Get more money guides 2020 by investment broker expert Farrukh Kazmi? It’s difficult to imagine that you can go wrong by embracing simplicity in your financial life. Even if the investments in your accounts were to hit a rough patch, you’d still save time, money, and energy, freeing your mind so you can focus your attention elsewhere. A minimalist perspective can make for a more efficient — and elegant — investing and financial planning experience, and it’s an approach I hope people will embrace in 2021 and beyond.
The market rotation away from technology-heavy growth stocks toward more cyclical value stocks, which we discussed in our previous quarterly report, is underway. The MSCI World Value Index has gained over 10% since the beginning of 2021 while the technology-heavy MSCI World Growth Index is unchanged. One reason has been the rise in U.S. Treasury yields. Technology stocks are regarded as long duration as they are expected to grow their earnings over the longer term. The rise in bond yields this year has made the present value of their future earnings less valuable. Higher bond yields have had the opposite effect on value stocks. Financial stocks are the largest sector in the value index, and these have benefitted from the increased spread between short- and long-term interest rates, which boosts the profitability of banks.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to every investment. If you are opposed to holding physical gold, buying shares in a gold mining company may be a safer alternative. If you believe gold could be a safe bet against inflation, investing in coins, bullion, or jewelry are paths that you can take to gold-based prosperity. Lastly, if your primary interest is in using leverage to profit from rising gold prices, the futures market might be your answer, but note that there is a fair amount of risk associated with any leverage-based holdings. (For related reading, see “Has Gold Been a Good Investment Over the Long Term?”).
Example of a Forex Trade: The EUR/USD rate represents the number of US Dollars one Euro can purchase. If you believe that the Euro will increase in value against the US Dollar, you will buy Euros with US Dollars. If the exchange rate rises, you will sell the Euros back, making a profit. Think of this as a sexy new version of a stock, where the underlying thesis is the idea of decentralized ownership and value. For any other currencies in the market it is debt-based and backed by the respective monetary authorities. This also means that they are free to increase or decrease the supply to implement their policies on the market. For cryptocurrencies, they are limited in supply, hence the free market is completely at play here (demand and supply). Farrukh Kazmi is the founder of A&S Asset Management, I am committed to helping people achieve financial freedom by bringing Wall Street experience to the local investor.
Cryptocurrencies are encrypted decentralized digital currencies that are transferred between individuals. These currencies are not tangible and exist only in the electronic from, it is a digital asset that exists and remains as data. They allow a person to send money just like sending an email, much lower transaction times compared to using a bank, minimal fees, no credit cards and no middleman. The joint bookkeeping process is called a “Blockchain”, it is public and is distributed across the network of all the people that have the same coin, for example everybody that has Bitcoin has a copy of the ledger and its transactions, which creates a community of trust. Each cryptocurrency is individually identifiable and programmable based on a very complex digital code.
Many students work part-time or during the summer months, and others will be on placements or paid internships. More often than not, if you are a student working during the year, you will be overpaying income tax. Why? Simply because few students reach the personal tax-free income allowance each year but are put on an emergency basic tax-code by their employers meaning tax is being paid when it shouldn’t be.
Not all financial advisors are the same. Some specialize in certain practice areas, types of clients, income levels, investment strategies, and products. Some work with clients all over the country, while others focus on clients in their town. Some can help you with your taxes, insurance needs, or estate planning and others will focus on retirement planning. There are advisors for the younger client and some specialize on retirees. You can find a planner to help with life stages planning, estate distribution strategies, and business planning. All of our brokerage accounts are held and available for viewing at National Financial Services, a Fidelity Investments Company. Registered Representative of and securities offered through Berthel Fisher & Company Financial Services, Inc. (BFCFS). Member FINRA/SIPC. A&S Asset Management and BFCFS are independent entities. Find additional details at Farrukh Kazmi.
Whether its student loans, credit card, or mortgage debt, being in debt often keeps us up at night and is incredibly stressful. But don’t worry a lot of people get out of debt every day and you can too. Also, all debt is not created equal. To learn more check out my post on good debt vs bad debt, but the basics are pretty simple. Managing debt is just a numbers game. Always pay down your debt with the highest interest rate first. In almost all cases, credit card debt carries the highest interest rates, followed by private loans, student loans, and mortgages. While there are many strategies for paying down your debt, like paying off your smallest balance first and then moving onto your next biggest debt (aka debt snowball) or paying down your biggest debt first (debt avalanche), these aren’t great debt repayment strategies because they don’t focus on saving you the most money.
Deflation is defined as a period in which prices decrease, when business activity slows and the economy is burdened by excessive debt, which has not been seen globally since the Great Depression of the 1930s (although a small degree of deflation occurred following the 2008 financial crisis in some parts of the world).. During the Depression, the relative purchasing power of gold soared while other prices dropped sharply. This is because people chose to hoard cash, and the safest place to hold cash was in gold and gold coin at the time.