Green Financial: 20 Years Young
By Roger Green
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Roger Green and Vince Dooley
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DULUTH – I just celebrated my 20 year anniversary of helping people with their money, and my 40th birthday, with a dinner planned by my wife and my staff. We were also celebrating my being named to the Barron’s Top 100 Independent Advisers list. Over 500 people attended the dinner and all enjoyed Vince Dooley as our keynote speaker. Life is good and God’s blessings have been many!
The Citizen asked me to utilize my 20 years of financial experience to provide my favorite tips on planning for their retirement. These are the basics:
• Start saving and investing as early as possible with as much money as you can. Compounded growth over time is the strongest tool you have to retire comfortably. Pay yourself first and don’t take money from these assets along the way.
• Invest money you do not plan to spend for at least five years in equity investments, such as mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs). Your goal should be achieving long term capital appreciation. Most investors should avoid individual company stocks entirely.
•Make full use of company sponsored retirement plans, such as 401(k)s. Invest as much as you can, as early as possible. Avoid company stock investments where possible within your 401k - and diversify amongst the funds available.
• As a general rule, you should always “buy low, sell high”. Do not panic and sell out when the market is low. Wise investors add to their holdings when the markets are low.
• Keep the money you will need in the next five years in readily accessible cash reserves such as CD’s, money markets, Treasury Notes, or savings accounts.
• Have a plan for the withdrawal of your assets (a “harvesting” plan) during retirement or times of need. Where and when you withdraw may make a major difference in how long your money lasts.
• DIVERSIFY your investments over multiple asset categories and within an asset category. I recommend everyone include at least one-third international investments in the mix. Invest in industries outside your work industry – in other words, if you work in real estate, invest in something outside of real estate.
• Beware of the tax impacts on your investments. Seek a variety of tax-deductible, tax-deferred, and tax-free investments; like Roth IRAs or Roth 401(k)s.
• Consider variable annuities with added benefit options for a portion of your IRA, if you need income or death benefit protection from market loss, but want to keep your assets in stock market investments for continued potential for growth.
• Keep your retirement plan and life insurance policy beneficiaries up to date, and make sure you have a valid will in place.
• Maintain adequate life insurance, disability insurance, health insurance and long term care insurance to protect your assets and your family. The best retirement plan can be devastated beyond repair without adequate coverage in these areas.
• Give to charity where possible, and enjoy the good feeling you get from helping others through your own hard work.
My last piece of advice would be to educate yourself and/or find a professional to help you with these major life decisions. Learn more in one of my retirement planning classes sponsored by Gwinnett Technical College. Call our office at 770.931.1414 or log on to www.rogersgreen.com for dates and additional information. Call Gwinnett Technical College directly at 770.995.9697 to register for Successful Retirement Planning course #SEM1731. If you need help now, call my office for a complimentary consultation.
Roger Green is a Registered Representative with Multi-Financial Securities Corporation, member FINRA & SIPC. Green Financial is located at 3700 Crestwood Parkway, Suite 140, Duluth, GA 30096. Hear more “Your Green”, Saturdays at 3:00, on WNIV 970 AM or live at www.wniv.com. Green Financial and Gwinnett Technical College are not affiliated with Multi-Financial Securities Corporation.
