The Financial Survival Guide to Retirement William Klinger Assistant Professor Raritan Valley Community College

The Financial Survival Guide to Retirement Investment Basics

Introductions Me Class – Name – Occupation? – Years to retirement? – Favorite dessert What do you want from the course?

Course Objectives Understand the basics of investing Understand basic retirement strategies Know the whys – Why should one invest in something or not – Why retirement strategies work or don’t – Why investment strategies may or may not be good Be able to guide own retirement or interact intelligently with advisors Course will work with generic profile – Class is welcome to share information, may be anonymous – No one will be required to share private information

Course Outline Retirement Basics – How to predict the future – Simple model Retirement Strategies Investment Basics Investments and Retirement Applying What You’ve Learned – Critique retirement seminars – Discuss articles – Analyze portfolios

Disclaimer William Klinger is not a registered or certified investment advisor, financial planner, or broker/dealer. This material is solely for educational and informational purposes. William Klinger does not purport to tell or suggest which investment securities you should buy or sell for yourself and nothing in this talk should be construed as investment advice, either on behalf of particular investments or in regard to overall investment strategies. You should always conduct your own research and due diligence and obtain professional advice before making any investment decision. You are solely responsible for your own investment decisions. William Klinger receives no compensation of any kind from any investment companies that may be mentioned in this talk but may hold positions in the securities mentioned. Any opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. Securities investments are risky and past performance doesn't guarantee future results. All securities investments entail the risk of great and sudden financial loss. Returns vary and you may have a gain or loss when you sell your securities. No assurance is given that anything described here will be successful.

Investment Basics Questions to be answered: – How should one invest? And why? – Invest in what? – How does one invest? – What are the mechanics?

What to Invest In – The Basics Asset Classes Stocks Bonds Cash There are others but these are the fundamental asset classes. Start with these before getting fancy.

Asset Classes Stocks – Ownership in a corporation Bonds – Corporate and government debt – Must be repaid Cash – Checking, savings accounts – Money market accounts – CDs – US Treasury Bills

Stocks vs. Bonds How stocks work – Capital gain/loss – Optional dividends How bonds work – Maturity date, principle – Capital gain/loss – Interest rate How cash works – Interest rate (APR)

Types of Stock Common stock Preferred stock – Convertible

Types of Bonds Corporate – Debenture Federal Government – Treasury Bonds (T-Bonds, Treasuries) Municipal bonds – General obligation – Revenue

Risk In finance, typically defined as standard deviation of returns. What are the risks for: – Stocks – Bonds – Cash

Asset Allocation What percent of your money should be in each asset class? For example: 70% stock, 25% bonds, 5% cash, or 30% stock, 65% bonds, 5% cash The answer depends upon: – Your investment objective – Your tolerance for risk Common rule-of-thumb % stock = your age

Investment Objectives Possible objectives: Must you have the money without a loss? Do you want to generate current income? Do you want the money to grow over a long time? Which asset class is best for each?

Risk How much risk can you tolerate? – Can you stomach a 30% loss? A 50% loss? One of investors’ biggest risks is themselves. – Risk of “Greed and Fear” – End up buying high and selling low – the worst possible strategy

Risk – By Asset Class Worst Annual Return Since 1925 Average Annual Return Since 1925 Stocks -43.4% (-67.6% worst 12 mo.) 9.6% (162.9% best 12 mo.) Bonds-7.8%5.5% Cash.1%3.7% Sources: personal.fidelity.com, Morgan Stanley, Federal Reserve – St. Louis

“Typical” Portfolio Allocations StocksBondsCash Conservative20%55%25% Moderately Conservative 40%50%10% Moderate60%35%5% Moderately Aggressive 70%25%5% Aggressive80%15%5%

Special Risk for Retirees Inflation Insidious risk for those on fixed income Inflation rateYears to halve purchasing power 2%36 years 4%18 years 6%12 years

In Practice Most common approach is stock/bond allocation – Typically 60/40 split – Many advise using 100 – YourAge = percent stocks to own Can continue to get diversification and returns with other investments – Foreign stocks – Foreign bonds – TIPS

Summary Asset allocation is the single biggest determinate of portfolio results Major asset classes – Stocks – Bonds, – Cash How you allocate your investments depends upon the returns you need and risk you can take Rule-of-thumb: %stock = age

Homework Inventory your assets – What are your total investable assets? – What are they invested in? By percentages.

Sources of Information Basics – Money Magazine money.cnn.commoney.cnn.com Tip: use your frequent flyer miles to subscribe – personal.vanguard.com/us/planningeducation/ed ucation personal.vanguard.com/us/planningeducation/ed ucation – personal.fidelity.com/misc/gettingstarted/gs-fund- allocate.shtml.cvsr personal.fidelity.com/misc/gettingstarted/gs-fund- allocate.shtml.cvsr – “William Gross on Investing”, William Gross Thought Provoking – “Fooled by Randomness”, Nassim Taleb