Category Archives: Financial Independence

BOZEMAN, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AdvicePay, the leading fee payment-processing platform designed exclusively for financial professionals, announced today an enterprise online billing and payment solution for top broker-dealer and registered investment adviser (RIA), Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC (HTK). The solution and partnership supports the expansion of HTKs fee-based financial planning platform and is available to HTK financial professionals who are investment adviser representatives (IARs).

As part of this ground-breaking solution, AdvicePay is enabling a new era for HTK financial professionals to offer subscription-based services as well as conveniently accept online credit card payments for traditional financial planning.

Financial planning is undergoing a fundamental shift from being compensated to implement products, to being paid for the advice itself, said veteran financial advisor and AdvicePay co-founder, Michael Kitces. Alternative pricing arrangements, such as subscription models or hourly arrangements, are becoming increasingly prevalent to compensate financial professionals for their advice, which is why we designed AdvicePay. We are excited to be working with HTK to implement this next-generation approach.

As financial planning services gain momentum, HTK has prioritized the enhancement and expansion of these service offerings within our RIA program, said Tim Donahue, president and CEO, HTK. We knew we needed the right technology to support the growth of financial planning and found that in AdvicePay. We are proud to offer our financial professionals and clients the ability to use this efficient and secure payment solution. In particular, we see tremendous value in the potential to leverage AdvicePay for subscription-based services, which are expected to become increasingly in demand within our industry.

Most online retail billing platforms have significant limitations for the financial advice industry. AdvicePay built its system specifically to meet compliance requirements and serve financial professionals and their clients.

The AdvicePay Enterprise platform provides dedicated tools built specifically for organizations that support large numbers of financial professionals and must manage key oversight and compliance requirements, said Alan Moore, co-founder and CEO, AdvicePay. We are seeing growing demand across the industry from both clients and financial professionals who want to engage in financial planning, and be able to simply charge and get paid directly for the advice being delivered. AdvicePay is uniquely positioned to enable these types of relationships, and we will continue to invest in the AdvicePay platform to make it even more useful and valuable.

To learn more about HTKs flexible platform, visit http://www.htk.com. To learn more about AdvicePays billing and payment solution, visit http://www.advicepay.com.

About AdvicePay

Established by well-known financial advisors Michael Kitces and Alan Moore, AdvicePay is the only billing and payment processing platform created specifically for fee-for-service financial planning. Financial advisors benefit from efficient invoicing and payment workflows designed exclusively to support their businesses, including up-to-date compliance and data security management. Users can issue agreements for client e-signature, accept ACH and credit cards, bill hourly or one-time fees, or establish recurring retainer or subscription billing compliantly all through the AdvicePay system.

About HTK

Hornor, Townsend & Kent (HTK) is a broker-dealer and registered investment adviser supporting independent financial professionals across the U.S. For more than 50 years, HTK has been the trusted partner supporting financial professionals on their path to success. HTK is committed to offering financial professionals with the independence to build their practice their way through the delivery of a flexible platform, leading solutions and personalized service. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC (HTK). Member FINRA/SIPC. HTK is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company. 600 Dresher Road, Horsham, PA 19044, 800-873-7637, http://www.htk.com.

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HTK Adopts AdvicePay to Support Enhanced Financial Planning Solutions - Business Wire

When Twitter, a $22 billion company with a headquarters in the center of San Francisco, told employees they could work from home permanently on Tuesday, techies in the Bay Area began to wonder why they were there at all.

After all, why put up with one of the most expensive places in the country to live, where the streets are famously unclean and vomiting anarchists block the tech shuttles, when you could keep your job and not do that?

Moved to the Bay Area just weeks before quarantine; can't meet new people, team was already remote, tech mindspace lives on Twitter, SF streets be sketchy, rent is ridiculous, I still use straws, Eva Beylin, who works on ecosystem strategy and is an entrepreneur-in-residence at the Graph, which builds APIs, tweeted Tuesday afternoon. Why am I even here?

Tech workers who have grown up in or migrated to San Francisco and its environs enjoy access to jobs, venture capital, and networking. Their numbers and wealth have changed the region, contributing to rent increases, the proliferation of pricey restaurants, and tax receipts that have enriched local governments. But as shelter-in-place continues, some are wondering why they remain in the Bay Area and an outward migration may follow.

I am definitely thinking of leaving the Bay Area for the next three to six months during quarantine, Beylin told BuzzFeed News. I still think being in San Francisco is valuable at least while you're trying to meet new people in tech, expand knowledge, cowork, etc. so I will likely come back to the Bay Area for at least a short period, but I don't feel the urgency to be here as much.

The region is expensive with rent in San Francisco more than double the US average, and Oakland and other surrounding cities only somewhat more affordable and a tech workers salary could go much further elsewhere. Beylin said she was looking at a three-bedroom Airbnb in Palm Springs that costs as much as her one-bedroom apartment in San Franciscos Mission district.

Joseph Flaherty, a director at the VC firm Founder Collective, told BuzzFeed News he could see tech workers leaving the Bay Area for more affordable cities if they no longer have to be physically in their offices.

The average call center manager in Houston, probably has a higher material quality of life than does a director-level executive in Boston or certainly in San Francisco, Flaherty said. If there's an arbitrage opportunity, at least for a while, where you could get the San Francisco salary and live in Nashville or Minneapolis, or any of these cities that have a cool cultural vibe, but extraordinarily affordable housing it doesn't strike me as implausible.

On Tuesday, Flaherty tweeted that local governments outside of the Bay Area might take advantage of tech workers newfound ability to work from anywhere: If I were a mayor of an up and coming, mid-sized city I'd offer $500K housing credits to the top 10 VPs at Twitter, he said. If Twitter is just the first domino, imagine the power of being able to kickstart a regional talent hub?

After Twitter's news, people on Hacker News, a forum popular among tech workers, spoke about their desire to leave the Bay Area. If I could keep my current compensation and move to the low cost of living area where my family is located, I would reach financial independence 10-15 years ahead of my current trajectory with Bay Area rents/costs, one said. I'll settle for the minor inconveniences of WFH any day in order to get a decade of my life to spend with family or to work on my own projects.

I couldn't agree more, said another. If I could work from home permanently I would move far far away from where I am currently living. I would get myself a nice condo or small house, and settle in. Currently, where I live, despite the fact that I make almost 30k/year more than the average income, [but] I still can only just afford a one-bedroom apartment spending the suggested 30% of my income.

Not all were convinced. Calling this a trend would be stretching this a bit, another person said. A lot of employees prefer to work from office and are not liking the current WFH situation.

Despite the chatter, there's no indication that Twitter employees are ready to decamp en masse quite yet. I will still work in SF, one Twitter employee told BuzzFeed News. Love it here too much to leave. This is home for me. Though this [decision] allows more flexibility and even playing field for many to be anywhere and get our work done.

Still, if salaries remain high and working from home takes hold, the appeal of the Bay Area could dwindle, and the nature of the region may change as well. I thought moving to SF meatspace would be more valuable to learn more, broaden my perspective of tech and make new connections, Beylin said. But I don't think I actually have to live here to do that, whereas maybe 10 years ago you did.

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In San Francisco, Working From Home Is Here To Stay. The Techies Might Not Be. - BuzzFeed News

As an observer, campaigner and writer on all things domestic democracy (or lack thereof), I have long predicted that the so-called chore wars, the endless battle within heterosexual couples with children about who does the unpaid domestic and care work, were about to go nuclear, culminating in a new reckoning on the home-front.

Not so fun fact: In 2019, a new report released by Men Care, a fatherhood campaign working towards childcare parity in 45 nations, found that the unpaid care gap between men and women had decreased by just seven minutes over the last 15 years. Thats right, just seven minutes.

While women have been making strides to close the gender pay gap, the power gap, and other long-standing gaps, the care gap has barely shifted in a generation. At the current rate of change, it will be another 75 years before women as a group achieve so-called domestic democracy, according to the same report.

For women around the world who consistently do more unpaid care and domestic work than men sometimes up to ten times as much thats alongtime to wait.

Resentment has been bubbling away beneath the surface. More recently, it has boiled over, culminating in a series of viral essays and best-selling books giving voice to womens growing frustration. And that trend led me to conclude that the so-called chore wars, long a series of skirmishes on the feminist frontline (or in pretty much every average household, gender politics aside) was about to go nuclear, bringing about a new reckoning on the home-front.

If #MeToo was a reckoning prompting us to believe women, challenge mens privilege in the workplace, and re-evaluate our cultural tendency to discredit and sideline womens inconvenient stories of abuse, I theorised we were working up to a new reckoning of sorts in regards to the barely shifting unequal distribution of work at home.

And then the pandemic hit.

What will that mean for that much-longed for revolution on the home front? Will it speed up the pace of change, or send most women, particularly those in heterosexual relationships with children, back to the 1950s?

The answer, I suspect, is that it will be a little of both.

Early indications are that the pandemic while it affects men more physically will have a more devasting impact on women in the workplace and in the home. They make up the lions share of so-called front-line essential workers, jobs that tend to be female dominated, undervalued and put them at greater risk. And they have been more affected by virus related job losses, leading the New York Times to claim the looming financial and economic crisis will be a shecession.

In homes, the mass closure of schools, childcare facilities and stay at home orders have contributed to what some are now calling a third shift of unpaid caring and domestic work, a play on sociologist Arlie Hochschilds famous concept of the second shift.

Anecdotally, were hearing that it is women in Australia who are picking up that third shift, though well have more concrete evidence in a few weeks when the Australian Bureau of Statistics releases some data on time use as part of its Rapid COVID-19 data dives. Researchers Professor Lyn Craig and Dr. Brendan Churchill at the University of Melbourne are also conducting a survey. (Do your civic duty and take part here.)

In the US, we most certainly know that is the case. Last week, the New York Times published the results of a bombshell survey. Seventy percent of women say theyre fully or mostly responsible for housework during lockdown, and 66 percent say they are responsible for childcare. No great surprise there, at least to no woman I know. Heres the interesting bit: Nearly half of men say they are spending more time home-schooling their children, while only 3 percent of women agree. I know, the cheek! Perhaps you read my column last week telling men to put their home-schooling where their mouth is.

In the short to medium term, I do believe the pandemic will, as some have suggested, send women back to the 1950s, particularly in Australia where women still experience a 14 percent gender pay gap and have some of the highest part-time work rates of women in any OECD country. At this time of great stress and uncertainty, families will make what I have called an economically rational decision to preserve at least one partners full time, higher earnings, which, statistically speaking, is more likely to be the male partners.

And thats an indication of how long-standing structural inequalities that we never shifted are combining with the pressures of the pandemic a time when women can no longer outsource caring and domestic work to (usually female, undervalued) cleaners and carers to demonstrate just how fragile progress is, even those meagre seven minutes.

Jennifer Medina and Lisa Lerer wrote in the New York Times in a piece entitled, When Moms Zoom Meeting Is The One That Has to Wait that the way weve been able to MacGyver a career as a woman is completely under attack by a global pandemic. Very true.

That said, some have economists have theorised that its not all bad, and I agree. Much like World War II and the advent of Rosie the Riveter gave women a taste of what it was like to enter the workplace and have financial independence, which helped pave the way for the major changes of the 70s and 80s when women entered the workforce in large numbers, the longer term impact of large numbers of men now at home with their children (especially those who are genuinely carrying the lions share of the domestic load because their partners are now essential workers) could prove equally transformative.

Ina new research paper, Matthias Doepke and Jane Olmstead-Rumsey of Northwestern University, Titan Alon of the University of California San Diego and Michle Tertilt of the University of Mannheim predictthat this historic moment could forever shift dynamics in families, leading to greater gender equality down the road.

Down the road, emphasis mine.

Will that be swift enough to satisfy the countless women who were already hankering for a revolution long before the pandemic added insult to injury by saddling them with an additional third shift. Maybe. Maybe not.

Kristine Ziwica is a regular contributor. She tweets @KZiwica

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The chore wars were about to go nuclear and then a pandemic hit - Women's Agenda

When Ali and Alison Walker sold their Seattle home, said goodbye to their jobs, and set off on an around-the-world journey in 2018, the markets were still on the upswing and their early retirement was unfolding with hardly a hitch.

Then came the coronavirus pandemic and an abrupt turn in markets that slammed the Walkers investments and confined them to an Airbnb in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, amid global travel restrictions.

Yet the Walkers, like many proponents of the financial independence, retire early movement, seem largely unfazed. FIRE adherents pursue their goals by saving aggressively, and in the past 11 years, many have taken advantage of a historic bull market to build solid nest eggs.

We planned for some type of a black-swan event, says the 46-year-old Ali, who worked in marketing and business development. We couldnt have planned for the coronavirus, but we assumed there would be a tough bear market or a prolonged down market for one reason or another.

Still, the coronavirus crisis is a big test for the FIRE philosophy, with some observers wondering if the crisis will knock devotees off trackor even extinguish the FIRE flame and push those who have achieved their goals back into an office cubicle.

Yet far from dousing interest in FIRE, so far it seems as if the crisis may lead more people to investigate the philosophy. Just as people flocked to the movement in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, those who feel burned by the current crisis may find themselves turning to FIRE strategies in a bid to be more self-sufficient.

What part of biggest unemployment spike in history makes you want to be more reliant on your job? says Tanja Hester, author of the book Work Optional and the FIRE blog Our Next Life. Its a huge reminder that workers are expendable, and there isnt a great safety net out there for us.

Many FIRE adherents start out in good financial shape. They are often financially disciplined millennials or Gen-Xers with well-paid jobs, banking big chunks of their salary in hopes of making an early exit from the workforce. Given their relatively long time horizons, they often take on a lot of investment risk.

Yet even though many pursuing a FIRE strategy invest aggressively, they employ some strategies that may leave them particularly well suited to weather the economic storm. They often emphasize large emergency funds, low costs of living, and well-diversified investments and income streams.

Consider the Walkers: The couple set aside five years of cash to cover their expenses in the case of a sustained downturn, and decided on a conservative annual withdrawal rate of 3% of their savings. They also gave themselves plenty of wiggle room in their budget to pare back expenses if needed.

One of the great things about the FIRE movement is that it talks a lot about the different scenarios you should prepare for before deciding to retire, says the 56-year-old Alison, who had worked retouching images for catalogs and corporate clients.

Marcus Miller, a financial planner who specializes in working with FIRE clients at the Indianapolis offices of Deerfield Financial Advisors, says the philosophy attracts disciplined investors of a cautious mindset. If you take a look at the people who comprise the FIRE movement, its people who often live below their means and have built this war chest to live off of. They may be better equipped to weather a storm like this than the majority of Americans.

Even among the best-prepared, some who are following the FIRE path are likely to face challenges in the current environment. This may be especially true of people who are close to, or just starting, their early retirement. The sharp downturn in the financial markets ratchets up the risk that drawing down investments nowrather than waiting for markets to rebound before tapping investmentscan throw off assumptions about long-term returns and savings growth.

This sequence-of-return risk can have a big impact on what youre able to spend later in your retirement, says Matt Ryan, a financial planner at San Diegobased Creative Capital Management Investments. Two months ago, the people who are close to financial independence and retiring may have been pretty close to their goals, he says. But now they may have to adjust their timing.

Whats more, Ryan says, is that this risk comes as even the most risk-tolerant FIRE investors had become inured to down markets. Theres a recency bias, especially among younger investors who saw the market continuously going up over the last 10 years thats led to an overallocation to stocks.

Generally speaking, he says, investors should have an emergency fund and a portion of their portfolios in conservative investments. Those who dont have adequate savings outside of equities may find themselves in a predicamentneeding income but loath to sell while stocks are down.

For those who find themselves short on cash, the advisor suggests paring back expenses or seeking income from a side gig, two familiar principles of the FIRE movement. People who previously had a side gig may qualify for unemployment under the Cares Act, which extended benefits to freelancers.

I think its definitely a lot harder to pursue financial independence and FIRE in the traditional sense at this exact moment given that most of the economy has just been paused, says Grant Sabatier, a personal-finance blogger and author of Financial Freedom: A Proven Path to All the Money You Will Ever Need.

Sabatier suggests that those who cant pursue the strategy now can still take the time to understand their values and plan how they want to save, spend and invest in the future. Use this moment while were all stuck inside to figure out your relationship with money and how to be more intentional about it when this is all over.

The current environment may lure a new demographic into the world of FIRE. While millennials felt the sting of the 2008 financial crisismany left college loaded with debt during a lousy job marketyounger generations may have known only a bull market. A lot of younger people havent experienced anything like this, Ryan says. Its going to be a wake-up call for those who arent putting enough away in savings or dont have an adequate emergency fund.

Colin Loretz was drawn to the FIRE movement right before the pandemic struck. The 32-year-old freelance software engineer would frequently find himself chasing late invoices from clientsdelays that were exacerbated by his lack of savings to carry him between paychecks. Before committing to financial independence, he used credit cards as a stand-in for an emergency fund, leaving him with considerable personal debt.

While he hasnt begun aggressively investing, he is working to pay off his debt and weighing whether to use his stimulus check to erase that debt or bolster his emergency fund. Loretz, who lives in Reno, Nev., says he feels the crisis has made him more committed to the FIRE principles. I wanted to get out of living invoice to invoice as a freelancer and on to a different path, Loretz says. I dont want to be caught in a situation like this again.

Write to us at retirement@barrons.com

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The Coronavirus Crisis Has Tested the Retire-Early Movement. But Its Followers Are Unbowed, and Its Winning New Fans. - Barron's

Lohit Group introduces a number of technology-backed platforms including a robust cryptocurrency exchange, to offer advanced financial solutions

DELHI, INDIA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2020 / The world economy is an interconnected grid, where the economic circumstances in one country can have a massive impact on other geographies. This concept is extremely relevant in the present scenario, as the global financial dynamics have taken a turn in the wake of the pandemic. And, it is fair to say that this economic turnaround might well be a cause of concern for years to come. We have hit a roadblock, where millions are searching for jobs to sustain themselves, while employers are looking to hire the right employees for their businesses. Unfortunately, there is a gap that is preventing optimal usage of available resources, and in turn affecting the economy, which is already in a sensitive state. Lohit Group has come up with a technology-based solution to address the problem.

About Lohit Group

Originally founded in 1998, Lohit Group is a technology company that deals in financial services and fund management. Over the years, it has worked with a number of businesses at all scales and helped them succeed by providing various financial services and trading tools. More recently, it has forayed into advanced technologies like Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, etc. By harnessing these technologies, Lohit Group aims to create applications, tools, and platforms using which businesses and individuals will be able to weather out the effects of any economic instability.

Major Services

WorkbookingWorkbooking is a multi-faceted and integrated online platform that is aimed to benefit both job-seekers as well as employers. It creates a seamless bridge between businesses and potential employees, thus helping make optimal usage of human resources. The platform is equipped with automatic selection features based on preferred geographic location, timetable, job nature, and salary. While this allows job-seekers to set their preference, it also enables employers to select the right fit for their businesses. All in all, Workbooking is a win-win for both entities, which in turn benefits the entire employment scenario.

In order to keep up the recent economic digitalization, Lohit Group also offers blockchain and cryptocurrency-based products and solutions. The crypto industry is definitely growing in India, especially with a number of foreign investments off late. To leverage that potential, Lohit Group provides the following services - Crypto Wallet, Crypto Exchange, Binary Options.

Story continues

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Lohit Group Harnesses Blockchain and Other Advanced Technologies to Provide Financial Independence - Yahoo Finance

Managing money and growing wealth is a difficult task even in the normal course. Add to it external and internal threats, the former including macroeconomic factors or exceptional ones like the current Covid crisis. The internal threats can include personality or behavioural issues, such as addictions or bad habits. Excessive shopping, Internet addiction, gambling, drinking or drug abuse can damage both your physical and financial health, often irrevocably.

1. What will be the impact?Addictions invariably help people escape troubling reality or are sought by those suffering from depression and anxiety. These start by eating into their time, taking them away from work, and often resulting in job loss. These are also expensive, demanding a constant supply of money. So the funds for essentials like food, utilities, loan EMIs, rent and investments are diverted towards addictions, and in case of job loss, the existing savings are depleted and debts pile up. Addictions like drinking, smoking or drug abuse also have a huge health and insurance cost, leading to increased medical expenses as well as a rise in health and life insurance premiums.

2. Compulsive shoppingIf your spouses obsession started as a retail therapy to overcome bad moods, help them look for alternatives to be happy. Encourage interaction with family and friends, following hobbies and passions, and physical activities like sports, exercise or even cleaning. To provide them a reality check for finances, work with a monthly budget by listing the income and expenses, separate the essential spending from discretionary, and list your familys goals and the amount needed to save every month to be able to reach these. This will help them focus on how much they can actually afford to shop. To help curb spending proactively, push them to cut up the credit cards, shop only with a list and only for the things they need. If nothing helps, seek a behavioural therapist and a financial counsellor.

3. Internet, gaming obsessionHere, it is important to know the reason: is it a way to avoid work and responsibility, or a harmless timepass that blew up into an addiction? If it is the latter and is in the initial stages, it is best to make a clean break by cutting off the Internet connection. In case of the former, encourage the spouse to talk about the problems, reduce their workload, and indulge in entertainment or fun activities. If, however, it has developed into a full-blown addiction, it is best to seek the help of a behavioural therapist or a psychologist.

4. Drinking, smoking, drugs and gamblingThese are all serious addictions that are typically hard to get rid of and often require professional help. These also have extreme financial consequences. If your spouse is in the grip of one, it is best to seek medical help and therapy. On your part, you will first have to seek financial independence by getting a job. Next, ensure that the partner does not have access to your funds through your bank account or via Net banking. As a next step, seek the help of a financial counsellor, who can ground you in the basics of saving and investing for your and your childrens goals. These self-help measures will ensure that till the time your spouse gets back on track, or even if he doesnt and you need to separate, you will be well-versed in financial planning and will be able to take care of yourself and your financial goals.

If you have a wealth whine, write to us...All of us have been in a financial dilemma when it comes to relationships. How do you say no to a friend who wants you to invest in his new business venture? Should you take a loan from your married brother? Are you concerned about your wifes impulse buying? If you have any such concerns that are hard to resolve, write in to us at etwealth@timesgroup.com with Wealth Whines as the subject.

Disclaimer: The advice in this column is not from a licensed healthcare professional and should not be construed as psychological counselling, therapy or medical advice. ET Wealth and the writer will not be responsible for the outcome of the suggestions made in the column.

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Money and relationships: Spouse's addiction draining your wealth? Deal with it this way - Economic Times

Chris JacksonGetty Images

For designers and retailers, Meghan Markle's influence cannot be overstated. Almost everything she wears sells outeven faster if it's at a relatively affordable price pointand her royal stamp of approval can boost a brand's sales in a way few other people can.

Bianca Gates, the co-founder of the shoe brand Birdies, which Meghan has worn publicly on multiple occasions, says the so-called "Markle Sparkle," is the kind of marketing "you cannot buy."

Or, at least you couldn't buy it before.

But now that Harry and Meghan have stepped away from their senior roles in the royal family, Meghan's endorsement, at least in theory, might be for sale.

Chris JacksonGetty Images

The Sussexes sought financial independence when they left their positions as working royals, giving up other, perhaps more personal, aspects of their proposed planPrince Harry's honorary military appointments come to mindin order to gain it. And Harry and Meghan made it clear that they intended to seek out private income as well, though they haven't explicitly spelled out what exactly that means. (The onset of the coronavirus crisis likely shifted any plans they had to launch their charity, Archewell, or kick off other, more lucrative initiatives.)

It seems unlikely that Meghan would become a full-fledged company spokesperson, endorsing products. And even if the Sussexes relaunch their social media presence, I don't think she'll be doing sponsored posts anytime soon. That kind of overt promotion would be an extreme shift in her own personal brand. But it does seem possible that Meghan might begin to receive free clothes and products, from brands hoping she'll be seen sporting their wares.

PoolGetty Images

Gifting products to celebrities and other high-profile influencers is a common modern marketing practice. Brands will send high-profile influencers items for free in the hopes that they'll showcase them publicly.

The Duchess is certainly familiar with how things in this space work, given her pre-royal career as an actress with her own lifestyle blog. But when Meghan was serving as a representative of the Queen, and receiving public funding, there were numerous rules and protocols she had to abide byone of which governed the type of gifts she was able to receive.

The introduction of the royal family's gift policy, which appears to have been most recently updated in 2003, reads as follow:

The wording of this passage isn't entire clearto whom, exactly, does this apply? Only working royals or a broader swatch of the family? But taking into account the lengths Harry and Meghan have gone to separate themselves financially from the institution of the monarchy, Meghan could indeed find herself untethered from these restrictions. (She would, though, still find herself subject to the necessary social media advertising and gifting rules, if she wanted to actively promote a gift.)

Well never see her Instagramming flat tummy tea.

These gray areas mean that the Sussexes will probably proceed with extreme caution. "Obviously anybody would give them anything, but I think they're going to be really careful," says Elizabeth Holmes, the fashion journalist behind the buzzy "So Many Thoughts" Instagram series about royal style. Holmes notes that she didn't know for certain if Meghan would be able to receive clothes for free.

"I think that Meghan's power as a dresser will continue. There are so few peopleeven among celebritiesthat have the kind of economic power to move merchandise the way that royal women do, so I hope and I think shell choose carefully."

Christine Ross, the creative director of Effervescence Media Group, a company that runs the popular royal fashion blog Meghan's Mirror, agrees. She thinks Meghan might begin to receive gifts from companies, but that she'll choose what to accept "responsibly."

"If an independent woman-owned brand reaches out to her and says 'Would you like to learn more about our brand, well send you a necklace,' I could see that possibly happening," Ross says.

"But Meghan knows how influential her fashion choices are and how much of an economic phenomenon the Meghan effect is. Well never see her Instagramming flat tummy tea."

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Meghan Markle Is Poised to Become the Most Prominent Influencer in the World - TownandCountrymag.com

We like to think that we have had some profound, timeless thoughts that have helped the readers as well as our clients survive the volatility that has accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic.

We will let you be the judge of that as what follows are some that we have added to our journal over the past couple of months along with quotes from others that we believe are quite perceptive. However, we would first like to start with the following statistics regarding the U.S. stock market as represented by the S&P 500.

Since 1928 the rolling ten-year return of the S&P 500 has been higher approximately 95% of the time and lower just 5%. The more an investor meaningfully alters their asset allocation model in response to market downturns, the percent chances of positive returns over the aforementioned ten year period decreases.

Since 1950 the S&P 500 declines an average of 5% about three times per year; 10% or more approximately once per year; 15% or more about once every four years and 20% or more about once every six years. It is not a question of if another bear market will occur it is question of when.

Every market bear or bull has a catalyst. Quite often those catalysts are unprecedented which is why investors fall into the trap of thinking that it is different this time and that the financial markets will not recover. To date, that stance has always been incorrect. Today, what does your investment strategy say about what you believe?

A skilled T. Rowe Price portfolio manager once wondered aloud, How do you deal with the stress of markets? If you seek comfort, you are in trouble. You have to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. (David Eiswert, Portfolio Manager, T. Rowe Price Global Stock Fund)

We have complete confidence that the U.S. Financial Markets have been the most direct route for most investors to obtain financial independence and have no reason to believe that this time is any different.

Historically, the rallies such as the one we are experiencing off the March 23rd lows fade which result in an ultimate retest of those lows. Although likely, this time may be different as the catalyst behind the bear market was different. It was not looming economic weakness brought about by a foreseeable economic event but rather by an abrupt shock to the economy. Investors have to plan for either outcome a retest of the lows or a market that approaches new highs.

It was the rapidity of the decline in the stock market as well as the depth that was most unnerving to investors and what resulted in a pervasive sense of doom.

Eventually there will be a new normal. Over the short- to intermediate-term investors should prepare to look for opportunities in a world where there is less brick and mortar retail and more online; less recreational and business travel (although business will most likely rebound to a certain extent first); less but more costly air travel; more videoconferencing; less need for office space as more people work remotely; when they resume fewer attendees at sporting events, concerts and other public events and more online gaming. Spacing, Spacing, Spacing.

Those that panicked may very well have fatally compromised their long-term financial well-being.

If you have some of your own, please feel free to email us at investment@faganassociates.com Enjoy your weekend. Stay safe. Be well.

Please note that all data is for general information purposes only and not meant as specific recommendations. The opinions of the authors are not a recommendation to buy or sell the stock, bond market or any security contained therein. Securities contain risks and fluctuations in principal will occur. Please research any investment thoroughly prior to committing money or consult with your financial advisor. Please note that Fagan Associates, Inc. or related persons buy or sell for itself securities that it also recommends to clients. Consult with your financial advisor prior to making any changes to your portfolio. To contact Fagan Associates, Please call (518) 279-1044.

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Financially Speaking: Observations that helped navigate portfolios throughout this pandemic - Troy Record

Dear Mom,

I wish you did not have to let go of that job because of motherhood. I remember how while I was growing up you kept reiterating that I can do anything I want to once I get a job. Little did I know what financial independence for women meant at that time or how earning money can make you feel liberated. How when you are economically independent the world looks at you differently. How earning money gives you a say in things you do.

I remember how angry you got about some joke my friends made regarding me getting married. We were all teenagers then, and all my life I had never seen you overreacting like that. You shouted, All of you should get a job first. Now, after becoming a mother myself and after having quit my job because of maternity I realize what you would have gone through that day when you had to return that appointment letter just because you were pregnant. Just because you were new to the city and commute would have been difficult, and what if something happens to the baby. You could have gone to places is what I can think.

I know you have brooded over that decision. I know how cherished that job offer was for you. It wouldnt have been easy for you to crack that job either. You didnt just move cities but moved cultures when you got married. I know how much you struggled with speaking Hindi, still do. I know you still have a copy of that letter saved. To carry the weight of unfulfilled dreams on your shoulder without being bitter is not easy.

Also Read:Dear Mom: Thank You For Not Leaving Your Job Under Family Pressure

Thank you for not letting me lose focus when it would have been very easy to do so. In writing this, I redeem myself a bit, by acknowledging your tremendous sacrifice, in giving me life.

Photo by Praveesh Palakeel on Unsplash

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Dear Mom, I Wish You Didnt Have To Give Up Your Job For Motherhood - SheThePeople

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are busy carving out a new life for themselves in the City of Stars. At least, theyre living on someone elses dime in someone elses mansion in LA, anyway. Now, the Duke and Duchess have reportedly managed to bag the help of Rebecca Mostow.

Mostow might look like your average woman, but shes a 70-year-old celebrity whizz. Rebecca has already proved shes a dab hand at helping a British couple adjust to life in Los Angeles. Victoria and David Beckham hired her to get them used to the American life when they skipped England in 2007.

For all intents and purposes, Rebecca has the kind of resume youd want from an assistant. Shes used to being in the inner sanctum of celebrities, but is hiring her just another desperate attempt to look the part?

Its been a few months now since Meghan and Harry announced their desire to leave Britain behind. After bouncing around Canada, theyve landed in LA. But, where is this ever-elusive financial independence they talk of?

Despite numerous reports of the Sussexes eyeing up properties to buy, theyre shacked up in Tyler Perrys mansion. Are they paying rent? Unlikely, as the arrangement was set up by their mutual friend, Oprah. Plus, Perry has expressed his sympathy for how Meghan has been treated since she married into The Firm. He even flew them in on his $150 million private jet.

Meghan and Harry have a combined net worth of around $30 million. This lifestyle of living in a home that usually costs $200,000 a month to rent isnt going to be sustainable. Charity is all well and good, but it wont be long before patience wears thin. Lets face it, they cant afford the lifestyle they want to lead right now. So, why have they hired an assistant like Mostow?

Its all smoke and mirrors. Its part of the great ploy, the great facade. Everything is crumbling on the inside. But, Meghan seems to think that if you put on a pair of Louboutins and hire a well-known assistant, then the deception will turn into a reality.

Its clear that both Harry and Meghan have jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Every single move they make at the moment is an attempt to be something that theyre not. Harry, for his part, looks like a lost little boy navigating a world he has no idea how to handle.

Even Meghan, the cold, calculating seductress, is grasping at straws to find a way to keep this fantasy alive. Is Rebecca Mostow the key to gaining the trust of Hollywoods elite? Or, will she just end up on the long list of people used and abused by a Z-list actress that married a prince?

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.

This article was edited by Samburaj Das.

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Meghan & Harry Hire Beckhams Hollywood Aide But Theyre Beyond Help - CCN.com