If I have a Will, is that Adequate Planning?

I depart from investing money, into another type of investment; protecting your assets after you die. I am talking about a Living Trust. One of the most loving things you can do for your family is provide for their future security with a Living Trust. Many people do not realize doing a Will is an invitation into Probate. Really? Since you have a Will you most definitely go through the Probate process. You may ask, “What is so bad about going to Probate court?” Simply, it could cost your family 5% to 10% of the GROSS value of your estate. Sadly, the Probate attorneys get most of it. For example, if you die with assets in your name in the amount of $500,000, which includes the value of your home, the Probate process could take $25,000 to $50,000 of YOUR estate before your family gets a penny. I assume you want your family to receive that money, so you need to avoid Probate. How? A Living Trust.

With a Living Trust your family avoids the costs, delays, and heartaches of going through Probate. If you saved this $50,000 by not going through Probate, you could apply it to your kid’s college education, or anything else you desire. In addition to avoiding the delays and costs of Probate, a Living Trust includes several features, such as you pre-determine who will care for your minor children, who will care for you in your old age, create a Healthcare Power of Attorney, and a Living Will which is your dying instructions to your family.

Obviously, this limited space cannot fully explain the ins and outs of a Living Trust, so please go to my website, “http://heritagelivingtrust.http://heritagelivingtrust.com/sutton” for more information, or better yet, give me a call.

If you have any questions, feel free to call me Robert E. Sutton (918) 698-1454 or email me:  Robert.Sutton@Paronex.com.

Investments are not FDIC-insured, nor are they deposits of or guaranteed by a bank or any other entity, so they may lose value. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks,charges and expenses of all funds. This and other important information is contained in each fund's prospectus and summary prospectus, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing. Securities offered through Parsonex Securities, Inc. Member FINRA /SIPC. 2851 S. Parker Rd., Ste. 800, Aurora, CO 80014, 303-468-3400

When is it Safe to Invest?

I have discussed up markets, down markets, and even insuring your retirement savings against any kind of market. I want to share six predictions for the next three years. When I am done you tell me if you want to invest or not. Fair enough? Okay, here goes, in the next three years, I predict:

1. Unemployment will hit a 42 year high.
2. Inflation will hit a 33 year high.
3. A major US manufacturer will go bankrupt.
4. A Middle East leader will be killed.
5. An Assassination attempt will be made against our President, and
6. Israel will attack one of her neighbors.

"Wow, Robert, are you crazy? If what you predict were to come true, this would surely be a terrible time to invest; I think I will sit on the sidelines until things calm down." What is wrong with my crystal ball? Simple, this is not a prediction; all the above happened in the years 1980, 81, and 82.

Chrysler was the major US manufacturer who went bankrupt; Anwar Sadat of Egypt was assassinated during the annual victory parade in Cairo; John Hinckley, Jr. tried to assassinate President Reagan; and Israel bombed Egypt.

How much money would you have if you listened to me, as your advisor, instead of the news media, and invested in the S&P 500 with Monthly Dividends in spite of these dire predictions? $100,000 at the end of 1979 would be $153,000 by the end of 1982! If you left your money invested for a full ten years? $503,000! Remember: good news does not start bull markets, bad news starts bull markets. So the moral of the story is to invest when you have the money. I offer FREE analysis and to help to get started investing. Until next time...God bless you!

If you have any questions, feel free to call me Robert E. Sutton (918) 698-1454 or email me: Robert.Sutton@Paronex.com.

Investments are not FDIC-insured, nor are they deposits of or guaranteed by a bank or any other entity, so they may lose value. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of all funds. This and other important information is contained in each fund's prospectus and summary prospectus, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing. Securities offered through Parsonex Securities, Inc. Member FINRA /SIPC. 2851 S. Parker Rd., Ste. 800, Aurora, CO 80014, 303-468-3400

The Finance Man

Should my advisor have principles to guide me in investing?  A resounding YES! 

I have discussed how we need principles, such as, “Treat others as you would have them treat you” to guide us in our investments.  The benefit of principles is they help us stay on the path we started.  In investing we have three principles we need to follow.  To recap last month, they are: faith in the future, patience and discipline.  

Now, lets discuss principles your ADVISOR must follow to properly guide your money and investments.  The first advisor principle is asset allocation; how much of your money is in stocks and how much is in bonds.  This is important because different investments may earn different rates of return.  The beauty and simplicity of asset allocation is it does not take a rocket scientist to realize if more of your assets have the potential to earn higher rates of return, your overall portfolio will have the potential to experience higher returns.  The next principle is diversification, or do not put all your eggs in one basket.  The portfolios I use spread your money over 600+ different companies in different industries, located around the world.  If your advisor has you in ten or so stocks, PLEASE come see me; if only one stock, (remember Enron went bankrupt) you could lose 100% of your money.  The last principle is systematic and annual rebalancing.  Since my space is limited, Google the phrase, “rebalancing your portfolio,” for a fuller explanation.  I provide my clients with automatic rebalancing so you do not have to worry about it.

If you do not have a Plan or an Advisor, one phone call to me and you can have both!  Until next time...God bless you!

If you have any questions, feel free to call me Robert E. Sutton (918) 698-1454 or email me at Robert.Sutton@Paronex.com.

Investments are not FDIC-insured, nor are they deposits of or guaranteed by a bank or any other entity, so they may lose value. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of all funds. This and other important information is contained in each fund's prospectus and summary prospectus, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing. Securities offered through Parsonex Securities, Inc. Member FINRA /SIPC. 2851 S. Parker Rd., Ste. 800, Aurora, CO 80014, 303-468-3400

Finance Man

When my children were younger and we took them to the State Fair, shopping mall, etc., we would always stop and ask them, "What happens if you do not see Mom and Dad?" They would say, "Stand still and wait for you to find me." Paula, my awesome wife, and I drilled this into them EVERY time we went out. Why did we drill and drill this into them year after year? Because if the unthinkable ever happened, we wanted them to know what to do without even thinking about it; they would know what to do because it was second nature.

In your investing life, you have three principles to follow so no matter what the Market does you will know what to do. You need to know these principles inside and out. The first principle is faith in the future. You MUST have faith in a better tomorrow or you will not hang in there when "the sky is falling." It is okay to have fear, but when this fear drives your investment decisions, it makes you a "saver," not an "investor." The good news, I am willing to hold my client's hands hand get them through the rough spots.

After faith in the future, you must have patience. In gardening, you understand what you plant today cannot be harvested tomorrow. The same goes for your retirement investments; the mutual fund you bought last week will not fund your retirement next year. You must have a long-term perspective and ignore the fads screaming from the headlines.

What happens when you lose faith in the future and give up on patience? You need discipline to take your medicine even though nothing seems to be getting better; discipline to keep walking in the dark trusting you are going the right way. It makes it easier to walk in the dark knowing I am with you lighting the path, but you have to be disciplined to walk.

If you do not have a Plan or an Advisor, one phone call to me, Robert Sutton, and you can have both!

If you have any questions about this or other financial topics, call 918.698.1454, or email me, Robert Sutton: Robert.Sutton@Parsonex.com

Investments are not FDIC-insured, nor are they deposits of or guaranteed by a bank or any other entity, so they may lose value. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of all funds. This and other important information is contained in each fund's prospectus and summary prospectus, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing. Securities offered through Parsonex Securities, Inc. Member FINRA /SIPC. 2851 S. Parker Rd., Ste. 800, Aurora, CO 80014, 303-468-3400

Finance Man

I am introducing a new series by the Finance Man (a.k.a. my husband Robert) who has been a Christian financial counselor the past 25 years and a licensed financial adviser for the past nine years. I think you will enjoy his words of wisdom in the chaotic financial world we live. No worries for those who are interested in bread & baking as food & nutrition are still the main thrust of Paula's Bread Blog!

Without further ado...here's Robert:

Should I Rollover My Old Retirement Plan at Work?
by Robert Sutton

Recently, we moved my mom after 50 years in the same house. It was nostalgic seeing old items which were once "hi-tech," such as 35mm slides, complete with carousel, stove-top coffee maker, hand-cranked ice crusher, eight tracks, etc. Although, we had fun walking down memory lane, it was good to get back to our iPads and smart phones!

Have you changed jobs and left your retirement plan with your old employer? Do you want to be nostalgic with your second largest financial investment? Probably not...

Your three options when you leave a job with a 401(k) or 403(b) plan are:

Cash
Do nothing, or
Move it

Cash; Taking the balance in cash is the most fun, until the IRS wants "their" money; this is usually the worst choice as penalties and income taxes take almost half your savings. You will wish you had read the rest of this article!

Do nothing; Leaving your money in your current plan could be like 35mm slides in a carousel; once good, now very outdated!

Move it; Moving your retirement into your own IRA where YOU control the investments is usually the best choice. However, getting funds from your old account, opening a new IRA, and putting funds into it, is not for the faint of heart. More specifically, if proper steps are not followed, you could be assessed an early withdrawal penalty by the IRS, and pay taxes on your balance. Not a pretty sight! When I have issues with my car I turn to an expert. In the same way, if you want to discuss options of moving your old retirement plan, please contact me. I will explain the process,including all costs, and you decide what to do, all without pressure.

Until next time....God Bless You!

If you have questions about this or other financial topics, call 918.698.1454, or email me at Robert.Sutton@Parsonex.com.

Investments are not FDIC-insured, nor are they deposits of or guaranteed by a bank or any other entity, so they may lose value. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of all funds. This and other important information is contained in each fund's prospectus and summary prospectus, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing. Securities offered through Parsonex Securities, Inc. Member FINRA