Episode #90: This is Exactly What to Do With Your Student Loans

With roughly 44 million borrowers that collectively owe nearly $1.7 trillion, student loans, the second-highest consumer debt category, has become something that’s pervasive for young people in the United States. We dedicated this episode to exploring some of the ways borrowers can make their student loan repayment manageable. Throughout the episode, Grant dives into how the interest rates and other characteristics vary depending on the lender, repayment options, income-based repayment, federal student loan forgiveness, and more. Stay tuned until the end of the episode, where Grant shares some strategies to reduce your monthly payments by suppressing your adjusted gross income.

Show Notes

[01:43] Background – The pervasive nature of the U.S. student loan programs and why they have become pervasive.

[05:10] Who Lent You the Money – Grant explains how the interest rates and repayment options may vary depending on the institution that is underwriting a student loan.

[07:38] Repayment & Refinancing - Once students have graduated and their forbearance period has finished, it’s time to paying back the student loans. Grant explores some of the options available for students at this point and how to decide whether to refinance with a private lender.

[10:19] Staying in the Federal System – Although it might make sense in some cases to refinance with a private lender, staying in the federal system has its own benefits. We talk about what these benefits are and how students can take advantage of staying in the federal system.

[13:07] Income-based Repayment – How the income-based repayment programs work, requirements for eligibility, and how they help people make their monthly payments manageable.

[18:13] Forgiveness – One of the features in income based-repayment is being able to get your debt forgiven after a certain number of years. Grant dives deep into how debt forgiveness works, how taxation comes into play at the point when the debt is forgiven, and what to consider when deciding whether to pursue forgiveness.

[22:32] Administrative Forbearance – As a part of the stimulus package introduced under the CARES Act, an additional forbearance period was introduced for student loans. Grant shares his thoughts on how to take this into consideration when making decisions about student loan repayment.

[27:15] Strategy for the Federal System – Grant shares some strategies for those who are in the federal system to make loan payments manageable by suppressing their adjusted gross income.

Resources

Episode #34: Why College Is So Expensive & How to Pay For It With Robert Farrington:

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9ncm93bW9

Episode #89: Investing Myths #4 - U.S. Multinationals Provide Enough International Exposure

This week on the podcast, we’re continuing our mini-series dedicated to debunking popular misconceptions around investing by exploring the truth about whether U.S. multinational securities provide enough international exposure for your portfolio. Throughout today’s episode, we dive deep into why international exposure benefits investors, how the differences of key aspects between the U.S economy and other countries influence the returns of an investment, methods of accurately evaluating the potential of foreign investments, and how you can avoid some of the biases that negatively affect our financial decision-making.

Show Notes

[2:50] Diversification – Why people feel that they have ample diversification in their portfolios and what they’re missing out on by only investing in U.S. corporations.

[04:00] U.S. Economy vs. Other Countries – Grant reviews some key aspects of world economies that make some other countries, such as China, grow rapidly in comparison to the United States.

[9:40] P/E Ratio – Grant explains what the P/E ratio is, how you can use cyclically-adjusted P/E ratio to assess the potential returns of stocks, and why it’s better than just looking at the historical performance of stocks.

[16:14] Correlations – Securities markets have some trends and behaviors that show correlations between U.S securities and foreign securities. Grant talks about why investors should invest in international securities despite these correlations.

[21:05] Diversification of Currency – Why investing in companies that do business transactions in a diverse selection of currencies can be beneficial to investors in the long term.

[22:52] Dealing with Biases – How certain psychological characteristics of the human brain can get in the way of making savvy investment decisions and how to avoid these traps.

Resources

Morningstar: Does International-Stock Diversification Still Work?
morningstar.com/articles/1034112/does-international-stock-diversification-still-work

Hartford Funds Chart on the Performance of International Stocks:
hartfordfunds.com/dam/en/docs/pub/whitepapers/CCWP014.pdf

The Wall Street Journal - Why It Might Be Time to Invest in Non-U.S. Stocks:
wsj.com/articles/why-it-might-be-time-to-invest-in-non-u-s-stocks-11596900477

Episode #88: How Securities Lending Drives Down Investment Costs

Securities lending is one of the widely misunderstood concepts in the investment community, and securities lending shows up intermittently in the news for both positive and negative reasons. However, this complex trading pattern driven by short selling can drive down costs for the investors. In today’s episode, Grant dives deep into how securities lending works, the different parties involved in it and their roles, how investors participate in securities lending, and how it impacts the performance and costs of ETFs and mutual funds.

Show Notes

[02:40] Understanding Securities Lending – How securities lending works, how it relates to investment funds that many people put their money in, and how it generates revenue for brokerage firms.  

[07:13] Trading Settlement – The process of trading securities is a bit more complex than it looks from the outside. Grant reviews how trade settlements work and how securities lending comes into play. 

[12:50] Short-squeeze – How unexpected fluctuations in stock price can cause investors to lose money in certain scenarios.  

[13:47] Driven by Short Selling – Grant reviews how securities lending transactions between several parties create a complex ecosystem that facilitates short selling and how the demand for securities lending is driven by short selling.  

[16:23] Supply and Demand – How brokerage firms can make money through securities lending depending on the demand for shares. 

[19:10] Sources of Supply – Grant explains the sources brokerage firms use to get the securities they lend to other parties and how investors can make money by lending securities to brokerage firms in some scenarios. 

[21:40] ETFs and Mutual Funds – How ETFs and mutual funds are involved in securities lending as another source of supply and how it benefits investors by reducing expenses. 

[27:20] Facilitating Short Selling – A common argument about securities lending is that you may not want your shares to be lent out because you don’t want to facilitate short selling in a company that you own. Grant shares his take on the relevance of this idea.  

Resources

My Take On Short Selling:
www.abovethecanopy.us/my-take-on-short-selling/

Episode #87: Top 10 List: Behavior Biases Impacting Your Investing

In today’s episode we’re diving into ten behavioral biases that negatively impact your investment decision-making. Throughout the episode, we explore the psychological background of these ten behaviors, how they get in the way of sound investment decision-making, and how you can be conscious about your financial decisions so that you won’t make mistakes because of them.

Show Notes

[3:10] Oversimplification – Grant explains what happens when our brains are overwhelmed and are trying to process information in the most efficient way by oversimplifying complex scenarios in an attempt to break them down into bite-sized pieces, ultimately leading to poor investment decisions.

[6:15] Restraint – When we come across an opportunity that we think is beneficial to us, it’s very hard to show restraint. The problem that gets in the way of our sound investment decision-making is our overestimation of our ability to show restraint. Grant explains how this practically affected the cryptocurrency market.

[8:53] Familiarity – People naturally trend toward investments that they know and are familiar with. Grant dives into how this can negatively affect your investments and how to avoid falling into this trap.

[11:20] Incentive Bias – How some of the systemic features in our financial systems, in some cases, lead people to make poor decisions and how the general public can identify these incentives that could potentially lead them toward poor investment decisions.

[14:40] Self Attribution Bias – Grant dives into one of the behaviors in which our egos play a major role. He explains how this behavior is largely visible among daytraders and how to be aware of this trait of human brains.

[18:05] Information Bias – Picking reliable data is crucial for making savvy investment decisions. For instance, not being able to grasp the difference between correlation and causation can lead to disastrous investment decisions. We talk about why we need to be vigilant about the information we consume.

[20:55] Groupthink – Since humans naturally like to be in groups, it can be extremely uncomfortable to make a decision that severely deviates from what everyone else is doing. In investments, succeeding in some scenarios may require exactly that. Grant explains how we can grow beyond the herd mentality while being open to new ideas to make savvy investment decisions.

[24:30] Anchoring Bias – When we take time and energy to research something and come to a decision, we like to be anchored on that decision, making us less open to ideas that are contrary to our decision. This tendency to remain anchored on our original decision is something that simply gets in the way of making sound decisions.

[26:50] Loss Aversion – The losses in our investment accounts feel worse than the gains feel good. And because of that, people make investment decisions very commonly, in an attempt to avoid the losses, without appreciating the opportunity for potential gains in the same manner. Grant explains why you should try to avoid this behavior in your decision-making.

[28:40] Confirmation Bias – How our minds tend to cherry-pick certain information in an attempt to process information efficiently, how it affects our investment decisions and how to avoid making mistakes that occur due to confirmation bias

Resources

Investing Myths #3: You Need To Keep Up With the Financial News: growmoneybusiness.com/podcast/ptkre5734nrkw

Episode #86: Buying the Building Your Business Will Operate In With Justin Smith

Commercial real estate is something many investors seem to be interested in both as an asset class as well as a place for operating their businesses. Justin Smith, a broker, industrial advisor, and author, joins us today to talk about investing in commercial real estate. Throughout today’s episode, we explore what investing in commercial real estate is like as an asset class and what business owners who are considering buying buildings for their own businesses need to consider prior to day one, and from day one to the day that the business no longer occupies the building. Stay tuned until the end of the episode, where Justin shares some strategies that help real estate investors with taxation.

Show Notes

[2:50] Justin’s Background – Justin has been working at Lee and Associates for 17 years, focusing primarily on industrial property. We talk about how Justin got into the real estate industry and what he learned through his long career.

[9:40] Buying a Building - Justin explains where to start if you’re looking for a building to buy and how the process differs according to the type of business, type of property, and whether it’s a lease or ownership.

[20:05] Transition From Tenant to Owner - Switching roles from the tenant to owner often calls for some construction work. Justin explains what potential property owners should know about working with contractors and other parties and maintaining compliance.

[26:55] Selling the Current Building and Purchasing the Next - What business owners need to think about when selling their current building to move to another and how their options differ based on liquidity, capacity, and capital.

[34:41] Potential Property - What makes a potential property or building an attractive investment in a portfolio, and what to look for in a potential real estate investment in terms of its cash flow.

[42:45] 1031 Exchange - Justin shares his thoughts on the future of the 1031 exchange, which gives business owners an option to avoid paying capital gains taxes when selling a property and reinvesting in similar properties.

[46:30] Tips for Pure Investors – Justin shares some tax strategies for people who are looking at real estate as a pure investment.

[49:00] Industrial Intelligence – Justin’s book, Industrial Intelligence: The Executive’s Guide for Making Informed Commercial Real Estate Decisions, came out last April. We talk about what he covers in the book and how it helps investors make smarter decisions for real estate investments.

Resources

Industrial Intelligence: The Executive’s Guide for Making Informed Commercial Real Estate Decisions: amazon.com/Industrial-Intelligence-Executives-Commercial-Decisions

Connect with Justin Smith

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/justinbsmith

Website: smithcre.com

Episode #85: Investing Myths #3: You Need To Keep Up With the Financial News

The concept that you need to keep up with the financial media in order to succeed in investing is an extremely popular belief among novice investors. However, in some cases, closely following financial media may influence your financial decisions in ways that aren’t in your best interests. Throughout today’s episode, Grant dives into how mainstream financial news can be misleading, why it isn’t necessary to keep up with financial media in order to be successful in investing, and how to choose sources that give you quality financial information.

Show Notes

[2:40] The Myth – Although more knowledge is good, getting into deep details of things via mainstream financial news might tempt you to make short-term tactical adjustments to your portfolio. Grant dives into how this occurs and why it results in bad outcomes. 

[3:40] Strategic Strategies vs. Tactical Strategies – Grant shares his thoughts on why savvy investors focus more on strategic strategies than short-term tactical actions.  

[6:42] Clickbait Headlines – How digital media business models based on advertising negatively affect the quality of journalism and how this behavior influences users to follow unreliable and biased financial advice. 

[8:55] “If you’re not paying, you are the product” – Grant explains how free news sources may often contain misleading information and why Grant always tries to digest financial information from sources he pays for.  

[10:25] Social Media  – Grant shares his thoughts on investment-related misinformation that are being shared on social media platforms and how to be mindful about misleading financial news.  

Resources

Investing Myths #2: It’s Dangerous to Invest At All-Time Highs: 
growmoneybusiness.com/podcast/Invest At All-Time Highs 

Investing Myths #1: Rising Rates Will Crush Your Bond Portfolio: 
growmoneybusiness.com/podcast/Rising Rates Will Crush Your Bond Portfolio 

Episode #84: This is How I Evaluate Mutual Funds & ETFs

Evaluating investment funds or any other type of investment is crucial for a savvy investor. In today’s environment, it’s easy for investors to get influenced by misinformation that ultimately leads them to make sub-optimal investment decisions. We dedicated today’s episode to inspecting the process of evaluating different mutual funds, ETFs, or any other types of investment funds. Throughout the episode, we explore the process of due diligence and how to decide whether or not a potential fund is worthy of including in your portfolio. 

Show Notes

[2:15] Sub-Optimal Investment Decisions – Why people make sub-optimal investment decisions by not using the right criteria to evaluate a standard investment fund. 

[4:00] Terrible Evaluation of Potential Investments – Using the example of large-cap US equities, Grant explains how some of the most popular fund ratings do not provide a very good evaluation of potential investments. 

[8:37] Structuring Your Portfolio – The most important decision one has to make in structuring a portfolio is allocating assets. Grant shares high thoughts on why this decision is far more important than focusing on a specific fund and how long-term asset allocation can improve the integrity of your portfolio.

[13:46] Evaluating Strategy – How to evaluate the strategies of different investment funds and how to decide whether the strategy of a specific fund aligns with your goals.

[18:05] Historical Performance – Why it’s important to take a look at the history, stability, and performance of the fund management company before you invest.

[21:33] Path to the Best Outcome – Wrapping up the episode, Grant shares his take on how having a consistent allocation, a consistent philosophy, and remaining invested through harsh conditions combine to create the path to the best investment outcomes.

Resources

ETFs vs. Mutual Funds: What’s the Right Investment Vehicle For You?
abovethecanopy.us/mutual-funds-vs-etfs-whats-the-right-investment-vehicle-for-you/

Episode #83: Consider This Strategy If You're Paid In Company Stock

Compensating employees with some form of equity has become a fairly common practice among employers. This may come in several flavors, including restricted stock units, employee stock purchase plans, incentive & non-qualified stock options. In today's episode, Grant dives into how these programs work, how they're taxed, common issues employees face when they're compensated with equity, and a strategy that allows employees to benefit from equity compensations while reducing their tax bills.

Show Notes

[02:48] Common Issues – Grant shares his thoughts on two common issues that employees face when they are compensated with equity.

[04:51] Risks Associated with Company Shares – Grant talks about some of the disaster stories of a few companies that put their employees in deep financial trouble with equity compensations. However, he also talks about how equity compensations can create a whole lot of wealth for employees if the company continues to flourish.

[07:01] Restricted Stock Units – Grant reviews a few common equity compensation programs, starting with RSUs, a performance-based method of compensating employees.

[09:57] Employee Stock Purchase Plans – While rare among private companies, employee stock purchase plans are quite common in publically traded companies. Grant dives into how these plans are taxed and the pros and cons of these plans.

[13:35] Incentive & Non-qualified Stock Options – Grant dives into the benefits of another two types of equity compensation and what employees should keep in mind about them.

[15:23] Strategy – Grant shares his out-of-the-box strategy of utilizing equity compensation that allows employees to pay as little tax as possible. 

Resources

Employee Stock Options: The Top 5 Mistakes That Leave Money on the Table:
abovethecanopy.us/employee-stock-options-the-top-5-mistakes-that-leave-money-on-the-table

Episode #82: Debunking Investing Myths #2: It's Dangerous to Invest At All Time Highs

A few weeks ago we started a series of podcast episodes dedicated to debunking popular misconceptions around investing. In today’s episode, we’re continuing that discussion by covering another investment myth: that it’s too dangerous to invest new money at market highs. Buying low and selling is an obvious objective for any investor, but avoiding the markets simply because they’re breaking new highs is a common mistake for many. Throughout the episode, Grant dives into why this concept is a myth and data from a few studies conducted by reputed organizations that show the potential dangers of the delay in waiting till the markets fall.

Show Notes

[04:56] Historical Data – We often use historical data to assist our investment decisions. While it is a good starting place, it comes with a lot of shortcomings. Grant reviews why we need to look beyond historical data to make savvy investment decisions. 

[06:33] Study on S&P 500 Returns – Grant dives deep into a study that analyses the returns of the S&P 500 companies right before the dot com bubble crashed and after the market crash. 

[11:13] Investing on Random Days vs. All-time Highs – Last year, the investment firm JP Morgan conducted a study to compare the returns of investing on any random day versus selectively investing only on the days when the markets reach certain points. Grant dives into the findings of this study and how they relate to the misconception. 

[16:20] Risks – The risks associated with investing in financial markets and some of the methods we can use to mitigate the risks and the limitations. 

[18:31] Looking at a Wider Dataset – Grant reviews a chart from Dimensional Fund Advisors, which uses a wider data set, a total market index, and a longer time period than the previous studies. He shares his thought on why this chart contradicts the other two studies and what investors can learn from it. 

[21:23] Dividends and Distributions – How dividends and distributions can reduce the impact of a market crash and significantly increase your returns if the markets do not crash. 

[24:37]: Dollar Cost Averaging – How dollar-cost averaging helps us reduce risks associated with investments.

Resources

Is it too late to get invested? jpmorgan.com/wealth-management/wealth-partners/insights/

The beauty of doing nothing: jpmorgan.com/wealth-management/wealth-partners/insights/

Episode #81: There Are Only Three Ways To Make Money In Crypto

The popularity of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has exploded over the last few years, and many investors are asking about the various ways they could make money investing in them. A few months ago in episode 65, we talked about how cryptocurrencies work. In today’s episode, we’re extending that discussion and sharing the only three ways to make money with cryptocurrencies. Throughout the episode, Grant reviews how some of the money-making methods of the gold mining era relate to cryptocurrencies and three methods you can use to make money in the cryptocurrency space.

Show Notes

[02:11] Understanding Cryptocurrency – Grant reviews a framework that he’s been using to shape his understanding of the inner details of cryptocurrency and the ways to make money in the cryptocurrency world. 

[06:45] Risks Associated with Crypto – Compared to rare minerals like gold, cryptocurrency does not have a long history yet. Grant explains the risks associated with cryptocurrencies due to their relatively short history and the high volatility. 

[07:46] Process of Mining – Grant takes an in-depth look at how a network of computers carry out cryptocurrency mining and transaction tracking.  

[12:52] Profitability of Mining – Why the awards for mining go down over time and how it affects the ROI of mining. 

[15:45] Speculating – How cryptocurrency investors can make money by speculating cryptocurrency prices. 

[18:11] Regulations – Grant reviews some of the regulations that are in effect in Europe due to the highly volatile nature of the cryptocurrency world and some of the instances that prove that cryptocurrencies aren’t completely out of the reach of governments. 

[22:47] The Levi’s Approach – How investing in platforms that enable people to interact with cryptocurrencies can become a way to make money in the cryptocurrency arena. 

[27:32] Smart Contracts – How smart contracts work, how they’re related to the technology used in crypto, and some of the investment opportunities related to smart contracts. 

Resources

Ep# 65 - My Take on Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency:
growmoneybusiness.com/podcast/episode65

Episode #80: Digging Into Healthcare Costs With Sailee Bhambere

The healthcare system in the United States is extremely expensive compared to other developed countries, and it has escalated to a point where healthcare costs have become a major financial burden for many people. In today’s episode, we have a distinguished guest who specializes in public health. Sailee Bhambere, a medical doctor with a master’s degree in Public Health from Harvard University, joins us today to talk about why healthcare is so expensive in the United States. Throughout the episode, we dive deep into Sailee’s research on the issues of the US healthcare system, why it’s extremely expensive, and how it could be improved.

Show Notes

[02:28] Sailee’s Background – We start the conversation with a brief review of Sailee’s work in the healthcare industry and how her research contributes to improving the quality of healthcare.  

[05:56] Studying the Healthcare System – Sailee shares with us what she focuses on in her research to identify issues in the healthcare system. 

[09:00] Why Healthcare is Expensive – Sailee shares her take on how expensive the US healthcare system is and some of the contributing factors to these high costs. 

[14:00] Preventive Healthcare and Personal Responsibility – How our personal habits contribute to our health over a long time and how preventive healthcare could be improved in a way that makes it easier for citizens to develop healthy personal habits. 

[17:12] Free Market Capitalism and Healthcare – Grant and Sailee discuss their views on how the free market environment in the United States influence the healthcare system and how other developed countries have taken measures to reduce healthcare costs. 

[23:00] Most Important Policies – Sailee shares her thoughts on what policies she’d put in place if she had the authority to do so. 

[26:00] Complexities – Why the US healthcare system is extremely complex and how the policymakers can approach reducing the complexities. 

[31:40] Administrative Costs – The administrative costs in the US healthcare system are significantly higher than they are in other developed countries. Sailee shares her thoughts on the reasons that cause this discrepancy. 

[36:34] Burnout – One of the major issues healthcare professionals are facing across the industry is burnout, which is a result of overworking as well as complex administrative tasks embedded into their workload. Sailee shares her thoughts on how this affects the performance of the healthcare system.  

Resources

Connect with Sailee: linkedin.com/in/sailee-bhambere
Sailee’s Research: www.researchgate.net/profile/Sailee-Bhambere

Episode #79: The Sacramento Startup Climate With Cameron Law

In recent years interest in entrepreneurship has been steadily increasing around Sacramento and around the country, leading younger generations to explore self-employment as a career option. In today’s episode, we have a distinguished guest who specializes in educating entrepreneurs and guiding them toward success. Cameron Law, Executive Director of the Carlsen Center For Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Sacramento, joins us today to talk about the startup climate in the region. Throughout the episode, we dive into how Cameron’s organization helps entrepreneurs, common mistakes entrepreneurs make, trends in the startup arena, and what entrepreneurs should know about creating successful business ventures.

Show Notes

[01:40] Cameron’s Background in Startups – Cameron shares how he got into the business world, his work in the venture capital arena, and his contribution to helping entrepreneurs thrive. 

[06:18] Cameron’s Organization – Cameron dives into the mission of his organization, Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 

[10:50] Generating Interest – Cameron’s organization works with students and people who are already in business. He talks about what his organization is doing to generate interest in entrepreneurship and to make its programs more accessible in the region. 

[15:30] Evolution of Entrepreneurship – How the mindset of entrepreneurship has evolved over the years in the region and how recent trends in the markets and technologies have influenced it. 

[28:48] Avoiding Mistakes – Common mistakes Cameron sees entrepreneurs make in their startups and bits of advice Cameron has for entrepreneurs to help them avoid their mistakes. 

[35:39] Taking Risks – Entrepreneurs often have to take risks to make their new products or services successful. Cameron shares his take on what entrepreneurs should keep in mind about creating solutions that successfully solve a problem. 

[38:11] Blockchain – Cameron shares his take on how cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology are being adopted in the region. 

[46:05] Sports – Both Grant and Cameron were baseball players in college. They talk about how sports fit into their lives and how experiences from sports have influenced their professional skills. 

[52:47] Get Involved – Cameron shares how you can get involved in entrepreneurial communities in your region and how you can utilize the resources available at the Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 

Resources

Connect with the Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: 

Website: www.csus.edu/center/carlsen 
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/carlsencenter 

Episode #78: Investing Myths Debunked #1: Rising Rates Will Crush Your Bond Portfolio

Recently, we’ve seen quite a few myths and misconceptions about investing circulating in popular media and amongst investors. Today’s episode is the first of several episodes we plan to publish with the focus of debunking these myths. Throughout today’s episode, Grant debunks the misconception of negative effects on bond portfolios caused by increasing interest rates on bonds. Stay tuned until the end of the episode, where Grant shares his take on how to get the best outcomes from bond portfolios.

Show Notes

[01:58] Understanding Bonds – Grant reviews how bonds work and how they’re different from stocks. 

[07:30] Interest on Bonds – The structure of interest for bonds and how the concept of duration comes into play. 

[10:35] Fluctuation of Prices – Grant shares his thoughts on why fluctuation of bond prices does not have a significant effect on long-term investors. 

[13:18] Interest Rates – Grant reviews how increasing interest rates affect long-term portfolios, using an example of a worst-case scenario. 

[18:39] Path to Success – Grant shares his thoughts on why consistently applied strategy and long-term focus are the keys to the best outcomes for bond portfolios. 

[20:33] Unlikely Outcomes – Why it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see a huge rise in interest rates in the next five to ten years based on how our current monetary system is structured. 

Resources

What is the Worst Case Scenario for Bonds? - Cullen Roche: 
pragcap.com/what-is-the-worst-case-scenario-for-bonds 

Bond Duration: 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_duration 

Don’t Ditch Those Bonds 
aarp.org/money/investing/info-09-2013/dont-ditch-those-bonds.html 

Episode #77: Investing in an Inflationary Environment

Last week, The Bureau of Labor Statistics released some metrics that indicate we might be experiencing a higher rate of inflation than the federal reserve and other stakeholders have been expecting. We dedicated today’s episode to exploring what inflation is and why we should be concerned about it. Throughout the episode, Grant dives into how inflation occurs, how it influences the economy, how to measure inflation, the role of the federal reserve in keeping the economy stable, and what investors should keep in mind about maintaining a healthy portfolio in an inflationary environment.

Show Notes

[04:45] Understanding Inflation – What inflation is, why it happens and why we should be concerned about it.  

[07:25] Measuring Inflation – Grant reviews some of the methodologies and indices that are used for measuring inflation and how these measurements indicate recent changes in the prices of consumer goods and services. 

[13:25] Inflation and Deflation – Grant shares his take on why the two extremes of the spectrum can cause adverse effects on the economy and why maintaining a stable rate of inflation is better for the economy. 

[16:58] The Federal Reserve – How the federal reserve maintains its policies in order to keep the economy stable. 

[22:25] Inflation and Investments – How inflation affects investments and how different asset classes perform in inflationary environments. 

[25:14] Pricing Power – Why companies that offer products and services with higher pricing power can adapt better to inflation.  

[28:00] Diversification – Grant reviews some of the ways you can diversify your portfolio by taking advantage of assets that are less affected by inflation in the United States. 

[35:48] Real Assets – Grant shares his take on how real assets, including real estate, perform in an inflationary environment and what investors should keep in mind about investing in hard assets. 

Resources

Consumer Price Index - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.toc.htm

Episode #76: Business Succession Planning With M&A Expert Michael Vann

The succession of a business or exiting from a business is an important and intimate event most business owners will have to plan at some point in their journey. We dedicated today’s episode to exploring what business owners should think about when planning their succession or exit, even if they don’t anticipate it anytime soon. Today, our guest is Michael Vann, an author, certified scale architect, and the president of The Vann Group LLC. Throughout the episode, we explore the process of succession, how relationships and emotions come into play, how taxation applies to succession, and what Michael has learned through his extensive experience in the mergers and acquisitions market.

Show Notes

[01:35] Michael’s Background – We start the conversation with a brief review of Michael’s background, from being in the corporate environment to working on his father’s business. 

[04:51] Acquisitions – While working in the corporate world, Michael gained lots of experience in acquisitions. He shares some of the important strategic planning points of acquisitions for buyers. 

[10:21] Family Business – Once Michael left his corporate job, he started working on his father’s business. Michael talks about the work he did there and how the business evolved under his influence. 

[15:44] Business Transitions – Michael’s family business has been going through a phase of transition from his father to Michael and his siblings. Michael dives deep into the process of transitioning and the emotional aspect of it. 

[18:02] Process of Successions – The typical flow of business succession, deciding between different options for succession, and managing financial matters. 

[23:38] Relationship Dynamics – Business transitions may get a bit more complex when they’re between family members or people with close personal relationships. Michael talks about some of the obstacles that may come up in these sorts of transitions and how to overcome them. 

[27:12] COVID and the Industry – How the pandemic impacted Michael’s line of business and the new trends that emerged from it.  

[33:19] Taxation – Michael shares his take on how the newly proposed tax reforms may affect buyers and sellers in the mergers and acquisitions arena. 

[39:11] Michael’s Vision for Future – Michael dives into some of the possible avenues for his business to expand and grow, and some of the interesting concepts covered in the book Michael coauthored with his father. 

Resources

Michael’s Book: amazon.com/Buying-Out-Boss-Successors-Succession 

Website: vann-group.com  
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelvann 

Episode #75: The Biden Proposal to Raise Long Term Capital Gains Rates & Eliminate the Step Up In Basis

President Joe Biden’s new proposal for tax reforms has been getting lots of media attention in the past week. It contains provisions to substantially raise the tax rates on long-term capital gains and eliminate the step up in basis. This substantially limits some of the tax planning opportunities investors and business owners have enjoyed for a long time. In today’s episode, Grant reviews the new changes President Biden has proposed, what they mean for investors, and some of the planning opportunities that come with the new updates.

Show Notes

[01:26] New Tax Plan – Grant reviews some of the key goals of President Biden’s new tax plan and what they mean for the general public and investors.

[05:32] Long-term Capital Gains – How long-term capital gains work, how they’re different from their short-term counterparts, and how taxation comes into play.

[08:53] Proposed Rates – Grant reviews the new tax rates proposed in President Biden’s tax plan and new planning opportunities that come with the new changes.

[13:48] Selling a Business – Selling a business is one of the instances where a business owner can end up paying substantial amounts in tax according to the proposed tax rates. Grant shares his take on How business owners can work around this.

[18:30] Step Up in Basis – Step up in basis is a tool widely used by financial planners to minimize the tax impact, and President Biden’s new proposal substantially limits this opportunity. Grant shares his thoughts on how we can adapt to these proposed changes.

[25:47] Estate Planning – How the elimination of step up in basis affects estate planning and how to minimize the tax impact for people who inherit assets.

Resources

Reviewing the Biden Tax Plan
www.abovethecanopy.us/reviewing-the-biden-tax-plan/

Episode #74: Animal Spirits & Consumer Confidence

“Animal spirits” is a term coined by the celebrated economist John Maynard Keynes, which describes the financial decision-making behaviors of people in times of uncertainty. The behavior of animal spirits has a clear relationship with consumer confidence. In today’s episode, Grant dives into how we can measure animal spirits and consumer confidence and what these concepts mean for the financial markets, our lifestyles, and portfolios. 

Show Notes

[01:03] Background – Grant reviews how the term “animal spirits” was coined, the historical background of it, and what constitutes the concept of animal spirits.

[05:19] Consumer Confidence Index – How consumer confidence can be quantified with an index, how it reflects the economic impact of global events, and what it can tell us about the status of the economy.

[10:00] Mergers & Acquisitions – In the last few months, there’s been a big surge in mergers and acquisitions. Grant shares his thoughts on the reason for this surge and how this trend relates to animal spirits.

[15:52] Other Examples – Grant reviews some of the other trends in the economy that relates to animal spirits, such as non-fungible tokens and cryptocurrencies.

[18:15] Consumer Confidence and Predictions – High consumer confidence is a clear indicator of good economic growth. Grant shares his thoughts on what the current status of consumer confidence tells us about the next few months.

[22:22] Negative Possibilities – Grant shares his take on what challenges we may have to face if the economic rebound does not go as expected.

Resources

Understanding the Consumer Confidence Index:
investopedia.com/insights/understanding-consumer-confidence-index

Animal Spirits:
investopedia.com/terms/a/animal-spirits.asp

Episode #73: The Few Circumstances Where Variable Annuities Make a Lot of Sense

Variable annuities are a set of commonly offered insurance products that promise consumers a consistent income stream. In general, these products tend to become more beneficial to insurance companies and representatives who sell these products rather than consumers buying them. However, in recent years insurance companies have started to offer products that may be more consumer friendly. Throughout today’s episode, we dive deep into what variable annuities are, how they’re structured, and some of the scenarios where you might want to consider them.

Show Notes

[01:07] Background – How professionals in the financial planning and insurance industries view variable annuities and why there are different perspectives on the integrity of the insurance-based investment solutions.

[05:23] Annuities – Different configurations of annuities and how the returns vary according to the type of investment.

[11:23] Understanding Variable Annuities – Grant reviews what variable annuities are, how they work, and why Grant isn’t a big fan of variable annuities.

[16:45] Features and Fees – Over the years, Grant has reviewed lots of annuity policies. He dives into the most common types of fees insurance companies charge their customers in exchange for various features in the policies and some of the issues associated with the fees and commissions.

[22:13] New Developments – In recent years insurance companies have started making adjustments and improvements to their products. Grant talks about some of these updates and how they address the issues from older policies.

[25:36] Reasonable Options – Grant dives into some of the scenarios where obtaining a variable annuities policy may make sense to a consumer.

Resources

How to Analyze a Variable Annuity:
abovethecanopy.us/how-to-analyze-a-variable-annuity

Episode #72: Here’s an Opportunity to Pay Less For Health Insurance

State exchange programs for health insurance are one of the provisions introduced in the Affordable Care Act back in 2010. Under this provision, the federal government may subsidize some of your insurance premiums if your income is low enough. The new stimulus package passed by President Biden extends this provision to allow more people to reduce the amount they pay out of pocket for insurance premiums. In today’s episode, Grant covers how this legislation works, who qualifies for these benefits, how and when to enroll, and things you should consider before switching from your current health insurance plan.

Show Notes

[02:47] The Legislation – Grant reviews the legislation that facilitates this opportunity and the motive behind passing this law.

[04:03] State Exchange – How the state exchange program works, criteria for qualifications, and how taxes come into play when you receive the benefits of this.

[10:02] New Updates – Grant reviews the changes that have been added to this legislation with the most recent stimulus package and some of the planning opportunities that come with the new changes.

[13:43] Breaking Down the Math – Grant explains a couple of examples of the premium subsidies and how much money you might save by utilizing this opportunity.

[16:53] Enrollment – Gant reviews the special window for enrolling in this program that expires on May 15 and why you should consider taking advantage of this opportunity.

[20:46] Deciding Whether to Enroll for Exchange Policies – Grant shares his take on a few things to consider when deciding whether it’s a good idea to obtain a policy under this program based on your current healthcare plan and some other factors.

Resources

Ep # 68 - Dissecting the New Stimulus Checks & Recovery Legislation: The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021:
growmoneybusiness.com/podcast/episode68

Episode #71: Why Robinhood Needs More Oversight

In recent years, the online trading platform Robinhood has been gaining popularity among typically younger and novice investors, mainly because they have no minimums or commissions. However, there are some things about the way Robinhood operates that are not always in the best interests of the users. In this episode, Grant reviews how this brokerage firm is set up, how they make money, and what you should keep in mind if you’re trading on Robinhood.

Show Notes

[01:37] Background – Robinhood’s origin story and how it forced many other brokerage firms to drop commissions to zero.

[04:39] Day Trading Mishaps – Grant reviews one of the horror stories related to day trading on Robinhood, where one investor ended up getting a massive tax bill because they didn’t understand the rules around trading. 

[08:09] Wash-Sale Rule – The IRS has set up a rule related to wash sales that get triggered when you trade frequently. Grant dives into how this rule can lead to massive tax bills for day traders on Robinhood.

[12:24] How Robinhood Makes Money – Grant reviews how Robinhood’s commission-free business model works, how it differs from a traditional brokerage firm, and one revenue source that put Robinhood under scrutiny in the investor community.

[22:56] Unnecessary Trading – Some of Robinhood’s features are designed to encourage users to make more transactions. Grant explains why this practice does not work in the best interests of Robinhood users.

[29:47] Strategies for Robinhood Users – Grant shares his take on some of the strategies Robinhood users could implement to build a robust investment portfolio.  

Resources

Episode #63 - Anatomy of a Short Squeeze: GameStop FAQs:
growmoneybusiness.com/podcast/episode63