Is This the New Normal: Funds Without Fees?

Written by Barbara Huson

There’s a price war in the financial industry that’s heating up like you wouldn’t believe. And we’re the beneficiaries.

Last week, Charles Schwab announced that on March 1st it was cutting transaction fees on over 500 ETFs to…get this…ZERO! An hour later Fidelity Investments joined in, eliminating commissions on that same number of ETFs. This came 7 months after Vanguard dumped fees on all ETF’s it sells, including competitors. I’m betting more will follow suit.

I recently noted that high yield online savings accounts can be quite profitable (A Hot Tip You Can Take to the Bank). Well funds without fees is cause for even greater celebration. Cutting costs can boost profits considerably.

I’ve long been a big fan of ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) which mimic an index, are traded on an exchange (like stocks but unlike index mutual funds), have exceedingly low management fees and best of all, tend to consistently outperform actively managed funds.

Case in point: Back in 2007, legendary investor Warren Buffett made a $1 million dollar bet with a noted hedge fund manager that the Vanguard 500 Index Fund would outperform more sophisticated, high priced hedge funds over a 10-year period.

Guess who won? The index fund returned 7.1 percent while the basket of hedge funds returned 2.2 percent.

Of course, these investment firms aren’t suddenly turning altruistic. They’re out to win new customers who’ll hopefully purchase more lucrative products and services.

Nevertheless, they’re making us an offer that’s hard to refuse. I hope you’ll take advantage!

Have you found any unexpected ways to get a bigger return on your investments? Share in the comments below.

Do you know that women learn better in community? Try my new virtual community, The Wealth Connection and learn to Grow Your Wealth!

A Hot Tip You Can Take to the Bank!

Written by Barbara Huson

“The power of compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe.” ~~Albert Einstein

How would you like higher returns with no added risk?? Seems too good to be true, right? Well it’s not…if you put your savings into an online, high yielding, FDIC guaranteed cash account.

As my favorite Wall Street Journal columnist, Jason Zweig, recently wrote: “With a few clicks of the mouse, you can crank up the yield on your cash by 2 percentage points, often adding hundreds—even thousands—of dollars to your investment income annually.”

I’m here to tell you. Switching to a higher yield can make a huge difference.

A few months ago, my ace bookkeeper, Ben Falge, suggested I transfer my savings, which was earning .09%, to an online account (Citigroup360) paying 2%. Didn’t seem like a big deal, but I did it.

Last week he showed me what a big deal it was. My local bank had been paying me $185 in monthly interest. But that soared to $550 a month when I switched. Just this week, I moved that money to another online account, Ally, paying 2.2% interest. Ben estimates my monthly interest income will rise to $650. Now that’s a big chunk of change!

I encourage all of you to ‘Just do it!’ Now! Open a high paying online account. As columnist Zweig wrote: “You may never get an easier chance to raise your return at no extra risk.”

Do you have a favorite online bank you’d recommend? Leave a comment below.

Do you know that women learn better in community? Try my new virtual community, The Wealth Connection and learn to Grow Your Wealth!

Why Wealth Matters

Written by Barbara Huson

I dream of the day when every woman knows, deep down, that she has the capacity to create wealth and the confidence to actually do it.

I suspect for some of you, however, the mere mention of the “W” word feels wrong, bad, like ‘how can I be rich when so many are poor?’

But consider the words of Abraham Lincoln: “If you want to help a poor person, do not be one.”

Besides, creating wealth is about far more than amassing riches. It’s about waking up to the truth of who you are and the power you have, the enormous power, to not only create wealth but to use it as a tool to help others.

I love how Rev. Michael Beckwith put it: “You can’t be light of the world if you can’t pay light bills.”

Sure, I want you to be able to pay your bills. But my deepest desire is to see you shining your light at maximum wattage, without the distraction of insufficient funds or unhealthy financial habits.

No more dimming yourself down to please others or refraining from rocking the boat so you don’t make waves. It’s time for you to make waves. Big ones. I want to see a tsunami of women shaking up the world, shining their light, eradicating the darkness that’s so pervasive on this planet.

How do you feel about creating wealth for yourself? I’d love to know. Share below.

Do you know that women learn better in community? Try my new virtual community, The Wealth Connection and learn to Grow Your Wealth!

A Tribute to the Man Who Changed My Life, Financially

Written by Barbara Huson

I want to take a moment to pay tribute to John Bogle, the legendary founder of the Vanguard Group and the inventor of the index fund.

John Bogle, who died last week, taught me more about the wisdom of wealth building than anyone else.

Bogle had a simple, though radical, message: buy a diversified portfolio of low cost funds and stay the course, regardless of the market’s gyration or your fearful emotions.

“The mutual fund business is where you get what you don’t pay for,” he said.

Amen to that. And history has proven him right. Over the past 15 years, passive index funds have outperformed almost 90% of actively managed funds.

“If all investors had heeded his ideas,” declared Warren Buffet, another legendary financier, “they would be hundreds of billions of dollars better off than they are now.”

It took me a few years and some painful losses before I discovered Bogle’s wisdom. I’m beyond grateful I did. For over two decades, despite 9 market crashes (when the market falls at least 20%), I’ve done quite well.

From the bottom of my heart, I say thank you, John Bogle. You left the world a better place.

What teachers are you grateful for in your life? Leave me a comment below.

Give yourself the Gift of Wealth in 2019! Join my virtual community, The Wealth Connection and Become a Savvy & Confident Investor! Learn More!

Lifting Heavier Weights

Written by Barbara Huson

Have you noticed, in gyms, when guys are lifting really heavy weights, they ask someone, often a perfect stranger, to spot them?

How many times have you seen a woman do that? Hardly ever! We’ll hire trainers. But ask another to spot us? Unthinkable.

I always thought this scenario was a perfect metaphor for how many women tend to approach life. Here’s why:

1st, we rarely lift very heavy weights.

2nd, we don’t want to bother anyone.

3rd, we’re determined to do it alone.

Yet, to achieve success, in anything, requires us to lift heavier weights. This is how we build up confidence and strength to climb to greater heights.

And we can’t do it alone. We need spotters—people we trust to have our backs, to encourage us when the going gets tough or high-five us when we finally lift that heavy weight.

Seven years ago, I shared my gym observation with a friend, Suzy Carroll, who, being the leader she is, formed a spotters group with four of us. What a remarkable experience it’s been.

Once a month, we gather after work, or lately, on the weekends, at someone’s house. Each one takes her turn, sharing what’s on her mind, be it a troublesome situation or a thrilling victory. The others offer loving support, candid feedback, often relating their own similar experiences.

Our meetings usually last about two hours. We don’t leave without setting another date when we’re all available. Not an easy task for busy women, but we’ve made it work.

It’s been incredible to witness how each of us has grown, in ways we could never have imagined at the outset. And we know, with utter certainty, we would’ve never progressed this far alone.

I heartily encourage you to form your own spotters group. I swear…it’s truly life changing.

Do you have a support group you’re part of? Tell me about it below.

Looking for support? I created my virtual community, The Wealth Connection to support women in their financial journey. Join today and hop on my Live Office Hours Call! www.husonwealthconnection.com

My Personal Story with Plunging Stocks (It’s Not Pretty)

Written by Barbara Huson

The stock market took quite a tumble last week. I instantly flashed back to October, 1986, the first time I invested on my own. My broker would send me all these reports and statements, which I didn’t understand, so naturally, I threw them away.

A year later, October 1987, the market crashed…big time! I freaked out, called my broker, insisted he sell everything. He begged me not to.

“The market will go back up,’ he said, “It always does.”

Of course, I didn’t listen. I wanted my money in cash, where it was ‘safe.’ Sure enough, within days, the market rocketed back up. If I stayed put, I’d be a lot richer now. But I learned my lesson.

Fast forward, 10 years later. October, 1997. My book—Prince Charming Isn’t Coming—had been published. I knew a hell of a lot more about investing. The market crashes again almost to the day.

This time, I’m on the phone, first thing in the morning, calling Schwab. My now 2nd ex-husband was upstairs, pacing the floor. He got very nervous when stocks fell. My teenage daughter comes downstairs, sees me on the phone, asks me what I’m doing.

“I’m buying stock” I tell her.

“But Mom,“ she says, “The market’s crashing.”

“No, Anna” I say. ”It’s a sale!”

I had learned my lesson: Price swings only matters when you sell. Everything else is just ‘noise.’ You know, the sound of the market doing what markets are supposed to do… up, down, up, down, boing, boing, boing.

I finally understood that eventually the market would go back up. I didn’t know when, but I knew it would. It’s called the Rule of the Roller Coaster: You only get hurt when you jump off.

Has recent market action caused you to panic..or add to your portfolio? Leave me a comment below.

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I Know What To Do! So Why Don’t I??

Written by Barbara Huson

Could this be you? You’ve read volumes on investing, even attended some classes. You understand stocks, bonds, and the value of diversification. You own a few funds in your retirement account.

Still, you continue to ignore or neglect your money, even though you know better. Why?

Blame it on traditional financial education…where the emphasis is on filling your head with facts rather than fostering your courage to change.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been given the tools to boost Self-Efficacy, the most powerful predictor of financial well-being. (I didn’t think so)

Self-Efficacy—a concept developed by the Stanford psychologist Albert Bandura—is a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in a given task or goal.

If you don’t believe you can invest wisely without screwing up irreparably, you likely won’t even try. Or you’ll stop at the first stumbling block. Or worse, unconsciously make bad choices that reaffirms your limiting belief.

Enhancing financial Self-Efficacy is the secret sauce for financial success. It’s the difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it, between being competent and feeling confident.

Yet, I doubt you’ll be shown how to shore up Self-Efficacy by most professional advisors. But thanks to Dr. Bandura’s research, here are 4 powerful techniques to do just that:

Experience Success—Select a task that’s sufficiently challenging but definitely doable. Have that money talk with your spouse. Organize your financial documents. Balance your checkbook. As the saying goes, “confidence is a memory of success.”
Find Role Models—Observe friends, family, even perfect strangers who are financially savvy. Watching others successfully complete financial tasks provides not only inspiration, but a template to follow.
Get Encouragement—Hang around with people who will cheer you on because they truly believe in you. Those who say, “I know you can do it!” Stay away from naysayers.
Manage Emotions—if you’re depressed, traumatized or anxious, the inner work is crucial. Read self-help books. Find a counselor. Join a support group. Talk to a friend. Whatever it takes to relieve your pain, stress, worry and fear.

What can you do today to increase your Financial Self-Efficacy?

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What’s $hame Got To Do With It?

Written by Barbara Huson

It was a conversation with a friend I’ll never forget. Her family was dirt poor. Mine was quite wealthy.

Our childhoods were starkly different, but we shared a startling similarity. Growing up, we both felt a lot of shame around our family’s finances.

I hated being different from my friends. She loathed feeling less than her peers. I never knew if people liked me for me or my rich parents. She always suspected others pitied or looked down on her.

That’s when I realized: Money Shame is ubiquitous regardless of one’s economic status.

Recently, I’ve also realized: Money (or lack of it) is not the source of our shame. Money simply magnifies the shame we’ve always carried.

Shame is the intense pain of feeling so awful, so flawed, so defective that I’m worthless and unlovable.

I’m convinced that unhealed shame is perhaps the major reason smart, capable women struggle financially.

Here’s why. When shame is triggered, the logical thinking part of our brain virtually shuts down.

“It’s like our IQ drops 30 points,” Bret Lyon, founder of the Center for Healing Shame, told me. “We can’t think. We freeze. We feel stupid. We’re at a loss for words.”

Bret noted, during a workshop I attended last week, that because shame is so unbearable, we’ll do anything to avoid feeling it. He described 4 common reactions:

Denial—numbing the pain, often through addictions (compulsive spending, chronic debting, and codependency).
Attacking others—lashing out or blaming another, taking the onus off ourselves
Attacking ourselves—slipping into brutal self-flagellation for being less than perfect.
Withdrawal—isolating from others, going within to lick our wounds,

Each reaction, if left unchecked, can radically erode one’s financial stability. Which confirms my suspicion: the secret to financial security, for many women, lies in transforming toxic shame (self-loathing) into healthy shame (self-compassion).

To demonstrate how to do this, Bret led us through a 2-part exercise.

First, we adopted a shame-based posture: head bent, eyes lowered, shoulders slumped, heart heavy. Honestly, I felt horrible!

Next, we paired up and shared something we were proud of. The difference was astounding!

Recalling a past success quickly shifted my feeling horrible to “Yeah, I’m a flawed human being like everyone else and I have strengths.” That, in a nutshell, is the definition of healthy shame.

Shame and money is a relatively new topic I’m exploring. I’d love to know if you can relate. Leave me a comment below.

If you enjoyed this Words of Wealth, click here to receive a copy in your inbox every week.

Figuring Out ‘Financialese’

Written by Barbara Huson

Have you ever met with a financial advisor and wished you had a translator? I know I did a few years ago when my sisters and I spent months interviewing various advisors for some family trusts.

Nice people, all of them. But once they got started, they were speaking in a foreign tongue.

I thought I knew this language. After all, I’ve written 6 books about money, including Finding a Financial Advisor You Can Trust.

But these folks, at various points in the discussion, had my head reeling. Then it hit me.

No wonder so many women aren’t getting the financial help they need. One conversation with an advisor and their heads are reeling too. And their first reaction is often to put their reeling heads right back in the sand.

Consider this blog, in part, a Plea to Professionals. C’mon, you people. Speak in plain English. And then check in with clients at frequent intervals to make sure they understand what you are telling them..

Even as I write that I know that the truth is, the onus is on us.

I am a Big Believer in working with professionals…be it for a root canal or retirement plan. And sometimes the latter can be as painful as the former! But it doesn’t need to be.

Not if we’re willing to speak up, ask for clarification, and keep asking until we understand. Which is exactly what I had to do in those meetings. And you know what? Every expert was happy to explain. And I actually learned a lot.

It all boils down to this. If we don’t understand ‘Financialese,’ it doesn’t mean we’re stupid. It’s simply a sign to ask more questions.

The payoff is clarity. But, I’m here to tell you, the real reward is how powerful you’ll feel for standing up for yourself.

Have you ever found your head reeling while talking to a financial professional ? Leave a comment below to tell me what you did.

If you enjoyed this Words of Wealth, click here to receive a copy in your inbox every week.

5 Terrific Tips for Investing Wisely

Written by Barbara Huson

I promise. You don’t need a boat load of money to build wealth. What you do need is to: Spend less; Save more; Invest wisely.

The first two are self-explanatory. Investing, however, is where most people trip up, which is not surprising, given that there’s an entire industry dedicated to making investing sound difficult and confusing.

Let me share with you 5 tips that really helped me finally understand investing (with links to learn more).

EDUCATE YOURSELF

There are only 5 places to invest (called asset classes)—stocks, bonds, real estate, cash and commodities. Your first task is to learn the difference between these assets classes. http://bit.ly/lucrepersonalfinance

DON’T KEEP EVERYTHING IN CASH

Cash in the bank, or under the mattress, may feel “safe.” But long term, you’re putting yourself at great risk. To ensure you don’t outlive your money, at least a portion needs to be in assets that grow faster than inflation and taxes take it away. If inflation averages 3% and your money is sitting in an account paying 1%, your buying power will significantly shrink over time. (Why Cash May Not Be as Safe as You Think)

UNDERSTAND THE RULE OF 72

This rule explains how long it will take to double your money—by dividing the interest rate or compound return into 72. Let’s say you own a fund that returns 8% annually. 72 divided by 8 equals 9…so it’ll take 9 years to double your money. Put that same amount in the bank, paying 1% interest, it’ll take 72 years to double. (Rule of 72 Definition & Example | InvestingAnswers)

MINIMIZE MARKET RISK

It’s true, the market, like a roller coaster, feels really risky. But price swings only matter when you sell. To significantly diminish the risk of loss and increase the potential for gain:

Have a longer time frame. Money you need is less than 3 years should be in cash. Everything else should be invested. The Importance Of Time Horizons For Investing (And Beyond)

Be well diversified, spreading your money among different asset classes. https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/diversification

SEEK SUPPORT

The whole point of investing is to make sure your money is adequately allocated to meet your short and long term goals. To figure out the best diversification for you, consult a Fee Only Certified Financial Planner. Start with: www.garrettplanningnetwork.com

If you enjoyed this Words of Wealth, click here to receive a copy in your inbox every week.

Financial Wellness

Is This the New Normal: Funds Without Fees?

A Hot Tip You Can Take to the Bank!

Why Wealth Matters

A Tribute to the Man Who Changed My Life, Financially

Lifting Heavier Weights

My Personal Story with Plunging Stocks (It’s Not Pretty)

I Know What To Do! So Why Don’t I??

What’s $hame Got To Do With It?

Figuring Out ‘Financialese’

5 Terrific Tips for Investing Wisely

Meet Barbara Huson

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