Managing Your Money Blog
By the Numbers - November 2019
Submitted by S. F. Ehrlich Associates, Inc. on November 18th, 2019
Source: Direxion Funds
November 15, 2019
- BIG PERCENTAGE – The market cap of the S&P 500 is 80% of the total market capitalization of all US stocks as of 9/30/19 (source: BTN Research).
- IS THAT ENOUGH? - 58% of 1,015 Americans surveyed in August 2019 believe that a retiree who has accumulated $1 million in pre-tax investment accounts will be able to enjoy a “comfortable” lifestyle in retirement (source: TD Ameritrade).
Stan's World - Getting There
Submitted by S. F. Ehrlich Associates, Inc. on October 3rd, 2019
September 30, 2019
I’ve detected recurring patterns when working with clients of different ages. Clients in their 40s and early 50s, for example, tend to ask various questions that pertain to the theme “How am I going to get there?” They want to know how much they need to save, how many years they have to work, and how much their portfolios will need to grow in order to reach “there”. “There” is an undetermined date in the future when work as they know it will cease, where they live will change, and how they live will be different. While “there” is often not well defined, it clearly represents a lifestyle change from “now”.
Out-Tech the Scammers
Submitted by S. F. Ehrlich Associates, Inc. on October 3rd, 2019Buying a car? Consider a deep clean.
Submitted by S. F. Ehrlich Associates, Inc. on October 3rd, 2019
September 30, 2019
Who doesn’t get excited about buying a new car? You’ve finished haggling with the salesperson, removed all the loose change in the seat cushions of the old car, and you’re all set to savor that new car smell. Before you drive off the lot, Consumer Reports1 suggests you wipe your old car clean. Not the exterior, but a deep clean of the data you left behind.
By The Numbers - September 2019
Submitted by S. F. Ehrlich Associates, Inc. on October 3rd, 2019
Source: Direxion Funds
September 30, 2019
- I’M ALL DONE WITH MY WORK - An average American worker has increased his/her productivity by +97% in the last 35 years, i.e., an average worker can complete in 1 hour as of 12/31/18 the same amount of work that it took him/her 2 hours to finish as of 12/31/83 (source: Department of Labor).
- I QUIT - 3.43 million American workers quit their jobs in June 2019. A decade earlier, just 1.79 million American workers quit their jobs in June 2009 (during the nation’s 2008-09 recession). A higher “quit level” is indicative of a greater level of confidence in finding a new job to replace one’s current occupation (source: Department of Labor).
- SHOULD WE BUY TODAY? - 70% of Americans surveyed in June 2019 think “it’s a good time to buy a house.” That percentage was as high as 83% in December 2014 and has been as low as 57% in October 2008 (source: University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers).
Stan's World - Smooth Riding
Submitted by S. F. Ehrlich Associates, Inc. on August 13th, 2019
August 15, 2019
Despite my non-violent predilection, should I ever meet the person who coined the phrase “Growing old gracefully,” I would probably hit him. After all, how many seniors do you know who have aged gracefully? Some seniors I know may be less aggrieved than others, but virtually everyone I know has one (or more) afflictions.
I can’t speak for all seniors, but I have found aging to be, well, an interesting experience. We all know about “senior moments”: Why did I walk into this room? What’s the damn name of the person who’s walking towards me in the supermarket? Who did I just dial? Why didn’t the kids give all the grandchildren the same name?
It's a wild, wild ride out there
Submitted by S. F. Ehrlich Associates, Inc. on August 13th, 2019
August 15, 2019
During periods of volatility, or in anticipation of volatility, or just about any day of the week, it’s common to speak to a client or two about market volatility. The questions are often similar: “How can I get market returns with less risk?” Or, “Can’t we sell everything and go back in when things settle down?”
What's the downside to planning that you'll live too long?
Submitted by S. F. Ehrlich Associates, Inc. on August 13th, 2019Speaking to your children (the older ones) about money
Submitted by S. F. Ehrlich Associates, Inc. on August 13th, 2019
August 15, 2019
We’ve previously written about helping young children to learn about charity and savings. Those lessons can be life-long, and life-changing, and they shouldn’t stop.
As the New York Times1 points out in an article titled “The Birds and the Bees. Why Not Bequests? Parents will talk to their children about drugs or sex, but often won’t discuss inheritance,” we often limit the lessons we teach our children, especially our adult children.