 1.9%.  When you understand the whole picture, you might be more satisfied with a 4% return knowing that a portfolio with very similar holdings should only be up about 1.9% according to the benchmarks.

Talk to your financial advisor to find out what makes up your portfolio and what benchmarks to use for your particular situation.

Matthew Trujillo, CFP®, is a Certified Financial Planner™ at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. Matt currently assists Center planners and clients, and is a contributor to Money Centered.

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Information contained in this report was received from sources believed to be reliable, but accuracy is not guaranteed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is an unmanaged index of 30 widely held securities. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. C14-038979

Capital Gains: Minimizing Your Tax Drag

The difference between the tax man and the taxidermist is the taxidermist leaves the skin."  Mark Twain

As the bull market marches on, many investors find the capital losses they have carried over since 2008 are gone.  Likewise, many investment companies that have earned 5 years of steadily positive returns are finding themselves in the same situation. While these positive returns have had meaningful impact on achieving our financial goals, we are going to start feeling them in the checks we have to write to the government. 

According to a Morningstar and Lipper study, the average annual tax drag on returns for investors is .92% for owners of U.S. equities.  This means that if you average 10% a year returns in your equities, the amount you put in your pocket is 9.08% after you pay the government its share.  From 1996 to 2000, during the extreme run up of the tech bubble, the average tax drag per year was 2.53%1.  This can happen when there has been no bear market or correction for many years.  We would argue it is happening again now.

4 Tips for Managing Taxes

Perhaps the key at this stage of the game is not to avoid taxes but to take many small steps to manage them.  There are several key steps that we utilize in managing portfolios to also minimize taxes.

1. Asset Location:  Place your least-tax-efficient, highest returning investments in your IRA or 401(k).

2. Loss Harvesting: Continually monitor your taxable accounts for losses to harvest rather than only looking in the last quarter of the year. 

3. Maximize contributions to tax-deferred retirement accounts:  This directly lowers your taxable income when maximizing your contributions to 401(k) plans at work.

4. Harvest gains:  In the long run, taking gains during years your income is lower than normal can potentially reduce the amount of taxes paid to the government over a lifetime.

While paying attention to expenses always seems to top the headlines, taxes are just as big of a drag to long-term investor returns. Consult a tax advisor about your particular tax situation.

Angela Palacios, CFP®is the Portfolio Manager at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. Angela specializes in Investment and Macro economic research. She is a frequent contributor to Money Centered as well asinvestment updates at The Center.

1:Source: http://www.lipperweb.com/docs/aboutus/pressrelease/2002/DOC1118788693610.doc

This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. Any opinions are those of Center for Financial Planning, Inc. and not necessarily those of Raymond James. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Raymond James does not provide tax advice. C14-036848

Unrealized Capital Gains? Consider Gifting Stock Instead of Cash

One of the most tax-efficient ways to give a financial gift to your favorite charity is with long-term appreciated securities.  While gifts of cash are easy to make by simply writing a check, don’t overlook the potential benefits of gifting stock that has gone up in value.  By considering both options, you may be able to increase the tax benefit and make the most of your year-end tax planning and gifting goals. 

Here are four tips to consider:

1. If you own stock investments (held longer than 12 months) with unrealized capital gains, the best way to give may be with a portion of stock rather than an all cash donation.  By gifting stock, you receive a deduction for the market value and reduce future capital gains tax liability.  

2. If you own stock with short-term gains (owned for less than 12 months) the strategy is not optimal because your tax deduction will be limited to the amount you paid for the shares. 

3. If you think the gifted stock still has upside potential, you can use the cash you would have otherwise donated to replace the shares of stock you donated.  This will reset the stock cost basis to the current market value, reducing future capital gains tax liability.

4. If you are holding taxable investments that have lost ground, it may be preferable to sell the investment, claim a capital loss, take the charitable deduction and gift the cash.  In this scenario, the combined tax deductions may make this strategy a winner.

Making the Call between Gifting Cash or Appreciated Stock 

If you are looking to support organizations important to you and maximize your tax benefits, it is important to consult with your tax advisor and include your financial planner to make the most of your tax planning and lifetime gifting goals.  

Laurie Renchik, CFP®, MBA is a Partner and Senior Financial Planner at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. In addition to working with women who are in the midst of a transition (career change, receiving an inheritance, losing a life partner, divorce or remarriage), Laurie works with clients who are planning for retirement. Laurie was named to the 2013 Five Star Wealth Managers list in Detroit Hour magazine, is a member of the Leadership Oakland Alumni Association and in addition to her frequent contributions to Money Centered, she manages and is a frequent contributor to Center Connections at The Center.

Five Star Award is based on advisor being credentialed as an investment advisory representative (IAR), a FINRA registered representative, a CPA or a licensed attorney, including education and professional designations, actively employed in the industry for five years, favorable regulatory and complaint history review, fulfillment of firm review based on internal firm standards, accepting new clients, one- and five-year client retention rates, non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered, number of client households served.

This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. Any opinions are those of Center for Financial Planning, Inc. and not necessarily those of Raymond James. C14-036845

Capital Gains: 3 Ways to Avoid Buying a Tax Bill

Many asset management firms have started to publish estimates for what their respective mutual funds may distribute to shareholders in short- and long-term capital gains. Moreover, early indication is that some firms will be paying out capital gains higher than recent years. As you may be aware, when a manager sells some of their holdings internally and realizes a gain they are required to pass this gain on to its shareholders. More specifically, by law and design, asset management firms are required to pay out 95% of their realized dividends and capital gains to shareholders on an annual basis. Many of these distributions will occur during November and December. Remember this is only relevant for taxable accounts; capital gain distributions are irrelevant in IRA’s or 401k’s.

Capital gain distributions are a double edged sword.  The fact that a capital gain needs to be paid out means money has been made on the positions the manager has sold. The bad news – the taxman wants to be paid.

What can we do to minimize the effect of capital gain distributions:

1. We exercise care when buying funds at the end of the year to avoid paying tax on gains you didn’t earn, and in some cases hold off on making purchases.

2. We may sell a current investment before its ex-dividend date and purchase a replacement after the ex-dividend date.

3. Throughout the year we harvest tax losses, when available, to offset these end of the year gains. 

As always, there is a balance to be struck between income tax and prudent investment management.  Please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss your personal situation.

This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description of all available data necessary for making an investment decision, nor is it a recommendation to buy or sell any investment. Every investor’s situation is unique and you should consider your investment goals, risk tolerance, tax situation and time horizon before making any investment decision. Any opinions are those of [insert FA name] and not necessarily those of Raymond James. For any specific tax matters, consult a tax professional. C14-040561

Do You Have Warren Buffett’s Stomach for Volatility?

It is rare that I don’t agree with advice from Warren Buffett, but earlier this year we took different sides of a debate. His recommendation for a simple, flawless investment strategy was putting 90% of your assets in an equity fund designed to mirror the performance of the S&P 500 and 10% in cash.

This sounds great if you have nerves of steel and can make it work. But most people can’t stomach it.  Buffett is an amazing investor who understands his emotions and has a great ability to see the value of companies and what he owns.  But we’re not all Warren Buffett.  That is one of the reasons there are financial advisors in the world who help people understand appropriate volatility in their portfolio and what to do when that volatility spikes. 

Your Own Risk Tolerance

One common question I got during the downturn five years ago was when do we stop the bleeding?  One client said to me, “I had $1,200,000. Now I have about $1,000,000 due to the financial crisis and the market falling.  When do I do something?” To determine a time to sell really takes two correct decisions.  When to sell and when to buy back in. It is almost impossible to be right twice consistently.   

These difficult questions were most prevalent during the final weeks of the financial crisis in January to March of 2009.  And there was a lot more bad news to come. GM’s pending bankruptcy was front stage in the spring of 2009.  If someone was to try and time the exit and reentry during this period, it could have been devastating. Actually, the S&P soared over 30% from March to June in 2009 in the face of such horrible news and if someone sold out, it would be almost impossible to buy back in without paying more.  And those are the people on the sidelines that missed one of the greatest markets in history.

Nerves of Steel or Appropriate Allocation?

No one knows when a market downturn will occur or for how long it will go. More importantly to reap the benefits of long-term equity returns we need to be in to win.  Even more important, we need to have the right amount allocated so that we can withstand any type of downdraft and wait it out.  

So, while Buffett and his steely nerves might be able to stay invested through thick and thin with 90% of his wealth in the stock market, most people need less volatility to stay the course.  Buffet realized the value of companies when they were extremely cheap in 2009, while most investors could only see the losses from the past. Through those challenging times when people kept asking if it was time to do something, many investors benefited from staying the course through the last market cycle and went on to reap the benefits of this bull market.  I believe some nerves were enforced with regular meetings, appropriate plan design and investment portfolio allocation.

Matthew E. Chope, CFP ® is a Partner and Financial Planner at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. Matt has been quoted in various investment professional newspapers and magazines. He is active in the community and his profession and helps local corporations and nonprofits in the areas of strategic planning and money and business management decisions. In 2012 and 2013, Matt was named to the Five Star Wealth Managers list in Detroit Hour magazine.

Five Star Award is based on advisor being credentialed as an investment advisory representative (IAR), a FINRA registered representative, a CPA or a licensed attorney, including education and professional designations, actively employed in the industry for five years, favorable regulatory and complaint history review, fulfillment of firm review based on internal firm standards, accepting new clients, one- and five-year client retention rates, non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered, number of client households served.

This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. Any opinions are those of Center for Financial Planning, Inc. and not necessarily those of Raymond James. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Holding stocks for the long-term does not ensure a profitable outcome. Investing always involves risk and investors may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected. Inclusion of any index is for illustrative purposes only. Individuals cannot invest directly in any index, and index performance does not include transaction costs or other fees, which will affect actual investment performance. Individual investor’s results will vary. Past performance does not guarantee future results. C14-036847

3 Reasons Municipal Bonds are Darlings of the Year

While bond returns have astounded investors so far this year, many are left scratching their heads wondering if interest rates are ever going to rise creating the “Bond Armageddon” that has been so highly anticipated.  On November 17th the Barclays US Aggregate Bond index total return has returned 5.13% year-to-date1.  While that is certainly an attractive return on something that was destined to be down this year, municipal bonds have astounded even more.  As of November 17th the Barclays Municipal total return index1 has experienced a cool 8.06% return.  Is it time then to give up on municipal bonds after this return that seems like it should be unreal?  The short answer is no.

Why not to give up on municipal bonds

The municipal bond market offers three unique traits that continue to make it attractive. 

1. Taxes:  Paying taxes are always a concern for investors, so the tax advantaged nature of municipal bonds continue to make them attractive, especially as tax rates increase for the wealthy.

2. Supply is limited:  The chart below demonstrates how the number of municipal bonds available to purchase is getting smaller.  The light teal bar below zero shows the amount of bonds each month that have been redeemed (called away or matured giving the investor their principal back).  The purple bar above shows the number of new bonds being issued each month.  The blue line shows the net number of issues or redemptions (number of new issues subtracting the number of redemptions).  In most months over 2012 and 2013, the number is negative meaning the number of bonds out there for investors to purchase is getting smaller.  A limited supply with demand that stays steady or increases can create positive returns for bondholders.

Source: Columbia Management

3. Yields: When comparing two bonds of similar quality (bond rating) and the municipal bond is yielding about the same or more and the interest is tax free2, which bond would you choose?  Many investors have made that very same decision.

Three main things to consider before investing in municipal bonds:

• May provide a lower yield than comparable investments

• Are likely not suitable for investors who do not stand to benefit from the tax advantages

• Are subject to certain risks, including interest rate, credit, legislative, reinvestment and valuation risks

As with any investment, the decision to own municipal bonds is not one to be taken lightly.  As always don’t hesitate to ask us to see if they make sense for your portfolio. 

Angela Palacios, CFP®is the Portfolio Manager at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. Angela specializes in Investment and Macro economic research. She is a frequent contributor to Money Centered as well asinvestment updates at The Center.

1: Source: Morningstar Direct. Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index represents investment grade bonds being traded in United States. Barclays Municipal total return index represents the broad market for investment grade, tax-exempt bonds with a maturity of at least one year. Individuals cannot invest directly in any index, and index performance does not include transaction costs or other fees, which will affect actual investment performance. Individual investor’s results will vary. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

2: Municipal bond interest is not subject to federal income tax but may be subject to AMT, state or local taxes. Income from taxable municipal bonds is subject to federal income taxation; and it may be subject to state and local taxes. Please consult an income tax professional to assess the impact of holding such securities on your tax liability.

The market value of municipal bonds may fluctuate and, if sold prior to maturity, the price you receive may be more or less than the original purchase price or maturity value. There is an inverse relationship between interest rate movements and fixed income prices. This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. Any opinions are those of Center for Financial Planning, Inc. and not necessarily those of Raymond James. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. C14-036843

Our Gold Medal Standard: The Center’s Investment Scorecard Review

I’m always amazed by the almost superhuman springs, twists, turns, and flips gymnasts are able to perform with grace and precision.  Who could forget Kerri Strug’s seemingly impossible vault of handsprings, twisting dismount, and a perfect landing just seconds after tearing two ligaments on her ankle?  Watching from home, I remember anxiously waiting as the judges reviewed her vault with a fine-tooth comb; evaluating the form, height, length, and landing of her performance.  To my excitement, Kerri received winning scores and managed to catapult the 1996 US Olympic women’s gymnastics team to gold medal victory.

Giving Investments the Fine-Tooth Comb Treatment

Similarly, we aim to build model portfolios with “gold medal” worthy investments that are equipped to meet your goals even through adverse circumstances.  We too, like Olympic judges, evaluate each investment with a fine-tooth comb making sure it meets its purpose in your portfolios.  In fact, we routinely complete a seventeen-point criteria review of our model investments.  Our investment department team fondly refers to this process as the Morningstar Direct Fiduciary Scorecard Review.  For the review, we assess the following:

Performance and Volatility

We look at performance, risk-adjusted performance (alpha), and the volatility of the investment compared to the market (beta) for 1, 3, 5, and 10-year periods.  In order for investments to receive points for these metrics, they must place above 50% of comparable peers.  For these categories, score points are more heavily weighted towards the longer periods of time with the intent of crediting investments that consistently produce over long stretches of time.

Tenure and Inception

We want your investments to be managed with the wisdom of experience and we want investments that have shown they’re able to adapt through different parts of a market cycle, therefore, we review manager tenure and product inception.

Size and Style

We evaluate the investment’s size and style to identify whether the investment has grown too large to maintain its investment strategy and integrity or whether an investment is too small to keep resources robust (i.e. research, analysts, etc.).

Expenses

We evaluate investment expenses so performance is not watered down by excessive fees.

Once scores have been tallied by the investment department team, our investment committee talks through each investment to determine whether it meets the gold medal standard.

We want to ensure your portfolio investments can perform through the springs, twist, turns, and flips of any market cycle with grace and precision.  The Morningstar Direct Fiduciary Scorecard Review is just one of the many ways we stress test your portfolios.  After all, due diligence is one of the key ingredients to maintaining our investment process and ensuring that we are investing your portfolios in the best products. So, the next time you review your portfolio, imagine each investment being able to do this gold winning move through even the toughest circumstances.

Investing involves risk and investors may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected. This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. Any opinions are those of Center for Financial Planning, Inc. and not necessarily those of Raymond James. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Links are being provided for information purposes only. Raymond James is not affiliated with and does not endorse, authorize or sponsor any of the listed websites or their respective sponsors. Raymond James is not responsible for the content of any website or the collection or use of information regarding any website’s users and/or members. C14-035970

The Strategy Behind Investment Allocation for 529 Savings Plans

529 plans can be a great way for families to create college tuition savings for their students.  Not only do the plans benefit students, they also carry advantages for donors. Benefactors can enjoy tax-deferred growth with federally tax-free distributions (when distributions are paid directly to the beneficiary’s college).  Donors have complete control of the account, they are allowed to make substantial deposits, and there aren’t age restrictions or income limitations to inhibit investing.  It’s no surprise 529 savings plans have become popular over the years.

Age-Based 529 plans

Ever wonder how 529 college savings plans are invested to meet timely tuition needs?  Age-based 529 savings plans are a helpful place to gain insight.  The graph below shows an example of the glide path of equity allocation for age-based 529 savings plans from 2010 to 2013.

According to this chart, we see the following:

• Generally, 80% of the portfolio is invested in equities at age 0 and reduces to 10% by the time the beneficiary is enrolled in college. 

• Since 2010, plan investment managers have become more conservative in the beginning (age 0) and end (age 19) stages of plans.

• Investment managers have become 6-7% more equity aggressive during ages 5-15 to meet tuition goals. 

529 Managers Make More Aggressive Move

To meet the tuition needs of students in adequate time frames, the graph trend reveals that investment managers are becoming more aggressive during the middle of a student’s investment time horizon, but they are also growing more cautious about preserving money closer to the end of the student’s investment time frame.  Interestingly, the graph also reveals that investment managers still rely on bonds as one of the safest places to preserve money (90% of the portfolio by age 19) despite the negative reputation bonds have received in our current rising rate environment.

As always, we are more than willing to support your investment needs.  If you have questions about 529 plans or are considering adding one to your investment strategy, don’t hesitate to reach out; we’d love to help.

Rules and laws governing 529 plans are varied and subject to change. There is a risk that these plans may lose money or not perform well enough to cover college costs as anticipated. Before investing, it is important to consider whether the investor’s or designated beneficiary’s home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state’s qualified tuition program. Investors should consult a tax advisor about any state tax considerations of an investment in a 529 plan before investing. This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation to buy or sell any investment. Any opinions are those of Center for Financial Planning, Inc. and not necessarily those of Raymond James. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. C14-035968