For the first 30 or so years of working, saving and investing, you’ll be first in the mode of getting out of the hole (paying down debt), and then building your net worth (that’s wealth accumulation.). But don’t forget, wealth accumulation isn’t the ultimate goal. Decumulation is! (a separate category here at the Hub).
Today’s tip: “Theme investing may seem to be a good way to simplify your investments by following a developing trend. But it can force investors to pay too much attention to investment fads and predictions and too little to the fundamentals of good companies.”
Theme investing has natural appeal. It simplifies things. Investors like it because they feel it can put their investment returns into overdrive. Some also feel it adds fringe benefits to their investing, by letting them support social objectives.
Brokers like it because it gives them a rationale to recommend a variety of stocks.
If a client thinks gold prices are headed up, a broker can think of all sorts of gold-themed investment opportunities. They include established gold miners; junior gold companies that are working on a promising gold property; or penny golds that are outright speculations. Other possibilities are financial companies that sell gold-related merchandise like gold coins.
If the client supports environmental causes, the broker can propose investments with a “green theme.” They include solar-power equipment makers; companies that claim their products are less harmful to the environment than competitors’ products; or companies that claim to operate with a high degree of environmental concern.
When you focus on an investing theme, however, it’s easy to overlook the fundamentals. If you’re sure gold prices are headed up, for instance, why trouble yourself with tiresome matters like finances or geology?
Predictions are the hard way to make investment decisions
One of the core tenets of financial planning is to pay yourself first. Automating your savings is a painless way to save for retirement and, in all likelihood, you’ll barely notice that you’re living on less.
Most experts suggest putting away 10 per cent of your income for retirement, but that number might seem out of reach for many people today. The key to developing good savings habits, however, is that you need to start somewhere.
That’s why I suggest setting aside what you can afford, be it three or five per cent of your income, and try to increase that amount every year.
At last count, over 6 million Canadians are part of a registered pension plan. Unless you are one of the truly lucky few who have a defined benefit (DB) pension plan, you’re likely part of a defined contribution (DC) pension plan – which means you need to be a bit more proactive if you hope to reach your retirement goals.
A DB pension plan is what comes to mind when most people think of a pension. It pays you an income stream in retirement. A DC pension plan is more like an RRSP. You save to the plan, but do not know what the end result will be at retirement. Even though your plan may be a DC instead of a DB, with proper planning you can take advantage of this benefit and be a step ahead on the path to retirement.
Step One: Asset Mix
Your asset mix is the combination of equities, fixed income and cash that you hold in your account. What percentage you allocate to each area will have a significant impact on the long term performance of your portfolio and the volatility you experience while investing.
Generally speaking, when you are more than 10 years away from retirement, a growth mix of 75% equities and 25% fixed income is appropriate. Once you are closer than the 10-year mark, a shift to a balanced mix of 60% equities and 40% fixed income would be more suitable. In all cases, your equities should be diversified geographically with an equal allocation to Canada, the U.S. and international markets.
In our last piece, we described why most investors should ignore the never-ending onslaught of unpredictable financial news and tend to three strategies that can be much more readily managed – at least once you know they are there. Hidden in plain sight, these potent strategies include:
Being there
Managing for market risks
Controlling costs
Plain-Sight Strategy #2: Managing for Market Risks
Don’t take on more risk than you must.
There’s no getting around the fact the market does not deliver rewarding returns without periodically punishing us with realized risks. That’s why it’s so challenging for most investors to “be there,” consistently capturing available returns by remaining invested over time. It’s also why it’s vital to avoid taking on more risk than you must in pursuit of your personal goals. For this, we have two powerful tools at our disposal, best used in tandem: Continue Reading…
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