Displaying items by tag: income

Active funds get overlooked by many investors in their retirement portfolios because investors view them with a certain amount of risk aversion. However, rising inflation and positive income expectation make them a viable investment alternative. For global diversity, investors should consider SPDR SSgA Global Allocation ETF and the Invesco Optimum Yield Diversified Commodity Strategy No K-1 ETF which have unique exposures. For those wanting to maintain fixed income exposure but better yield, First Trust Low Duration Opportunities ETF and First Trust Prefered Securities Income ETF are both debt-focused funds that are great for retirement. Active ETFs have a fee advantage over the often considered mutual funds.

FINSUM: These are great alternatives given the pending interest rate and inflation risk that are both permeating bond markets.

There are a record number of people with over a million in the 401(k) accounts which means even more people are considering retirement in the upcoming year. However, there are lots of factors that investors need to consider before even thinking about early retirement. Many consider a $1 million nest egg enough however the 25x rule (retirement is 25 times your annual expenses) might not go far enough. Rising healthcare costs are eating away at existing retirement accounts, and many fail to accurately gauge their retirement healthcare costs. Additionally, rising inflation is eating away at the paper wealth and needs to be a factor in. If you are planning on retiring early you will need a series of tax loopholes to do so without paying high penalties. Finally, an early retirement needs to rebalance their portfolio to a less risky strategy sooner which may leave you with less than you were projecting.

FINSUM: Meet with an accountant or your financial advisors so you can fully gauge how expensive an early retirement could actually cost.

House prices are at all-time highs, and since a small slump at the start of the pandemic have really seen rapid growth but are they in a bubble? Long story short, probably not, because a few key metrics are keeping them elevated. Federal Gov assistance programs have diminished the foreclosure numbers. Added to that the trillions poured into countless QE and MBS purchases have made mortgage rates be at near all-time lows. Finally, there appear to be real shortfalls in different housing markets, and the pandemics work from anywhere policies are having strong growth in places like Boise, Austin, and Orlando. All of these factors come together to say that there is a relatively low risk of a housing bubble but to keep your eyes peeled.

Finsum: The Case Shiller home price index is at an all-time high but more importantly growing at an all-time rate, this is getting close to bubble territory but it is lacking the speculative component.

Annuities have been criticized for their lack of a national advertising campaign that could really rally interest, but that will change in 2022. A large number of retirees should give companies enough desire to boost their annuities exposure. In addition to this many of the fundamental changes in regulation such as the secure act are paving the way for annuities to be introduced in new ways. Finally, the stock market has performed better than anyone could expect coming out of the pandemic, and bonds provided now yield and little security. Investors will need to protect their gains and retirement and expect big companies to pitch to these investors more frequently.

FINSUM: Protecting existing stock gains is a great argument for individuals to consider annuities in 2022.

Everyone and their dog is searching for viable alternatives because omicron has the stock market skittish and there’s absolutely no yield in bond markets. This has many investors turning to REITs, but how do you find the outperformers. There are six key metrics to look out for: a high fund from operations, total cash from operations growth, high liquidity ratios, accelerated dividend growth rates, a good-sized market cap, and finally price gain. These are the most important factors when evaluating REITs. Some of the best examples in these leading categories are Prologis, Essential Properties, Innovative Industrial Properties, and Life Storage Inc.

FINSUM: Alternatives could have their most promising year yet with all the outflows from the bond market coming in.