Back on "The Biz Connection" Radio Show!

On Saturday, April 14, 2012, Margaret Wittkopp, Jeremy Burri and Paulette Ruminski will all be featured on THE BIZ CONNECTION! 

The Biz Connection is a new radio program airing every Saturday at 11 AM Central Standard Time at WJUB 1420 AM Radio, The Breeze.  The program is aimed at the business community along the Lakeshore in Sheboygan County and Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.   Each week, hosts Jim Rosetti and Ron Nielsen learn about their guest's business and its ups and downs and discover ways business owners can learn from the experiences of their guests. 

Margaret was featured on the show in January. This time, Financial Coach and Tax Advisor, Jeremy Burri, along with Insurance Advisor Coach Paulette Ruminski, will join Margaret in the studio at "The Breeze' to talk about Veritas' unique suite of services and how our integrated approach can help indivuals and businesses with financial decisions.  

If you aren't near a radio, you can listen online by clicking here on THE BREEZE and then clicking on the little play arrow that says "LIsten Live in HI-FI."  

You can also find the show by going to the website for The Biz Connection.  The Biz Connection guys are on Facebook too.

 Call in during the show with questions for Margaret, Jeremy or Paulette at 920-246-9582.

What to Do When the Market Takes a Dive

Margaret Wittkopp
Investment Advisor Representative
Veritas Financial Services

This is the headline you might have seen on Monday morning: “Investors Panic as Wall Street Plummets Amid Global Fears.” Whew! Sounds terrible, doesn’t it? None of us like to see those negative numbers. Is it time to panic? To get out of the market altogether? To buy nothing but fixed income--or--?

Here is my advice: AVOID WALL STREET MEDIA HYPE!

It will get better—and no, I’m not being a “Pollyanna.” We know that our economy is in a slump, and we know there may be hard times ahead for many, but here’s something else we know, a bit of investing wisdom almost everyone has heard but few follow, “Buy low. Sell high.” When the market drops and people panic and start selling, someone else (the next "Warren Buffet," perhaps?) is buying. Why?

Here is a simple example from everyday life. Let’s pretend you are going shopping for a new dress. And let’s say that last week you saw “the dress” in a window with a $100 price tag, but this week it’s on sale for only $50. Would you see a great opportunity to buy the same dress for less money, or would you wait till the price went back up? You know the answer, of course. You’d buy the sale item and go home happy at your bargain.

When the market is down, your investing dollar buys more. When the market rebounds, as it historically has always done, you have more than you did to start with. For example, let’s say that you have a Simple IRA that invests $100 a month for your future. We’ll keep it simple and say that last month your stock purchasing dollars bought ten shares at $10 a share. And then the S&P 500 index drops 10% (as it did on Thursday). Time to panic? No. Now your same $100 buys more than eleven shares. What a bargain! It’s like getting a share of stock for free because eventually, over time, the market rebounds.

Here are some other things we know about the stock market:
• Without the volatility (risk) that goes hand-in-hand with stock ownership, the returns associated with stocks would diminish, and so would the attendant wealth

• We have never endured a recession that hasn't ended.

• The highest historical returns have followed a crash. In fact, the single largest recovery followed the single largest crash.

While I am saying that it is not a time for panic, I am not saying that you should do nothing. Here are some things to consider:

• Are you appropriately diversified across a wide range of asset classes, or do you have lots of overlap and similar “stuff” in your portfolio? (Hint: You can’t just go by the name of your mutual funds. You must take a look at the holdings inside.)

• Are you taking a long-range and disciplined approach to investing, or are you trying to find the next hot stock or fund?

• Do you have a financial coach? Investors are emotional about finances (aren’t we all?) and usually need someone to help them stay on track.

To learn more about investing, join us for our next Investor Education class or call Jeremy or me at 920-893-5262.

A Day in the Life of a Financial Advisor

I recently heard Margaret Wittkopp laughing and subsequently found her viewing the hilarious video we are sharing with you today. I watched over her shoulder, and we laughed till we nearly cried. 

Put out a "Do Not Disturb" sign, sit back with your cup of coffee (or whatever) and watch. (Disclaimer: There is one naughty word toward the end.)



After we finished watching the video, Margaret said, "That video was so funny but the sad thing is that I have heard every one of those things. Just not usually all at one time."

So, did you see yourself anywhere?

Investor Education: What's In It For YOU?

At Veritas, one of our primary purposes is education. The more informed you are about how investing works, the less you will be swayed or distressed by the ups and downs of the stock market. If you stay fully invested, truly diversified, and maintain the proper asset allocation, you CAN withstand the fluctuations of the market—and may even profit from them.

Margaret and Jeremy, our financial coaches,  often talk to people who say  they are doing all right because their financial rate of return is about the same as everyone else's. While we understand the kind of malaise that can set in when things just seem overwhelming or unchangeable, now is NOT the time to be complacent. What you don’t know can hurt you, and what you do know can help you! If you take advantage of the many educational opportunities we provide, you can become a more informed investor—and most importantly—you can gain true peace of mind about investing! 

Each month we offer another class from our Investor Education Series along with a complmentary lunch or dinner at the Mill Street Grill, Plymouth's newest restaurant. Most classes last about an hour or so. One hour out of a month to gain genuine understanding and peace of mind is worth making time for—don’t you think? We do too, and that is why we will keep finding ways to help you be a wiser, more confident investor.

Click on the "Learning Opportunities" tab in our blog header to see a list of classes offered in 2011.

Call us at 920-893-5262, or enail Dorcas at dorcas.george@veritasinvesting.com or Cathy at cathy.knuth@veritasinvesting.com and we will be happy to send you a reminder postcard when new classes are coming up. 

We are also happy to provide complimentary workshops for your group, workplace, or other gathering and can offer classes designed for financial novices to seasoned investors (what you don't know can be surprising), for couples, and for high school or college-age groups.  Just give us a call to explore options.

A Simple Way to Help Your Family

This post is reprinted from our main website.

If you have a current will, count yourself among the minority of Americans who have done their heirs an important service.

A will’s primary purpose is to help convey titled property. It’s not a good place to communicate your wishes regarding personal matters or to provide specific instructions for your survivors in the event that something were to happen to you.

A letter of instructions can help your family cope during a difficult period by providing information that has no place in a will — such as the location of the will itself.

Where’s the Will?

A letter of instructions doesn’t need to be an eloquent treatise on the meaning of life and the importance of family. Its job is to guide the survivors, so it can take the simple form of a list or the casual tone of a letter to an old friend.

Here are some common topics to address:

• Where to find important legal documents, including wills and trusts, birth and marriage certificates, insurance policies, deeds to real property, and vehicle titles

• Bank and retirement account numbers, and the location of safe-deposit boxes and tax returns

• Contact information for people to notify, such as lawyers, accountants, and clergy

• A list of creditors and any bills that need to be paid in order to keep the household running smoothly

• Instructions for the funeral and any pre-arrangements with a funeral home and/or cemetery

• Your wishes for the distribution of personal possessions, jewelry, heirlooms, and other keepsakes

Once you have drafted a letter of instructions, tell key family members where it is kept and leave copies with trusted advisors. Take the time to review it regularly to help ensure that it contains the latest information.