Lift Yourself Up Financially
“I could lift you up. I could show you what you wanna see. And take you where you wanna be.” Capital Cities – Safe and Sound
Investors might not be feeling quite as safe sound after the way the stock market started 2014 (down about 5% ytd as I am writing this) as they did back in the good old days of 2013.
As the Denver Broncos learned in the Super Bowl, things don’t always play out according to consensus. The biggest example in the financial markets this year has been the action in the U.S. Treasury market. The iShares 20 year treasury ETF has jumped about 7% since the end of last year, and it seemed that most analysts on the financial news programs were suggesting that investors avoid treasuries due to the Fed taper.
Is it just me or is it that when the talking heads in the financial press are making the most noise about something, it’s time to look at going the other way?
One thing to watch out for in periods of volatility is sales tactics that try to take advantage of fear or uneasiness about the safety of ones investments. (Disclaimer—this is meant to be very general commentary and may not be suitable for everyone’s financial situation.) Most of us believe we are sophisticated enough to avoid outright frauds like the boiler-room hard sell tactics in the movie Wolf of Wall Street, but at times investors are sold complex, hard to understand, illiquid and high fee products in the name of “safety.”
One of the hardest tactics to avoid are sales tactics that prey on an individual’s affiliation with a particular group like a church, country club or even a nationality. Ask yourself why I am I being offered this great “ground floor opportunity,” “low risk/high return complex trading strategy” or micro cap company (“I can show you what you want to see, and take you where you want to be” ) that has somehow figured out how to do something that Google, Amazon or Amgens of the world just can’t quite grasp.
Unfortunately, there is no free lunch and all investments are trade offs between the return you want and the amount of risk you desire or can afford to take. It’s important to understand the risks involved in investments and your individual risk tolerance. Most investors are probably better off sticking to liquid investments in the public markets.
James Mathis, managing partner of Echelon Investment Management, believes in enriching his clients’ lives by identifying, preserving and achieving their goals. Echelon partners with clients through every leg of their race ~ asset management, investment advice and retirement planning. Contact him at james.mathis@echelonim.com.
Disclaimers: The ideas presented here are for illustrative purposes only. This does not reflect the performance of any specific investment. It should not be assumed that past performance in any way relates to future results. The information herein has been derived from sources believed to be reliable, but this is not a guarantee as to the accuracy and does not purport to be a complete analysis of the security, company or industry involved. An investor should consider, before investing, 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 529 college savings plan. 529 plans are subject to enrollment, maintenance, administrative and management fees and expenses. Non-qualified withdrawals are subject to federal and state income tax and a 10% penalty. Please consult with your financial advisor and tax advisor to determine the strategy that best suits your individual needs.
We’ve been spotlighting and sharing helpful recruiting and placement resources for both our client companies and our employment candidates for years. Please use our search tool to find a topic relevant to your employment needs, or choose from our list of topics below.
Recent Posts
Categories
- Applying for a Job
- Career Change
- Community
- Creative
- Dallas Employment Trends
- Dallas Job Candidates
- Employers
- Financial Tips
- Finding Opportunities
- Fun For Working Moms
- General
- Hot Jobs
- Hot Jobs & Companies
- Hybrid Work
- Insights
- Interviewing
- Progressive Thinking About Non-traditional Hiring
- Re-entering the Workforce
- Recruiter Relationships
- Remote Work
- Reputation Management
- Resume Rules
- Staying Sharp Till You are Ready
- Time Management
- Tools to Know
- Uncategorized
- What We Love About Dallas
- Work-Life Balance
- Work-Life Balance Tools
- World
Tags
Archives
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- October 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- January 2022
- October 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- March 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- November 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- May 2016
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
Categories
- Applying for a Job
- Career Change
- Community
- Creative
- Dallas Employment Trends
- Dallas Job Candidates
- Employers
- Financial Tips
- Finding Opportunities
- Fun For Working Moms
- General
- Hot Jobs
- Hot Jobs & Companies
- Hybrid Work
- Insights
- Interviewing
- Progressive Thinking About Non-traditional Hiring
- Re-entering the Workforce
- Recruiter Relationships
- Remote Work
- Reputation Management
- Resume Rules
- Staying Sharp Till You are Ready
- Time Management
- Tools to Know
- Uncategorized
- What We Love About Dallas
- Work-Life Balance
- Work-Life Balance Tools
- World
Recent Comments