Friday, April 26, 2019

Are the zero fee ETFs for you?


Are the zero fee ETFs for you?
When marketing firms claim it is free, BEWARE. New firms are promising 0% expense ratio. Read the small print. ETFs were created by brokerage firms to make money on the ‘index’ trend started by Vanguard. Vanguard is sold directly and traders are not welcome. So brokers/advisors can only make money when you trade an ‘index’ they offer. Because of all the money moving to Vanguard for low fees, brokers are hurting. Brokers need fees so note that there are brokerage delayed or hidden costs. Although an ETF may have no expense ratio, the trading cost of that particular fund may be exorbitantly high. Beware the bid/ask spread for newer funds. Beware the tracking error. Zero-fee funds lack a performance and fee history, making it impossible to gauge their tracking error. Beware the promo price. Fees are temporarily waived: investors will start paying full freight after the fee waivers expire. Once they have your money, they may impose 0.30% or more and you have lost your advantage over Vanguard’s 0.04% stable non-profit structure. Brokers are in it for the money. Pay less; earn more, over time.

Trump’s new tax avoidance scheme clarified
Trump’s mob has been working hard to make this tax avoidance plan, called “opportunity zone,” a success in time for his 2020 rerun for Prez. Investors previously shied away from developing ‘distressed’ areas, Trump said, but when they see tax rates “all the way down to a big, fat beautiful number of zero” they start “liking the location.” Nothing gets the election momentum going like the promise of ZERO taxation to his wealthy supporters. The fact that the rest of us are going to have to pay more to cover his ZERO tax plan for the rich, won’t occur to his political base. Momentum is a powerful tool for an incumbent candidate. Investors claim the breaks by taking capital gains income they’ve earned previously and spending it in the distressed areas. This provision allows them to defer those tax bills until the end of 2026, and it can reduce the total amount of tax they owe. New investments in opportunity zones can grow tax-free if investors hold them for at least a decade.

High schools could teach this one chart and correct financial IL-literacy.

$200 a month for 35 years in low cost stock funds = $1.2 million 

My former industry, financial services, could release our schools to offer a basic course in investing but they don’t. For most young Americans just beginning to save in their first jobs, this ‘education’ could be their real life saver. The chart illustrates the Miracle of Compounding. Using a simple analogy of buying a part of all the companies they know, they would see the real returns of asset accumulation. If it is true that most of us don’t have $5,000 saved for retirement, this chart could change our attitude. Understanding that investing just $200 a month could make the difference in the future of the American Dream for many. A simple low-cost stock index fund would be the foundation of their investing strategy. Warren Buffett has proved that most us would be better off if we had learned this simple truth early in life. However, schools are run by political people and they don’t want to rob the industry of their future $80 billions in annual trading revenues. Forced savings (our tax refund) could be an answer since the average refund is $3,000.

Is ‘direct indexing’ right for you?
Change the name and brokers and advisor can sell it. That is the conclusion some investors are coming to. Financial industry has tired of promoting ETFs so they came up with a new name for selling stocks. ‘Direct Indexing’ is just buying a bunch of stocks. The new name is to capture new clients who never realized that you don’t pay capital gains if you don’t sell your securities. If you just buy and HOLD securities (Warren Buffett’s strategy) you can avoid the capital gains of mutual funds. Further, if one of your broker/advisor’s picks goes bust, you can sell for a loss against a gain. ‘Tax-loss harvesting’ is another benefit they claim. DI can shape the outcomes that each client’s goals require, they claim. So what’s old, is new again. Follow the master investor.

Are these ‘worst’ vehicles right for you?
At the bottom of the list of 32 worst new is the Acura RLX, Caddy ATS, Chrysler 200, Suburban, Dodge Journey, Dart, Ford Fiesta, Focus, Infinity Q50, Cherokee, Compass, Patriot, etc. At the top is Fiat 500X, 500, Grand Caravan, Acura ILX. Unless you don’t care about reliability and projected durability according to JD Power and Consumer Reports, stick with the Best Used list by type, user and price: https://www.carmax.com/articles/best-cars-ranking

Can you live on 80% of your SS benefits?
In 2035, SS trustees say we will begin receiving about 80% of our current benefits. Congress is not likely to fix this shortfall since it would require radical change—taxes and or age change. For those earning over $133,000, the FICA tax ends. As Warren Buffett and other wealthy people say, “I'll probably be the lowest paying taxpayer in the office." Clearly, Mr Buffett will never need his SS benefits. But since the average worker’s real wages go down and their boss’s keeps escalating, the answer seems obvious. Ending the cap on FICA tax for the wealthy would help save SS benefits. Workers’ wages have not kept up with their boss’s nor with inflation, so inevitably, they will have to rely on SS benefits MORE, not less. Few working families can afford to create a retirement income to supplement SS benefits. Fewer businesses offer a paid pension and health care package. More retirees keep working—since 2000, more men and women work. Since most of us are not familiar with the miracle of compounding, we don’t realize it is time, not huge savings that make the difference in the total nest egg we could create. $16,000 grows to $1million. Schools can teach it!

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Make America, “The Don”, Great Again
Truth isn’t truth, his lawyer says

Two Americas: A Banana Republic? Do we really want an infant king? Daddy Putin!

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How Govt wastes our money: Congress spends $1.3 Trillion we don’t have! 
GOP Tax Cut. The cost of interest on the national debt runs $896 million each day.
Your portion of this debt is $65,600: Avoid the future taxes to pay the debt and interest.

SCAMS/SPINS:
Trump’s Treasury Mnuchin etc sued by Sears to retrieve ‘stolen assets.’
Russia has your vote, thanks to Don: Between hacking machines and media, no defense.
Trump fails to back ‘violence against women’ resolution again. GOP OK with abuse.

National Asset Management caught breach fiduciary duty: wild trading—fine, no jail.
Robare Group caught failed to disclose conflicts: ‘kickbacks’ on sale of Fidelity funds.
"Jeb" Bashaw, star TX broker, caught ‘borrowing’ client funds—fired but no jail

Scammers as CEO tell HR to send your pay to their bank: Watch your D Deposit close.
Prosper Funding online lender caught overstating returns: fined $3 million, no jail
Fiat recall 2013-16 320,000 Dodge Dart: rolls away by self; defective transmission cable.

It took 32 kids’ deaths for Fisher-Price to recall “Rock ‘n Play Sleeper”: capitalism kills.
Professional opioid drug pusher charged finally: killed 400,000 of us since 1999. 

Some 11 brands of bottled water with arsenic have been sold in stores; stick with tap!
8,000 Boy Scout leaders have been accused of sexual abuse: law ignores so no jail time.
Parents robbing kids of mature independent future. Will the kids take care of parents?

MyPillow caught using fake research to claim ‘better’ sleep: fine is just cost paid by us.
Caddy headlights may not work: Buyers never told like ignition switch; GM knew.


GOP near WH:  A normal person would have been indicted for this.” ‘obstruction stuff’
If you ignore Congress subpoena or a Trump judge’s order: Trump as dictator.

1. “Russia, find Hill’s emails” 2. Don’s Mob made Russian deals 3. Russia tricked voters 4. Polling data payoff 5. Special Russia deals 6. Fire FBI 7. Refuse give testimony.

REDACTED Mueller Report here: https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/439485-read-muellers-redacted-report: tell lawyer to stop probe, stop probe, mislead public.

Trump: ‘nobody disobeys my orders’ except when unlawful, he forgets, it’s Ivanka.

The Mob Boss can never go to jail: Trump has Kava as Supreme so no indictment.
‘No man is above the law’ … well up till now. Dictators nullify courts first, then votes.

Jobs:
Some employers offering more education benefits: where “you can thrive.”

Who owns your account now?
Is Jeopardy fixed? Gambler knows everything: memorize the cheat sheet?
Half of all mutual fund investments went to Vanguard: low-cost =  earn more!

Miracle:
When you say “I can’t do it,” remember Sara, winner national handwriting competition.

Philip Morris sells ‘death’ sticks AND now life insurance. How’s that possible?

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
MontclairNJ   07042
973.746.2014
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