Monday, October 31, 2011

Are You Following the Herd, or Blazing Your Own Trail to Financial Security?

Are you following the herd, or blazing your own trail to financial security?

Given my role at our firm, I find myself on an almost daily basis interacting with retirement investors, either in a group setting (when I’m teaching a workshop) or in private client meetings. Lately, I have noticed a very disturbing trend in the perception of a rather large number of folks. I’m talking about the idea that, when times are bad for the stock market, “Our investment portfolios lose money together” – and therefore, by implication, “We make money together when things are good.”


Given the fact that most American investors tend to follow the herd, so to speak, when it comes to planning their retirements – in the sense that whatever their favorite TV/radio personality, financial magazine, or smart cousin suggests is what they pursue – I can to a certain extent understand why this erroneous perception is so prevalent. The problem is that when one member of the herd loses or gains, everyone else must share the experience.


Here’s the thing, though. There are investors who do not lose even a dime when the stock market plummets. In fact, they are folks just like you. More interesting is that these folks are not using any out-of-this-world, special-omen financial products. We’re talking plain old 401(k)s, IRAs, tax-sheltered annuities, SEP IRAs, Roth IRAs, and the like. Really! I say this all the time, but this moment calls for me to say it again: not all financial strategies/products - even of the same kind - are the same.


Wait a minute here! Does this guy mean to say that some people actually did not lose any portion of their investment portfolios values during the 2008 stock market tsunami? Absolutely, yes! How is that possible? Simple! They utilize a strategy that, as a matter of contract, guarantees their savings will be completely insulated from stock-market risk. So when the market dips, they don’t lose anything. But whenever the market gains, their savings increase, up to a certain cap.


This is not a fantasy. Actually, for the nearly two decades that we’ve been around, these investors’ portfolios have gained money every single year. That’s definitely something to think about the next time you see and/or hear one of those reports that seem to suggest otherwise.
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Contact a financial professional at Laser Financial Group to schedule your complimentary meeting today. Learn strategies that will give you peace of mind and help your retirement income provide the security of which you have always dreamed. 877.656.9111 or LaserFG.com.

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