Do you suffer from FOMO
Do you suffer from FOMO {Fear Of Missing Out}?
Judging by the behavior of the average investor over the last few years that really seems to be the case. Reality checks went out the window, and exuberance and extravagance took over. Cheap money that was easily accessible through Home Equity Line’s of Credit (Helocs) and personal lines of credit filtered their way through the economy, driving real estate prices into the stratosphere. People were buying homes and investment properties like they have never done before, taking on superfluous debt.
New Mantra
The new mantra was “no way are they going to raise rates, low rates are here to stay for the foreseeable future, so party on”. If you didn’t invest in real estate, you missed out on an asset class that was increasing in value by 20-30% a year. It didn’t matter what you paid as what you paid a year later would cost considerably more, netting you a nice juicy profit.
Real Estate & Crypto Currency
Real estate was presented and marketed like an absolute no-risk proposition, characterized as the stable part of your investment portfolio. There was also another strong allure in the marketplace competing for your investment dollar and that was crypto currency. A new standard, a new way to invest that generated hefty profits, that were much more enticing than what the conventional market was delivering.
Millionaires were made overnight and everyone was piling in. The times, they were a changing. The banks and investment companies not wanting to miss out on the craze and very worried about investor psychology, started to market all kinds of offerings to investors through their channels, hoping to grab a piece of the pie.
Banks and Insurance Companies
Now, the banks investment and insurance companies are very worried about how they are going to market to millennials. They need them to be engaged in order to funnel future growth and they are acutely aware that the old methods are not working and start up companies in the fin-tech (think Wealth Simple and Robinhood) sector are a force to be reckoned with.
Traditional financial institutions are doing business in new ways leveraging technology and new ways of distribution.
Financial Markets
Finally, the markets were delivering stellar returns. It really didn’t matter what you invested in; everything was moving and trending in one direction, and that was up. Straight up. People felt confident and comfortable with their new-found wealth. There was a party atmosphere in the air, a sense that it was going to continue like this for a long time.
Good times were here to stay. There was nothing on the horizon to think otherwise. FOMO was a huge motivator. Those who would have never played fast and loose with their money were eagerly investing in things they did not understand. The allure of missing out was too much to bear. Then, suddenly without much warning , things changed. Crypto currency got hammered, the markets began to crack. Stocks started to crumble. Russia launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine. Inflation reared it’s ugly head.
Interest rates started to rise quickly, and housing prices began to adjust from their lofty levels. Everything that we relied on was no longer reliable, which brings me to one major conclusion.
We need to go back to a balanced way of thinking when it comes to financial planning. You need to set a base which generally is life and disability insurance and build up on that platform.
Reality
These days we are seeing more baby boomers come to the realization that estate planning and the reduction of future taxes is essential to preserving wealth. There are tax strategies that recognize the value of life insurance, especially if they are implemented corporately.
CDA also known as the Capital Dividend Account can offer huge tax savings where life insurance is utilized. Let’s start with the basics and see what we can do for you. When things look bleak, opportunities always present themselves. Drop us an email or give us a call, we are here to help.
