Archive for June, 2011

Paying for Your Self-Improvement

Career, Personal finance, Tips for saving money

It seems like working towards self-improvement is one of the most expensive things people spend money on–and yet people rarely if ever talk about how costly paying for self-improvement can be.  The gurus are silent–perhaps because they’re in the self-improvement business.

Almost anything we classify as “improving ourselves” can come with a price–and sometimes a hefty one.  What do you classify as self-improvement that’s really an excuse to overspend?  Or in the case of an internship, to under-earn?

When you’re keeping up with the latest fashions, is that a form of self-improvement or is it a matter of simply being wasteful with your money?  “It depends on the requirements of your job,” I can almost hear you all saying.  Fine, but what about college educations?  College is supposed to be the ultimate form of self-improvement, but how often do we overpay for a college’s “name” that won’t likely lead to a better career.

I haven’t detected much of a difference in the career success of a graduate from an average private school v. a graduate from an average public school–other than the amount of debt they often each carry.

This post will go over some of the basic “improvement” expenses and how to minimize their cost.  Because no matter how great your improvement, you’re still not going to get anywhere with an empty wallet.

Self-Improvement Education (Non-College).

I’ve paid thousands of dollars for books, e-books, and even some online “courses.”  I’ve learned how to be minimalistic, optimistic, and how to invest in penny stocks.  I’ve learned time management and been coached in obtaining web traffic for my sites.  Ok—I haven’t really done all of these things (yet), but you get the point.  A lot of the stuff we pay for can be found for free on websites such as this one or in free e-books like Dividend Guy’s new e-book on dividend investing.

A formal education is expensive enough, let alone paying for many of these educational tools.  But here’s the caveat–a great e-book, book, or course can ultimately really lead to self-improvement.  If that’s the case, then it’s worth the investment.  Just be sure to do your homework and to try and hone in on one area of improvement at a time so you get the most out of the resource outlay.  Of course your homework should also point you to the high quality self-improvement books rather than the scams.  Remember, if it’s too good to be true or they are promising too much, generally SKIP IT.

Fashion

Ok, I’ll be honest, I may am not be qualified to even talk about fashion…but I’m going to anyway.  Who hasn’t justified a new shirt or hairstyle by thinking that it will “make me more presentable at work” or “make me feel more confident.”  To some extent that is true, but there is certainly a cost-effective way to go about it.  This is easy–search for sales, and don’t get caught up in “names.”  More importantly, don’t throw out your clothes because they “go out of style” or “no longer fit.”  Fashion is in flux–just like your weight likely will be, for the majority of people, myself included.  Speaking of which–

Dieting

I once lost a tremendous amount of weight.  Again, I used free websites for any info I needed or to track my calories.  I didn’t read or implement any fad diet plans and I didn’t consult with any experts or join any groups.  I simply ate less and exercised more.  I also found that you can keep in shape without an expensive gym–but it’s a lot tougher.  Sometimes it’s worth spending that extra money to improve yourself or obtain your goals.

College

I already addressed this above, but the trick is to focus on the value of your education.  In other words, to focus on the expected Rate of return (ROI) for your college experience.  What is the average starting salary?  What are your odds of graduating in four years?  What types of scholarships or grants can you apply or qualify for?  And once you’re there, the key is to target college as a great opportunity for personal growth rather than a chance to party or avoid work for four (plus) years.

Networking

I always fall into this trap.  In my day job I will always be going to “so and so’s retirement dinner,” or “this or thats trade convention.”  I am a member of the local chamber of commerce.  I am constantly attending association events or going out for a few drinks with colleagues.  It’s both tiring and expensive–and sometimes (often, actually) I never get a client from my attempts. At the same time, you’re only as good as your ability to obtain your next job, so perhaps it is oftentimes worth the investment.

If you can, have your employer pay for these types of things.

Conclusion

I believe in life-long learning.  I always want to strive to be more productive and improved in different ways that I value.  At the same time, I don’t want to pay for my improvement–at least not more than I am receiving.  If you can keep your costs down, then you can work on yourself without paying for it.

Just think of this as another way for you to start improving yourself…and who doesn’t like another self-improvement project?

What have you done to mitigate the sometimes expensive self-improvement costs?  What “self-improvement” rationalizations do you make?

 

Using Excel’s future value (fv) function to make a case for ETF’s

Excel function tutorials

In recent months, we have often had discussions about ETF’s and they are gaining a lot of traction all around the world as a better way to manage finances. There are many differences between ETF’s and more traditional mutual funds but by far the most important one is the difference in fees for the investor. The most important fee when discussing long term investments is without any doubt the MER, the management fees that will be charged to the investor every year until he decides to get out of the investment. ETF’s usually charge a fee between 0.05% and 1% while mutual funds typically charge between 1-3%. It’s probably say to say that the average difference between the two is close to 1.50% in annual fees.

Is It That Simple?

Not quite no as another difference between the two is the fees that are charged when entering and exiting your position. Since ETF’s are traded on an exchange, investors end up paying commissions while for mutual funds it is a bit more complex as some funds charge for entry, exit and those fees can depend on the length of the investment among many other criteria. I would however say that in general the entry fee might be more important on mutual funds. Is it significant? Not if you end up paying less every year for a decade, two or even more. While the difference will vary quite a bit from one investor to another, I think it’s fair to assume that in general an investor using ETF’s over mutual funds will end up saving 1% or so on average per year.

Is 1% That Much Of A Difference?

I hear the question loud and clear but I think that instead of discussing the importance of fees over time, their effect on the compound return, I thought I would do an example in excel. I will paste the detailed tables to start off and then the much more simple use of the “future value” function. Let’s start with assumptions.

Judy has $100,000 in investments, expects to generate 6% per year, will invest $12,000 per year and will retire 35 years from now. How much money does she expect to have by then? Here is a simplified spreadsheet:

Over $2.1 million! Impressive isn’t it? Now let’s assume she could keep the same return with ETF’s but save 1% annually on fees, here is the result:

Over $2.7 million, a difference of over $600,000!!! That is an incredible difference and is a great example of why those 1% of fees matter a lot more than you could possibly imagine. I don’t think I need to go much deeper into the reasons why but i did want to show off a much easier way to compare the two by using Excel’s Future Value (FV) function. It’s easy, much cleaner and easier to play around. Here is an example of the same comparison using the FV function:

Only the two last lines have formulas as they use the FV function. The formula in B7 is:

B7: = FV(B3,B5,-B2,-B1)

And I calculated the same with an added 1% of return by doing the following:

B9: = FV(B3+0.01,B5,-B2,-B1)

The $100.00 “Swing”

Personal finance, Tips for saving money

Want the extra money to buy a new car every few years?  How about extra money to go on a nice vacation each year?  Could an extra $5,000 each year come in handy for you?  Of course.  But how hard is it to make that a reality?  Actually, not very hard at all.  You just need to find a way to create a weekly $100.00 “swing.”

Step 1: List 5 Daily Habits You Could Break, and Their Attendant Costs

Too often, personal finance sites talk about abstract ideas.  “If you could save an extra $100.00 each week you could retire by Age 55.”  I want you to take action. Specifically, first I want you to sit down right now and come up with a list of 5 daily or weekly habits you could break.   Next to the habit, approximate the average weekly cost.  The list could look something like this:

1) coffee in the mornings on the way to work: $25.00.

2) Smoking: $50.00

3) Eating out for lunch: $35.00.

4) Expensive Hobby:  $30.00.

5) Buying books I could be borrowing from the library.  $15.00.

Step 2: List 5 Extra Ways You Could Realistically Make Extra Money Each Week, and The Expected Income Gain.

This list could look something like:

1) Move money from checking to savings: $10.00.

2) Babysit: $35.00.

3) Blog: $20.00.

4) Clean an office once a week: $75.00.

5) Odd Jobs/selling scrap metal: $40.00.

Step 3: Choose Any Combination of Savings/Increased Earnings to Reach $100.00 Per Week.

So, using my example list, I could decide to move money to savings from checking ($10.00), quit smoking ($50.00), and take on odd jobs each week ($40.00).  Then, each week I would have to make sure I was paying myself via savings rather than allowing lifestyle creep to set in.

If I did that each week for the next year I should have approximately an extra $5,200 (although taxes might reduce this amount).

Why did I walk you through this?  Because it really is that easy.  Now if you’re not ready to quit smoking, then I’m not trying to undersell how difficult that step might be for you.  And I know firsthand how tough it is to quit, being an ex-smoker myself.  But that’s the beauty of the $100.00 swing: you can earn/reduce expenses any way you would like to get to $100.00 per week.

You might be wondering, why $100.00?

I chose $100.00 because it is a substantial savings but also quite realistic.  Almost anybody could find a way to earn/reduce expenses $100.00 per week, if they really put their mind to it.

Motivation and the $100.00 “Swing”

Often we start out strong when we decide to earn more/spend less, but with time begin to lose motivation.  I have found greater success when I keep a daily/weekly log.  Every week I log how much extra money I make on the side.  Not only does this help come tax season, but it also helps with keeping me fixed on my goal.

I’ll be going to Europe on vacation in a few weeks thanks to my “swing.”  I call this extra money my “mad money.”  — which of course is an old saying which means, spend it how you please.

There may be times when you need to tap into this money due to an emergency.  That will hurt, but it’s still a better feeling than being short the money and increasing your debt load.  If you can though, think of a motivating goal and stick to it.  There are more intelligent ways I could spend my “mad money”, but perhaps I wouldn’t be saving as hard if that were the case.  You might be more motivated than me.  For me this extra money allows me to do the types of things I really love doing.

Another way to motivate yourself is a fore each $1.00 of fun, you put aside another $1.00 towards paying down debt/saving for retirement or any other goals that you have.

Conclusion

With time, you may find that it is easier to create the $100.00 swing each week.  You might even decide to get ambitious and go for a $125.00 or $150.00 swing.  It’s like exercising, the more tolerance you build up, the easier it is to enact real change in your finances, and in your life.

Best of luck to you as you set out to create a $100.00 “swing” in your own life.

What are your tips/suggestions for freeing up/creating an extra $100.00 each week?

Asset Allocation for Retirement

Asset Allocation


Last week, I discussed the importance of making an asset allocation by age. In this post, I was explaining my “ideal” asset allocation according to your age. From the age of 51 until 65, I suggested investing in a balanced portfolio. This includes having 50% of your portfolio “at risk”. Why would you invest so much in equities when you are about to retire? There are some reasons why asset allocation for retirement should be relatively aggressive:

#1 You didn’t save enough when you were younger

The very first reason why your asset allocation for retirement should contain about 50% in stocks or index ETFs is because you may not have saved enough throughout your life. Therefore, low investment returns (such as 3-4%) won’t be enough to create a comfy nest egg. You will need to reach for a 5 to 6% investment return in order to retire early and happy! If you secure your asset allocation in bonds, you won’t be able to make it. This is why around 50% of your investments should be related to stocks in the decade before retiring.

#2 You will live longer than you think

There are 2 major mistakes people commit when they do their retirement planning:

a)      They overestimate their investment return

b)      They underestimate their life expectancy

While overestimating the investment returns (thinking you will be making 7-8% over the next 20 years) is an obvious mistake, many think they need money until they are 80 or 85… Well chances are that you will live until 90, 95…maybe even 100!

If you live until the age of 90, you need a much bigger investment portfolio than if you didn’t think you will see the sun after the age of 80. Here again, you will need to count on a higher investment yield to support your lifestyle. Modifying your asset allocation for retirement is about one of the only things you can do to make sure you have enough money.

#3 You won’t withdraw all your money in the first 5 years

Many people think that once they retire, they must invest in very secure investment vehicles. They are about to withdraw money from their investments and they fear any fluctuations. This is usually why they make the mistake of playing around with the asset allocation upon retirement. This is a very bad move!

When you look at it bluntly; you will be withdrawing money from your investments during the next 20 to 30 years. Therefore, there is no rush to change your asset allocation for a more conservative portfolio. A good asset allocation for retirement will be one that:

a)      Will be flexible (so you can withdraw money on a steady basis)

b)      Will protect your capital against inflation (so you don’t lose your buying power over time)

c)       Will ensure you have enough money throughout your retirement! (so you don’t have to go back to work!)

Asset Allocation For Retirement – Sharing my model

I will go a little bit further with determining your asset allocation for your retirement by providing a model. Personally, I would start by creating a 45% fixed income, 55% equity portfolio with more aggressive investments in the fixed income portion if you are between 50 and 65;

25% of your investments in municipal bonds or mortgage funds

This will give you a solid base with little fluctuations. The fact that you are mixing mortgage funds with bonds will protect you from the risk of interest rate increases (as mortgage funds have shorter durations than bonds).

20% in a dividend ETF or stocks along with preferred shares or high yield bonds

This part of your asset allocation will still count as fixed income but will definitely run into some variations. If you are not too sure about dividend investing, I suggest you take a look at What is a Dividend, a reference for beginner dividend investors.
20% in US index ETFs

The US market is probably the most diversified and effective stock markets in the world. You can find very good companies that operate all over the world. While it hasn’t given much to its holders during the past 10 years (mostly because of the 2008 crisis), I think that the next 10 years will be different!

15% in Canadian index ETFs

Most investors are advised to invest a part of your account in commodities. While I don’t like commodities and would rather invest in companies, I am picking the Canadian market in my retirement asset allocation. Why? Because a great part of the Canadian economy is driven by different resources such as oil, gas, gold and paper. Buying the Canadian index is like buying commodities without taking all the speculative risk on your shoulders.

10% in International index ETFs

Since the beginning of this retirement asset allocation model, we have discussed nothing but North American investments. I think that having a part invested in the international market wouldn’t hurt either!

10% in Emerging Market ETFs

Finally, emerging markets should be part of any retirement asset allocation model. Why? Because you will probably live as a retiree for 20, 25 even 30 years. This is why you need some sources of growth over the long term. Emerging markets seem to be the perfect investment vehicle for that!

What do you think of my retirement asset allocation? Do you find it too aggressive? Would you be comfortable with such an asset allocation?