Displaying items by tag: income

(New York)

Name the two main factors which drove this decade-long bull market. Ours would be the Fed’s easy policy, and huge levels of corporate buybacks. Well, that second one, which has inarguably been at least a core pillar of the bull run, is ending. Companies are pulling away from share buybacks, lessening one of the big price drivers for the market. Buybacks have slipped alongside the market’s trouble, as companies are no longer stepping in to buy shares, sending buybacks to their lowest level in 18 months.

FINSUM: Do you remember the earnings recession that occurred for a few years during this bull market? Buybacks are what kept prices afloat.

(New York)

There are a handful of safe haven stock sectors that investors tend to rely on during market downturns. Healthcare, utilities, and REITs come to mind. Lately, some have been saying bank shares may also prove a good defense. However, investors should be very wary of two of those just mentioned: healthcare and banks. While on the surface healthcare stocks look very good for a recession—it is not as if people stop getting sick—the reality is that there has never been more regulatory pressure on the sector (from both sides of the aisle), which means it is far from safe. Additionally, the idea that banks have become safe, utility-like dividend machines is flawed, as bank earnings are very exposed to the economic cycle, and thus will likely see big moves in both price and yield.

FINSUM: We agree with this assessment entirely. Healthcare is more vulnerable than it has been in memory and banks are a long way from being dependable utilities (excellent PR job by Wall Street though!).

(New York)

Annuities have come a long way in the last few years, with industry standards and selling behavior becoming much cleaner. However, annuities sales are still a challenge because it is often hard to get an individual to trade a large, liquid lump sum for payments that can often be far in the future. With that said, TIAA has an annuity it debuted last year that might prove quite helpful. The provider’s Income Test Drive program allows buyers of annuities to opt out of their income agreements within two years without any penalty. The program is part of a wider trend in annuities, according a product manager in the space, saying “They used to have one product try to be everything to everybody, and the costs outweighed the benefits. Now there are more streamlined options”.

FINSUM: This TIAA option seems like a very good way to help investors bridge their anxiety about trading a lump sum for future income.

(New York)

Despite all the headlines to the contrary, beware of dividend stocks right now. On the surface, dividend stocks look attractive at present, as falling rates make their yields look more attractive. However, picking the wrong ones can be very costly. For instance, the most commonly held high dividend stocks are from blue chips. The problem there is their growth is usually weak and they generally have weaker valuations than the market.

FINSUM: The wrong dividend stocks could go very badly in the current environment, so it will be wise to have a very particular strategy.

(Washington)

While it has largely gone unnoticed by the wealth management media, New York state has just enacted a new best interest rule for annuities. As of August 1st, advisors must now consider the best interests of clients before selling annuities. Additionally, annuities sellers cannot call themselves advisors unless they are licensed to do so. The rule came about to try to fill a gap after the defeat of the DOL’s fiduciary rule last year. New York follows Connecticut and Nevada in making their own best interest rules governing certain products.

FINSUM: Annuities have been cleaning up their act in the last few years, and this will be another step in the process. Best interest rules notwithstanding, we do think the improving business climate for annuities is a good thing because they make sense for many clients.