Newsletters - Past Issues

Update- Money Matters Update- news on health and fire insurance, annuities and more

Heath Insurance too expensive?

Mine was too so I did some research.

Lots of research
I found an alternative!

I now use it with our family as well

and have helped many save as well

I had Anthem. I now use this type

Reach out and email me

or call (530) 559-1214

Family and Individual

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Market seems to run fine now but when it breaks does it cause you angst?

A way to stop the stress of market crashes?
Keep reading..

I wasn’t a big fan of annuities for the longest time. I saw too many of them with high fees, complicated terms and so many hooks I had to get out my tackle box to house them all. That said, when I started offering annuities to clients with specific needs and desires not too long ago, I reviewed literally hundreds of them and in the pile I have found a few I thought advantageous.

First off, the description of annuity I like to use is a contract between an insurance company and a person that stipulates in return for a sum of money paid by the client, the company will promise payments over a period of time or even a lump sum at the conclusion of the contract. Annuities have all sorts of versions and terms but just know the contract is a promise to pay. How, when and how much depends on the contract.

The promise is a good as the company making it so realize they are not guaranteed by the U.S. government in any way, shape or form. You can pay the company a sum of money in a lump or over time. The annuity can be tied to a moving target such as a stock index or be just a fixed rate of return. There are other variations and they literally come in all shapes and sizes.

Without getting too technical, annuities can have a tie up period where the client has to commit to leaving at least some of the money with the company for a specified length of time. Some allow a portion of money to be taken out at certain times at the clients option and most have a hardship clause that allow for special circumstances such as a death of the primary person(s) specified in the contract.

I find that investors who want a stream of income later in life that won’t go away or cannot stomach the ups and downs of markets are primary candidates for annuities but know that annuities are not for everyone nor should they be offered up carte blanche to all investors.

Certain investors will ask me for an annuity and others have to be explained as to how they work. As an advisory, I am approached by annuity companies trying to get me to offer their particular version but honestly, I find all but a handful of annuities way too complicated for most investors. Sure I could place a complicated annuity with a client but I wouldn’t do that knowing the client doesn’t fully understand how they operate. Truthfully some are so complicated I have to study them for an hour or two in order to fully understand them myself and I’m in the business!

The annuities I lean towards are the ones that are straight forward and simple. The terms are clear and usually there are not a whole lot of them compared to others. My thinking is if I can explain it to a client and they understand how it works, it will be better for all concerned, which is the investor, the advisor and the insurance company writing the contract.

The regulations and oversight on annuities is severe and very strict and protection to the consumer is a lot better than it was decades ago where annuities where sometimes regarded one of the black boxes of financial products.

Not so today. Many are simple, easy to understand and perform as promised. The importance of understanding them by both the client and advisor is tantamount to a successful placement and an honest and straight forward conversation by both parties is the cornerstone of that success.

Wish to talk? Hear more?

Email me for a cost and obligation free consult for money

portfolio review, insurance or annuities.

Don't wait- openings now through the middle of May

Nevada County and all of Northern California

(530) 559-1214

Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, fees and expenses before investing. For this and other important information please obtain the investment company fund prospectus and disclosure documents from your Rep/Advisor. Read this information carefully before investing. Guarantees are based on the claims paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

This article expresses the opinions of Marc Cuniberti and are opinions only and should not be construed or acted upon as individual investment advice. Mr. Cuniberti is an Investment Advisor Representative through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Marc can be contacted at SMC Wealth Management, 164 Maple St #1, Auburn, CA 95603 (530) 559-1214. SMC and Cambridge are not affiliated. His website is www.moneymanagementradio.com. California Insurance License # OL34249. Indexes may not be invested into directly and consider consulting a qualified financial advisor if you have any questions or concerns and before making any investments decisions.

Do you know where your money is? Update March 23, 2019

Do you know where your money is?

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Welcome Money Matters fans,

Knowing where your money is an important aspect of an investment plan. Like knowing where your kids are, knowing where your money is may help not lose some of it.

As an advisor, I have clients that tell me they might not want own this or that because of moral convictions. Others try and second guess the economy based on what they might feel about the administration, their view of the unemployment environment, or perhaps which way the wind blows.

Although not owning something due to a moral conviction is a valid one, second guessing which way the market will go is impossible for the experts, let alone the novice retail investor like Mr. and Mrs. Smith on Main Street.

You can however at least get a feel as to what your money is invested in to start down the road of being a better investor.

You might not fully understand the entire investment makeup of the portfolio but knowing at least what asset classes you’re in and what kind of companies you hold will go a long way in improving your knowledge of money. After all, investing is more like a sociological study then a science. There are many outside events that can influence overall market direction. The more eyes looking at a portfolio the better.

For example, do you think there is a lot of debt in the world today?

If you do, you might not want to own a lot of bonds. That’s just another word for debt. Bonds can also be held in “Income” funds or other funds with names indicating they hold a wide variety of investments, bonds being one of them.

High income funds or funds that have the name “high yield” in them might hold what is called “junk bonds”. These are riskier than an investment grade bond. They hold these to get that “high” yield. If you told your advisor you a conservative investor, perhaps he placed you in something that has higher risk investments. Knowing what is risky and what is safer will help you steer him in the right direction if he took a wrong turn somewhere or misunderstood your risk profile.

Momentum funds trade on something like the waves of favor sort of speak. Certain formulas and methods are used to track which way the investing wind is blowing then managers of these funds put a money sail up to catch it, the sail being just my metaphor for buying certain stocks they think might move in the upward direction.

A “dog” fund might hold out of favor Dow stocks while an ETN fund (don’t confuse this with an ETF) might not hold anything at all. ETN stands for “Exchange traded note” and its movement relies on the managers ability to track an underlying investment area of some sort.

A leveraged fund ratchets up the risk by in essence “doubling down” and these can fall in value just because the clock is ticking. They also can move faster than the overall market, meaning they are more volatile. A contrary fund (versus some funds that may have the word “contrarian” in them) or bear fund might actually be designed to move opposite the general market.

Like knowing where you kids are, knowing what your money is invested in may be just as important and probably a good practice for you to considerer.

Have questions? Let me review your portfolio and tell you where your money is. No cost and no obligation!

I"ll buy the coffee.

Stay Tuned

"Watching the market so you don't have to"

Marc

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