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NEW LLPA Fee Matrix for Loans –Unprecedented!

Are you one of those people who act financially responsibly – save money to buy a home, pay your bills on time, keep your credit score in a healthy range?

Then keep on reading!!

Because a new regulation by the current administration, which goes LIVE on May 1st, 2023, may punish you instead of rewarding you for being a financially responsible adult…

Mortgage borrowers with good credit will face higher costs under a new scheme from the federal mortgage associations Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

And I doubt you’ll hear about this new regulation in mainstream media.

In case you never heard about LLPA, it stands for Loan Level Price Adjustment Fee Matrix, which is an additional fee that lenders may charge on certain mortgage loans to offset the risks associated with those loans.

LLPA traditionally were used to reward people with higher credit score loans with better interest rates because these borrowers present lower risks to lenders… they have a history of paying their bills…

However, an unprecedented change to the LLPA fee matrix is to be enacted on May 1st, 2023.

Under the new fee matrix, borrowers with high credit scores will face higher mortgage fees than before and those with lower credit scores will face lower fees!!

In other words, if you’ve acted responsibly – were paying your bills on time, were not living beyond your means and have a fairly high credit score, you’ll be penalized by extra fees via the new LLPA.

It’s shocking. It’s unprecedented. It’s a clear case of wealth redistribution.

The good news is that the monthly fee increase in mortgage payments for most borrowers is not expected (for now) to be significantly higher.

For instance, according to David Stevens, a former federal housing commissioner, someone with a $400,000 loan and a 6 percent mortgage rate may have to pay about $40 more per month.

But an extra $40 per month means an extra $480 per year. And over the whole course of mortgage repayment, a homeowner would end up paying thousands of dollars more due to the fee shift.

In my opinion, regardless of what the additional mortgage amount is in terms of actual costs, it’s unfair that borrowers with extremely good credit are effectively being penalized while borrowers with lower credit scores are being rewarded.

And it doesn’t make any sense in terms of managing lenders’ risk!

Because lenders will significantly cut the fees for their highest-risk borrowers and increase fees in much better credit quality buyers!!

And while overall, lower-credit buyers will still pay more in LLPA fees than high-credit buyers, this latest change in the LLPA fee will give lower credit score / higher-risk borrowers a preferential treatment by enforcing higher-credit / lower risk borrowers to subsidy the them.

Here’re some more specifics for you:

Under the new LLPA rules, high-credit buyers with scores ranging from 680 to above 780 will see a spike in their mortgage costs – with applicants who place 15% to 20% down payment experiencing the biggest increase in fees….

LLPAs are upfront fees based on factors such as a borrower’s credit score and the size of their down payment. The fees are typically converted into percentage points that alter the buyer’s mortgage rate.

Under the revised LLPA pricing structure, a home buyer with a 740 FICO credit score and a 15% to 20% down payment will face a 1% surcharge – an increase of 0.750% compared to the old fee of just 0.250%….

Meanwhile, buyers with credit scores of 679 or lower will have their fees slashed, resulting in more favorable mortgage rates.

For example, a buyer with a 620 FICO credit score with a down payment of 5% or less gets a 1.75% fee discount instead of the old fee rate of 3.50% for that bracket.

So, the penalty for having a credit score under 680 is now smaller than it used to be.

While having a good credit score and putting more money for the down payment were strong factors that motivated people to act financially responsible, the government intention to “level the playing field” in the name of equity is decreasing this powerful reward for responsible behavior.

With this being said, remember that your loan will still cost more if you have a lower credit score.

For instance, if you have a score of 659 and are borrowing 75% of the home’s value, you’ll pay a fee equal to 1.5% of the loan balance whereas you’d pay no fee if you had a 780+ credit score.

But before these new LLPA changes, you would have paid a whopping 2.75% fee. On a hypothetical $300k loan, that’s a difference of $3,750 in closing costs.

But that’s not all…

Lenders can charge higher interest rates to high-credit borrowers yet pay these costs for you (but the costs are still there, and still technically being paid by you over time in the form of higher interest rates).

Federal Housing Agency (FHA) Finance Director called it “another step to ensure that [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] advance their mission of facilitating equitable and sustainable access to homeownership.”

So, what do you have to keep in mind if you’re considering applying for a mortgage after May 1st, 2023, once the new Loan-Level Price Adjustment (LLPA) fees come into effect?

Here’re a few things to keep in mind:

1.   Shop around: It’s always a good idea to shop around for the best mortgage rates, and this is especially true now that LLPA fees are changing. Different lenders may have different fees and rates, so it’s worth exploring your options.

2.   Improve your credit score: Unfortunately, if you have a good credit score, you may be subject to higher LLPA fees under the new rules. However, if you can improve your credit score before applying for a mortgage, you may be able to reduce the fees you’re charged.

3.   Consider a larger down payment: Borrowers who can afford to make a larger down payment may be able to reduce the LLPA fees they’re charged.

For example, under the new rules, high-credit buyers with scores ranging from 680 to above 780 who put down 15% to 20% will experience the biggest increase in fees, so if you can afford to put down more than 20%, you may be able to avoid some of these fees.

4.   Be aware of the long-term costs: While the increase in fees may not lead to significantly higher monthly mortgage payments for most borrowers, it’s important to consider the long-term costs. Because even a small increase in monthly payments can add up over the course of a 30-year mortgage.

Overall, it’s important to carefully consider your options and understand the costs and fees associated with your mortgage before making a decision.

Let me know in the comments what you think about this new LLPA adjustment – always love to hear your point of view!

To your Health, Wealth and Freedom!

Millen Livis

August 27, 2023
The Risks of CBDC & How to Protect Your Money

For centuries, cash and traditional banking services have been the go-to for financial transactions. But now, central banks want to change it and offer their own digital currency.

The official idea behind CBDC is to provide a digital alternative to cash and traditional banking services, and to increase financial inclusion for people who don’t have access to banks.

But this is NOT a complete picture!

As you may know POWER and MONEY are closely interconnected.

Power implies control and CASH is not easy to control…. Government-controlled digital currency implies full control over your financial life…

There’re some serious dangers to this whole CBDC thing!

Let’s go over some of the dangers together:

1.   The risk of cyberattacks.

Digital currencies are prone to being hacked, and central banks would need to invest a ton of money in cybersecurity to prevent their CBDC from being hacked.

With all transactions taking place in a digital environment, hackers and other malicious actors have greater opportunities to steal funds or personal information.

Cybersecurity breaches could lead to significant financial losses and personal harm.

THAT could lead to major financial instability and possibly even collapse of the whole system. Yikes!

2.   The risk of privacy violations.

CBDC would be a centralized currency, which means that every transaction would be recorded by the central bank.

This would give the central bank access to everyone’s financial data, and this personal financial data could be used for surveillance…. similar to Chinese Communist Party’s social credit score system.

Government may influence how you spend your money… if you buy too much alcohol or donate to associations that are not supported by the government, you can be fined or, worse, your access to digital money can be blocked.

Yes, Digital currencies allow for transactions to be tracked and monitored, which can give governments unprecedented access to your financial information.

This raises concerns about government surveillance and the potential for abuse.

It could lead to serious invasion of privacy, and it could make people lose trust in the financial system.

Nobody wants the Big Brother watching their every financial move, right?

3.   The risk of financial instability.

If CBDC leads to a significant shift away from cash and traditional banking services, it could create a scenario in which people would rush to withdraw their funds from banks.

The whole banking system may collapse, which will create a major financial chaos.

The central bank would need to manage the transition to CBDC very carefully to make sure this doesn’t happen.

You don’t wanna end up with no money to buy your overpriced eggs and veggies, right? LOL

4.    The risk of centralization.

As I mentioned earlier, CBDC would be a centralized currency, meaning that the central bank would have total control over the monetary system.

This could lead to a loss of financial freedom and, pretty much, complete government control over your financial life.

That would be a serious threat to your individual rights and freedom and would clear the path to government overreach and the potential for abuse.

You don’t wanna lose your financial freedom, right?!

Here’s the thing…

Time is running out!

The implementation of the Central Bank Digital Currency is on the horizon, and you need to prepare yourself NOW.

Here’s HOW:

1.   Educate yourself about the risks and benefits of CBDC.

Learn about the cybersecurity risks, the privacy concerns, and the potential impact on financial freedom.

There’s a ton of information out there, so start doing your research now. Watching this episode of my show is great start!! J

2.   Make sure your digital security is top-notch.

Use strong passwords, keep your antivirus software up-to-date, and avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading unknown software.

Also, protect yourself by using two-factor authentication when you login to data-sensitive sites.

CBDC is a digital currency, so you’ll need to make sure your digital assets are secure.

3.   Diversify your financial assets.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – spread your money across different types of assets, investments and accounts. Diversify your money among cash, value / dividend-paying stocks, gold and silver, cryptocurrency, or other assets….

For example, investing in precious metals offers a tangible, reliable, and stable investment option that can be easily bought and sold.

Whether you’re a short-term or long-term investor, investing in precious metals is an excellent way to safeguard your financial future.

And by spreading investments across multiple assets, you reduce your risk by being exposed to any single asset class.

This will help you minimize the risk that CBDC can cause on the banks in a form of financial instability.

4.   Consider using alternative payment methods.

While CBDC may become the new norm, it’s still important to have other payment options available.

Make sure you’re familiar with different payment methods and have them set up and ready to use (e.g. debit cards, PayPal, or cryptocurrency).

5.   Become financially savvy – stay informed and engaged.

Advocate for policies that protect financial freedom and privacy, and stay up-to-date with the latest developments on CBDC.

By being financially savvy, by staying informed and engaged, you can help shape the future of CBDC and ensure that it’s implemented in a way that benefits everyone… as much as possible.

So, there you have it – some actionable steps you can take to prepare for the CBDC implementation.

Don’t wait until it’s too late – start taking action now.

To win the money game you’ve got to know your available options and choose them strategically!

Financial ignorance is VERY expensive!

if you want to have a PRIVATE money strategy call “Never Worry About Money Again” (Value $500), you can schedule it at speakwithmillen.com. NO COST TO YOU!

It’s on me, MY GIFT to you!

You can also sign up for my youtube channel Millen Livis Channel Wealth to watch the More Money with Millen weekly show.

To Your Health, Wealth, and Freedom!

Millen Livis, MS, MBA

Holistic Financial Independence Mentor

August 26, 2023
5 Lessons from the Silicon Valley Bank’s Failure
Two major regional U.S. banks – the Silicon Valley Bank in California and Signature Bank in New York – collapsed last week.

Silicon Valley Bank (referred to as S.V.B.), was considered by many tech start-ups and investment firms as their “reliable banking partner.”

The bank was known for betting on start-ups that no other banks would touch (red flag?)…

Some tech start-up founders and workers had gotten their first business loans and even home mortgages and car loans from the S.V.B.

Many venture capitalists set up their accounts at Silicon Valley Bank in 1980s, when the tech industry boom started.

So, what happened?

How could this established bank with its “pristine-reputation”, who housed money for some of the richest investors and well-known venture capitalists, collapse?

There were several reasons for this fiasco, of course….

And what’s interesting, the main cause of the S.V.B. failure was not investing in risky cryptocurrencies or any other elaborate financial schemes….

In my opinion, some of the main causes of this bank’s failure were a series of BAD tactical and ill-informed strategic decisions….

In short, staggering incompetence of the bank’s management.

As you know, 2021 was a year of booming stock market, fueled by record-low interest rates….

Cost of money was so chip that numerous tech start-ups were popping up like mushrooms during a good rain season.

So, the S.V.B. was taking cash deposits from its tech start-up customers and was investing this money into various long-term, low-yielding Treasury bonds that were purchased before interest rates began to spike in 2022….

At the time, those investments looked safe…because interest rates were historically low.

However, these investments became increasingly risky once interest rates rose in 2022 and the Treasury bonds lost their value (because bonds’ prices go down when interest rates go up).

S.V.B’s “banking geniuses” should have known that out-of-control government spending and constant money printing will lead to high inflation… and high inflation will crash bonds’ prices…

And since the cost of capital became more expensive, many tech start-ups needed to pull their cash deposits out of the bank to pay for their expenses… and S.V.B. had to sell some of its bonds at a loss to meet its obligations.

But there is more to this story….

While S.V.B. was a relatively small regional bank (the 16th-largest bank in the country), it’s fair to say that it had a preferred-bank reputation in the tech community of the Silicon Valley…because of its risk-off attitude towards its operation.

Here’s what I mean by “risk-off” attitude: Out of Silicon Valley Bank’s $173.2 billion in deposits, only $21.7 billion was insured!

In other words, over 87% of the S.V.B’s customers, who deposited their money into this bank, were risking not getting their money back!

Apparently, regional banks have looser “bank solvency requirement” than bigger national banks…

Anyhow, the S.V.B. customers and investors panicked and the bank’s shares plunged more than 60% last Thursday, then another 60% last Friday, then banking regulators stepped in and took over SVB Financial.

Then last Sunday another bank was taken over by federal bank regulators – Signature Bank in New York.

Now Moody, which is financial credit ratings firm, cut its outlook for the entire US banking sector and placed six US banks on review for potential credit rating downgrades, in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank collapse.

Moody warns consumers that more banks will come under pressure after SVB’s failure — particularly those with large amounts of uninsured deposits and long-term Treasury bonds that have crumbled in value.

Further, Moody’s said it expects pressure on the banking sector to persist as the Fed continues to hike interest rates to combat inflation.

So, here’re some of the lessons YOU can learn from this S.V.B failure story:

1. Be Mindful of the Interest Rates Trend. Many corporate clients (especially tech start-ups) are very sensitive to high cost of capital (like what we have right now – rising interest rates). When interest rates rise, long-term Treasury bonds lose value…Therefore, make sure you don’t invest your cash in long-term bonds that will lose value when interest rates rise.

2. Be careful with keeping all your money with regional banks. It appears that larger national banks have more strict banking regulations and liquidity requirements than regional banks.

3. Make sure your cash deposits and banking products like CDs are FDIC-insured. FDIC is Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which guarantees safety of your bank deposits up to $250,000 per person or per banking product. That’s why people who have more than $250,000in cash have accounts with different banks…

Not all financial institutions are insured by the FDIC (e.g. credit unions don’t offer FDIC insurance).

Always make sure that your money deposit is covered by the FDIC.

If your money is kept with an FDIC-insured bank, you’ll at least be guaranteed to protect your principal up to $250,000.

So, even if you have more at the bank, you’ll at least get reimbursed up to that limit.

Generally, there’s no maximum amount you can have on a checking account.

However, there’s a limit on how much of your checking account balance is covered by the FDIC (as of now, it’s $250,000 per depositor, per financial product, per financial institution).

4. Become Financially Savvy. Consider Alternative places to put your money to. While FDIC protection for cash deposits makes banks look appealing in difficult times, consider alternative places to put your money to.

You may consider

– real estate investments that produce income… but can be more risky AND

– precious metals like gold, silver and platinum, which offer NO income but a hedge (aka protection) against devaluation of your fiat money AND

– dividend paying established undervalued stocks

Remember that NOTHING is guaranteed in this world, NOBODY cares more about your money than you, and it’s your responsibility to be a SAVVY manager of your money.

5. Do Risk / Return analysis. While all investments involve risk, some carry higher risk than others… and provide higher return… and some investments are high risk and low return….

So, when you invest, be very clear about the risk you’re willing and NOT willing to take …

Diversify your investments across different assets to reduce your risk and maximize your return.

For example, remember that the following financial products are NOT insured:
- Stocks
- Bonds
- ETFs
- Mutual funds
- Crypto currencies
- Life insurance policies
- Annuities
- Municipal securities
- Safe deposit boxes or their contents
Let me know your top 3 insights from reading this article.

What actions are you planning to take to protect your savings and investments?

To your Health, Wealth, and Freedom!

Millen Livis
August 23, 2023
5 Tips to Overcome Fear of Investing

I was recently asked in my private Wealth Building For Powerful Women group: “How can I overcome the fear of investing?”

And because it’s such a common block for many people, especially after experiencing huge “paper losses” in the recent markets’ swing to bear territory, I feel that this topic deserves a closer look.

By the way, I suggest that you also check out the 3 Common Misconceptions about Investing.

Tip #1: Get Solid Knowledge About Strategic Investing

It’s natural for us to feel fearful about doing something we don’t understand well or don’t have solid knowledge about.

Remember your math or science classes at school? The subjects seemed complicated and even scary sometimes…until you learned and understood them.

Even driving a car at first, when you were just getting started, felt like a complex skill, right? And now you can drive it with your eyes closed… well, almost. LOL

The exact same approach applies to becoming knowledgeable about investing – the more you learn and practice, the more competent, confident, and discerning you become about making financial decisions.

In addition to learning about different investment strategies, different financial instruments available to you, and various ways to manage investment risk, you can also learn how to deal with market cycles, how to plan for retirement, and how to create a solid investment portfolio that will carry you over market downturns and economic recessions.

You can read books (e.g., Tony Robbins: “Money” and “Unshakable”, or Millen Livis: A Shift Toward Abundance: Pathway to Financial Freedom) , read financial publications (e.g., Wall Street Journal) and financial articles on the Internet, listen to financial podcasts (e.g., The Investing for Beginners or The Investor’s Podcast), take online or LIVE investment training (e.g. Grow Wealth with Stock Market Investing and Grow Wealth with Real Estate Investing), watch financially-inclined youtube channels (e.g. MillenLivisChannelWealth)

*When it comes to investment training, it’s very important that you trust and connect with the instructor/guide.

Tip #2: Think LONG Term

Think LONG term – don’t worry about “making it happen” and “getting it right” in a short time. All strategic investors have a long view investment horizon.

Having a longer timeframe helps mitigate risks from cyclical financial markets, but it also gives you time to test your strategies, make adjustments, and decrease pressure to hit “home runs” with each investment.

So, don’t judge your investment portfolio’s performance after just a month… or even a year.

Investment portfolios can sometimes take a decade or two to produce that long-term 9% + returns. Be patient and let your portfolio grow into its full potential.

Tip #3: Start Small

Allow yourself to screw up at the beginning. That’s normal with just about anything, right? That’s how we learn.

So start small, give yourself room to learn through experience. You can even start by using “paper-trading” options that some brokerage companies offer….

Also, decide how much you can stand to lose (it’s called “risk tolerance”). You can use “trailing stops” to control your losses.

What I like about stock investing is that it doesn’t require large sums of money upfront (if you’re planning to invest on your own instead of hiring an investment advisor to manage your money, which usually requires a large minimum – from $250K to $500K).

There are a number of micro-investing services out there on the Internet that can help you get started investing when you don’t have a lot of cash to allocate. Do some research and read users’ reviews before opening an account.

Tip #4: Adjust and Refine

We learn the most from our mistakes. If what you were doing at first isn’t working out – PAUSE. You can always adjust and refine your strategies as you learn and become more experienced.

It’s totally OK to change your strategies if you realize you made a mistake. The worst mistakes are made when we panic.

When you make up an investment portfolio, you want to take into account the amount of money you have to invest, your investment goals and timeframes, and your risk tolerance.

Your investment portfolio needs to have an adequate asset allocation that takes all of these factors into account.

Always think about striking a balance between GROWING your money and PROTECTING it at the same time.

And if your financial situation or needs change, you can always adjust your portfolio’s asset allocation. So, there’s no need to be frightened about making a mistake – you can always course-correct.

Tip #5: Keep a Bigger Perspective

Let’s say you lose money on some of your investments.

First of all, if you do your research and know what you’re doing, you can NEVER lose 100% of your invested money.

Secondly, you’re not going to jump into financial markets with ALL your investable funds, right? And so, since you’re not investing the cash you need to survive tomorrow or next month, it’s OK to allow some “paper losses” while markets go through temporary corrections.

If you don’t panic and don’t sell when everybody panics, your paper losses can recover…

When you’re investing for long-term goals, you don’t need that money for a decade or more. And in the long run, the markets tend to go up.

The Bottom Line

The fear of investing is not easy to overcome. It is especially hard if you lost a lot of money in the past. Nobody likes losing money…even if it’s just temporary.

So, I understand that making that first leap into the markets may feel hard and scary. But just because it feels hard and scary to you right now doesn’t mean that you should avoid investing altogether.

Think about all those times in your life when you felt scared before you learned how to do it well. Biking, swimming, driving, speaking a foreign language(s)… And once you learned the skills, it became natural for you…

And so, use the 5 tips shared in this article, learn about investing, and practice until investing becomes another natural skill for you.

To Your Health, Wealth, and Freedom!

PS: Click below to DOWNLOAD the free Wealth Planner
https://daretochangelife.com/wealth-planner and start taking simple steps on your road to Personal Freedom and Financial Independence.

July 20, 2020
3 Common Misconceptions About Investing

Have you EVER invested your money and had an “investor remorse,” like “hmm, was it a good idea to invest? Maybe I should have waited….”

Or maybe you’ve had some cash in a bank and wanted to invest it YET felt paralyzed by fear of losing your money? Or by fear of making a mistake?

If you EVER felt something like this, I want you to take a deep breath…and know that MANY people experience fear around investing, which keeps them on the sideline for years.

And so, they procrastinate…and, at the same time, feel guilty for not doing enough for their financial future.

They feel FOMO (fear of missing out) because they know they’ve got to use investing to grow wealth. However, they get distracted by other financial priorities or hesitate to enter the markets at the wrong time. And so, they wait and often…waste time and opportunities.

I used to be one of these people. After losing almost all my retirement money during the 2008 market meltdown, I felt terrified… Being recently divorced and jobless was amplifying my fears. I knew very well that investing is the way to grow wealth and become financially independent but…boy losing your retirement money sucks, especially when you’re in your 50s…

It took a major personal breakthrough to get back to investing, and the result speaks for itself…I became financially independent in just seven years.

And so, why so many people avoid investing their money, so it grows and works for them?

Why they easily get distracted by other priorities? Why they don’t take action on what they KNOW needs to be done?

There’re various reasons, of course.

One common reason is our inherent bias for immediate “wants & needs” – we always prioritize immediate needs (like paying for kids’ college, or buying a house or a new car, or going on a family vacation.)

Another common reason for avoiding investing is the fear of losing money, especially after experiencing huge “paper losses” in the recent markets’ swing to bear territory. And so, many people focus more on making money than on growing their wealth.

And yet another reason for not investing is buying into common misconceptions about Investing.

Check out an article How To Invest Your Money where I shared my high-level view on investing.

But today, I want to share the three most common misconceptions about investing by briefly defining what investing is about and what it’s not.

3 Most Common Misconceptions About Investing

1. Investing is NOT about frantically trading stocks – buying and selling every day or every week.

2. Investing is NOT about being glued to multiple screens with stocks’ tickers all day long, monitoring every move on the stock markets.

3. Investing is NOT about getting rich quick – gambling with HOT penny stocks, making risky bets without having a strategic approach to growing your money, and creating lasting wealth.

The only investing that creates LASTING Wealth is STRATEGIC Investing.

What is STRATEGIC Investing?

1. Strategic Investing IS about steadily growing your assets over time and receiving multiple recurring streams of income.

2. Strategic Investing IS about having a long-term investing horizon and making strategic purchases aligned with your short/medium/long-term financial goals.

3. Strategic Investing IS about knowing how to create a strategic asset allocation in your portfolio so that you grow your wealth steadily and protect it by using risk management techniques.

Now… Strategic investing is not just the Stock Market investing, which is simply one of the investment strategies.

But since the Stock Market is a popular and common form of investing, let’s look at how scary investing in the stock market really is.

On January 1, 2000, the S&P 500 index (one of the representatives of the U.S. market), was 1,425.59.

And despite all kinds of market corrections between 2000 and 2020 – with annual losses anywhere between 9% to 38% of its value (that’s about as bad as it gets) – on May 29, 2020, S&P 500 index was 3,044.31 – over 100% increase in value since 2000!

Over the last 80+ years, the stock market has returned an average of about 7-9% annually. Some years are really bad (that’s what we fear), but on average, the long-term returns are pretty good.

Consider a risk-averse investor buying low-yielding but relatively safe investments like a certificate of deposit (CD) (or short-term bonds) that return about 4% annually. After 30 years of investing $10,000 per year, the safe investor earning 4% will have about $583,000.

Compare these returns with a risk-embracing investor who buys stocks that average 9% per year. After 30 years, the stock investor will have about $1.486 million (more than double).
In this example, the CD/bond investor may get far short of their retirement goals due to being too conservative.

And if you want to take your money out of the stock market and keep it all in cash, I invite you to compare the growth of your cash portfolio, which will be negative over the long term because inflation will erode your purchasing power, against the potential gains in the stock market.

Historically, the stock market has been one of the best bets if you want to grow your wealth over the long term. However, always remember that it’s not wise to invest ALL your money in any one asset!

The Bottom Line

Understanding what is strategic investing will help you stay away from “get-rich-quick” schemes that can be thrown at you by unscrupulous sales folks. Be discerning and know YOUR values and YOUR goals.

And now that we cleared some misconceptions about investing and markets, In the next article, I’ll share with you five tips to overcome the fear of investing so you can start growing your wealth more strategical and mindful manner!

To Your Health, Wealth, and Freedom!

PS: Click below to DOWNLOAD the free Wealth Planner
https://daretochangelife.com/wealth-planner and start taking simple steps on your road to Personal Freedom and Financial Independence.

June 29, 2020
To Diversify OR NOT to Diversify PART 2: the Danger of Over Diversification and How to Avoid It

When it comes to diversification, some beginner investors get confused about the degree of diversification they need to maintain in their investment portfolios. After all, there are SO many choices out there!

And while diversification is a smart risk management strategy (and I talked about its benefits at length in the PART 1 of this Wealth-building mini-class series), this strategy must be approached wisely.

There is an old saying: “Everything has a front and a back.”

I find it true.

So, today I want to share with you the “back” of diversification, which is Over-diversification so that you’ll be aware of what NOT to do.

Over-diversification is a common mistake that can significantly decrease the returns from your investments compared to the risk of losses in your portfolio that you mitigate with the diversification strategy.

Because most investors are aware of the harmful effects of under-diversification, many mistakenly believe that the more diversification the better. This concept is false and can lead to significantly diminished returns in your investment portfolio.

It’s like getting natural vitamin D from the sun because it’s essential for your optimal health, however, receiving over-dose of the sun radiation through the extended exposure can lead to serious health issues.

How the Over-diversification happens?

Over-diversification happens when the number of investments in your portfolio exceeds the level where the loss of the expected return from your investments is greater than the benefit of reduced risk from the diversification.

When you add investments to your portfolio, it lowers your risk of loss but potentially lowers the expected return as well.

For example: Let’s say, you own 1 stock instead of 1000 stocks. If you own just one well-performing stock, your expected return (gain from investing in this stock) is very high but so is your risk. Your entire portfolio performance will depend on that one stock.

In Part One of this mini-class, I shared with you my story when I invested all retirement funds into the stock of the company I worked for at that time. This portfolio performed fabulous… until the stock market crashed.

SO, you I hope by now you clearly see the benefits of going from one stock to five, or from five stocks to twenty.

Each time you add a new investment to your portfolio, it will lower your risk of experiencing devastating losses. However, after a certain point, it will also lower the expected return from your investment portfolio.

For example, if you own 1000 stocks, you will eliminate unsystematic risk (risk associate with a particular company or industry), but, most likely, your portfolio will not contain the best performing stocks and the highest quality companies.

I pretty much can guarantee that a portfolio of 1000 stocks, whether owned individually or through Mutual Funds or ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds), will contain a wide range of opportunities – from best to worst. There will be some great picks (companies with phenomenal performance and growth potential) and quite a few losers.

In other words, at some point in your diversification efforts, you can reach the number of investments where the benefit of risk reduction is smaller than the decrease in expected gains.

How to Decide on the Optimal Diversification

What I want to bring to your attention today is that owning only 15-20 great stocks in your portfolio, which are diversified among a variety of industries, would be a much better choice than owning 20 great stocks plus 980 mediocre or poor performing stocks because these 980 will pull down your portfolio’s performance.

That’s why over-diversification leads to below average or even poor returns in your portfolio. And you may fall into this “over-diversification” trap by simply holding a few mutual funds, ETFs, and index funds that are over-diversified and focus on quantity instead of quality.

How to Diversify Your Portfolio

I strongly believe that diversification is not simply a numbers’ game.

As I demonstrated earlier, the number of investments in your portfolio does NOT determine how risk-prudent and performance-optimized your portfolio is.

The trick to successfully diversifying your portfolio is owning investments that play different roles in your investment portfolio.

Just like having a team in your business where every team member has a specific role in order to achieve best possible results in your business, your investments need to have different roles in order to achieve best returns in your investment portfolio.

Some investments meant to focus on Growth, others on Income, and yet others on Value (good companies that are going through transition and are currently undervalued).

You can also diversify your investments by companies’ market capitalizations (small-, mid- and large- caps). And you can choose to own domestic and international companies from different market sectors.

But to really optimize your investment portfolio, I invite you to consider adding alternative investments into the mix like real estate or commodities. Because, historically, alternative investments’ performance doesn’t highly correlate with traditional assets like stocks and bonds.

When stocks and bonds are moving straight up or straight down, alternatives can move diagonally. It’s like taking the escalator instead of the elevator to your financial goals. With alternative investments in your portfolio, you may be moving a bit slower toward your financial goals but you’re less likely to get trapped between floors.

The Bottom Line

We talked a lot about the importance of diversification in the Part 1 of this mini-class series. However, you’ve got to be aware of the dangers of Over-diversifying your portfolio.

The optimal diversification of your portfolio would be to own a number of individual investments that are large enough to almost eliminate unsystematic risk but small enough to focus on the best-performing opportunities in the long term.

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September 20, 2019