Stableford Capital Insights

A partial social security number and other identifying information can be the key to open the vault to your most valuable assets in a cybercriminal’s hands. Online access brings convenience and higher risk, making financial data security a must to keep our information – and assets – safe.

In this first article in our leadership series, we look at why, and how to, develop leadership rather than hiring support staff. Leaders build the culture that they want to be in, and in turn that keeps employee turnover low. They also collaborate and challenge each other to improve efficiencies, leading to increased value for our clients.

Investment firms like Stableford Capital pursue GIPS compliance to be able to provide accurate investment performance across the board. By claiming compliance with GIPS investors can better compare Stableford’s investment performance to other firms internationally.

Many workers transitioned to working from home during the 2020 pandemic. Doing so may have affected their individual tax return. Workers should verify they are filing correctly based on their current state, investigate reimbursements for home offices and learn more about filing taxes if their status has changed from W-2 employee to 1099 self-employed.

For investors, it can be difficult to know if an investment firm is presenting fair and accurate performance. GIPS compliant firms adhere to a global standard to measure performance and offer objective data that helps potential investors compare across markets, languages and processes. GIPS compliance aids in investment performance transparency.

The stock market’s plunge in 2020 revealed the weaknesses of many low-risk funds, and the advantages of Separately Managed Funds (SMAs) when it comes to surviving and thriving in chaotic times.

Investments start with a goal in mind – to build up a fund to pay for kids’ education or build a nest egg to secure retirement income are just two typical goals. For this reason, it’s natural for the investment approach of non-professionals to place a greater emphasis on asset growth. But, as assets grow, security becomes a bigger issue. Investment professionals understand how to create the balance between growth and protection – discover why and how they do it.

Money mindset starts early in life, from parental models to media influence and advertising. This psychology of investing refers to financial habits and dictates how someone spends and saves money. Through behavioral finance, an advisor gains insight into these habits to better coach the investor on how to manage money responsibly to ultimately gain financial wellness.

When it comes to automating tasks and gathering data, technology takes the lead. But when it comes to interpreting the data and comparing it with clients’ unique financial goals, human interaction is key. A good financial advisor combines both technology tools and personal relationships to give clients positive investment experiences and positive returns.

There’s a tremendous amount of interest in the 2020 election, with many by-standers chewing their nails wondering what will happen to the economic strength of our nation. Read the Executive Summary of September 23, 2020 Moody’s Analytics’ report, The Macroeconomic Consequences: Trump vs. Biden to find out where you could stand.