Why Should You Invest in High, Tax-Free and Guaranteed Returns in Today’s Market?
As you have undoubtedly noticed, yields on short-term income investments are very low. However, you may have some cash set aside or some discretionary cash flow that you want to put to work somewhere but NOT at an anemic interest rate or speculative higher rate of return. What to do? The answer may be to look somewhere other than the obvious. You might consider investing in saving expenses! For example:
Suppose you are carrying a credit card balance at 7% interest. In that case, a reduction of debt yields a guaranteed yield of 7%, tax-free, and way higher than any comparable investment of comparable safety and predictable return. The same applies to any other consumer debt such as car loans, education loans, etc. Even first and second mortgages that have deductible rates of return can be very attractive “investments” by accelerating the amortization by adding to scheduled payments. Any of these debt-reducing “investments” can be done as you please, when you please. Elimination of debts can be surprisingly satisfying after many years of advertising and cultural influence that presumes debt is “normal.” Normal is actually what works best for you.
Are there other options? Sure. How about making strategic investments to reduce your cost of living? For example, a relatively small investment in added home insulation can reduce utility bills and possibly lengthen the life of your HVAC systems. Maybe a $3,000 investment in better insulation reduces your utility bills by just $25 per month? That’s $300 in savings per year. Worth it? It’s a 10% cash-on-cash return that is inflation-hedged and tax-free (not to mention federal or state tax incentives). Our favorite investments are usually those that immediately increase our cash flow! Any others? New energy-efficient light bulbs make a bigger difference than you might think. A well-placed shade tree(s) can significantly reduce air-conditioning bills. Can you think of more options?
All of us may want to sit down and discover some “investments” that in current circumstances will make our lives better, easier, and provide very attractive “investment” returns.
If you’re interested in learning more about the concepts, principles, and applications that form the basis of the investment planning and asset allocation process, check out our course Principles of Financial Planning: Asset Allocation. You will gain the knowledge to deepen your ability to have an effective discussion of these issues with your clients.*
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*At Greene Consulting our depth of resources enables us to design strategies and implement solutions for the largest organizations in the industry. These resources, coupled with a culture of collaboration and creativity, ensure solutions targeted to the unique needs of each client situation.
Our online learning philosophy is developed by professionals with front-line wealth management experience, the Greene Consulting library of online Wealth Management Courses is the only e-learning solution that drives revenue growth as it develops the two primary skills required for success:
- Technical Knowledge
- Conversation Competence
All of our coursework is philosophically committed to developing these two skills. With hundreds of courses, over 15,000 pages of content, and over 3,500 exam questions, our online course library provides organizations a comprehensive solution that can be effectively deployed to address their development needs, from developing a New Hire Program to delivering solutions for experienced Product Specialists.
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Dan Greene
