Investing Archives - Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors

Understanding the Pros and Cons of High-Risk Investments

Written by Zachary Morris, CFP® on March 10, 2021.

A Look at Seven High-Risk Investment Options for the Investor with High-Risk Tolerance

There is no one right way to invest. Smart investing takes into consideration the individual and their personal preferences, and these preferences include things like risk tolerance and overall comfort as an investor. This is because there is a broad spectrum of investment options available, and some are inherently riskier than others. As the level of risk increases, so too do the possible gains – and the potential losses. While some level of risk is a natural part of investing, high-risk investments aren’t a good fit for most people. Still, if you have tolerance for it, you may be able to reap great rewards by adding them to your investment portfolio.

Below we’ll discuss the pros and cons of seven of the most popular high-risk investments.

How to Maximize Your Earnings Through Smart Career Moves at Any Age

Written by Zachary Morris, CFP® on January 13, 2021.

Steps to Bring You Closer to Financial Security in Any Phase of Life

Achieving financial security demands the cultivation of good money habits. These include saving regularly, sticking to a budget, and investing wisely. However, wealth management isn’t the only way to go about establishing a firm financial footing. It’s also critically important that you manage your career smartly. The choices you make at work can have a lasting and significant impact on your future financial comfort.

Here are some steps you can take to maximize your earnings at work no matter where you are in your career.

The Cost of College: 5 – 10 – 15 Years from Now

Written by Zachary Morris, CFP® on September 7, 2020.

As Educational Costs Continue to Rise, Parents and Students Must Be Prepared

Saving for college can seem like an uphill battle, especially given that costs have risen an average of 5 percent annually for the last decade. Accumulated College Board data for the 2019-2020 academic year showed an average cost of $21,950 as an in-state student at a state school, and a whopping $49,870 for a private school. Doing the math easily reveals that four years at any school will cost a pretty penny, especially if your children aren’t close to college age just yet.

Assuming cost trends continue, parents and prospective students will face steep tuition bills in the future.

How to Maximize Your Stock Options

Written by Zachary Morris, CFP® on August 24, 2020.

The Key Considerations You’ll Need to Best Leverage this Employee Benefit

Stock options have become a popular way for employers to compensate employees and incentivize high-quality work. Not only are they convenient and cost-effective for the employer, but they provide employees with added value for a job well done. When employees feel valued and do good work, the company’s stock value rises, and everyone wins.

Since stock options aren’t as cut and dry as a normal paycheck, though, many employees don’t fully understand how to make the most of them. Below we’ll discuss how stock options work, when to exercise them, and how to maximize this type of compensation.

The Basics of Employee Stock Options

When an employer offers stock options as part of your benefits package, it means you’ll have the opportunity to purchase a certain amount of company stock for a set price called the “grant price”, and typically within a set time frame. Most often, employers want to incentivize you to stay with the company long-term, so you may have to wait until your stock options vest – that is, until they reach the point in time when they become available to you to exercise. This means new employees usually can’t take advantage of them right away. Once they vest, you’ll have a specific time period in which to use your stock options before they expire.

How Can Your Child Benefit from a Roth IRA?

Written by Zachary Morris, CFP® on June 25, 2019.

When you think of a Roth IRA, you aren’t usually picturing a child as the owner. But, when you dig deeper, a Roth really is an ideal savings vehicle because they have more than a half-century to watch their contributions grow tax-free. Plus, there is a great deal of flexibility allowing you to withdraw your contributions at any time without tax or penalties (*subject to certain withdrawal guidelines noted below).

Impact Investing: Pros and Cons

Written by Zachary Morris, CFP® on May 1, 2019.

“SOCIETY IS DEMANDING THAT COMPANIES, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, SERVE A SOCIAL PURPOSE. TO PROSPER OVER TIME, EVERY COMPANY MUST NOT ONLY DELIVER FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE BUT ALSO SHOW HOW IT MAKES A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY.”- LARRY FINK, CEO OF BLACKROCK.

Recently, as Impact Investing has gained more attention in the investment world, we have received a number of questions from clients and prospective clients about what it is, whether it is a viable strategy, how it can be implemented into an existing investment strategy and whether we currently offer impact investing strategies to our clients. Given the frequency of these questions, we wanted to share this article to shed some light on the subject.

It should be made clear that we do not currently have a specific strategy dedicated to impact investing and it is not commonly a mitigating factor in the manner in which we make our investment decisions as a fiduciary to our clients. If in the future, there comes a demand for such a strategy, then we will consider incorporating impact investing and the values behind it into our portfolios.