According to the Census Bureau, the median income for U.S. wage earners in 2016 was $31,099. After taxes, and factoring in the all-but-gospel recommendation that no more than 30 percent of one’s income be allocated for rent, that means the…
Andrew Lanoie
Just like storm chasers that feast on disaster, there’s a group of investors that actually run towards danger and invest for a recession. These investors profit both during prosperous times and downturns. These investors allocate their capital towards a commercial…
In the longstanding debate between stocks and real estate, a major point of contention has been liquidity.
Generally speaking, stocks are liquid, real estate is not.
Those on the side of stocks will argue that liquidity enables an investor to be nimble, allowing for flexibility to adjust to changes and risks as well as allowing for capital preservation.
In the longstanding debate between stocks and real estate, a major point of contention has been liquidity.
Generally speaking, stocks are liquid, real estate is not.
Those on the side of stocks will argue that liquidity enables an investor to be nimble, allowing for flexibility to adjust to changes and risks as well as allowing for capital preservation.
It’s no secret that many of the country’s most prominent university endowments and private foundations have been hugely successful at investing and providing outsized returns for their constituents.
Their success is attributed to their allocating more of their investment portfolio to private investments including non-venture private equity, venture capital, private real estate, private oil & gas/natural resources, and precious metals.
Those who love Wall Street investment products tout the average annual return of 9.5% for the S&P Index over the past 20 years as a reason to invest in public equities. However, the 9.5% figure doesn’t paint the entire picture because that 20-year average doesn’t account for volatility.
For example, in 2017, the S&P 500’s total return was over 19.7%, but for 2018, it was minus 6.2%. What the pro-Wall Street crowd won’t mention is that to compensate for volatility, bonds are usually thrown in the mix as a hedge against downturns like in 2018.
There’s a lot to get excited about with Opportunity Zones but let’s be careful not to lose the forest for the trees. Don’t get caught up in the tax benefits, and forget to evaluate the viability of the deal.
For the uninitiated, here’s a primer on Opportunity Zones.
Ever since the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”), there’s been a tremendous amount of buzz surrounding the Qualified Opportunity Zone program created to spur economic development and job creation by investing in businesses located in economically-distressed communities.
Remember the days of the single-screen movie theater before the proliferation of the multiplex? Remember those lines that snaked on forever for big blockbusters like Star Wars, ET and Rocky? You’d follow the line around one corner of the building only to be disappointed to find that the line continued on to the next corner. You soldiered on to the next corner only to suffer further disappointment as the line continued down the block. At that point, you weren’t sure there would be any tickets left since it was a first come first serve system back then.
When a public company suffers a financial meltdown, what are the ripple effects?
What are the different levels of exposure among the varying levels of investors and holders of financial instruments? To predict the impact of a future financial meltdown, one only has to look back at some recent financial disasters to have an idea of how the next disaster will play out.
Investing in private placements is not for everyone. They may not be right for you. Let’s see if you relate more closely with James or Jimmy.
James and Jimmy are brothers, but the two couldn’t be more different when it comes to investing and even in their personal finances. Does that sound like you and your siblings?