By SJS Managing Director Jennifer Smiljanich
In this modern, mobile society, we all face a nearly unlimited menu of choices.
As it relates to work life alone, you can choose to stay at the same company for years, change jobs often, become part of the gig economy, retire and start a second career, or even run a business from your own home. Each path comes with different risks, and rewards.
The same is true with your investment portfolio. There are always many choices to consider:
What do I invest in – stocks or bonds – or both?
What about gold or real estate?
How do I invest – via mutual funds, individual securities, or Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
When do I invest – should I invest all at once or invest over time?
When do I need to make any changes?
Helping you answer these questions with a clear understanding of your needs, goals, and preferences is part of the MarketPlus Investing® process. Your MarketPlus Investing portfolio is made up of institutional quality mutual funds, which may include both stocks and bonds.
We think it’s important to take time to make sure that we find the right design for your life situation, with a foundation supported by academic learning and science. We consider many factors in determining the right portfolio mix for you, including your age, income need, time until you need to start taking withdrawals, the length of time you will need that income, your current level of income, and your personal comfort with the ups and downs in the market – to name just a few.
The relative mix of stocks and bonds in a portfolio is the factor we believe has the most impact on expected risk and return. Stocks have historically outperformed bonds, although there have been periods, notably the early 2000s, when bonds have outperformed stocks.
Data Source: Dimensional Fund Advisors
What’s the difference between the two? Stocks offer ownership in a company. If you hold Apple stocks, you own a portion of Apple. In contrast, if you own an Apple bond, you are lending money to Apple, and you are entitled to repayment of interest and principal on your loan. If Apple were to go bankrupt, bondholders have a preferred place in line ahead of stockholders for a return of their investment.
The target mix of mutual funds that may include both stocks and bonds in your MarketPlus investment portfolio likely will vary over time. Typically, the mix will tilt away from stocks and toward bonds as you get older. Other life events may lead you to adjust your allocation – maybe a change in your need for funds, loss of a spouse, retirement or career move, reduced comfort with risk, or an update to your investment purpose. Market factors may also affect your desired allocation, such as the interest rate environment or market cycle changes.
We stand ready and willing to review your target with you, and to help you discern the right choice for you, wherever you are on life’s journey.
Important Disclosure Information:
There is no guarantee investment strategies will be successful. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Diversification neither assures a profit nor guarantees against a loss in a declining market. MarketPlus Investing® models consist of institutional quality mutual funds. Mutual fund investment values will fluctuate, and shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than original cost.
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