The theme for this week is: how to pick a financial advisor.

Today, let’s talk about why you might want to consider a financial advisor in the first place. I’m sure many of my beloved listeners are DIY investors, and that’s fine. So let me just spend some time today discussing when using a financial advisor might be a good fit for you.

I find that people generally outsource their financial and investment decisions to a financial advisor for one or more of the following reasons:

1. Time. Managing your money and making smart financial decisions requires time. What is your time worth? Many people find that their time is worth much more than the few hundred or few thousand dollars they pay to their financial advisor each year. Not worrying about staying on top of your retirement portfolio frees you up to spend time on more meaningful and profitable activities.
2. Know-how: Financial planning and investing your money can get complicated, especially as you transition into retirement and aren’t just trying to save enough to maximize the growth. Now we have to protect and continue to grow this nest egg, make decisions about social security, taxes, and estate planning that have massive consequences. So understanding how to make smart investment and retirement planning decisions is critical. This is by far the #1 reason I see smart, capable people outsource their investment management and retirement planning decisions. It’s just complicated and it can be harmful when you don’t know what you don’t know.
3. Nerves of steel. Stock markets are a wild roller coaster. If you watch cable news everyday, you’re bound to think that the world is collapsing any day now. Staying invested when the economy is collapsing requires just a wee bit of ice water flowing through those veins of yours. On the flip side, you’ll need to be cautious and not greedy, so you don’t fall for get-rich-quick schemes or investments that are just too good to be true.

So if you have all 3 of these qualities in spades - time, know-how, and nerves of steel - by all means, continue doing it yourself. Just make sure you’re honest with yourself and not being penny wise and pound foolish.

That’s it for today, Thanks for listening!

Tomorrow, come on back, because I’m going to talk about something that very few people understand, yet it’s one of the most important qualities you’ll want to look for in a financial advisor - what is a fiduciary advisor and why you should care.

My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip.

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>>> Check out our blog: https://truenorthretirementadvisors.com/blog/

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Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, fee only financial advisor, financial planner, how to pick a financial advisor, fiduciary financial advisor, fiduciary, fiduciary law

The theme for this week is: how to pick a financial advisor. Here’s the reality: There are about 300,000 financial advisors in the United States. Many are trustworthy, competent, and looking out for your best interest. But the barrier of entry to being a financial advisor is low, and you might occasionally come across a bad apple - never a good thing when it’s your money and your retirement. So this week, I’ll explain the criteria by which you’ll want to chose and evaluate a financial advisor.

I may be a little biased, but a great financial advisor is worth their weight in gold, so my aim is to help you find that gold nugget of a steller human being to manage your money and guide you with some of the most important financial decisions you’ll make in life.

We’ll talk about what a fiduciary is & why it matters, interview questions you should ask a potential advisor or your current advisor, and the most important question to ask that you’re probably not asking.

Picking a financial advisor is a big decision, and ideally, if it’s a good fit, it’s a relationship that lasts for decades or even longer in the case of multi-generational relationships. Hopefully at the end of this week you’ll be better equipped to pick the right financial advisor for you and your family.

That’s it for today, but before you go, would you take a quick minute to leave a review in Amazon or iTunes? And thanks to those of you who have already taken the time to leave a review.

My name is Ashley Micciche...and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip.

----------

>>> Subscribe on iTunes: https://apple.co/2DI2LSP

>>> Subscribe on Amazon Alexa: https://amzn.to/2xRKrCs

>>> Check out our blog: https://truenorthretirementadvisors.com/blog/

----------

Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, fee only financial advisor, financial planner, how to pick a financial advisor, fiduciary financial advisor, fiduciary, fiduciary law

It’s Sunday, which means...It’s recap time!

The theme for this week was: IPO investing. An IPO, or initial public offering, refers to a stock that becomes publicly traded for the first time. When a company offers ownership for the first time to the public, it can seem like a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor, but investors should exercise caution when investing in IPOs.

Hopefully after listening to the tips this week, you better understand how the IPO market works, what qualities to look for in an IPO, and make smart decisions about when you may want to invest in an IPO and when it’s best to watch from the sidelines.

Here’s what we covered this week:

• What is an IPO
• Is an IPO a worthwhile investment?
• What you need to know about how IPOs work
• Qualities to look for in an IPO
• When to buy
• And...how much of portfolio you might want to allocate to IPOs if you wanna play in the IPO market with a little bit of mad money

If you missed any of these episodes, you can find them on iTunes or Google Play by searching for the “One Minute Retirement Tip with Ashley”.

Tomorrow, come on back, because we’re starting a brand new theme: How to pick a financial advisor. This is a very popular topic, and there is a certain set of criteria you should look for in a financial advisor. Many “financial advisors” out there are looking out for the best interest of their clients, yet many aren’t. Since the barrier of entry to being a financial advisor is so low, I’ll explain the questions you should ask your advisor to make sure they are competent, qualified, and looking out for you.

That’s it for this week! Thanks for listening.

My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the “One Minute Retirement Tip”.

----------

>>> Subscribe on iTunes: https://apple.co/2DI2LSP

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>>> Check out our blog: https://truenorthretirementadvisors.com/blog/

----------

Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, IPO, IPOs, what is an IPO, lyft IPO, uber IPO, recent IPO, pinterest IPO, initial public offering

The theme for this week is IPOs. An IPO, or initial public offering, refers to a stock that becomes publicly traded for the first time. When a company offers ownership for the first time to the public, it can seem like a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor, but investors should exercise caution when investing in IPOs.

Today I’m focusing on how much you should allocate to an IPO. I should preface this by saying that most investors should probably steer clear of IPOs. They tend to be highly speculative, with very little established history, so for most investors it’s best to just sit on the sidelines in most cases.

But IPOs can also be a fun way to make investing in the stock market a little more interesting. Personally, I’ve never invested in an IPO. But I also hate gambling. If you want to make things a little interesting, you could allocate a small percentage of your portfolio to “mad money”.

Whatever you allocate to speculative investments must pass the vanish-into-thin-air test. In other words, if you lose it all tomorrow, you wouldn’t lose sleep over it. If I was advising a client in this area who really wanted a mad money account, I would suggest anywhere from 1-5% of the portfolio, but no more. It doesn’t matter if you buy 1 IPO or 20 IPOs - I don’t think it’s wise to allocate more than 5% of your portfolio to speculative investments like IPOs.

And try to be discerning about the IPOs you invest in. Pick no more than 1 or 2 a year, do your research, be careful about when you buy, and only select the highest quality IPOs that you think can go the distance as solid long-term investments. If you can keep that criteria in mind, you’ll be more likely to succeed and not flush your mad money down the drain.

That’s it for today. Tomorrow, we’re going to recap the week and I’m going to give you a little preview of next week’s theme.

Before you continue on with your day, please take a moment to leave a review for the One Minute Retirement Tip in Amazon. If you’re getting any value from these tips, it’s a great way to share the love. And thank you to those of you who have already taken the time to write a review.

My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip.

----------

>>> Subscribe on iTunes: https://apple.co/2DI2LSP

>>> Subscribe on Amazon Alexa: https://amzn.to/2xRKrCs

>>> Check out our blog: https://truenorthretirementadvisors.com/blog/

----------

Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, IPO, IPOs, what is an IPO, lyft IPO, uber IPO, recent IPO, pinterest IPO, initial public offering

The theme for this week is IPOs. An IPO, or initial public offering, refers to a stock that becomes publicly traded for the first time. When a company offers ownership for the first time to the public, it can seem like a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor, but investors should exercise caution when investing in IPOs.

So this week I’m sharing with you what you need to know when considering an investment in a newly minted publicly traded company.

If you caught previous episodes this week, you might have picked up on the fact that I’m not a huge fan of IPOs. They are highly speculative, and many IPOs just don’t pass the test when it comes to their established history of profitability.

That being said, there is still opportunity to make money in IPOs if you want to have a little fun and play in the IPO market.

Today I want to focus on timing, which is crucial to be aware of if you’re going to invest in IPOs.

Timing matters because many investors who invest in IPOs are not in it for the long-haul. They’re looking to flip and make a quick profit. If you realize that, you’re less likely to get burned.

In the first few days of trading, there is a lot of excitement around IPOs and there can be wild swings in price. It’s often a good idea to sit on the sidelines in the initial days to let things settle down. After the initial hype, you may want to look again and see where the stock is and decide if you want to own it.

The other timing consideration that you want to be aware of is when the lock-up period for the IPO expires. Company and other insiders who were issued stock in the initial IPO will often be free to sell shares after the lock-up period, which can range from 3-24 months after the IPO. Many insiders will sell their shares after the lock-up period, so knowing when the lock-up period expires will help you from getting blindsided if insiders dump their shares and drive the stock price lower. The plus-side is that the dip in price that usually accompanies the end of a lock-up period can often be a good time to buy.

That’s it for today. Thanks for listening.

My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip.

----------

>>> Subscribe on iTunes: https://apple.co/2DI2LSP

>>> Subscribe on Amazon Alexa: https://amzn.to/2xRKrCs

>>> Check out our blog: https://truenorthretirementadvisors.com/blog/

----------

Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, IPO, IPOs, what is an IPO, lyft IPO, uber IPO, recent IPO, pinterest IPO, initial public offering

The theme for this week is IPOs. An IPO, or initial public offering, refers to a stock that becomes publicly traded for the first time. When a company offers ownership for the first time to the public, it can seem like a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor, but investors should exercise caution when investing in IPOs.

So this week I’m sharing with you what you need to know when considering an investment in a newly minted publicly traded company.

Today, we’re going to dive a little deeper into that to discuss qualities you should look for if you’re serious about buying one of the upcoming IPOs in 2019.

If you want to be a smart IPO investor, you’ll want to look at an IPO the same way you would look at any other stock investment. That means you’ll want to look at revenue, profitability, debt-to-capital ratio, P/E ratios, etc.

Ah, but here’s the problem: Because an IPO isn’t a publicly traded company yet, that information is pretty limited.

You won’t be able to analyze historical trends in these fundamentals because there isn’t much history. A prospectus for an IPO will provide some basic financial data going back a few years, but it’s very limited.

On top of that, many IPOs are still losing money when they go public. You could find an IPO with strong fundamentals and a solid history of profitability, but it’s not typical.

Personally, I don’t want to invest in something that’s not profitable, and IPOs are no exception. That’s how investors got burned in the dot-com bubble in the late 1990’s. New internet IPOs were all the rage, and so investors usually didn’t look under the hood.  

That’s it for today. Thanks for listening!

My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip.

---------

>>> Subscribe on iTunes: https://apple.co/2DI2LSP

>>> Subscribe on Amazon Alexa: https://amzn.to/2xRKrCs

>>> Check out our blog: https://truenorthretirementadvisors.com/blog/

----------

Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, IPO, IPOs, what is an IPO, lyft IPO, uber IPO, recent IPO, pinterest IPO, initial public offering

The theme for this week is IPOs. An IPO, or initial public offering, refers to a stock that becomes publicly traded for the first time. When a company offers ownership for the first time to the public, it can seem like a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor, but investors should exercise caution when investing in IPOs.

So this week I’m sharing with you what you need to know when considering an investment in a newly minted publicly traded company.

Yesterday, we covered how an IPO works and today we’re going to discuss whether or not most IPOs are good investment.

What makes an IPO a potentially good investment is the potential for growth and a quick win. Many IPO companies are in a high growth phase, and so the potential for big gains in a short period of time is very appetizing for investors. And for investors who get in on the initial offer price, it’s not unusual for them to flip their shares at a handsome profit after just a few months.

It’s part of our human nature to want a quick and easy win, and who wouldn’t love the bragging rights and fat bank account of getting in on the giants like Amazon or Apple when they were still teething infants.

However, the speculative nature of IPOs should also give you pause.

We don’t need to look far to find an IPO flop. It’s a common refrain. Just look at Groupon. In 2011, Groupon went public at an initial offering price of $20/share. The stock jumped to $26/share in it’s first day of trading, but a little over year later, Groupon stock was trading below $3/share. $26 down to $3!

In more recent years, the stock has flatlined in the $3-5 range, and doesn’t shown any sign of returning to it’s IPO price any time soon.Investors were buying at $26/share...just be glad it wasn’t you, or at least I hope it wasn’t.

That’s it for today! Thanks for listening.

My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip.

----------

>>> Subscribe on iTunes: https://apple.co/2DI2LSP

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>>> Check out our blog: https://truenorthretirementadvisors.com/blog/

----------

Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, IPO, IPOs, what is an IPO, lyft IPO, uber IPO, recent IPO, pinterest IPO, initial public offering

The theme for this week is IPOs. An IPO, or initial public offering, refers to a stock that becomes publicly traded for the first time. When a company offers ownership for the first time to the public, it can seem like a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor, but investors should exercise caution when investing in IPOs.

So this week I’m sharing with you what you need to know when considering an investment in a newly minted publicly traded company.

Yesterday, we covered IPOs 101 and what this topic is timely right now. Today, I want to focus on how an IPO works.

When you understand why a company sells shares or ownership of the company to the public, you can better understand whether or not an investment in an IPO makes sense for you.

One of the primary reasons why a company will issue shares of their company to the general public is to raise money to grow and expand. Sure, companies can borrow money or seek other private investors to buy-in to their company, a la Shark Tank, but issuing shares on the stock exchanges raises a lot of money...and quickly.

When Facebook went public in 2012, they raised over $16 billion dollars in that initial IPO and look how they’ve expanded since then.

The catch with IPOs for us common folk is that there’s a 99.99% chance that you won’t have access to those initial shares. The investment banking firms that bring these IPOs to market allocate shares to their best clients only. So unless you’re a top client of JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, or Morgan Stanley, you’ll have to wait for those IPO shares to start trading, which means that they may have already jumped up in price by the time you buy.

That’s it for today, Thanks for listening!

Tomorrow, come on back, because I’m going to look at whether or not most IPOs are actually a good investment.

My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip.

----------

>>> Subscribe on iTunes: https://apple.co/2DI2LSP

>>> Subscribe on Amazon Alexa: https://amzn.to/2xRKrCs

>>> Check out our blog: https://truenorthretirementadvisors.com/blog/

----------

Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, IPO, IPOs, what is an IPO, lyft IPO, uber IPO, recent IPO, pinterest IPO, initial public offering

The theme for this week is IPOs. An IPO, or initial public offering, refers to when a stock becomes publicly traded for the first time. There is usually a lot of excitement and clamor for IPOs. When a company offers ownership for the first time to the public, it can seem like a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

IPO investing can be a fun way to own stocks, but investors should exercise caution when investing in IPOs. So this week I’m going to share with you what you need to know when considering an investment in a newly minted publicly traded company.

I’ll talk about what you should look for in an IPO, and when you should stay away. With the recent influx of IPOs this spring - notably, Lyft, Uber, Levi Strauss, and Pinterest, this is a timely topic and one that I’m excited to dive into this week.

That’s it for today, but before you go, would you take a quick minute to leave a review in Amazon or iTunes? And thanks to those of you who have already taken the time to leave a review.

My name is Ashley Micciche...and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip.

----------

>>> Subscribe on iTunes: https://apple.co/2DI2LSP

>>> Subscribe on Amazon Alexa: https://amzn.to/2xRKrCs

>>> Check out our blog: https://truenorthretirementadvisors.com/blog/

----------

Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, IPO, IPOs, what is an IPO, lyft IPO, uber IPO, recent IPO, pinterest IPO, initial public offering

It’s Sunday, which means...It’s recap time!

The theme for this week was: The 4 L’s of retirement, a useful tool to think about and prioritize your retirement goals within the context of 4 seperate, but related factors.

Hopefully after listening to the tips this week, you’re better equipped to plan for your spending in retirement, and you have a greater understanding for the proper attention that each of these categories will require in the retirement planning process.

The 4 L’s, covered in detail this week are:

• Longevity
• Lifestyle
• Liquidity, and
• Legacy

If you missed any of these episodes, you can find them on iTunes or Google Play by searching for the “One Minute Retirement Tip with Ashley”.

Tomorrow, come on back, because we’re starting a brand new theme: IPOs. IPO stands for initial public offering. It refers to when a stock becomes publicly traded for the first time. There have been a huge influx of IPOs this spring - notably, Lyft, Uber, Levi Strauss, and Pinterest. We’ll talk about what qualities an investor should look for before investing in IPO, when you may want to consider an IPO, and when you’re better off just watching from the sidelines.

That’s it for this week! Thanks for listening.

My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the “One Minute Retirement Tip”.

----------

>>> Subscribe on iTunes: https://apple.co/2DI2LSP

>>> Subscribe on Amazon Alexa: https://amzn.to/2xRKrCs

>>> Check out our blog: https://truenorthretirementadvisors.com/blog/

----------

Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, retirement income planning, retirement income sources, retirement income, retirement income withdrawal, retirement spending strategies, how long will money last in retirement, do I have enough to retire, retirement lifestyle