Firm:
SageVest Wealth Management
Job Title:
President
Biography:
With two decades of experience in the financial industry, Jennifer E. Myers CFP®, works with clients to help them fulfill their life and family goals, while translating complex financial matters into understandable, manageable and successful strategies. She serves as Chair of the firm’s Investment Committee and maintains close working relationships with clients to ensure that investment portfolios and broader financial objectives remain closely aligned.
Jennifer has repeatedly been named as a Top Fee-Only Advisor by The Washingtonian and Northern Virginia Magazine, and as a Five Star Wealth Manager by Five Star Professionals. She has also been quoted in The Washington Post, The Journal of Financial Planning, US News and World Report, and on CNN Money and NPR’s ‘Marketplace’. She has written articles for the Washington, D.C. Estate Planning Council and has spoken on a variety of financial planning topics ranging from broad planning initiatives to more discrete topics such as wealth transfer planning, financial values, children and money, and women’s financial planning considerations.
Her professional affiliations include membership in the Financial Planning Association, the Washington Women’s Leader Initiative, and the Washington, DC Estate Planning Council, of which she previously served as an officer and director, among other positions within the Council. In the community, she is a member of the Women’s Business Giving Circle at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, and previously tutored inner-city children at Project Northstar.
Prior to establishing SageVest, Jennifer served as partner and vice president of Freed Myers, a wealth management firm in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Jennifer received her Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA) and Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from The George Washington University. She also received the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional designation from the CFP® Board of Standards.
Education:
BBA, The George Washington University
MBA, The George Washingon University
Assets Under Management:
$140 million
Fee Structure:
Fee-Only
Disclaimer:
The information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy or completeness is not guaranteed. This article is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of SageVest Wealth Management and should not be construed as investment advice. All expressions of opinions are subject to change and past performance is no guarantee of future results. SageVest Wealth Management does not render legal, tax, or accounting services. Accordingly, you, your attorneys and your accountants are ultimately responsible for determining the legal, tax and accounting consequences of any suggestions offered herein.
In accordance with IRS CIRCULAR 230, we inform you that any U.S. Federal tax advice contained in this communication (including attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used by a taxpayer, for the purpose of (a) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or that may otherwise be imposed on the taxpayer by any government taxing authority or agency, or (b) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.
The provision of a link to any third party website does not mean that SageVest endorses that website. If you visit any website via a link provided here, you do so at your own risk and imdenify SageVest from any loss or damage incurred.
Annuities are often sold as 'safe' investments. However, there are several risks you need to be aware of. First and foremost, you need to know the fee structure because annuity fees can be rather high. Second, you need to know what access you have to your assets. Many annuities entail surrender fees that lock up your assets for several years before you can move the funds without incurring stiff penalties. Third, you need to understand the fine print of any guarantees that are being offered to you. These vary dramatically across annuity products, but the guaranteed rates of return sometimes only apply to a phantom ledger that is maintained for purposes of calculating a future annuity benefit (monthly payment), versus your actual account balance. If this is the case and you elect to receive that monthly payment, you still aren't guaranteed getting the guaranteed rate because the calculation depends on how many years you receive the payments. If you die too early, your return could be negative. Furthermore, if you take an annuity option, you forfeit your account balance. So, if your guarantee only applies if you annuitize your account (take monthly benefits), you need to be confident that you will be able to live on only the monthly amount, or that you have adequate other resources to supplement the difference. This brings us to a final warning, inflation risk. Annuities can be good for protecting against downside market risk, but they can be dangerous if inflation sets in. If you have a low guaranteed rate in today's low interest rate environment, this might not be sufficient to protect you against rising prices in the future.
Long-term investing considers your goals and your needs to determine an appropriate portfolio to satisfy both over an extended period of time. You have a long-term outlook realizing that the markets will inevitably rally as well as experience pullbacks. Instead of looking at short-segments in the market, you invest for the future, while having preservation assets (namely and bonds) to cover your short-term cash needs, if any.
Trading on the other hand is trying to find one or more positions that have shorter-term opportunities. You can make money, and you can lose money very quickly, by taking short-term trading positions. It's a risky proposition, and not one that we recommend, particularly if you're not savvy about analyzing company financial information. The markets can move swiftly. Short-term trades can easily whipsaw investors, so beware and make sure you can stand to lose.
The most important element of investing is finding an allocation that is right for you in different types of investment markets because, yes, we could see inflation, but nothing is ever certain. In the event that inflation does materialize, stocks, hard assets, and resource assets tend to be favorable investments by historical standards. Gold, in particular, could experience a move related to resources, but the reality is that gold isn't a demand sought resource such as oil when you're in a rising inflationary environment. It's more an asset related to fear of instability. I never recommend for someone's investment portfolio to ride on one select investment. A diversified structure is often the best, and one that allows you to enjoy the upsides as well as protect against the downsides, while always sleeping well at night. Remember, past performance is never indicative of future performance.
You need to contact your attorney about drafting a Qualified Domestic Relations Order, sometimes called a QDRO. This is submitted to the account administrator to separate a portion of the retirement money into your name.
I would be happy to schedule a call to see if we might be a good fit for helping you to evaluate your plan. We are an independent advisory firm, serving in a fiduciary capacity, and thereby are required to render advice solely focused on your best interests.
Jennifer Myers, 703-992-7650