A Winter Wonderland
Enjoy this week's edition of the Planner's Beta
Beta (n) - climber's jargon that designates information about a climb This digest's purpose is to share observations, ideas, and treasures found this week which you may also find insightful. Sharing does not mean it's an endorsement. I am endorsing the pursuit of knowledge and exploration.
This past weekend, a good friend and I set out on a backcountry ski pulk trip. We skied to Sparks Lake. There we set up camp, which is where we stayed for two nights. Each night we were out, temperatures dropped into the twenties, and we received new snow accumulations. Just as the clouds started to roll in our second night out, I was able to catch this photo of Mt. Bachelor during the golden hour.
I am looking forward to getting back out in the snow again, sometime soon.
I Started Trading Hot Stocks on Robinhood. Then I Couldn't Stop. (Wall Street Journal) In this piece, Jason Zweig (a columnist at the Wall Street Journal) shares his experience trading on Robinhood's popular trading platform. Robinhood carved out a portion of the market by offering no trading commissions to users and became a popular platform among Millennial traders. Zweig explains the app's graphics and notifications and the impact it has on his behavior. During his experiment with Robinhood, he traded in several speculative positions. Although he doesn't say it outright, it sounds like the app design purposely engages users to continue trading on their platform. The app uses Las Vegas like graphics to draw in user attention. Users of this program should remain vigilant from getting drawn into the flashy graphics and constant notifications. Daily trading is a hazardous endeavor. Zweig correctly points out in the article,
"You can't invest without trading, but you can trade without investing. Even the most patient and meticulous buy-and-hold investor has to buy in the first place. A short-term trader, however, can make money—for a while, by sheer luck—without knowing anything. And thinking you're investing when all you're doing is trading is like trying to run a marathon by doing 26 one-mile sprints right after the other. To invest means, literally, to clothe yourself in an asset. That gives a stock the chance to work for you over the years it may take for a company to prosper. It also minimizes your tax bills—and your stress."
ECB expands and extends its bond-buying as coronavirus resurgence weighs on the recovery (CNBC) - As COVID sweeps the Northern Hemisphere, governments are working to provide stability to their already battered economies. The European Central Bank is the lender of last resort for the European Union. Just like the Federal Reserve here in the United States, the ECB undertook numerous programs to pump the economy with money. Doing so, in theory, helps keep the gears of the economy moving. This past week, the ECB voiced its commitment to continue providing liquidity to its constituency. Over the coming years, economists and wealth managers will closely study the consequences of these central banks' actions.
Monthly Financial Planning Item
This checklist covers several planning issues that you should consider before updating your estate plan.
All too often, I see folks with no estate plan. Estate planning is the process of determining how your wealth will pass on to your heirs. Even those who are young need to create an estate plan. This vital task often gets pushed off. Doing so can result in stress and pain for your heirs in the unfortunate event you pass away. Whether you are single or have a young and growing family, I encourage you to review this guide. Use this guide to identify areas you need to address so that your estate's transfer is as smooth as possible. This checklist covers 18 of the most critical planning issues to identify and consider before updating your estate plan. The checklist includes:
Beneficiary & Fiduciary Issues
Assets & Property Related Issues
Minors & Children Related Issues
And More
Take the time to consider the items on this list to uncover any items needed to be included in your estate plan. Having a systematic process helps you better identify planning elements that could benefit you and your heirs this year and beyond. If needed, feel free to place time on my calendar.
Quote of the Week
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant." - Robert Louis Stevenson
Have something on your mind? Schedule a free call with Nate.
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