Financial Planners vs. Psychics

Looking for a new career? Facing pay cuts or, worse, pink slips? Wondering where the money is these days? Well it may be time to polish that crystal ball and peer into a new profession. As a vast number of industries experience the sharp blow of our weakened economy, one industry appears to be thriving: the divination arts. That's right: in a time of dwindling business, psychics are enjoying a lucrative wave of popularity.

While previous visits to the psychic may have involved questions about a spouse's fidelity or on the future of your love life, psychics are noticing an increase in economy-related shop talk, along with a significant increase in business. According to Ryan Singel at WIRED magazine, "internet psychics across the board saw a spike in traffic in the days following the initial market crash." Psychics are now fielding questions that may have previously been directed at a financial planner or job counselor: What should I do with my money? How do I avoid getting laid off? Ruth la Ferla at the New York Times says "These days, [psychics] are besieged with questions about whether a pink slip is in the cards, whether a condo will sell, or whether a company will continue to prosper."

If you're interested in receiving assistance on money matters, but don't want your advice to come from a pack of tarot cards, consider hiring a financial planner. Here are the top 3 questions to ask a financial planner, from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards:

1. What Experience Do You Have?
Find out how long the planner has been in practice and the number and types of companies with which she has been associated. Ask the planner to briefly describe her work experience and how it relates to her current practice. Choose a financial planner who has experience counseling individuals on their financial needs.

2. What are Your Qualifications?
The term "financial planner" is used by many financial professionals. Ask the planner what qualifies her to offer financial planning advice and whether she is recognized as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional or CFPR practitioner, a Certified Public Accountant-Personal Financial Specialist (CPA-PFS), or a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC). Look for a planner who has proven experience in financial planning topics such as insurance, tax planning, investments, estate planning or retirement planning. Determine what steps the planner takes to stay current with changes and developments in the financial planning field. If the planner holds a financial planning designation or certification, check on her background with CFP Board or other relevant professional organizations.

3. What Services Do You Offer?
The services a financial planner offers depend on a number of factors including credentials, licenses and areas of expertise. Generally, financial planners cannot sell insurance or securities products such as mutual funds or stocks without the proper licenses, or give investment advice unless registered with state or Federal authorities. Some planners offer financial planning advice on a range of topics but do not sell financial products. Others may provide advice only in specific areas such as estate planning or on tax matters.

Check out the rest of the CFP's "10 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Financial Planner" list here.

"In Troubling Economic Times, Consumers Flock to Online Psychics" [WIRED]
"Love, Jobs and 401(k)s" [The New York Times]

Job Security and Young Professionals: Staying Smart During an Economic Downturn

Millenials, persons born between those of Generation X and those of Generation Y, are starting to trickle out of the university arena and into the workforce. Unfortunately for this demographic, which amounts to about 76 million adults, today’s work force is currently bearing the brunt of an economic crisis. According to a survey by Accenture Limited, 46% of U.S. middle managers said that, because of the current state of the economy, “switching employers in the current environment is risky.” Figures such as these have begun to reach the ears of millenials, causing many of them to become reluctant to change job positions.

According to David Smith, the managing director of talent and organization performance at Accenture, a global consulting company, “It’s unclear whether a different employer will be able to provide sufficient job security, training, advancement opportunities, and other benefits” given the current economic climate. Young professionals who know that lay-offs often abide by a “last in, first out” policy and have become less inclined to seek new positions.

If you are a young professional considering joining a new company or firm, there are a number of ways in which you can guard yourself against less than lucrative job opportunities. Following the steps below may help you face career transitions proactively.

1. Ask questions. When you receive a job offer from a prospective employer, make sure that you employ the interrogation method. Some examples of questions that you may want to consider asking include: 1) How is your company’s turnover rate?, and 2) What criteria do you use when making layoffs?

2. Do research. While you may ask questions of your prospective employer, there is some information that may be omitted via direct questioning. As such, you may benefit from researching articles on the Web or in newspapers that may shed light on the company’s financial history. Public companies are required to make their 10-L filings, documents that offer figures on the performance of a company, publicly available. These filings can be found with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

3. Start saving. Because of the precarious state of the economy and the workforce, it is imperative that you start safeguarding your finances as soon as possible. In the event that you find your job transition is not running as smoothly as you wished, it helps to have some money saved up that you can rely on. For tips on saving and investing, browse through WISER's "Saving & Money Management Basics" fact sheets.

Professional millenials, in the infancy of their careers, should carefully weigh the pros and cons of job transitions during the current economic crisis. If you do decide to accept a position with a new employer, adhering to the steps above may help you make the smartest maneuver possible.

Quick Quiz: Your Money Market IQ

Before the recent credit crisis, money market funds seemed about as interesting as that guy your Aunt Judy has been trying to set you up with. You know the type: dull, safe, easy to ignore. But suddenly the money market fund is a hot topic as these previously safe investment have been swept up in the recent economic chaos. This morning's Wall Street Journal points out that you can't take these funds for granted anymore (but feel free to keep ignoring that guy), and has a handy quiz full of facts and tips to help you get savvy about money market accounts.


From How Well Do You Know...Money-Market Funds?
by Leslie Scism
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122529246328680389.html?mod=yahoo_hs&ru=yahoo

1) When were the first money-market mutual funds for small investors launched?

A. 1950s
B. 1960s
C. 1970s

ANSWER: C. The funds "were born of a Black Swan moment -- the explosive inflation of the 1970s," when investors were craving higher rates than were then possible in bank accounts, says Paul Schott Stevens, president of trade group Investment Company Institute.

By most accounts, the first fund was offered by Reserve Management Co. -- the New York firm whose fund in September broke the buck.

2) Fidelity Investments was one of the first big mutual-fund firms to launch a money-market fund. What perk came with its new fund?

A. A matching contribution of up to $100
B. Check-writing privileges
C. A toaster

ANSWER: B. Because few investors were buying stocks in the bear market of the 1970s, Fidelity searched for another way to bring in business. In 1974 it introduced Fidelity Daily Income Trust, and to distinguish it from other money-market funds, the president of the firm, Ned Johnson, added check writing.

"He reasoned that if it was easy for investors to get money out, they'd be more likely to put money in," a Fidelity history brochure reads. "The idea worked, and assets poured into the fund."

3) Fidelity says the launch of Fidelity Daily Income Trust led directly to another key innovation at the Boston firm. Which is it?

A. A toll-free telephone line through which individuals could make fund purchases directly
B. A computerized telephone system to provide yield quotes 24 hours a day
C. A discount brokerage service to sell funds as well as stocks, allowing small investors to bypass pricey Wall Street brokers

ANSWER: A. At the time, Fidelity sold its funds through brokers. But Fidelity couldn't pay brokers to sell the money fund without losing its yield advantage, the history reads. So Fidelity set up a dedicated phone line and ran a few ads. The move proved popular, and by 1979 Fidelity removed the 8% sales charge from almost all its funds to sell directly to the public. Later came the firm's computerized phone system and discount brokerage.

4) Before the Reserve fund's problems, there was just one prior occasion when a fund broke the buck. When was that?

A. 1974
B. 1987
C. 1994
D. 1998

ANSWER: C, when tiny Community Bankers U.S. Government Money Market Fund incurred losses in financial "derivatives." There have been many other close calls over the years, but fund companies have stepped in on all those other occasions to bail out their funds. That is, the fund company either bought out the debt at par value or took other steps to back up the fund so that the shares stayed at $1. The Community Bankers fund was aimed at institutions, and no small investors lost money in it.

5) Which of the following was true of money funds as of this past June?

A. They held almost one-fifth of municipal securities outstanding.
B. They held one-fifth of marketable Treasury bills.
C. They held more than 40% of the outstanding short-term borrowings of U.S. corporations known as commercial paper.
D. All of the above.

ANSWER: D, according to the ICI. Assets in money funds quadrupled from 1984 to 1987, when they reached $1 trillion, and they tripled again, to $3 trillion, by 2007.

Securities and Exchange Commission rules, known as the quality, maturity and diversity standards, govern what money-market mutual funds can hold. What this translates to, in general, is a very wide range of highly rated securities that mature in 90 days or less.

6) What investment got the Reserve fund in trouble?

A. Russian debt
B. Lehman Brothers debt
C. Fannie Mae preferred stock
D. CDs from failed IndyMac Bancorp

ANSWER: B. The Reserve fund, which stood at $65 billion in early September, held $785 million of Lehman debt when the investment bank filed for bankruptcy on Sept. 15. The fund said it would write the debt down to zero, reducing the fund's net asset value to 97 cents a share.

7) True or false: The Reserve is the only money-market fund that has had large-scale soured investments since the subprime-mortgage crisis erupted in 2007.

ANSWER: False. At least 20 fund companies have stepped in this year to support their money funds or to prevent them from breaking the buck, according to Peter Crane, president of Crane Data, which tracks money-market activity. They bought out the money-losing debt at face value, or took other steps to make the fund whole.

Fund firms do this to prevent devastating runs. "It's like fixing your roof," he says. "You either fix your roof or the whole house ultimately will be destroyed." Fund operators repairing the roof, so to speak, include Bank of America Corp., Northern Trust Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. And this leads to some advice from fund analysts: Invest where there is a well-capitalized company committed to the fund business.

8) True or false: The U.S. Treasury's new money-market guaranty program has caps on the amount covered identical to those at bank accounts covered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

ANSWER: False. The program, in place for three months with the possibility of extension, covers whatever sum investors had in their money-market mutual funds as of Sept. 19. FDIC coverage for consumers' bank deposits, by contrast, was recently raised to $250,000 from $100,000.

Officials at first weren't going to put any limits on the money-market guarantee, but community bankers complained that the change would fuel a flight of money out of their vaults into higher-yielding funds. So the Treasury on Sept. 21 clarified that the program applied to amounts in accounts as of Sept. 19, the date the program was announced.

9) What was the average 12-month yield as of Sept. 30 of a consumer-oriented, taxable money-market mutual fund?

A. 1.65%
B. 2.65%
C. 3.65%
D. 4.65%

ANSWER: B, according to Money Fund Report. And beware: Yield-chasing can get you into trouble. The Reserve Primary Fund's 12-month yield as of Aug. 31 was 4.04%, the highest of more than 2,100 money-market funds tracked by Morningstar Inc. The average at the time: 2.75%. A fund yielding more than others may be charting a risky course to deliver the extra income.

10) What is the average annual expense ratio of a money-market fund?

A. 0.08%
B. 0.28%
C. 0.58%
D. 0.98%

ANSWER: C, according to Morningstar. While the average of all money-market funds is 0.58% of assets, the average for the 25 largest is 0.24%. Take note: The funds with the lowest costs have the least need to take on risk to deliver a competitive yield.

401(k) Tips for Today's Economy

Recently, WISER has received a bevy of questions about 401(k)s. A reader from Baltimore wrote in wondering "What do I do in this economy? Do I leave my 401(k) untouched, do I pull everything out, or can I switch to different investments?" A recent caller from California lamented that "All of the headlines are so overwhelming. I'm trying to just keep saving and stick to a budget, but the newspaper puts me in a panic every morning. What do I do if my 401(k) investments keep suffering?"

WISER's non-profit status coupled with a lack of information on the details of either of our friends' financial situations makes it impossible to answer these specific questions. We sat down with WISER senior policy analyst Laurel Beedon to talk about a few rules of thumb that everyone can follow when it comes to taking care of their 401(k) during these troubling economic times.

Don't Keep all Your Eggs in One Basket!
Make sure that you are still contributing to a savings account outside of your 401(k) so that you have another source of retirement income. Consider investing in bonds, which are low-risk. " A bond is a loan, a stock is a chance," says Beedon. For more information on bonds, visit the WISER website and read our fact sheet: "US Savings Bonds."You can also learn more by visiting the US Treasury website at www.savingsbonds.gov.

Spread Your Risk
Find out more about the administrator of you 401(k). Where is your money now? Are there ways that it could be spread out? Make sure you have your money in a range of different funds so that if you suffer a blow to one of your investments, it doesn't have to impact all of your investments.

Stay Aware
Review your investments every six months. Consider seeking guidance from a financial planner. BE CAREFUL: Always ask how your planner is based. Commission-Based Financial Planners earn commissions on the investments they sell. They may have a bias for investments that will pay them commissions. Some commission-based planners also charge a fee. Look for a certified financial planner (CFP). You can call the Institute of Certified Financial Planners at 1-888-806-7526 or visit the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards website at www.cfp.net.

Get Rid of Your Credit Card Debt
Paying more than the monthly minimum on your credit is a great investment. If you're concerned about your future finances, take care of your present debt so that you can save more for later. If possible, pay your credit card bill as soon as you receive it, especially if you are carrying over a balance, to reduce your interest charges and remember to pay off the credit card with the highest interest rate first.

Look into Savings Alternatives
Find out about options to supplement your savings plan. One option, depending on your present life circumstances and financial situation, may be annuities.

• Annuities:

Immediate: This is a straight-life annuity that pays a fixed amount for as long as you live. Another option is to get guaranteed payments for a certain number of years, for example, “life or 10 years certain,” and if you die sooner, your beneficiary receives the payments.

Deferred: This is an investment product that accumulates money until a future payment. Most annuity articles and advertisements seem to be talking about deferred annuities.

There are several types, including:

• Fixed – based on interest rate that is initially fixed and then may vary.
  
• Equity-indexed – based on the stock market, with a guaranteed minimum rate.
  
• Variable – based on accounts invested in stocks and bonds.

You may decide that the best way is to use a combination of both of these by managing your own retirement fund until the time seems right to convert some of your fund into an annuity. For more information, visit WISER's website and check out our publications and fact sheets on annuities.