The Great Recession officially lasted from December 2007 to June 2009 and had immediate and lasting negative financial impact on households and the broader markets. The economy bottomed out, crushing the real estate and stock markets, destroying $18.9 trillion of household wealth and wiping out more than eight million jobs. Investors heavily invested in the stock market through investment and retirement accounts saw their portfolios wiped out almost overnight.
2017
To significantly grow wealth, it doesn’t hurt to learn from those who are good at it, more specifically looking at the investing habits of those with a good track record of growing their wealth. And university endowments have been some of the most successful investors at growing wealth. And ranked among the wealthiest and most successful of university endowments is the Yale University Endowment.
During the 2012 elections, one of the revelations that came out about Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s finances was that his self-directed IRA was worth up to $100m. With current annual contribution limits of $5,500 for those younger than 50 and $6,500 for 50 and older, how the heck does anybody build an IRA worth $100m?
With a self-directed IRA with checkbook control, the owner has complete signing authority over his/her retirement funds. No more going through an administrator to fund investments. This type of control offers greater investment freedom, allowing the owner to manage assets with ease.
Real estate investment trusts, REITs, are a convenient way for inexperienced investors to gain exposure to real estate investing, especially for the first time. Modeled after mutual funds, publicly traded REITs purchase, own and manages real estate properties. REITs give individual investors the opportunity to invest in a portfolio of income-producing real estate. Investors do not need a large amount of time or resources to invest in REITs but for the smart, savvy investor, REITs should never be an option.
These days there’s a myriad of alternative investments, which one is right for you?
Alternative investments like real estate; commodities; tangibles like gold, art, wine, and stamps; private investments; private equity and venture capital have long been utilized by investors to hedge against stock market volatility. This is because alternative investments are theoretically uncorrelated to the broader stock and bond market and therefore insulated from broad market swings.
Investing directly or indirectly in an asset class is crucial to maximizing returns while reducing fees and volatility in your portfolio.
Direct investing can be done on a variety of different levels. You may directly invest in an asset which may require you to make many and even daily decisions. You may decide to co-invest with a team of experts which will allow you to maximize your returns while not having to make decisions day-in and day-out.
These days there’s a myriad of alternative investments, which one is right for you?
Alternative investments like real estate; commodities; tangibles like gold, art, wine, and stamps; private investments; private equity and venture capital have long been utilized by investors to hedge against stock market volatility. This is because alternative investments are theoretically uncorrelated to the broader stock and bond market and therefore insulated from broad market swings.
Imagine the following two scenarios. In the first scenario, Jack has the opportunity to acquire a goose that lays golden eggs. It will take some sacrifice and a leap of faith to acquire the goose but the payoff could be amazing. But first, he will have to make an important investment decision.
Jack’s investment capital is a dairy cow that has stopped producing milk. He’s been instructed by his mother to sell the cow for cash, which will be put back into the farm that hasn’t been producing so well.
Building wealth is meaningless if you don’t protect it. All it takes is one accident and one lawsuit to lose everything if you’re not adequately protected.