WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Sherry Hall, CFP, AIF Certified Wealth Strategist Hallmark Financial hallmarkfinancial.net

BACKGROUND: Hall and her team have multiple registrations and professional designations and have more than 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. Their focus is working with individuals and business owners in the areas of retirement income, estate and tax planning and wealth management strategies. TREND TO WATCH: “We are in uncharted territory. With historically low interest rates, it’s a true challenge for a retired investor looking for his or her investments to provide a living cash flow. A treasury bond maturing in 10 years will pay an investor 1.5 percent, meaning a million dollars could pay $15,700 per year, whereas in 1989, you could get 9.49 percent, or $94,900 interest per year on the same million. That just illustrates that producing a durable income stream is a much bigger challenge than it used to be. The first impulse is to take bigger risks to stretch for higher yields, but therein lies the trap for those not aware of risk of loss outside of the stock market. Add in healthcare costs rising at double the inflation rate and people living longer and longer, and it’s what I call a perfect storm.” ADVICE FOR 2020: “Do not be complacent. Have a plan for your particular phase of life, know what your investments are and how much risk you are taking. With our comprehensive view of clients’ wealth, we take risks commensurate to not only the returns and volatility we can expect, but the time frame for each pocket of money.  Then when the headlines read ‘market crashed today,’ you should only ask, ‘What’s for dinner?’”

Industry trends to watch DILLAN MICUS, executive vice president, AXA Advisors Southwest: “The Baby Boomers continue to have the biggest impact on our business today. The demand for our services has never been greater, but the supply of qualified financial professionals has never been less. Meaning, the Baby Boomer generation continues to retire, sell their businesses or pass away — all three of these events are money in motion where they need the help of a financial advisor.” JIM STARK, CFP, CIMA; president and managing partner, JRS Wealth Management Group: “2020 is setting up to be a

challenging year for a variety of reasons. The coming election will only add to the volatility. Prepare yourself ahead of time by having an investment discipline in place that will help sift out the noise of the events of the day and guard your emotions as an investor. Having a disciplined strategy in place will keep you from being both complacent and overreacting.”

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AB | November-December 2019