Is it your goal to prioritize what is best for your client even if it’s not in your own best interest?

If this is the case can you give an example of where the best advice for the client actually caused you to lose money?

I can give you an alternative view on this.

Years ago, set up a meeting with a "financial advisor" we met at a church thing.

I was already under contract to buy a new construction home roughly 1 year out. I told this advisor that because of that, I really just wanted a safe place to park my money - no risk of capital loss was the priority for me at that specific time.

He came back offering a VAL. Variable annuity life policy. My cash balance after 1 year, was 1 dollar. The other several thousand went to fees and his commission. It was the highest commission product he had available.

So, instead of offering me a money market account that would have paid little but protected my cash, he offered a product that benefited only him and took all my cash. Literally one dollar of value remained after 1 year.

A true fiduciary would have offered a money market, maybe some short-term bank cd's. The commission on those would be very minimal, if any. Hence they usually charge a flat fee instead.

This other guy ignored everything that was important to me and my situation, and was only interested in lining his own pocket.

That's the difference. That's what they are trying to take away from you by removing the fiduciary requirements. To let sick vultures like that one advisor prey on those that believe they are to be trusted.

Hey shaft... ugh... you literally just described the bottom of the barrel, no good, nasty financial advisors that really do exist and wake up every morning and put on a suit n tie.

Shameful what this salesperson did to you. I'm literally asked this same question every week by someone... I always have to deal with the sigh.... okay i'll keep it in this money market at 0.50%.

You nailed it on the head. He prob won a trip to Aruba too for top sales guy of the month too.

Hi great question, this is all part of being a fiduciary for your clients/customers. I have spent almost 20 years advising families on how to grow their wealth in the most efficient manner. Often times that means giving people advice that may not benefit me but benefit their overall situation.

Example:

1) Client: Should I pay down my mortgage or other debt with my cash I just inherited? Or should I have you invest it to grow and worry about paying off the debts later?

Answer: My analysis and management process always has the goal of retiring with absolutely zero debt - so in many cases I will my customers decide the best path of debt reduction rather than benefiting by having more assets for me to manage.

Wouldn’t one likely do better over the long haul investing, instead of paying down a mortgage that is likely in the 3.5-4.5% area?

Yes and No... a young person (under 50) should definitely utilize the low rates for real estate investments etc... however a 58 year old contemplating age 62 retirement would not want to take that risk and the goal should be reduction of all debt before retirement.

So it really depends on the situation, I was just using this one as an example of making decisions that don’t benefit me at all but it’s the right move for the client.

hi, can you help me get out of Argentina? Thanks.

no, lol

you're welcome

Apparently I don’t qualify for a Roth IRA for 2019 because I make too much money? What do I do with the contribution?

Hi there,

A Roth conversion is the way to go, however, the deadline for 2019 conversions had to be completed by 12/31/2019. I'd suggest making a non deductible traditional IRA contribution for 2020 and then immediately convert it to a Roth IRA.

All the contributions will grow tax free from there.

Thanks!

Two questions:

1. Have you found it tough to make a good living by advising on a flat fee basis or directing clients to investments that pay less commission? Can you be as specific as you’re willing to be here?

2. As someone who has a very strong financial background (former FA myself and left industry for same reason), I find it very difficult to find someone who can help during the draw-down phase of life. The accumulation phase is easy to teach, but what about a couple in their late 50s who have a good nest egg and want to plan for long term care needs, navigating though health insurance if they retire before Medicare kicks in, inheritance, etc. Do you have any advice on how to search for someone who can help with that type of planning?

Thank you.

Hi there blink,

Excellent questions.

1) Actually, no I don't. I figured out very early in my career that I'm terrible at trying to sell a product to someone that doesn't need it, such as Variable Annuity. I tried to sell a Variable Annuity twice early in my career and both times the customer looked at me and said, you don't sound very convinced this is actually a good investment.

After that I knew I would ALWAYS stick to my morals and beliefs that this isn't a sales job being a financial advisor, I am a consultant and its my job to be the professional and always approach every business interaction with that motto.

Since then making a good living has become easy because people recognize the difference pretty quickly and I've made up for it with volume.

2) What you are describing is EXACTLY what I do on a daily basis in the world. I work with large corporations and help their employees navigate through all of these decisions, such as Medicare planning/supplemental medigap, social security claiming strategies, pension plan decisions - annuitize monthly pension or lump sum etc

So my website is basically a virtual/cartooned version of all the things I help people with on a daily basis.

On the Office floor you'll see I made 6 sections each designed to guide you through many of the subjects you mentioned.

​

www.FMF365.com

Here's how my website navigation works:

​

The Reception Area lets you choose which floor you’d like to visit in the

virtual office building.

• Floor 1—The Office: Dedicated to providing lots of great info on

many financial planning topics such as, “How to Build Your

Foundation” where you can learn about your credit report, how

to calculate your net worth and much more.

• Floor 2—The Wisdom Room: My personal finance blog—a new blog

is posted monthly on useful topics such as common financial

terms, retirement planning tips, and what to do when the stock

market drops.

• Floor 3—Investing with Virtual Dan: This is where we get to work.

You’ll have access to a calculator built with Fidelity Investments

robo advisor tool and can easily create an investment plan to

achieve your goals! Want to plan for retirement? How about a

new car, wedding, or vacation? Use this tool to plan for all of

your big life goals.

• Floor 4—The Classroom: Explore my Virtual Dan videos, each animation

presents valuable information in just 2-5 minutes.

Hi there, This is why financial services is so confusing to the general public. There are many twists on who is considered to be an advisor.

A CFP is a particular designation. Designations are essentially certifications by an organization like the Certified Financial Planners Assoc. or an AIF - Accredited Investment Fiduciary via fi360 etc.

To be an actual fiduciary you need to put it in writing to your client/customer. It will be legally spelled out that the advisor is working in a fiduciary capacity which has legal obligations. It makes the advisor legally responsible to work in your best interest among other things.

So you can actually be a CFP or AIF and not actually be working as a fiduciary.

The big firms are the ones that don’t let their financial advisors work as fiduciaries... why? Because they aren’t working in your best interest and don’t want to be held legally responsible to be so.

I'm middle-aged, unemployed due to COVID, and have less than $100k in retirement (401k) - is there even any point to maintaining those funds? Given that a) the stock market is just a measurement of rich peoples' feelings, and b) barring a lotto win or a lucky strike at a casino, I'm going to have to work until I die, wouldn't I be better off just emptying my 401k in to my savings, clearing my debts, that sort of thing?

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear how COVID has affected you. So here's my advice in your situation. I would not cash out the 401k, however, you can due to COVID take out up to 10,000 penalty free (no 10% early withdrawal tax)... the $10,000 would be taxable income but you can spread that over two future tax years.

Before doing anything you will need to lay out every single debt you owe, the balances owed and interest rates etc. Then decide which 10,000 worth of debt being wiped out would help your situation the best.

This would be the first step to take to getting yourself back on track - I wish you well and hope for quick return to employment.

Thanks, I appreciate that.

If you have time for a follow-up question: What are my options to park my remaining 401k funds that are low-risk (esp given the market volatility during COVID) that has decent rate of return?

You should roll the 401k over to a qualified IRA account. Take your 10k withdrawal from there to pay off debt and invest the remaining funds which are still tax deferred for long term growth.

I do have a YouTube video I made all about rolling over former 401k plans you should check out.

I’m available by email with any questions, but I do have an investing page in my virtual office that will point you in a good direction.

https://youtu.be/XdptNa6NfEM

FMF365.com

As a fiduciary, what are the practical differences between you and someone that is not a fiduciary?

Edit: I was completely wrong, OP is correct.

Ninjaturtle - you really should learn what you are speaking of. You are so far off the mark.

Hi there!

A fiduciary advisor has to always put your best interests first. This means when recommending any investment, all angles need to be considered such as overall cost to the client. A non fiduciary advisor simply is required to meet your objective rather than put your interests first.

Example:

XYZ Fund pays 2% commission to selling broker. ABC fund is a low cost no load index fund.

The non fiduciary advisor is almost forced to sell the 2% commissioned XYZ fund since the advisor makes more money with one over the other.

A fiduciary advisor, you will pay a flat fee or a level asset mgmt fee rather than receive anything in terms of compensation from the investment they recommend. This ensures their best interest is in mind when recommending.

Are you my uncle, who has apparently been leading a secret life as a fiduciary, or do you just have the same name?

Honestly asking. My uncle is fucking weird.

Hi nephew! It's uncle Virtual Dan! Shh... keep it a secret though please.

How has the destruction of the fiduciary rule by Republican led congress since 2016 affected a consumer's ability to find reliable consultation?

What is an average consumers best course of action to find advice they can trust?

I would suggest that you always work with a fiduciary. Just because there' no federal fiduciary rule in place doesn't mean you cant find a great fiduciary to work with.

In fact, it should almost help the general public in someways since you can just avoid working with advisors unwilling to take an oath that puts your best interests before theirs.

Half the battle is eliminating any conflicts of interests - fiduciaries are required to be certain there are no conflicts of interest.

Edit: OP was correct and I was mistaken, the term fiduciary does still mean something in America.

Ok, may I rephrase that?

How do I determine that the fiduciary I am working with has my best interests in mind if they are no longer legally obligated to keep my best interests in mind?

Or are we pretending that the term "fiduciary" still means something here?

You can't say you are a fiduciary and then not be one.

The ruling for the fiduciary rule was to force the entire industry of financial advisors to take that oath of fiduciary capacity which basically says I'm legally obligated to work in my clients best interest.

Example:

Non Fiduciary Advisor (mostly the entire industry): Client asks for investment recommendation for long term growth.

Result: Invest client in the mutual fund that pays me the biggest commission or kickback. No problem since it meets the client objective of growth even though client could have had a low cost growth index fund for 1/100th the cost.

As of 2018 the fiduciary rule is officially dead and the term fiduciary is meaningless. You should know this, and the fact that you don't says an awful lot.

https://www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/is-the-fiduciary-rule-dead-or-alive-what-its-fate-means-to-you-2018-03-16. (Hilariously this article proves OP right)

There is now an army of "fiduciaries" in America investing their clients investments selfishly.

Sir, you are very incorrect on what you believe... the rule is dead yes. That rule was to be applied to ALL financial advisors. That is true, its dead.

That does NOT mean the word fiduciary is meaningless, it means that true fiduciaries are more valuable since 90% of the industry isn't a fiduciary.

People are going to read the article I linked and then read your response and realize you've lost your credibility here.

I can go take a test, call myself a fiduciary, claim to be working in my clients best interest, but act completely selfishly and invest in whatever suits ME the most. My clients would have no legal recourse.

Please read my response and educate yourself rather than bothering me and making a full of yourself.

I'll respond one last time... the fiduciary rule that you are referring to is DEAD. The rule that would have made EVERY financial advisor forced to be a fiduciary.

Just because 90% don't want to be a fiduciary, there is a good 10% of us that have always and always will continue to be a fiduciary.

Fiduciary is a LEGAL obligation in writing.

I looked into it, I am still seeing reliable sources that define a fiduciary as someone obligated to serve a clients best interest and looking back and reading again the article I linked it seems to confirm what you are saying, I must have misunderstood when originally reading it.

Thanks for your patience and time, I've downvoted my own comments but left them up for people to have a laugh at my expense.

I forgive you.

Any advice for finding grad school?

First thing I'd ask myself is if grad school will pay off for my intended career. Nothing wrong with going to grad school, but it won't always equal a better outcome in regards to employment opportunities.

Every extra year spent in school is an extra year not being full-time career employed and building your pay scale + saving towards your future.

Of course in many cases grad school can pay off but just know that it comes at a risk of missing out on 2-3 years of real world experience. Plus, 2-3 years of savings etc.

Thanks! I meant to say.. funding grad school.

lol - okay thats a tough one... nobody has the money to pay for grad school unless you have a rich uncle who likes to help his family.

Hopefully the grad school will result in a high paying career and you'll then have to focus on paying that grad school debt off with it.

Do you trade recommended securities?

Hmm... can you clarify your question? Recommended by whom?

I do invest in individual securities if that's what you mean.

Hi Dan, how did you start this noble deed?

Well, I got in this business for one reason. To get rich. I was in college during the late 90s, this was an era much like today's where I saw stock brokers and investors in tech stocks making more money than they knew what to do with. After working my butt off to survive the first 3/4 years like any good rookie would, I started to realize this wasn't an industry of helping people reach their goals, but rather an industry all about commissions and free lunches etc

In 2007, which was six years in this business at that time. I decided I have zero interest being forced to sell things to my clients that they don't need or want only so the branch manager could win another plaque for most profitable branch in the company. This can be an industry of genuinely good people who enjoy helping others or it can be industry full of people who see their customers as a number... a commission number.

So I've been an independent financial advisor since 2007, no sales goals, no quotas, nada. I just wake up everyday and try to do my best to help everyone I meet. That has led to a solid business 13 years later that is more busy than one guy can handle... and this is why we have Virtual Dan now! When I'm sleeping, Virtual Dan is still helping people.

Hey Dan, thanks for doing this! I've got a little hypothetical here: suppose I only have $100 or less to invest and I want to eventually have a retirement plan. What should I start with and where should I go?

Hi there,

Glad to hear you want to get started with investing. The sooner the better. I'd definitely recommend opening a brokerage account and begin investing in a low cost S&P 500 index mutual fund. You can get one from Vanguard or Fidelity - best two options out there for a retail investor.

You will own 500 of the largest companies in America like Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook etc.

Check out my website too, I've made it to help people learn all about investing.

Good luck!

Do you think investing in crypto currency is worse, the same, or better for returns and stability when compared to traditional investments (stocks, 401k/IRA, etc)? Do you ever recommend crypto currency as an investment strategy for your clients?

Here's how I'd classify Crypto... I considerate part of my speculative portion of my portfolio. I would usually determine what % of my total should I allocate to high risk speculative investments? Perhaps its 15% for a younger person.

So I'd prob make sure I was investing in my 401k and getting the full employer match (cant beat that ever) first and foremost - then I'd look to speculate after my core bases are covered ie. solid large growth companies for the long haul, big blue chip dividend stocks for stability and then I'd find whats left and what can I afford to take high risk with like Crypto.

This way, in case you are wrong about cryptos future, its not going to set you all the way back.

I'd suggest building up your retirement assets, a real estate investment and then do some speculative investing with the rest.

\

Do you follow r/personalfinance?

I do now.

Hi. I’m an international teacher. As such I don’t pay social security and don’t have a 401k. I’m also not able to continue adding funds to my Roth since that should be post tax income and I pay no income taxes on my overseas income. (I file the proper forms with the IRS every year). What type of retirement investments would you recommend?

Because I have no taxable income my minimum payments on my income based repayment plan for my student loans is zero. Several of my colleagues have decided to not pay their loans counting on the 20 year forgiveness plan. I’m 47 yrs old and owe about $32000.

Help. I really need some advice.

Hi there, great question... I would open a taxable brokerage account in the USA. Since you do not show US income you wont be able to make traditional or roth IRA contributions.. so your next best choice would be to open a brokerage account and begin making monthly contributions and treat it as your retirement savings even though it wont be growing tax free doesn't mean you can't save money this way and then maybe in the future if you come back to the States and create income then the Roth IRA is the way to go.

I do have a calculator on my website that can help you create a plan and strategy. Feel free to check it out or email me. The investments are held at Fidelity Investments and can be linked up to your checking for easy contributions etc.

Since your savings will be in a taxable account, there will be some minor capital gains taxes each year but you'll also have full access to your investment funds since it wont be an actual retirement account.

Thanks!

https://fmf365.com/

Just click the Start Here and there's very useful interactive tool to guide you through the process.

Do you have any examples of systems/procedures that you put in place do disincentive bad behaviour?

Are there any areas you think you still need to work on?

One of the reasons I stopped working in financial advice is because the client rarely comes first. You are incentivised to bring in more business regardless of what is best for the client.

Also, not dealing with clients with under 50k in assets, even if it's in the client's best interest (plus good for the business in 10 years time when they'll likely have a lot more) put me off a lot.

Hi there. I agree with your general statement of the industry.

I was fortunate enough to learn this very early in my career and have been 100% independent and conflict free since 2007. The longer I've been in this industry the more and more passionate I've become in trying to fix some of the key problems with this industry's pure focus on profit over whats best for the client.

Thats why I created this virtual office website and spend lots of my time on this project because I am very passionate about the everyday person gaining access to excellent financial planning advice and not some sales gimmick to bag the customer in a variable annuity or variable whole life insurance policy.

I'm literally on a mission to level up the American people's knowledge of money and investing. It's my calling in life.

If/when should I use 401K funds to put a down payment on a 1st home?

I think using 401k funds for a 1st time home is a smart move.

Of course non 401k funds are a better option since you are not removing retirement funds.. but I consider this a smart move if no other funds are available to make it happen.

Owning a home is a very important asset to acquire and the sooner the better since you can use cheap interest rates to buy you a nice asset that should grow over time with use of the bank's cheap money.

Just remember not to start a slippery slope of hitting the 401k anytime you need money for something, but in this case its a smart move since you can avoid the 10% early withdrawal penalty for the 1st time home purchase.

Thanks!

Hi Dan!

I have been following this retail investing frenzy going on and it seems like with the Fed’s help stocks only go up. I am nervous to touch current prices still believing it could go lower, but the old saying “never fight the fed” still rings true. I am sitting on cash right now just trying to find an entry point.

I have some silver and bonds and a few cryptos that I have held for a while. My question is this: should I be doing something with my money in the mean time? Also very hard to try to answer, but do you see the market going lower?

Note: just my personal investing account separate from retirement.

Thanks 🙏

I really believe there are many catalysts that will happen over the next 12 months and even further over the next 36 months.

With that said, the markets are always subject to healthy pullbacks in the broader market of 5-10% at any given time given some bad news.

I’d suggest averaging in over the course of time. Perhaps slicing up your investment dollars into 6 slices and then sliding those six slices back into a good investment strategy or fund.

Slice 1 = invest now Slice 2 = invest in 3 weeks (or sooner if there’s a pullback of any sort in between) Slice 3 = invest 3 weeks later Slice 4, 5 & 6 = same thing, 3 weeks or dip buying

Hi there!

Glad to see you went your own route pre crash because you wanted what is best for your clients. This may he more appropriate for a CPA or tax professional so no worries there.

My gf and I recently sold our house at an $85k profit. We are using a chunk of that for a down payment on the new house and plan to keep approx $27k in our account for safe keeping, emergency, etc. Would either of these (the total gain, or the amount not used as a down payment) have any tax implications?

From what I've read, aince its under 250k we should be fine.

Also, if we wanted to invest say $10k, what would you reccomend for the largest growth possibility? (30m and 27f, no kids, only debt would be mortgage, roughly 9k car loan and my student loans approx 20k)

Hi there! Yes this is more of a CPA tax question, however I can tell you that you are correct in that there should be no tax consequences on the 85,000 profit of your primary home. Great job too!

10,000 is perfect for a low cost mutual fund growth portfolio. I do offer a low cost mutual fund portfolio on my website through Fidelity Investments. The underlying investments would be invested and actively managed in super low cost index funds which will get you access to all the best companies you'd want to own for the future, like Apple, Google, Facebook, Tesla, J&J etc etc

Check out my investing page, there's automated investing options available:

https://fmf365.com/investing-with-virtual-dan/low-cost-mutual-fund-etf-managed-portfolios/

​

Thanks!

My question is specific to a Roth conversion from an IRA after age 59 1/2. I am 60.

With the standard deduction we would be able to convert ~$35k from an IRA to a Roth and still stay in the 12% tax bracket.

I am seeing confusing advice/opinions on the 5 year rule after age 59 1/2.

1). If I did the conversion could I immediately take money from the Roth, penalty and tax free, without waiting 5 years since I am over 59 1/2?

2). Do I have to wait 5 years to withdraw any earnings from that conversion, penalty and tax free, or are there no penalties at all after age 59 1/2?

Thanks.

Hi there, there shouldn't be any penalties on the converted money since you are over 59 1/2. Since you will be paying all the tax on the conversion amount in the current tax year you'll have already paid the tax owed on the conversion. In your case the 5yr rule should not apply since you are already over age 59 1/2 in theory you could also just withdraw that same amount and not convert it and also not pay a 10% penalty. Basically the same thing if all being done at once.

​

I'm not a tax professional so this should prob be verified by a tax professional but I feel very confident you will not owe a penalty on that conversion if over 59 1/2.

I'm early 30s and was sold some NWM whole and term life insurance a few years ago. At the time I had no company sponsored savings, and the idea of being able to touch the money before I was 65 (maybe older by the time legislation changes in 35 years) was attractive. They sold it as growing more than a savings account, but to date I've paid $11k in premiums but my "net accumulated value" is $6k with a $200k net death benefit. I have no dependents and no plans for any. Should I just cut and run at this point? Was buying really as dumb as it appears?

Hi limited,

I can't begin to tell you the number of people I meet in your situation. This is what I mean by rotten sales people just working to bag people in this crappy mouse trap.

Insurance is insurance

Investing is investing

My advice, don't mix them.

Cut and run as soon as you read this. It's a hose job.

Here's what you do:

1) Drop this nonsense and get any cash value you have out.

2) Buy term life insurance for 30 years fixed premium. Its super cheap! 30yr term for a 32 year old male would be $295 per year for $250,000 death benefit - locked for 30 years.

When you are 62 you shouldnt need this policy anymore because instead of wasting your money on this life policy you can save all the difference in a low cost mutual fund portfolio

Your bucket of money will grow to a massive amount by 62 so you wont need the life payout for anyone (we will assume you marry oneday)

3) Check out my site on a new investment plan

https://fmf365.com/investing-with-virtual-dan/low-cost-mutual-fund-etf-managed-portfolios/

Here's the Office floor - I did an entire section about this - scroll down to Life Insurance

https://fmf365.com/office/build-a-foundation/

​

Email me with questions.

Thanks! Good luck

Holistic Advice?

Quack science does t make you sound credible

holistic

​

ho·​lis·​tic | \ hō-ˈli-stik \

Definition of holistic

1: of or relating to holism

2: relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts

I retract my dig.

I have friends that are trying to heal with 'energy' and channeling 'Starseeds'

I see this shit everywhere now and apologize as long as you aren't trying to cure bad financial decisions with Himalayan salt lamps.

Ha! No star seeds to channel here, it’s just the proper way to look at one’s personal finances as a big picture whole rather than say just analyzing a 401k plan investment.