Once every six months, whether I need to or not, I meet with my investment adviser from Fidelity. I’ve been doing this for five years, and have come to value the experience as truly educational. On Tuesday, for instance, my new adviser Michael talked me through some income planning.
My financial life has been turbulent over the past few years:
First, I was deep in debt and struggling.
When Get Rich Slowly began to grow, I paid off my debt and accumulated cash.
When I sold Get Rich Slowly, I invested the windfall in index funds and municipal bonds.
When Kris and I divorced, she received the municipal bonds.
When I bought my condo, some of my index funds were converted into real estate.
For years, my income and expenses have been all over the map with no semblance of normalcy and no consistency. Now, at last, things are settling into something of a routine and I can think about planning for the future. Since June, I’ve once again been tracking every penny I spend in order to get a clear picture of my financial situation.
In my meeting with Fidelity, I explained to Michael that my income is smaller than it has been since the 1990s. Between writing gigs and interest income on three business loans, I make less than $2000 per month. (I’m also being paid about $1000 per month principal on those three loans, which I treat as income even though it’s not. It’s more like savings.)
My monthly spending is reasonable except that I spend a lot on travel. My income (including principal on the loans) would come close to covering my expenses if I didn’t take two big trips (and several small trips) every year. But I do take those trips, and that adds $2000 per month to my expenses.
So far, I’ve subsidized my travel by slowly drawing down cash savings, but those funds will be gone by the end of 2014. It’s time to start thinking about the future. If I choose to maintain this sort of lifestyle, how will I fund it? Michael and I talked about the options.
Note: Mr. Money Mustache thinks I should just slash my spending. He interviewed me about this recently by email, and may write about it soon.
One path, of course, is to make more money, and that’s my top choice.
At any time, I could return to the traditional work force. It might be fun to do so, but I’d rather earn more from my writing. I could pick up paid gigs writing about personal finance — I don’t get paid for my work at Get Rich Slowly, and I’ve resigned from my column at Entrepreneur magazine effective next month — but I’ve found that getting paid to write about money takes the joy out of it. I could write another financial book; in fact, I’m doing so right now. Or I could change my focus to fiction, which holds a certain appeal. (I plan to take a fiction writing class starting in January.)
Another path is to start a side business. Or two.
I told Michael about my desire to open a money store where I’d sell books and magazines, hold classes about budgeting and investing, and offer one-on-one counseling. Or I could try to make money from another blog. I have several great domains and ideas on the back-burner, including a couple I could do with Kim. Or I could start some other of business. I do not lack for ideas!
Michael suggested another way to fund my lifestyle: “For a while, until you’re making full-time income again, you could take systematic withdrawals from your portfolio. You wouldn’t need to take a lot. Just enough to cover the difference between your existing income and expenses.”
He showed me Fidelity’s guide to retirement income investing, which includes a simple calculator that computes “potential sustainable monthly withdrawals” from a portfolio based on a starting balance, asset allocation, and life expectancy. In other words, you tell it how much you have and how long you expect to live, and the calculator tells you — at a “90% confidence level” — how much income your portfolio could give you for the rest of your life.
If we assume you’ll live until 80, for instance, and have a balanced portfolio (50% stocks, 40% bonds, 10% cash):
If you’re 30 years old and have $100,000 saved, there’s a 90% chance that your portfolio would produce $291 per month, adjusted for inflation.
If you’re my age — 44 years old — and have $1,000,000 saved, there’s a 90% chance that your portfolio would produce $3348 per month.
If you’re 60 years old and have $250,000 saved, there’s a 90% chance that your portfolio would produce $1202 per month for the next twenty years.
After playing with the numbers for a few minutes, I’d come up with a plan.
I like my lifestyle. It’s comfortable but not extravagant. Still, I’ve become lazy. It’d be good for me to exercise my frugality muscles a little more. I can cut back on food, for one. (My food expenses have been high for the past two years because I eat out a lot and I shop at a fancy supermarket.) I can also find ways to travel more economically by focusing on domestic travel instead of going abroad.
Meanwhile, I’ll fund my spending with income and cash savings for as long as possible. Also, I’ll strive to increase my income from writing (through the book I’m working on) and a couple of targeted websites (including at least one that I do with Kim). As a last resort, I’ll tap into my investments to subsidize my lifestyle, as Michael suggested. But I shouldn’t have to worry about that for a couple of years. By then, I hope to have established equilibrium!
Not everything in my meetings at Fidelity is useful. I don’t care about the hot new funds, and I’m not interested in annuities. But each time I talk with an adviser, I learn something new, and I think that’s the point.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day details of our own lives. We get mired in the minutia of our finances so that sometimes we miss the forest for the trees. Plus, it’s an objective third party can always see things we don’t, helping us to explore options we might not otherwise have considered.
Warehouse, Appraisal, Non-QM, RON Products; Reverse Mortgages: Catch the Wave; Mortgage Apps Continue Decline
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Warehouse, Appraisal, Non-QM, RON Products; Reverse Mortgages: Catch the Wave; Mortgage Apps Continue Decline
By: Rob Chrisman
3 Hours, 24 Min ago
A biologist, a chemist, and a statistician are out hunting. The biologist shoots at a deer and misses five feet to the left. The chemist takes a shot and misses five feet to the right. The statistician yells, “We got ’em!” Are you selling your house? Me neither. Few people are: there are only about 564,000 active listings. That’s about 11,000 per state. In California, where there are 58 counties, that is an average of less than 200 per county. In Wyoming, the least populated state, there are 58 counties so that’s 190 listings per county. Of course, averages don’t apply like that, but it is important to keep things in perspective, and the overarching issue is a continued lack of supply and a strong demand impacting prices, affordability, and sales numbers. Can lighthouses help? Since 2000 about 150 lighthouses have been transferred to new owners, about 80 given away at no cost to agencies, nonprofits or educational organizations willing to maintain them, and about 70 auctioned off for a total $10 million so far. This year, six lighthouses are up for offer. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by Lenders One, one of the largest mortgage co-ops in the country with a diverse mix of 250+ member companies and providers of an end-to-end solution independent mortgage professionals trust to drive profitability and growth. Listen to an interview with Verisk’s Kingsley Greenland on climate risk, stress testing, catastrophe modeling, and macroeconomic policy.)
Lender and Broker Products, Software, and Services
“Have you found yourself digging through loan files to find price concession records while an auditor awaits? Have you ever wondered if your margin is better or worse than your peers? Have you been looking for a way to track how competitive your pricing is, in real time? Optimal Blue, a division of Black Knight, offers data and analytics tools that provide this actionable business intelligence, and more! Our granular rate lock data provides key insights into your business, as well as benchmarking against 42% of all rate lock activity. Reach out to Optimal Blue now to learn how our data and analytics platform can help you develop smarter, more profitable pricing strategies!”
Beer – it’s not just for drinking anymore. In fact, beer is just one of many everyday items with multiple uses that would surprise you. Want another? Remote online notarization (RON) isn’t just for originations anymore. Recently, servicers have discovered the benefits of using RON for loan modifications, partial claims and even assumptions. On average, servicers reduced the average cycle time from 21 days down to 7 days. While we all know that time is money, the reduction in cycle time and carry costs resulted in a savings of about $500 per loan. In today’s environment where we all need to find savings to help improve our margins this is an easy way to get there. Email Suzanne Singer or stop by NotaryCam’s booth 22 at NS3 in St. Louis next week to learn more about the many uses of RON.
“No one does Non-QM like Newfi Wholesale! Our newly expanded Non-QM product suite offers 90% LTV up to $1.5M, loan amounts up to $4M, 2-1 buydowns, DSCR (no minimum ratio) 1-8 units, and alt-doc solutions that make sense for your borrowers. Most of all, we have a passion to close deals and about 1/3 of all of our funded Non-QM deals have common-sense exceptions! In the words of one of the brokers who work with us: “Looking for an amazing Non-QM lender? Newfi is your go-to lender.” We offer industry-leading Non-QM pricing, technology, and product innovation. For more information contact SVP, Non-QM Development & Strategy Dan Bayer or 925-584-0579.”
Tired of slow, low-quality appraisals? Try The Appraisal Marketplace. The Marketplace allows you to fulfill appraisal orders directly from your LOS, without relying on an AMC or managing a panel. Even better, by leveraging real-time appraiser performance data, its “Uber-style” algorithm matches every order with the appraiser that’s truly right for the job. This gives you the fastest turn times, lowest revision rates & lowest fee escalation rates in the industry. Seriously. Learn more.
“CWDL is committed to empowering our clients and friends with mortgage industry-specific education and insights, even when it’s outside of our core focus on audit, accounting, and tax. So, when our clients mentioned they’d like to better understand the perspectives of warehouse bankers and how they evaluate lenders, we organized a panel of industry veterans to share their insights. Join us for our webinar on June 15 to “Meet the Warehouse Bankers,” as we discuss such topics as when and how to best communicate with your warehouse partners; how warehouse banks evaluate counterparty risk in their clients; what lenders should consider or plan for regarding M&A, a winddown or facility consolidation; and much more. This webinar is free and open to all lenders who are looking for more insight into their warehouse relationships. To register, contact Kasey English.”
Agencies, Investors, Lenders, and Reverse Mortgage Biz
The last time I saw a stat, 10,000 people a day were turning 62. And a lot of them have equity in their houses. The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association points out that, “Homeowners 62 and older saw their housing wealth grow by 1.95 percent or $226 billion in the third quarter to a record $11.81 trillion from Q2 2022, according to the latest quarterly release of the NRMLA/RiskSpan Reverse Mortgage Market Index… The increase in older homeowners’ wealth was mainly driven by an estimated 1.95 percent or $268 billion increase in home values, offset by a 1.93 percent or $42 billion increase in senior-held mortgage debt.” So, if you’re looking for a growth business…
Need a Pre-Qual? Plaza’s Reverse Mortgage staff will run a complete analysis of your submitted information and send the findings back to you via e-mail, typically within a few hours. The analysis details available funds, interest rates, fees, and other loan information.
Plaza Home Mortgage posted Video Marketing to Seniors. And brokers can use Plaza’s Reverse Calculator to run scenarios and you’ll quickly and easily see how much borrowers could receive, no personal information required.
Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation has had a reverse division for many years and has seen continued growth.
CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) announced that it is expanding its reverse mortgage division by making additional investments, resulting in what it calls “enhancements.” “Borrowers heading into retirement are seeking solutions that will benefit their future. CCM’s newly established Reverse One Team offers a specialized network of advisors and tools for loan officers to become certified specialists in originating reverse mortgage loans.”
Reverse training and certification programs among “forward” lenders are increasing. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. and Guaranteed Rate, for example, offer pathways within their organizations for forward professionals to become certified in reverse mortgages. Broker shops including C2 Financial also maintain a reverse training and certification program.
PHH Mortgage delivers for the entire mortgage lifecycle: non-delegated, best efforts, mandatory, bulk MSR, and reverse.
While bringing more forward specialists up-to-speed with reverse origination practices can certainly help to expand an LOs or lender’s business, it is well known that anyone interested in the business must be aware of some of the specific differences inherent in originating the product when compared with more traditional, forward mortgage options. And a solid month, volume-wise, might only be one or two loans.
Anyone interested should check out Reverse Mortgage Daily, and think about the use of video in their marketing and consulting with client’s families. “Homeowners aged 55 and over increasingly embrace online video as one of their preferred ways to research and discover information…68% of Baby Boomers use YouTube to watch videos. Half of them watch videos more than once per week, and they’re watching news, educational content, and DIY tutorials.”
Capital Markets: Housing Prices Ramping Up
The bad news is that mortgage applications continue to falter. The good news is that we finally had a little rally yesterday as bond markets responded to weekend news that President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy reached an agreement to raise the debt ceiling. Rates had risen of late as fears of a U.S. default gained momentum. A default would force the Treasury Department to pay higher interest on its bonds to convince investors to stick around, with mortgage rates and other borrowing costs tending to follow Treasury rates.
In Federal Reserve news, New York Fed President Williams discussed inflation, the labor market, and the importance of price stability yesterday by saying, “Inflation remains too high, and high inflation is hardest on those who can least afford to pay higher prices for food, shelter, and transportation.” He explained that the U.S. is seeing signs of a gradual cooling in the labor market, along with a rebound in labor force participation. Still, unemployment nationally remains historically low, at 3.4 percent.
The first trading day of a shortened week was headlined by house price indexes. The FHFA Housing Price Index was up 0.6 percent in March after increasing a revised 0.7 percent in February. The index was up 4.3 percent year-over-year, with prices in many western states starting to decline for the first time in over ten years. The fastest growing states were South Carolina, North Carolina, Maine, Vermont, and Arkansas. The declining states included Utah, Nevada, California, Washington, and D.C. Separately, the Case-Shiller home price index rose 0.7 percent in March, suggesting that the decline in home prices that began in June 2022 may have come to an end. The S&P Case-Shiller 20-city Home Price Index was down 1.1 percent in March with big declines out West, and the Southeast remaining the country’s strongest region.
Today’s calendar kicked off with the usual mortgage applications from the MBA for the week ending May 26. Mortgage applications decreased 3.7 percent from one week earlier, with activity expected to decline again following last week’s increase in yields amid increasing odds of a 25 basis points hike at the June FOMC meeting. During the reporting period, 30-year mortgage rates hit new highs for the year and their highest since last November.
Later this morning brings Chicago PMI for May, Job openings from JOLTS for April, and Dallas Fed Texas services for May. Four Fed speakers are scheduled: Boston President Collins, Governor Bowman, Governor Jefferson, and Philadelphia President Harker. The latest Beige Book will be released in the afternoon ahead of the June 13/14 FOMC meeting. The rest of the week will be dominated by the jobs report on Friday, the last jobs report before the mid-June FOMC meeting. Fed funds futures currently see a 60 percent chance for another 25-basis point hike. We begin the day with Agency MBS prices better by .125-.250 and the 10-year yielding 3.65 after closing yesterday at 3.70 percent; 4.40 percent on the 2-year.
Employment and Transitions
“Are you an account executive looking to change it up!? Why not Kind Lending!? At Kind, our family of diverse and talented Kind Ambassadors are the driving force behind our new approach to the mortgage experience. We are focused on serving the broker community and their borrowers by providing an array of products, top-notch service by experienced and friendly professionals and superior resources to support their business model. Founded by Glenn Stearns in 2020, Kind Lending is one of the fastest growing mortgage lenders in the country, building partnerships with our customers, who ultimately become family and our reason why. At the heart of it all, our people believe kindness matters and a client’s positive experience is everything. Come grow with us! Contact Delfino Aguilar, SVP TPO Production (619.726.0377).”
Earlier this month Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) announced the winners of its Home Possible RISE Awards®. The annual program, RISE (Recognizing Individuals for Sustained Excellence), salutes Freddie Mac’s top clients across multiple categories for excellence with the Home Possible® mortgage, Freddie Mac’s affordable lending solution for very low- to low-income homebuyers. Hallmark Home Mortgage earned the Home Possible RISE Award for Greatest Volume. “I’m thrilled and honored that Hallmark Home Mortgage has been recognized with the Freddie Mac Home Possible Rise Award for the Greatest Volume in the Corporate Segment. This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team, and we are incredibly proud of this achievement,” noted Deborah Sturges, CEO & Founder Hallmark Home Mortgage.
Evergreen Home Loans™ adds to its awards line up. This year, the company placed on the Puget Sound Business Journal Corporate Philanthropy List for the third year in a row. It honors the region’s corporate philanthropists and companies who have made significant contributions to the community through philanthropic work. “We are committed to making a meaningful impact in our local communities,” said Don Burton, Founder and CEO of Evergreen Home Loans. “And we are humbled by the recognition for this award.” As loan officers, you already positively impact lives and communities… Continue to do so with a company that helps associates give back, provides paid hours for volunteer work, celebrates individual growth, and truly lives its unique and award-winning culture. Visit the Evergreen careers page to explore current opportunities.
Are you a loan officer or mortgage banker frustrated with the constraints of retail lending? Tired of competing against lower rates, fees and closing costs? Then now’s the time to take control of your pipeline and career by making the switch to wholesale lending as an independent mortgage broker. Whether you’re looking to open your own brokerage or join a team as a loan officer, you can get up and running without missing a beat with support from the team at BeAMortgageBroker.com. You have nothing to lose and only clients, greater flexibility and compensation to gain.
loanDepot, Inc. has promoted Alec Hanson to serve as its chief marketing officer (CMO). Hanson will “lead a consolidated marketing team, overseeing the development of brand, digital marketing, and organic and digital lead generation campaigns that drive awareness and revenue growth while differentiating loanDepot’s marketing engine as a competitive advantage for loan originators. Hanson will also be responsible for the company’s originator-led field-level marketing capabilities.”
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Rising rates and sparse inventories continue to hamper the mortgage market. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said its Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 3.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis during the week ended May 26 and was down 5.0 percent on an unadjusted basis. It was the third straight week of slowing activity.
The Refinance Index decreased 7 percent from the previous week and was 45 percent lower than the same week in 2022. The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 26.7 percent of total applications from 27.4 percent the previous week.
The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index was down 3 percent compared to the prior week and 4 percent before adjustment. The index was 31 percent lower than the same week one year ago.
“Inflation is still running too high, and recent economic data is beginning to convince investors that the Federal Reserve will not be cutting rates anytime soon. Mortgage rates for conforming balance 30-year loans were being quoted above 7 percent by some lenders last week, and the weekly average at 6.9 percent reached the highest level since last November,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. “Application volumes for both purchase and refinance loans decreased last week due to these higher rates. While refinance demand is almost entirely driven by the level of rates, purchase volume continues to be constrained by the lack of homes on the market.”
Other Data from the MBA Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey
The overall size of loans was $391,000 with purchase loans averaging $439,400. Each was the smallest average in six weeks.
The FHA share of total applications increased to 12.7 percent from 12.5 percent and the VA share decreased to 12.1 percent from 12.5 percent. USDA applications accounted for 0.5 percent of the total, unchanged from the prior week.
The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRM) meeting conforming loan limits increased to 6.91 percent from 6.69 percent. Points jumped to 0.83 from 0.66.
Rates for jumbo 30-year FRM rose to 6.78 percent with 0.76 point from 6.57 percent,with 0.57 point.
The rate for FHA-backed 30-year FRM was 6.85 percent, up from 6.56 percent. Points ticked up to 1.26 from 1.24.
Fifteen-year rates averaged 6.41 percent with 0.84 point. The prior week the average was 6.15 percent, with 0.72 point.
Interest rates for 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) fell to 5.39 percent from 5.73 percent,with points decreasing to 0.46 from 1.19.
The ARM share of activity increased from 6.7 to 6.8 percent of total applications.
Demand for mortgage loans increased last week as a troubling economic outlook led to a decline in rates, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).
The market composite index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 1.15% for the week ending July 29, after falling for four consecutive weeks to the lowest level in more than two decades.
The refinance index rose 1.45% last week compared to the previous week. Meanwhile, the purchase index grew 0.97% in the same period.
However, compared to one year ago, borrower demand is weak. The MBA data indicates that, in comparison to the same week in 2021, the market index fell 62%. The refi index was down 82.6% in the same period, and the purchase index was 15.8% than this time last year.
“Mortgage rates declined last week following another announcement of tighter monetary policy from the Federal Reserve, with the likelihood of more rate hikes to come,” Joel Kan, MBA’s associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting, said in a statement. “Treasury yields dropped as a result, as investors continue to expect a weaker macroeconomic environment in the coming months.”
The Fed raised the federal funds rate by another 75 basis points, to 2.25%-2.50%, on July 27, bringing more concerns about a recession in the U.S. economy.
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Consequently, purchase mortgage rates dropped to 5.30% last week, from 5.54% in the previous week, according to the PMMS survey from Freddie Mac.
The MBA’s estimate also shows that rates are falling. The average contract 30-year fixed-rate mortgage for conforming loans ($647,200 or less) decreased to 5.43%, from the previous week’s 5.74%, the largest weekly decline since 2020. Jumbo mortgage loans (greater than $647,200) went from 5.32% to 5.06% in the same period.
“Lower mortgage rates, combined with signs of more inventory coming to the market, could lead to a rebound in purchase activity,” Kan said.
According to the Black Knight’s monthly mortgage monitor report, June had the record-low home price appreciation and the largest single-month increase of for-sale inventory in 12 years, showing a cool down in the housing market.
The MBA data shows the refinance share of all mortgage activity remained almost the same, from 30.7% the previous week to 30.8% of total applications this week.
The Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) share of total applications fell 11.9% from the previous week’s 12.1%. The Veterans Affairs’s (V.A.) share of applications increased to 10.8%, from 10.6% and the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) share held steady at 0.6%.
The share of adjustable-rate mortgages (ARM) applications declined from 9.1% to 8.4%. According to the MBA, the average interest rate for a 5/1 ARM decreased to 4.55% from 4.67% a week prior.
The survey, conducted weekly since 1990, covers 75% of all U.S. retail, residential mortgage applications.
Imagine that you’re a farmer. You live in a rural county where everybody raises sheep.
The county’s farmers, on the whole, prosper. Their flocks tend to grow by 10 percent every year. Some years are better than others. In the best years, the sheep population in the county grows by 40 percent. Little lambs are everywhere! But in the worst years — years filled with frost, famine, and disease — the sheep population can collapse to half of what it was before.
Further imagine that the county becomes home to vicious predators. Wolves, perhaps. The wolves descend from the mountains and begin to eat the sheep. Some farmers protect themselves from loss, but others don’t know how — and some don’t even realize their flocks are being attacked.
The farmers who take precautions aren’t able to prevent all losses, but they come close. On farms with vigilant shepherds, only 0.10 percent of sheep are lost to wolves every year. For every thousand sheep, the wolves pick off one animal.
The farmers who don’t take precautions, on the other hand, suffer terrible losses. During the initial onslaught they lose 5 percent of their sheep. (Plus, every time they add more sheep to their herds, the wolves manage to grab another 5 percent.) To make matters worse, the wolves steadily steal 2 percent of the beasts every year. For every thousand sheep, this group of farmers loses 50 in the initial attack, and 20 more each year thereafter.
Think of it: After the first year, the smart farmers will have lost just one of every thousand sheep. The other shepherds will have lost 70 sheep.
If the county’s flocks each grew at the long-term 10 percent average during that first year, the vigilant folks would now have 1,099 sheep for every thousand they started with. The unwary farmers would have 1,024 sheep.
Now imagine that in the second year, the same pattern continues. All flocks grow at the long-term average of 10 percent, and the wolves snatch 2 percent of the animals from those farmers who aren’t paying attention. At the end of the second year, the wolf-free flocks would have grown to 1,208 sheep for every thousand that were present at the start. The flocks where the wolves run wild would have just 1,104 sheep.
Both populations of farmers enjoy the same growth rate among their flocks. The difference is that one group loses fewer sheep to the wolves.
And at the end of 10 years following this pattern? The wolf-less flocks would have grown from 1,000 to 2,566 sheep. Those under attack would still have increased, but at a much slower rate. They’d have 2,013 sheep.
Things are even worse when you look at the farmers who add more animals to their farms every year. Remember that I said the wolves slaughter 5 percent of the sheep added to the unlucky flocks? Well, assume that wealthy farmers from both populations are able to buy 100 new sheep every year — but that the wolves snatch five of these from the one group.
At the end of a decade, these wealthy farmers will have contributed a total of 2,000 sheep to their flocks for each 1,000 sheep they started with. With average long-term growth, these flocks will have grown to 4,154 animals for the lucky shepherds and 3,374 sheep for those ravaged by wolves.
Which population of farmers would you prefer to join?
I won’t belabor this analogy any longer. I think most of you get my point.
Stock-market investors are like these sheep farmers. Collectively, they enjoy investment returns of roughly 10 percent per year. Individually, however, things are different. Most investors suffer severe losses from the wolves of Wall Street. Wolves, by the way, who don sheep’s clothing to convince investors to trust them. (These investors also have a tendency to make things worse by selling their flocks when sheep prices fall and expanding them when prices rise.)
If you want to be a successful farmer, you have to understand how farming works, and how to protect yourself from the wolves. Fortunately, it’s not as tough as it seems.
The financial industry wants you to believe that investing is difficult. If you buy into their message, if you accept the premise that you need help to invest wisely, they can charge you big bucks to handle your money.
The truth is somewhat different. Investing is simple. In fact, it can be one of the easiest things you do while managing your finances. How simple? Let’s boil it down to just a few sentences.
Here’s how to invest wisely:
Set aside as much as you can in investment accounts. Prefer tax-advantaged accounts (like a 401(k) or Roth IRA) before taxable accounts.
Invest all of your money in a low-cost stock index fund, such as Vanguard’s VTSMX or Fidelity’s FSTMX.
If the stock market makes you nervous, allocate some portion of your money to a bond fund. Or invest instead in a low-cost combo fund like Vanguard’s VGSTX or Fidelity’s FFNOX.
Continue investing as much money as possible. Never touch it.(Nothing makes a bigger difference to the size of your flock investments than how much you contribute.)
Ignore the news and ignore your fund.
That’s it. Seriously. That’s all you have to do to earn returns better than 90 percent of other investors.
There are scores of books and published research papers that support this strategy. It’s also the strategy that Warren Buffett (and other top pros) recommend for 99 percent of investors. If you’d like, you can spend days or weeks or months reading about why this works. Or you can trust these folks and do it.
Longer ago, my own flock of sheep was crippled by predators and my own bad behavior. After many mistakes, I got smart. I moved to greener pastures far from danger. Now I can ignore my sheep and go about my daily life, comfortable that the animals will continue reproducing at the long-term average without any intervention on my part. And with no danger of being consumed by wolves.
Generally speaking, value stocks are shares of companies that have fallen out of favor and are valued less than their actual worth. Growth stocks are shares of companies that demonstrate a strong potential to increase revenue or earnings thereby ramping up their stock price. The terms value and growth refer to both two categories of stocks and two investment “styles” or approaches of investing in stock.
Each style has pros and cons. When value investing, investors can buy shares or fractional shares of a company that has strong fundamentals at bargain prices. However, investors must be careful not to fall in a “value trap”—buying stocks that appear cheap, but are actually trading at a discount due to poor fundamentals.
What Are Value Stocks?
When investors hunt for value stocks, they are looking for stocks that are relatively cheap, unfashionable, or that they believe aren’t receiving a fair market valuation. Value investors try to identify value stocks by examining quarterly and annual financial statements and comparing what they see to the price the stock is getting on the market.
Investors will also look at a number of valuation metrics to determine whether the stock is cheap relative to its own trading history, its industry, and other benchmarks, such as the S&P 500 index.
For example, investors often look at price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, which is the ratio of price per share over earnings per share. Some experts say that a value stock’s P/E should be 40% less than the stock’s highest P/E in the previous five years.
Investors may also look at price-to-book, which is the price per share over book value per share. A stock’s book value is a company’s total assets minus its liability and provides an estimate of a company’s value if it were liquidated.
Value investors are hoping to buy a quality stock when its price is in a temporary lull, holding it until the market corrects and the stock price goes up to a point that better reflects the underlying value of the company.
What Could Make a Stock Undervalued?
There are a number of reasons that a stock could be undervalued.
• A stock could be cyclical, meaning it’s tied to the movements of the market. While the company itself might be strong, market fluctuations may temporarily cause its price to dip.
Recommended: Cyclical vs Non Cyclical Stocks
• An entire sector of the market could be out of favor, causing the price of a specific stock to dip. For example, a pharmaceutical company with an effective new drug might be priced low if the health care sector is generally on the outs with investors.
• Bad press could cause share prices to drop.
• Companies can simply be overlooked by investors looking in a different direction.
What Are Growth Stocks?
Growth stocks are shares of companies that demonstrate the potential for high earnings or sales, often rising faster than the rest of the market. These companies tend to reinvest their earnings back into their business to continue their company’s growth spurt, as opposed to paying out dividends to shareholders. Growth investors are betting that a company that’s growing fast now, will continue to grow quickly in the future.
To spot growth stocks, investors look for companies that are not only expanding rapidly but may be leaders in their industry. For example, a company may have developed a new technology that gives it a competitive edge over similar companies.
There are also a number of metrics growth investors may examine to help them identify growth stocks. First, investors may look at price-to-sales (P/S), or price per share over sales per share. Not all growth companies are profitable, and P/S allows investors to see how quickly a company is expanding without factoring in its costs.
Investors may also look at price-to-earnings growth (PEG), which is P/E over projected earnings growth. A PEG of 1 or more typically suggests that investors are overvaluing a stock, while PEG of less than one may mean the stock is relatively cheap. PEG is a useful metric for investors who want to consider both value and growth investing.
Investors jumping into growth stocks may be buying a stock that is already valued relatively high. In doing so, they run the risk of losing a potentially significant amount of money if an unforeseen event causes prices to tumble in the future.
How Are Growth and Value Strategies Similar?
While growth and value investing are two different investment strategies, distinctions between the two are not hard and fast — there can be quite a bit of overlap. Investors may see that stocks listed in a growth fund are also listed in a value fund depending on the criteria used to choose the stock.
What’s more, growth stocks may evolve into value stocks, and value stocks can become growth stocks. For example, say a small technology company develops a new product that attracts a lot of investor attention and it starts to use that capital to grow its business more quickly, shifting from value to growth.
Investors practicing growth and value strategies also have the same end goal in mind: They want to buy stocks when they are relatively cheap and sell them again when prices have gone up. Value investors are simply looking to do this with companies that are already on solid financial footing, and hopefully, see stock price appreciation should rise as a result. And growth investors are looking for companies with a lot of potential whose stock price will hopefully jump in the future.
Using Growth and Value Strategies Together
The stock market goes through natural cycles during which either growth or value stocks will be up. Investors who want to capture the potential benefits of each may choose to employ both strategies over the long term. Doing so may add diversity to an investor’s portfolio and head off the temptation to chase trends if one style pulls ahead of the other.
Investors who don’t want to analyze individual stocks for growth or value potential can access these strategies through growth or value funds. Because of the cyclical nature of growth and value investing, investors may want to keep a close eye on their portfolios to ensure they stay balanced — and consider rebalancing their portfolio if market cycles shift their asset allocation.
The Takeaway
Growth and value are different strategies for investing in stocks. Investing in growth stocks is considered a bit riskier, though it also may provide potentially higher returns than value investing. That said, growth stocks have not always outperformed value stocks.
As a result, some investors may choose to build a diversified portfolio that includes each style so they have a better chance of reaping benefits when one is outperforming the other.
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The pace of home price growth slowed again in the first quarter compared to its highs of a year ago, but there are wide variations in housing trends across the country, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said.
The FHFA’s House Price Index climbed up 4.3% on an annual basis in the first three months this year, cooling from 8.4% in the fourth quarter of 2022. The latest number shows further slowing from the red-hot pace set a year ago, when home values surged by almost 19% from the year before, the largest upswing in recent memory.
The combined impact of higher mortgage rates and limited inventory is continuing to bring about a noticeable deceleration in prices, but the overall index has still come in higher each quarter since 2012.
“U.S. house prices generally increased modestly in the first quarter” said Anju Vajja, principal
associate director in FHFA’s division of research and statistics, in a press release. “However, year-over-year prices in many Western states have started to decline for the first time in over ten years.”
Among the seven U.S Census divisions, the Pacific and Mountain regions, both located in the Western U.S., were the only two that showed prices depreciating annually. Values fell 2.4% and 0.1% in Pacific and Mountain divisions, respectively.
Seven states, many of whom saw their housing markets soar the most during the pandemic purchase boom, posted a decline in prices compared to a year ago, with Utah seeing the largest fall of 4.3%, followed by Nevada and California at 3.6% and 2.9%.
The FHFA findings largely mirror the trends reported by other researchers, including CoreLogic, who recently saw prices fall in 10 Western states in March.
On the other end of the spectrum, though, property values in the South Atlantic division continue to show strength, with prices rising 7.2% in the first quarter, the FHFA said. South Carolina led the nation in the pace of home price growth, up 9.5% since the first three months of 2022. Prices in neighboring North Carolina surged almost as much, rising 9.4%. Maine rounded out the top three with 8.9% annual growth.
On a quarterly and monthly basis, national home prices also headed upward, running counter to some previous predictions from economists, who said housing costs would likely decline going into the spring. House prices inched up 0.5% from the final three months of 2022, compared to 0.2% in the previous quarterly index. Meanwhile, prices climbed a seasonally adjusted 0.6% between February and March.
Whether more recent trends represent a leveling off of prices nationally is still in question, other data released this week shows housing costs moving in the same direction at an even more rapid pace. The monthly change recorded by the FHFA was a smaller increase than the rise in the CoreLogic S&P Case-Shiller Index, which was also released this week. Case-Shiller saw prices head up 1.3% between February and March, showing “counterintuitive strength,” according to CoreLogic Chief Economist Selma Hepp.
“The very meager inventory of existing homes is putting buyers in a position of having to pay over the asking price, and as a result, driving early spring price gains well beyond what is traditionally seen during this period,” she said in a statement.
Low housing inventory and still-strong demand kept prices high in March, according to the latest according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index, released Tuesday. The annual growth rate in March 2023 was up 0.7%. On a month-over-month basis, the index was up 1.3% before seasonal adjustment.
This was the second month-over-month increase following seven consecutive month-over-month decreases.
“The modest increases in home prices we saw a month ago accelerated in March 2023,” Craig Lazzara, the managing director at S&P DJI, said in a statement. “The National Composite rose by 1.3% in March, and now stands only 3.6% below its June 2022 peak.”
Both the 10-city and 20-city composite price indexes posted annual declines but monthly gains. For the 20-city composite, 19 of the 20 cities reported lower prices in the year ending March 2023 versus the 12-month period ending February 2023, with Chicago being the only city to report an increase at 0.4%.
“Low inventory, maintained by an extremely low level of new listings coming onto the market, has fueled demand amongst the few buyers who can afford to stay shopping. As a result, prices started picking back up on a monthly basis in early 2023 following months of price stagnation and declines,” Nicole Bachaud, Zillow’s senior economist, said in a statement. “As inventory remains a challenge in this market, so too will affordability be rocked by stubbornly high prices that aren’t looking to move drastically any time soon. New construction could be the beacon of light the housing market desperately needs right now, as home builders are gaining confidence amongst rising sales, hopefully soon to translate to more residential construction breaking ground in the coming months.”
Yet again, Miami (7.7%) and Tampa (4.8%), reported the highest annual price gains among the 20-cities analyzed, but Atlanta was bumped from the top-three by Charlotte, which recorded an annual price increase of 4.7%.
“One of the most interesting aspects of our report continues to lie in its stark regional differences. Miami’s 7.7% year-over-year gain made it the best-performing city for the eighth consecutive month,” Lazzara said. “Tampa (+4.8%) continued in second place, narrowly ahead of bronze medalist Charlotte (+4.7%). The farther west we look, the weaker prices are, with Seattle (-12.4%) now leading San Francisco (-11.2%) at the bottom of the league table. It’s unsurprising that the Southeast (+5.4%) remains the country’s strongest region, while the West (-6.2%) remains the weakest.”
Although March marked the second consecutive month of monthly price increases, Lazzara does not believe the industry is out of the woods yet. “Two months of increasing prices do not a definitive recovery make, but March’s results suggest that the decline in home prices that began in June 2022 may have come to an end,” he said. “That said, the challenges posed by current mortgage rates and the continuing possibility of economic weakness are likely to remain a headwind for housing prices for at least the next several months.”
The average rate in March on a 30-year-fixed rate mortgage in March was 6.54%, with the rate dropping to 6.34% in April.
Relatedly, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recorded a 4.3% increase in home prices in the first quarter of 2023 from the first quarter in 2022. House prices were up 0.5% compared to the fourth quarter of 2022. The FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index for March was up 0.6% from February.
House prices rose in 78 of the top 100 largest metropolitan areas over the last four quarters. Per the FHFA’s HPI, the annual price increase was greatest in Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL at 14.1% while the San Francisco metro area experienced the greatest price decline at 10.1%.
According to the National Retail Federation, we’ll spend $68.8 billion outfitting our students for school this year. Yes, I said $68.8 billion. Sounds like a lot of money, right?
More than 80% of the nearly 8,700 people surveyed say that the still-crappy economy has affected the way they’ll shop for school supplies. For example:
30.7% will comparison-shop online
38% will buy store-brand or generic products
44.6% will spend less overall
Good ideas all, but I’d add another tactic: Start early.
Ideally, you’ve already begun. No? Then start looking now if you really want to save money. Don’t wait until two days before Labor Day and then go the one-stop-shopping route. The OSS retailers get you through the doors with a few loss-leader prices and make their money back on everything else.
The NRF notes that families with kids in elementary and secondary school spend an average of $603, and parents of college students fork over about $808. This includes clothing and electronics as well as notebook paper.
Can’t afford to spend that much? Don’t want to spend that much? Start by asking yourself…
What Do We REALLY Need?
Don’t buy stuff you’ve already got. This sounds elementary, as it were, but apparently it isn’t. Each year my sister and I buy school supplies to donate to a social services agency. And each year I see parents buying things like backpacks, lunchboxes and three-ring binders for the glum children they’ve towed into the store. I wonder whether the previous year’s backpack, lunchbox and binder…
Wore out
Spontaneously combusted
Were lost in a poker game
Maybe. But it’s also possible that some parents buy new because, well, it’s a new year. To which I say: Are you out of your mind? Why are you instilling the relentless need for new Stuff when the old Stuff might work just as well?
Have your kid to go through dresser, closet and desk. Send her spelunking under the bed for stray markers. Make a pile of crayons, spiral-bound notebooks and other stray educational tools. Inspect the three-ring binder for cracks. Test the backpack straps and make sure the zippers still work.
Congratulations. You now have less to buy. But maybe not much less. That’s because…
Your School’s “Must Have” List is Longer Than My Leg
A kid might have to bring everything from dry-erase markers to a personal box of tissues. Just for gits and shiggles I checked one of these lists.
Elementary-aged kids need, at minimum: a backpack, gym shoes, tissues, lunch bag, pencils, crayons, white glue, markers, erasers, scissors, pocket folders, binder, notebook paper, dividers, composition book, colored pens and a ruler.
What, no particle accelerator?
Warning! The following statement makes me sound really old.
In my day, we brought a three-ring binder, notebook paper and pencils. If we couldn’t afford paper pr pencils the school provided them. Crayons and scissors were doled out as needed for projects. Only the teacher had markers. Dinosaurs picked us up and delivered us back home.
Times have changed, so watch the office-supply stores (Staples, Office Depot, Office Max) for impossibly cheap school-supply sales. This morning I saw packages of pencils and index cards for one cent each. Buy the maximum amount allowed and you may get enough to last most (or all) of the school year.
Hit those sales as early as possible each week, because other parents have the same idea. Loss leaders may be sold within hours of the opening bell. If the ad doesn’t specifically prohibit rain checks, ask for one.
Note: Your third-grader may plead for a new lunch kit on the grounds that the other kids will laugh when he takes his PBJ out of a “Batman” lunchbox. He might be right. In our increasingly media-driven universe, it’s mortifying to eat from a pail emblazoned with the wrong superhero.
Or he might just be playing you for a sucker. (It happens.)
You might not mind buying a new lunchbox every time the fads change. But maybe you’re wondering how you’re going to pay for everything on that list and still keep the lights on. Or maybe you have an aversion to replacing items that are still perfectly usable. If so, then float a compromise: If you give in on the lunchbox, he’s not getting a new backpack. (Nor should he, if the old one is in good shape.) Get one of those insulated lunch kits, which tend to be more generic in appearance, rather than a box with a cartoon character on it.
Tip: Put a note on your June 2012 calendar to inventory what your kid lost or “forgot” to bring home, then visit the school’s lost-and-found. The L&F box at my daughter’s elementary school looked like a department store. How in the heck don’t parents notice that their kids’ lunch boxes, backpacks, notebooks or winter coats (!) didn’t make it home one day?
If money is really tight (hi there, all you downsized parents!), try these frugal hacks:
Look around your house for pencils and pens. Hint: The only place they aren’t is…right by the phone.
Whenever you’re in a place that gives away writing implements, take one and say thank you. If your fourth-grader is embarrassed to be seen with a credit-union pen, keep them around for doing homework and save the Bics and Dixon Ticonderogas for school.
If last year’s spiral-bound notebooks were only partly used up, tear out the old pages and start afresh.
Don’t give pencil sharpeners to kindergarteners or first-graders. They get a little carried away.
Hand sanitizer really is required in many schools. Small bottles of the stuff will likely go on sale at drugstores and office-supply emporia. Here’s the rule: Junior keeps it in his backpack, not his desk at school, so you can refill as necessary from the jumbo bottle you got at Costco.
Start looking now for discounted gift cards to pay for these things as well as for any clothing (more on that below).
Truly desperate? Talk to the school nurse or principal about doing a little “shopping” in the lost-and-found. At my daughter’s school, unclaimed goods were given to kids whose parents couldn’t afford certain items.
New, or New to You?
Who came up with the idea of the back-to-school wardrobe? The people who sell the wardrobes, that’s who. Before you re-kit your kid, think about whether it’s really necessary.
Understand: I am not advocating that your child go to school in shoes that pinch or jeans that show her ankles. What I am saying is that there’s no need to re-do a wardrobe if her clothes still fit and are reasonably presentable.
Just sayin’.
Having just-said it, allow me to suggest some ways to find lower prices on new clothes.
For starters, who says it has to be new? Consignment stores, thrift shops, and garage sales are all potential clothing sources. My niece uses all three sources and pays pennies on the dollar for name-brand clothing.
Clothing swaps are another possibility. Organize them through sports teams, parent groups or your place of worship. Online swap sites like ThredUp might be just the ticket.
Don’t forget The Freecycle Network, either — I see kids’ clothing on there all the time. Some parents even post pictures.
Remember: Nobody has to know your stuff isn’t new unless you choose to tell them. You probably shouldn’t, incidentally, since not everyone is frugal and some people are creeped out by the idea of clothes other people have worn. (What, they think no one has ever tried on the clothes they bought from the department store?)
Tip: If used clothes bug you, wash them. Problem solved.
New Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Expensive
Start watching the clearance tables, because some of those summer duds — jeans, T-shirts, et al. — will work for September and maybe beyond. (They’ll also work for next April; if prices are irresistible, buy a size up for spring.)
Tip: Live in a warm climate? Lucky dog. Just stock up on remaindered summer garb for the rest of the year.
Online stores have clearance sales, too. This is easier to do for younger kids and/or kids who fit in basic sizes, and who don’t care if you pick out their clothes. Be sure to look for online coupons and free-shipping codes through sites like Retail Me Not and Savings.com.
Don’t enjoy tracking bargains? Enlist the help of a price-comparison website such as Pricegrabber, FatWallet, and FindersCheapers. Tell these sites what you want and let them do the hunting and gathering. You might even be able to set a deal alert and receive an e-mail when those Levis go on sale, or a refund alert if something you already bought went on sale.
Excited for School
It’s not that I don’t think you should spend anything on your kids come September. On the contrary: I believe that there’s nothing like that new-crayon smell. A couple of symbolic purchases can help your child get excited about a new school year.
Kidding! Few children are truly excited about the day after Labor Day. (Full disclosure: I was. Then again, I got called “teacher’s pet” a lot.) It’s fun to see their friends again, but getting back into the educational harness is always a period of adjustment. Seeing that Junior has all the necessary tools can help re-orient him back into that universe.
Bring him into the equation by asking him to look through the Staples or Office Max flyers with you and compare what’s on sale to the list of necessary supplies. Suggest that money saved by sale prices and judicious re-use of last year’s stuff could defray the cost of a coveted item. You know, like those shoes that are $20 more than you want to pay.
A special purchase might add a bit of frisson and make the transition somewhat easier. You’d also be modeling my personal mantra: Save where you can so you can spend where you want.
Finally: Some cultures start the school year with candy or other treats, to emphasize the sweetness of knowledge. Consider instituting this tradition in your own household by serving a smoothie loaded with berries or slices of mango and pineapple on the first day of school.
Avoid doughnuts or Froot Loops, though. They may lead to running with scissors.
School supplies photo by Steven Depolo. Crayon photo by Chris Metcalf. Photo of the bouquet of pencils (which J.D. loves) by Melissa Doroquez.
Inside: Trade and Travel is a legitimate investing course to learn how to make money in the stock market. See my personal view as a student.
I have been in the personal finance industry for a long time and have watched gurus with CFP and many more designations struggle to make money consistently in the stock market.
There are many concepts on how to trade the stock market.
Teri’s IWT system works.
It’s legit.
I’m a part of her investing course. I have seen the results. $1000 a day club in my LIVE account. Yes.
So, you get to read my Invest with Teri review first.
Teri is able to break down investing into the stock market like no one else I have seen.
You can read a book or blog and find many different concepts that work for them. Then, walk away with your head spinning and quit on the idea of trading and lose a bunch of money along the way. This is why most people leave it to professionals (which is a mistake with that pesky 1% asset management fee).
The Invest with Teri Method is a 7 Step Process that simplifies how to invest in the stock market.
She goes into detail on each of the seven steps to make sure you pick the right companies, limit your risk, know when to buy, and when to take profit.
Plus you have access to a private Facebook group and countless hours of coaching calls to really understand the IWT method.
This is how I am choosing to finance the life I want.
Okay, now that we got that out of the way… let’s dig into the details of the Invest with Teri review and learn how to travel and travel.
This is what you want? Right?
Make more money and have more time freedom.
Enough sitting on the sidelines… read this IWT review and then sign up today.
Honestly, if you have any money in the stock market, you need to take this course to understand the fundamentals.
This post may contain affiliate links, which helps us to continue providing relevant content and we receive a small commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read the full disclosure here.
What Are Online Stock Trading Classes?
If you’re interested in taking stock trading classes, there are a few things to consider before jumping into the world of investing. Stock trading is an investment that can be profitable if done correctly and is a way to grow your money.
Stock trading courses are a great way for newcomers to learn about the stock market. Also, courses are fantastic for those who want to refine their investing skills or maybe stop the bleed of money from trying on their own.
The Invest with Teri Ijeoma course provides a more structured learning path and can help you avoid some of the common mistakes made by novice traders.
In order to get the most out of a stock trading course, it is important to find one that matches your individual needs and goals. Plus one that can offer support and guidance because learning to trade is a learning curve.
Who Should Take Stock Trading Classes?
It is possible to learn the ins and outs of stock trading on your own without taking any classes.
However, for those who want a more structured learning experience, or for those who want to have access to a community of traders, stock trading classes can be a great option.
Taking stock trading classes can be a great idea for people who are interested in getting into the industry. The stock market is one of the most popular industries to get involved with, so it is likely that you’ll want to pursue a side hustle that may lead to a career in this field.
There are many different types of stock trading classes available, so it is important to do your research and find the one that best suits your needs.
Even if you are an index fund investor doing it on your own, this investing class is great knowledge to understand how the market works beyond “I hope it keeps going up.”
Must Read: How To Invest In Stocks For Beginners: Investing Made Easy
Trade and Travel 2.0
Right now, Teri and the rest of her coaches are doing a MAJOR overhaul on the signature course.
Her design team is currently working really hard to create an updated look and feel so you can experience Trade and Travel even better than before.
However, there will be changes – some we know about and some we don’t.
What we Know Today:
A significant Price increase happened (like double to $10k)
Shorting and gaps will be included in the main Trade and Travel course.
Limited time support on coaching calls. (However, a subscription model for additional coaching will be available.)
What You’ll Learn in the Trade and Travel 1.0 Course
The Trade and Travel course is an online course that will teach you everything you need to know about the world of trading, and more!
First of all, Invest with Teri along with Trade and Travel are used interchangeably. They are both the same AMAZING course that will teach you to make money in the stock market.
You will learn the Teri Ijeoma trading strategy.
The Invest with Teri 1.0 course is divided into two sections:
Travel & Travel – This is the basic course to understand fundamentals and to learn how to make money as the stock market goes up.
VIP Program – This is an advanced course that covers shorting, gaps, and options.
The great news… you can start with the basic Trade & Travel program and upgrade to VIP at a later date.
If any of this sounds foreign to you, Teri is one of the best teachers I have ever met. She breaks break down investing in the stock market like no one else I have seen. She is able to take difficult concepts and make them easy.
Simply put, Teri offers a course that teaches you everything you need to know about investing.
Later, in this Invest with Teri review, I will detail the difference between the two courses and what you will learn.
Teri’s Purpose of Trade and Travel – Financial Independence
The purpose of the course is to help students learn how to generate wealth.
Students can use the extra income earned from the course to supplement their income, pay off debt, or save so they can solidify their financial independence.
There is no doubt that in order to achieve financial independence, you need to invest in yourself. This means learning new skills, working on your mindset, and making smart choices with your money.
With a positive attitude and a determined spirit, anything is possible!
Want to Learn More about Investing?
How do you trade with Teri?
The privilege to have one-on-one coaching with Teri herself is very rare. However, she is known to offer group mastermind sessions for her VIP students.
So, in order to trade with Teri, you must enroll in the full $5000 course and wait for the next opportunity to trade with her.
Trade And Travel Program
The Trade and Travel program is the fundamental part of the investing course. This section will teach you the basics of the stock market and how to make money on the way up.
Teri’s trading strategies focus on risk management and she has seen many of her students achieve success with trading.
To be upfront in this Trade and Travel review, you will learn:
Learn how to pick stocks
Understand how the stock market works and how you can make money off it
Recognize why risk management is the most important aspect of trading
Understanding how to read charts
Learn the best places to buy and sell a stock could be
Be able to tell the story of the candles
Understand if your stock trade has a strong likelihood of being profitable
Determine how many stocks to buy based on your risk tolerance
How to place a trade at your brokerage
Manage your trade and exit based on your trading plan
That is a highlight of what you will learn in the basic Trade and Travel program.
Trade And Travel VIP Investor Program
The VIP program is the advanced piece of the course once you learn the fundamentals of the Trade and Travel program.
For those looking to upgrade to the VIP program, you will learn:
Make money when the market goes down.
How does shorting the stock work
When to look for gaps and what they mean
What is globex?
Options! This is everyone’s favorite part of the course!
Understand how to make money with option contracts
Risk management with options
Plus so much more!
Plus you can rewatch all of the curriculum and coaching calls over and over until you get it. That aha moment!
Both Travel & Travel and VIP offer live zoom training each week. Plus there is a vault of recording coaching calls to review.
Supportive Trading Community
Teri has built a supportive trading community of fellow students who have gone through the course.
Each trade cuzzin offers encouragement, advice, moral support, and feedback to each other.
This supportive community can help people overcome their anxiety and doubts when trading and investing.
You can find this supportive community on Facebook groups, Telegram groups, Clubhouse clubs, local meetups in your city, and people have connected to create a mastermind group. Honestly, there are plenty of people available to make sure you are successful on your journey.
Don’t forget… There are weekly live calls and chart parties.
This is how many people have turned 10k into 100k.
My Personal Trade and Travel Reviews
This is one of the best educations I have received.
My biggest regret is that I did not enroll in the course sooner (same as the time before I upgraded to VIP).
In all honesty, this course is a better education than spending hundreds of thousands on a college degree.
Personally, I meet Teri during FINCON, a huge conference for personal finance content creators and brands.
I loved how Teri spoke during her presentation and quickly reached out to learn more about her Invest with Teri course. Also, I was intrigued by the $1000 in a day club.
As always, I investigate every single company or platform that I recommend.
Obviously, this course has an eye-shocking price tag when you first see it. However, once you start earning your money back, you quickly realize how undervalued her course is.
As I always tell my readers… if I wouldn’t put my time, energy, or money on the line, then I am not going to tell you about it. I will only recommend products, services, and courses only that I truly know that work.
My View as a Trade and Travel Student
After a few months of debate if I could afford to spend the money on this investment course…
I became a Trade and Travel student in February 2021.
As outlined above, the course is jam-packed with information. I thought with my background in personal finance I would have a leg up over the others. However, I quickly learned that I need to view the stock market from Teri’s point of view and put blinders on to others’ opinions or styles of trading.
There are a ton of ways to make money in the stock market. This is one of them.
You can google and probably find many more investment courses and rabbit holes to follow. Investing is one of the most popular Reddit Personal finance topics. People want to learn to trade and most are looking to be fed information.
You have heard that saying, “teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry.”
The same holds true for completing this course, “Teach a trader to make money and you will be more profitable than your dreams.”
The best thing about life is you get to decide what you want to do, spend your time, and budget your money. Investing in this course is a big pill to swallow and I get it. However, I would not be so adamant about telling others about this course since I see a path for people to stop the stress with money.
I am successful with trading. Now, it is your turn to become successful.
This is by far the best investing course I have ever seen. 1000% recommended by me personally.
$1,000 In A Day Club
Here is proof. I made the $1k club in my live account and $10K in SIM.
I am a part of the trading community.
What exactly is the $1000 in a day club?
This exclusive club is for those traders who have made over $1k in a day.
Many IWT traders have received this plaque and part of this $1000 in a day club.
If you want to invest money and make $1000 a day this is how to start.
This is how I am choosing to finance the life I want.
Get one step closer to reaching your dreams and financing your life!
How Long Does It Take to Learn to Trade Stocks?
The time it takes to learn how to trade stocks depends on your personal learning style.
It typically takes 2 to 3 years to learn how to trade stocks.
By taking an in-depth course, you can shorten your learning curve.
Teri’s Approach to Learning to Trade Stocks
More importantly, the results you see trading stocks will depend on the effort put in to learn the curriculum, manage the trade, minimize your risk, and prepare your mindset.
Teri’s goal for her student is to earn 1% of our capital consistently.
This is not a get-rich-quick scheme. You have to put in the hard work to reap the benefits (aka profit).
For example, some people learn better by reading and others prefer watching videos. Some people may find that they learn best by following an instructor in a live trading room.
Who is Teri Ijeoma?
How many years of trading experience does Teri have?
Teri Ijeoma has over 10 years of trading experience.
Once she left her job as an elementary school assistant principal, she took off to travel the world. Those around her started asking questions and she taught her first group of students in Thailand.
Teri enjoys enlightening people on investing strategies and is passionate about building wealth.
Combining her trading experience with her teacher background, Teri is a talented educator in the investing world.
Teri has been featured on Forbes, NBC, CBS, ABC, Black Enterprise, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Fox News, Comcast – just to name a few!
She thrives by teaching others how to invest, so they can afford the life of their dreams.
Teri has made significant amounts of money through trading and is motivated by helping others achieve success.
Check out Teri discussing her $1,000,000 in a day profit. Yes, one million dollars in a day!
I’m scared to lose my real money trading. Can I still take the course?
Don’t want to risk your money, but are curious?
You can practice in a simulated account before you move to real money. Then, you can make mistakes. Learn from those mistakes. Understand how the stock market moves. Make wins.
The bottom line you can make real money in the stock market. You just have to be armed with knowledge and a trading system that works.
That is why most people lose money in the stock market! They don’t understand how the stock market works. They have poor risk management strategies and tend to select the wrong companies to trade with.
In the Trade and Travel course, you will walk away with so much investment knowledge and support from other people in the course to be successful.
Afraid to trade individual stocks? Teri’s process works with ETFs too!
Is Invest with Teri Reviews Reddit? Is this a scam?
As with any popular r/personalfinance thread, this is one that comes up often…is Invest with Teri legit?
There is a lot of mixed information on the web when it comes to Invest with Teri.
Some people have had great experiences and made a lot of money, while others have had negative experiences and lost money.
Since I have been forthcoming that I am a student of her course, I would recommend active trading as a way to supplement your income.
However, you must be willing to put in the time and effort to see the results.
And honestly, that is where most people give up because you must put in the effort.
At Invest With Teri, they believe anyone can learn how to invest and generate income through investment. They offer a variety of courses on how to invest, as well as a community of support to help you get started.
Their program has helped people from all backgrounds achieve their financial goals.
Did this Trade and Travel Review Convince You?
Teri Ijeoma is a millionaire trader and coach who shares her tips and tricks for success.
Trading is a skill that can be learned, and with the right education, anyone can do it successfully.
Trading is not a get-rich-quick scheme – it takes time and effort to learn.
Don’t waste your time or money on being a self-taught trader. Take a course from an expert.
I am part of this trading community and so excited to be a trade cuz!
Start building another income stream for yourself.
Invest with Teri Ijeoma teaches you how to make a lot more money than you currently are. Very possibly, trading can help you replace your current income or even exceed it
To be successful, you need to invest in this investing course, develop a solid trading plan and stick to it.
Get one step closer to reaching your dreams and financing your life!
Be the first to know when Teri releases a coupon code for her Invest with Teri course.
Do you have an Invest with Teri Coupon?
It is VERY rare that Teri puts out a coupon code.
However, if she does, I always notify my email list who have been on the fence about enrolling.
Typically, these coupon codes are valid for a limited time only.
Trade and Travel FAQs
Obviously, you are doing your due diligence before enrolling in this course, which I completely understand. I did too! I spent a lot of time researching prior to enrolling in this course.
Here are answers to the most asked questions about Invest with Teri, Trade and Travel, VIP program, as well as Teri Ijeoma.
Is the Trade and Travel course for new investors?
Yes, the Trade and Travel course is for both new investors and experienced investors.
Honestly, you are more likely to lose money in the stock market by trading on your own rather than spending money on the best investing course available.
The course is designed for everyone, regardless of experience level.
There are different courses available within the program for more advanced students (like shorting and options).
How long does the program take to complete?
You can complete the course within a weekend if you binged watch everything.
However, it takes 8 weeks to thoroughly go through the curriculum.
The main Trade and Travel course is broken down into sections, and modules include videos, tutorials, pdf worksheets, quizzes, and more.
The course instructor, Teri Ijeoma, estimates that it will take 8 weeks to complete the online course material before you begin trading.
In addition, there are plenty of coaching calls, which are filled with gems of information that you can watch.
This investing course is much like obtaining a college degree. The more you study, the better results you will have.
What will I learn in Invest with Teri course?
You will learn how to trade stocks and options based on her Invest with Teri method.
This is a solid, effective investing strategy.
Learning how to effectively trade stocks and make 1% consistently is the goal. This is higher than the market returns on any given day.
How much does Teri ijeoma course cost?
The cost of the Trade and Travel 2.0 course is $10000.
In addition, there is a payment plan available that allows you to pay in installments which is a great option without interest or hidden fees.
Honestly, this investing course is undervalued given the amount of knowledge you will gain.
Is there a payment plan?
Yes, there is a payment plan.
This is a great way to invest in the program with an affordable payment plan based on what you can pay today.
Right now, you can start the course with Payment Plans as LOW as $208/Month.
Can I purchase the Trade and Travel course and upgrade to the VIP program later?
Yes, you can always upgrade to VIP and pay the $2,500 difference. This is something you can do at any time.
I purchased the course to learn the basics and when I made money to pay for the VIP course I upgraded. Many students have done the same.
My gem of advice… eventually, you need to upgrade to VIP to fully understand the chart analysis as well as make money on the way down.
How much money do I need to start trading?
Many students start with $500.
This question is very difficult to answer because it depends on your personal finance situation and the type of trading you want to do.
The best advice is to start small and grow your account.
Trading stocks and options come with risk as such you must recognize that it is possible to lose all of your trading money.
Personally, I recommend starting with the amount you are comfortable losing. For me, I started with $3000.
Again, you do not need a lot of money to start trading. Check out this interview with Chris Calvin (aka Trade with Coach). He started with $500 and quickly grew it to 5 figures!
What trading platform does Teri Ijeoma use?
In her Trade and Travel course, she reveals which brokerages she has used in the past.
Right now, she is known to use Tradestation.
Recently, in her 5 Day Take the Trade Live Challenge, she set up a brokerage account with TD Ameritrade.
Do I have to attend coaching calls live?
You don’t have to attend coaching calls live. Also, all of the live trainings are recorded except the weekly Trade and Travel Q&A.
By attending a live coaching call, you have the opportunity to ask questions and get help from the instructor.
You can access the class recordings at your convenience once the coaching call is uploaded.
Personally, I attend the VIP coaching calls live to get the best out of the experience.
Remember, if you miss a class, you can always watch the recording later. You will have lifetime access to the coaching call recordings.
How long do you have access to the curriculum?
LIFETIME ACCESS!
You will have lifetime access to the curriculum.
That is pretty amazing to have these resources available forever.
You can review the curriculum as many times as you like.
Personally, I have gone back and reviewed many modules and coaching calls again (and again).
Is there a Facebook group? How long do you have access?
In fact, there are two Facebook groups for students that are run by the IWT coaching staff.
One Facebook group focuses on the general IWT method and the other is specific to VIP strategies.
In addition, there is a Trade and Travel sponsored Telegram group.
These Facebook groups are a great way to connect with other students and to learn from each other.
You have access to the group for as long as you are enrolled in the course.
What’s Teri’s Instagram handle?
First of all, there are so many fake accounts for Teri Ijeoma, Invest with Teri and the Trade and Travel Course.
Teri’s real account is @teriijeoma
Beware of imposters accounts and scams.
Can I share my course log-in information with others?
No, this is not allowed.
Each person should purchase the course separately.
The only exception is you can share with your spouse.
What is the refund policy?
According to their policy, refunds are not available for any of their courses. (You can read that here).
However, they do not want unhappy students or I don’t want unhappy trading cuz.
So, if you need additional assistance, reach out to their support team at [email protected] and one of the fabulous coaches will assist you.
Honestly, this makes 100% sense as a student. There is so much knowledge and information in the course that it is not surprising.
If you truly put in the time and effort, you will see success. You have to put in the work though.
Just a reminder… trading is a risky investment if you don’t know what you are doing. You can lose money in the stock market.
Know someone else that needs this, too? Then, please share!!