Ep 23 : Should You Be Thinking About Refinancing?

On This Episode

With rates being at historic lows, a lot of clients have been asking questions about refinancing. So this week we answer the biggest questions people have.

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PFG Private Wealth Management, LLC is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. The topics and information discussed during this podcast are not intended to provide tax or legal advice. Investments involve risk, and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial advisor and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed on this podcast. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Insurance products and services are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed insurance agents.

Here is a transcript of today’s episode:

 

Marc: Hey everybody. Welcome in to this edition of Retirement Planning Redefined with John and Nick from PFG Private Wealth. And we’re here today to talk about investing, finance, and retirement. And we’re going to talk about refinancing actually a little bit here on this first podcast. Guys, what’s going on? Nick, how are you, buddy?

 

Nick: Doing pretty good. We’re staying busy. Today we’re in the little bit of a midst of a market pullback, so today’s been an interesting day. But besides that pretty good.

 

Marc: Good, good. Yeah, it’s been a little all over the map the last week or so the market has been for sure. So John, how are you, my friend?

 

John: I’m good. I’m good, I’m actually just started coming back in the office this week. So it’s been nice to say the least, although I miss seeing my kids 24/7, it’s nice to have a little break from screaming madness. It’s a good change.

 

Marc: Yeah. A little mental break from time to time is certainly a good thing. Well, I mentioned we were going to talk about refinancing. So a lot of people have been sending questions in that they are thinking about it with the rates being what they are. So let’s dive in and talk about it. Why refinance?

 

John: Yeah. So over the last month, Nick and I have got a lot of requests of just really helping clients as far as just analyze, “Hey, you know, the rates are dropping, and is it now a good time to refinance?” And, full disclosure, we’re not mortgage brokers. We’re not in that industry, but we’re familiar with our clients’ situations. So we’re able to at least help them navigate and ask the right questions in this situation. So we’ve definitely seen an uptick over the last month. So we figured this would be a good time to kind of discuss it.

 

John: So just understanding really initially what a refinance is. And it’s basically, you’re taking your current mortgage and you’re paying it off with a new one. Some reasons why you might want to refinance is obviously the biggest one is lower interest rate environment, which we’re seeing currently. And when interest rate’s lower, and Nick correct me if I’m wrong, typically rule of thumb, a 1% drop, you may want to look into it. It could really reduce your monthly payments, and over time it could really help you build equity in the house as well, if you’re going to be in there longterm.

 

John: So, just a quick example. A 30 year mortgage at 5.7%, let’s say 300,000 mortgage balance. The payment on that’s about $1700 per month. Let’s say the interest rate’s dropped to 4%. That same 30 year mortgage payment’s going to be about $1432, roughly $271 per month saving. You’re looking at about $3,250 per year, which is a pretty big number. And then especially if you’re looking at, if you still have 20 years left in the mortgage, that can really add up. So, that’s one thing you want to consider.

 

Nick: Yeah, I would say one of the other times where it can make a lot of sense is, let’s say for example, you took out a home equity line a couple of years ago and use the home equity line either to make improvements on the home, purchase a second home, use it for a down payment on a second home, or whatever the reason may be. A lot of times those equity lines had a really, really good rate in the first year or two. And then they start to kind of jump up. So the consolidation of the two together, and while reducing the payment and also potentially reducing the term of the loan can be a really useful scenario, situation for people.

 

John: Yeah. And I’ll say one thing, when we do a lot of planning with clients, one of the biggest goals we see is, “Hey, I want to make sure my mortgage is paid off when I go to retire.” So now could be a good time to analyze and say, “Hey, I’m 10, 15 years out from retirement. Do I want to adjust to a 10 to 15 year mortgage?” And we’ve been finding in this environment, we’ve seen clients keep the payment the same as they’re currently doing, but they’re shortening the terms. So again, it’s really just a matter of your situation and what works for you.

 

Marc: Well, are there any right moves? I mean, how can we determine is it the right move to make, is there some things, some bullet points we can kind of consider? Obviously talking with the qualified professionals, the right people, goes a long way, but is there some things we could go through on our own checklist ahead of time?

 

John: Yeah, I mean, the main thing really is how much are you going to be saving monthly? So you kind of start there and evaluate that. And then you kind of look at it longterm. One of the biggest negatives with refinancing is the closing cost, which can range from application fees, to recording fees, and whatever else. And we’ve seen them range from 1% to almost 4% sometimes.

 

John: So you want to evaluate, “Hey, is it worth refinancing, incurring those costs into my mortgage?” And that’s where it’s important to work with someone to help you analyze and crunch those numbers. And one of the biggest things that we’ve seen, it depends how long you going to live in the home. So you want to ask for an amortization schedule whenever you’re looking at it to say, “Hey, if I’m going to only be in the home for 10 more years, does it even make sense to refinance this?” And that’s one of the biggest things I think people don’t take a look at, is just figuring out, “Hey, how long am I going to be in this house and does it make sense.”

 

Nick: Yeah. That term, that length of being in the home is probably the biggest reason that it may make sense for somebody not to refinance. Because the reality is that the monthly payment, if it’s staying the same or reducing, if it’s very small, because there are costs associated with refinancing, it may not make a whole lot of sense unless you have kind of a strategy and a longterm plan. So we have seen those scenarios where people have said, “Hey, we don’t plan on being here any longer than a couple of years, does it make sense for us to spend this, to do that?” And we recommended no, dependent upon the situation. So that’s absolutely something to keep in mind.

 

Nick: I will say as well, that there are companies out there that will kind of advertise “no closing costs” or “we pay your closing costs,” that sort of thing. And while that may be true, and they still may be offering good rates, one other thing to make sure you do is we always recommend get three offers from three different companies, banks or lenders, because we’ve seen, “Hey, we’ll pay your closing costs, but you’re going to pay more on the rate.” You know, they make it one way or another. But we’ve had clients recently getting quotes at anywhere from 2.5, to 3, 3.25, dependent upon the length of the term, dependent upon if it’s their primary residence versus a rental property, those sorts of things. So, all things to consider, keep in mind.

 

Marc: Well, if you are refinancing, some might say you’re resetting the clock. You’re adding years. I mean, obviously you’ve got to have these conversations. You might get a lower rate, but you might be tacking on more years.

 

Nick: Yeah. And I would say that it’s rare that we’re going to recommend anybody tack on any extra years. The one thing that I will kind of comment on is, their other habits have a big impact on whether or not something like that could make sense. So for example, if somebody is, by default, a very good saver, and let’s say a 30 year mortgage will add on five years. But let’s say it’s going to free up $500 a month. And the reality is that they’re not going to be in that home for more than another 10 years. And they’re really good at recapturing that money. So in other words, instead of paying that $500 a month, they’ve proven over time that they’re a good saver and they’re going to actually save that $500 or even set up a schedule to save that money right away. And maybe they’re very comfortable in the market and investing and their thought process is, “Hey, I’d rather have control of this extra $500 a month than have the lender or the bank have control of the money.”

 

Nick: That’s a scenario that we may consider saying, “Okay, that’s something that could make sense for you.” But I would say that it’s pretty rare where we’re going to really kind of give our okay or green light on somebody extending the term of their loan. Usually it’s keeping it the same, reducing it a few years, and if we can reduce it four to five, six years and keep the payment the same, that’s oftentimes a win for the client. Conversely, if the reality is that having that mortgage payment a little bit higher for them is a forced, quote unquote, savings by reducing their liabilities, that’s something that we take into consideration and that’s the important part of us understanding and knowing our clients, knowing their tendencies and helping to put them in a position to succeed.

 

Marc: Well, if you’re thinking about refinancing, again, you need to go through of these questions. Why do you want to do it? Is it the right move? Have the right conversations with the correct people. John, anything in the summary that you want to add as we kind of wrap up this podcast about this?

 

John: Really, just if you’re thinking about it, just make sure it aligns with your overall financial plan and your goals. It’s just important. You don’t want to do it just because the rate has dropped. You really want to make sure it makes sense for you. And we highly recommend working with people that understand your situation versus just someone random that’s just trying to go ahead and “Hey, let’s just do it” just to do it. So definitely want to do due diligence and make sure that aligns with what you’re trying to accomplish.

 

Marc: Yeah, because I’m sure a lot of people keep getting things in the mail, right. “Our rates are so low.” I mean, I think I get something probably almost every other week to contact whomever about refinancing. So, that’s a great point. You want to make sure that it works in conjunction with what you’re trying to accomplish and not just doing it for the sake of, because we keep getting hit with these things that are like, “Oh, let’s look at this rate.” So on and so forth, right. Have a conversation, make sure the whole scenario plays out correctly in the way that you want it to. And we talk about that often on the show anyway, is make sure whatever steps you’re taking, whatever you’re doing, it’s part of your overall plan and an overall strategy to get us to and through retirement.

 

Marc: So that’s going to do it this week for the show, Retirement Planning Redefined. If you’ve got questions again about today’s topic, make sure you reach out to them and let them know you’d like to have a conversation. We’ve already had quite a few people bring this up, which is why we talked about it today. So give them a call at (813) 286-7776. If you’ve got questions before you take any action, (813) 286-7776. You can also go to PFGprivatewealth.com. That’s PFGprivatewealth.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast by hitting the subscribe button on Apple, Google, Spotify, whatever application you like to use. But check the guys out there at the website. And with that, gents, I’m going to let you go this week. Thanks for your time, as always. I hope you stay safe and sane, and we’ll see you soon.

 

John: Thanks.

 

Nick: Thanks. 

 

 

 

The Asset Allocation Puzzle

Possessing a considerable amount of knowledge about stocks, bonds, and cash is only a small part of the investment planning process. Many investors are under the false notion that the greatest determinant of
portfolio performance is the specific investment choices they make. Actually, the biggest decision you will make is how much to allocate to different investment categories.

Asset allocation is all about finding the mix of investments that is right for your situation. Goals, time horizon, risk tolerance and risk capacity are some of the key factors that should be considered when allocating assets.

Goals

Determining what asset allocation is appropriate depends largely on the goals you seek to achieve. Are you saving for retirement, college education for your children, or a vacation home? Each goal must be considered in creating the appropriate asset mix.

Time horizon

Time horizon is the length of time a portfolio will remain invested before withdrawals are made. If your investment horizon is fairly short, you’d likely want a more conservative portfolio—one with returns that do not fluctuate much. If your investment horizon is longer, you could invest more aggressively.

Risk Tolerance

Everyone has a different emotional reaction to sudden changes in their portfolio value. Some people have trouble sleeping at night, while others are unfazed by fluctuations in the market. Risk tolerance is a personal preference and should be tailored to you specifically. However, when determining an appropriate asset allocation mix, it is important to consider not only one’s risk tolerance, but also one’s risk capacity.

Risk Capacity

An investor’s risk tolerance refers to his or her aversion to risk, while an investor’s risk capacity relates to his or her ability to assume risk. Sometimes, an investor’s risk capacity and risk tolerance do not match
up. If an investor’s capacity to take risk is low but the risk tolerance is high, then the portfolio should be reallocated more conservatively to prevent taking unnecessary risk. On the other hand, if an investor’s risk capacity is high but the risk tolerance is low, reallocating the portfolio more aggressively may be necessary to meet future return goals. In either
case, speaking with a financial advisor may help to determine if your risk tolerance and risk capacity are in sync.

Have questions or need a second opinion? Contact us today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.

PFG Private Wealth Management, LLC is a registered investment adviser.  Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. This material and information are not intended to provide tax or legal advice.  Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.  Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

Bad Money Habits to Break in 2018

Do bad money habits constrain your financial progress? Many people fall into the same financial behavior patterns year after year. If you sometimes succumb to these financial tendencies, the New Year is as good an occasion as any to alter your behavior.

#1: Lending money to family & friends. You may know someone who has lent a few thousand to a sister or brother, a few hundred to an old buddy, and so on. Generosity is a virtue, but personal loans can easily transform into personal financial losses for the lender. If you must loan money to a friend or family member, mention that you will charge interest and set a repayment plan with deadlines. Better yet, don’t do it at all. If your friends or relatives can’t learn to budget, why should you bail them out?

#2: Spending more than you make. Living beyond your means, living on margin, whatever you wish to call it, it is a path toward significant debt. Wealth is seldom made by buying possessions; today’s flashy material items may become the garage sale junk of 2027. That doesn’t stop people from racking up consumer debts: a 2017 study conducted by NerdWallet determined that the average U.S. household carries $15,654 in credit card debt alone.1

#3: Saving little or nothing. Good savers build emergency funds, have money to invest and compound, and leave the stress of living paycheck-to-paycheck behind. If you can’t put extra money away, there is another way to get some: a second job. Even working 15-20 hours more per week could make a big difference. The problem of saving too little is far too common: at the end of 2017, the Department of Commerce found the U.S. personal savings rate at 2.9%, a low unseen since 2007.2

#4: Living without a budget. You may make enough money that you don’t feel you need to budget. In truth, few of us are really that wealthy. In calculating a budget, you may find opportunities for savings and detect wasteful spending.

#5: Frivolous spending. Advertisers can make us feel as if we have sudden needs; needs we must respond to, needs that can only be met via the purchase of a product. See their ploys for what they are. Think twice before spending impulsively.

#6: Not using cash often enough. No one can deny that the world runs on credit, but that doesn’t mean your household should. Pay with cash as often as your budget allows.

#7: Gambling. Remember when people had to go to Atlantic City or Nevada to play blackjack or slots? Today, behemoth casinos are as common as major airports; most metro areas seem to have one or be within an hour’s drive of one. If you don’t like smoke and crowds, you can always play the lottery. There are many glamorous ways to lose money while having “fun.” The bottom line: losing money is not fun. It takes willpower to stop gambling. If an addiction has overruled your willpower, seek help.

#8: Inadequate financial literacy. Is the financial world boring? To many people, it is. The Wall Street Journal is not exactly Rolling Stone, and The Economist is hardly light reading. You don’t have to start there, however: great, readable, and even entertaining websites filled with useful financial information abound. Reading an article per day on these websites could help you greatly increase your financial understanding if you feel it is lacking.

#9: Not contributing to IRAs or workplace retirement plans. Even with all the complaints about 401(k)s and the low annual limits on traditional and Roth IRA contributions, these retirement savings vehicles offer you remarkable wealth-building opportunities. The earlier you contribute to them, the better; the more you contribute to them, the more compounding of those invested assets you may potentially realize.

#10: Do It Yourself (DIY) retirement planning. Those who plan for retirement without the help of professionals leave themselves open to abrupt, emotional investing mistakes and tax and estate planning oversights. Another common tendency is to vastly underestimate the amount of money needed for the future. Few people have the time to amass the knowledge and skill set possessed by a financial services professional with years of experience. Instead of flirting with trial and error, see a professional for insight.

If you lack a financial plan, contact our trusted PFG Private Wealth financial professionals here to get started. Consulting with a professional may make all the difference.  

 

Citations.
1 -.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2017/12/12/five-things-you-need-to-know-today-and-why-were.html [12/12/17]
2 – reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy/strong-u-s-consumer-business-spending-bolster-growth-picture-idUSKBN1EG1J2 [12/22/17]
PFG Private Wealth Management, LLC (“RIA Firm”) is a registered investment adviser located in Tampa, FL. PFG Private Wealth Management, LLC may only transact business in those states in which it is registered, or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration requirements. 
Accordingly, the publication of PFG Private Wealth Management, LLC’s online material should not be construed by any consumer and/or prospective client as PFG Private Wealth Management, LLC’s solicitation to effect, or attempt to effect transactions in securities, or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation.
This information is provided for information purposes only.  Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.  Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy.  This material and information are not intended to provide investment, tax, or legal advice.
Insurance products and services are offered and sold through Perry Financial Group and individually licensed and appointed insurance agents.
For more information, click here.

Why You Want a Retirement Plan in Writing

 

When it comes to retirement, defining a written strategy may help you assess just what you need to do.

Many people save and invest vaguely for the future. They know they need to accumulate money for retirement, but when it comes to how much they will need or how they will do it, they are not quite sure. They will “wing it,” hope for the best, and see how it goes. How do they know they are really contributing enough to their retirement accounts? Would they feel less anxious about the future if they had a written plan?

Make no mistake, a written retirement plan sharpens your focus. It can refine dreams into goals and express a strategy to pursue them. According to a Charles Schwab study, just 24% of Americans plan their financial futures according to a written strategy. Here is why you should join their ranks, if you are not yet among them.1,2

You can figure out the “when” of retirement planning. When do you think you will retire and start drawing income from your taxable and tax-advantaged accounts? At what age do you anticipate you will start to collect Social Security? How long do you think you will live? No, you cannot precisely know the answers to these questions at this point – but you can make reasonable assumptions. Your assumptions may be altered, it is true – but a good retirement plan is an evolving document, one that can be revised with changing times.

You can set a target monthly or annual savings rate. Once you have considered some of the “whens,” you can move on to “how.” Assuming a conservative rate of return on your invested assets, you can specify how much to defer into retirement accounts.

You can decide on a risk tolerance and an investment mix that agrees with it. Ultimately, you will invest in a way that a) makes sense for your objectives and b) makes you comfortable. The investment mix that you decide on today may not be the one you will favor ten years from now or even three years from now. Regular portfolio reviews should complement the stated investment approach.

You can think about ways to get more retirement income instead of less. Tax reduction should be part of your retirement strategy. Think about the possibility of part of your Social Security income being taxed. Think about tax on your Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from your IRAs and employee retirement plan. What could you do to manage, or even minimize, the income and capital gains taxes ahead of you?

You can tackle the medical expense question. That is, how will you fund the medical care that you will inevitably need to greater or lesser degree someday? Should you assign part of your savings to a special account or form of insurance for that purpose? Retiring before 65 may mean paying for some private health insurance in the years before Medicare eligibility.

You can think about your legacy. While a retirement plan should not be equated with an estate plan, the very fact of planning for your later years does make you think about some things: where you want your money to go when you are gone; your endgame for your company or professional practice; whether part of your accumulated wealth should go to causes or charities.

A written plan promotes confidence and a degree of control. A 2017 Wells Fargo/Gallup survey determined that those with written retirement plans were nearly twice as confident of having sufficient retirement income in the future, compared to those with no written plan.3

If you lack a written retirement plan, contact our trusted PFG Private Wealth financial professionals here to get started. Writing it all down may make a difference in planning for your second act.  

This material was prepared by MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. This information has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. Please note – investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.  

Investment advisory services offered through PFG Private Wealth Management, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor. 

Citations.
1 – kiplinger.com/article/retirement/T023-C032-S014-do-you-have-a-written-financial-plan.html [10/25/17]
2 – aboutschwab.com/images/uploads/inline/Charles_Schwab-Modern_Wealth_Index-findings_deck.pdf [6/17]
3 – time.com/money/4860595/how-to-retire-wealthy/ [7/18/17]