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Articles by Kenneth Roberts
Disclosure Obligations of Municipal Advisors and Municipal Fund Securities Disclosure
Introduction This Hawkins Update discusses recent publications by the Securities and Exchange Commission Office of Municipal Securities staff (the “SEC”, “OMS” and the “OMS Staff”), addressing disclosure undertakings and obligations of municipal advisors (the “OMS Statement”)[1] and by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (the “MSRB”), requesting comments on its proposal to amend MSRB Rule G-32 to permit electronic access to municipal fund disclosure documents without physical delivery...
Private delivery helps patients, saves money
An ambulance enters the bay at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in a file photo. Photo: John Chilibeck/The Daily Gleaner «» Already have an account?  Login here. When you click "Sign up", you will receive headlines and breaking news alerts to your inbox. By creating an account, you agree to the  Terms and Conditions  and  Privacy Policy. Cookies We've placed cookies on your device to improve your browsing experience. They're safe and don't contain sensitive information.
Empathy interviews for transformational coaching | Agile Alliance
I coach and mentor leaders in organizations that want to transform and learn to adapt to change successfully. As a coach starting to serve an organization, I need to learn a lot in order to be an effective agent promoting change. Understanding the people involved is critical to a successful engagement. I also want to go beyond the individual and see where patterns start to emerge. Empathy interviews are a technique I have used to help with these goals. What are empathy interviews?
Opinion: Put a ‘collar’ on your stocks to protect yourself from a market correction
The S&P 500 SPX, +0.00% is within 3% of a record set in early September, and with the benchmark index doubling since its pandemic low in February 2020, the risk of a correction is growing. Some investors are wondering what steps they can take to protect their positions and portfolios, without trying to time the market by selling before it drops and buying back in before a recovery is in full swing. There are ways for investors to hedge their positions and protect their profits.
How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
Over the next few years, infrastructure projects are expected to take off. Public owners (local governments) will build new highways and bridges, mass transit networks and buildings; they will modernize existing energy systems and more. With any major construction project comes two primary concerns: delivering the project on time and within budget. These concerns are of particular importance considering tight funding requirements and public scrutiny for delays and cost overruns.
The Latin American left isn't dead yet
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Santiago Anria, Dickinson College and Kenneth M. Roberts, Cornell University (THE CONVERSATION) Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay will all hold presidential elections in October. And, for now, leftists are strong contenders in all three countries. This is a somewhat unexpected development.
The Latin American left isn't dead yet
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Santiago Anria, Dickinson College and Kenneth M. Roberts, Cornell University (THE CONVERSATION) Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay will all hold presidential elections in October. And, for now, leftists are strong contenders in all three countries. This is a somewhat unexpected development.
The Latin American left isn't dead yet
Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay will all hold presidential elections in October. And, for now, leftists are strong contenders in all three countries. This is a somewhat unexpected development. Beginning in 2015, conservatives toppled major leftist strongholds, including in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. The socially progressive Latin American left was declared dead many times over.
4 key considerations determining retirement withdrawals
There are many factors to consider when deciding how much you should withdraw from your retirement portfolio annually. You need to think about life expectancy, the rate of return on your investments, inflation and your personal goals for your assets in addition to your income needs. 1. Life expectancy In the case of a married couple who retires at age 65, there is a good chance that one of them will live for more than 30 years in retirement.
Options strategies for your company stock
Shutterstock Options can cushion employer stock in your retirement account. Employees today are required to make many critical decisions that have a material impact on their future. One of them is whether or not they should participate in their company's stock purchase plan if offered. Stock purchase plans are known alternatively as ESOPs, Employee Stock Ownership Plans and ESPPs, Employee Stock Purchase Plans.
Is a nondeductible IRA contribution worth the trouble?
If you have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan or if your income exceeds certain levels you may not be eligible to make a tax deductible IRA contribution, but you could make a nondeductible contribution. The advantage to making the nondeductible contribution is the tax-deferred growth. Tax-deferred growth can be quite advantageous as a difference in return of just a few percent can make a substantial difference in the amount you accumulate over a long time period.
The impact of falling oil prices on your wallet
Getty Images Lower prices at the pump is like getting a large tax cut or a raise in pay — but there are disadvantages too. Most American consumers are delighted with the recent slide in the price of crude oil, which has lowered gasoline prices significantly. Falling gas prices have an effect on consumer prices. The most recent CPI report was released on Dec.17 and consumer prices had fallen by 0.3%. The core CPI, which excludes the volatile food and energy groups, rose by a mere 0.1%.
4% is more of a guideline than a rule
Laborant /Shutterstock Time-honored retirement withdrawal tool may need a little adjusting given portfolio performance and inflation. In my last column I wrote about some considerations retirees should make when calculating how much money they are planning to withdraw from their retirement portfolio. I closed that article with a very brief discussion of the Trinity Study, also known as the 4% rule.
Why young investors should embrace bear markets
Understanding the time value of money is critical for all investors, particularly young employees in the early phase of their careers, just starting their retirement plans. It's very important to understand how money compounds over time at different rates of return. Younger people in the accumulation phase of their retirement plan typically make monthly contributions to an employer sponsored qualified retirement plan such as a 401(k). Investing on a regular basis is known as dollar cost averaging.
The ABCs of bond yields
Retirees who want fixed income as part of their asset allocation have several alternatives to choose from. You can use bond funds, buy individual issues or a combination of the two. If you prefer funds, you can use exchange-traded funds or traditional mutual funds. You can further choose from using managed funds or passive funds that track a bond index. One advantage to mutual funds is that you can diversify a relatively small amount of money.
How to position your portfolio for a regime change in volatility
Should investors be concerned about regime change? Why? Well, first of all we're not talking about a change in political leadership in some developing country. Regime change has a mathematical definition as well as a political one. In stock market analysis we may refer to regime change as a shift in volatility. Market volatility runs in cycles. The market spends the majority of the time, about 85%, in a mode of relatively low volatility and rising prices.
Why you should put your IRA in a trust
For most Americans, their retirement account represents a significant portion of their total net worth. Usually, retirement plans aren't covered by a will You specify primary and contingent beneficiaries when you set up the account and when you die, the funds go directly to your chosen heirs. You can provide some additional safeguards for your hard earned nest egg by placing it in a trust for your beneficiaries that is funded by your IRAs when you die.
How to retire like an ‘aristocrat’
Retirement planning really isn't that complicated. Say you want to retire today and need an income of at least $100,000 a year from your investments. All you need to do is have $5 million saved up and buy 30-year U.S. Treasury bonds. If saving the $5 million is problematic, you might want to consider some other investment strategies. The subject of how much you should withdraw from your retirement account each year has been the topic of a lot of debate.
Get more income using this creative strategy
Retirees who need income today may find it very challenging to produce their desired cash flow. Interest rates are well below historical norms. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond is about 2.6% right now, which is substantially above the historical low seen in 2012, but still is significantly below the long-term average. Looking back over the last 60 years, to 1954, the yield on the 10-year Treasury has averaged over 6%.
How to use a Roth IRA to transfer your wealth
Recently, I wrote a column about the advantages and disadvantages of placing an IRA account in a trust. That column generated some excellent questions about the differences between Roth IRAs and traditional IRAs used in stand-alone trusts. The Roth IRA is a much better wealth-transfer tool than the traditional IRA because of the way it is taxed. Roth IRAs are funded with after-tax dollars, and the distributions are free from income tax.
How to decide on a Roth or traditional IRA
It's getting to be that time of the year when people start thinking about their taxes. One decision many taxpayers will face is whether it makes sense to fund an IRA. If you don't have an IRA established yet, you need to be aware that there are two types, the traditional IRA and the Roth IRA. You'll have to do some calculating to determine which one is best for your situation.
Keeping tabs on the economy and your retirement portfolio
Reuters The consumer is doing OK. No matter what phase of the retirement cycle you’re in, it helps to educate yourself as much as possible about the investment process. Whether you’re a do it yourselfer or work with a team of trusted advisers, you should understand the basics of financial planning, financial products and investment returns. It also helps to have a basic understanding of global economics and keep tabs on the big picture of our evolving global economy.
Fed policy and your retirement portfolio
At the most recent Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Chairwoman Janet Yellen reiterated that the economy is improving and deflation risks are disappearing. The Fed is planning on ending its QE, or quantitative easing, program in October and hasn't signaled that it will begin raising rates before next summer in 2015. In her semiannual Humphrey-Hawkins testimony to congress, Yellen mentioned that she thought that high-yield or junk bonds appear to be overvalued at current price levels.
What women need to know when they retire
Young people entering the workforce need to educate themselves about the retirement-planning process. Women in the early stages of their retirement planning should be aware that they will face some different challenges than their male coworkers. One of the key differences is life expectancy. On average, women live longer than men do. Girl babies born today will live almost 81 years, while boys are expected to live just over 76 years.
6 forms of risk retirement investors need to know
Shutterstock Market decline isn’t the only risk that retirement investors need to worry about. The word "risk" is a simple term that everyone is familiar with. When it comes to investing, risk takes on various forms. Most investors are familiar with the disclaimers that disclose investment risk. You'll see things like, "past performance is no guarantee of future results" and "investing involves risk including possible loss of principal" and more.
How rules differ on inherited IRAs for spouse and non-spouse
In the event you inherit a traditional IRA, you have several choices on how to handle the proceeds. The rules are slightly different if you inherit the account from your spouse or from another friend or family member. Spouses have the option of putting the funds into their own traditional IRA and non-spouses don't. The rules for SEPs and SIMPLEs are the same as those for traditional IRAs. If you're a spouse you have three choices.
How preferred stocks fit in your retirement portfolio
Retirees who are reviewing their asset allocation mix might wonder how preferred stocks fit in. Preferreds can be a little confusing because they behave like both stocks and bonds and are commonly referred to as “hybrid” securities, even though they are technically considered equities. They also can be a worthwhile addition to income-oriented portfolios, depending on your own individual situation.
How correlation affects your retirement portfolio
ramcreations/shutterstock If you’re going to be diversified, it’s important to understand correlation. One of the best tools that retirees have at their disposal to control risk is diversification. Remember the old saying: “Don't put all of your eggs into one basket.” That's good advice. If you drop the basket you could possibly break all of your eggs. It's much better to spread your eggs out into several different baskets, that way if you drop one, you'd still have a few more.
Raising a child costs $245,000? How it adds up
Recently I wrote a column on the cost of raising children that generated a lot of interesting comments. I mentioned that according to the USDA, the average cost of raising a child today up to the age of 18 will be $245,340. Some readers thought that number was way too high and others thought it was too low. Let's take a look at where that number comes from so you can determine if their estimates can help you with your financial planning.
SPY Weekly Bear Call Spread
If you have the opinion that the market has hit a near-term high and isn't likely to move significantly higher over the next week you may want to consider a strategy known as a bear call spread. The bear call spread is a vertical spread. A bear call spread is also a credit spread. We'll receive an initial credit for opening the position then hope that the underlying stays flat or declines so both options expire worthless and we collect the maximum credit.
Playing Apple Earnings With A Covered Call
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will report earnings on Tuesday, April 24th, during market hours. The implied volatility of Apple options is at a very high level. One way to take advantage of the high implied volatility is to use a covered call strategy. A covered call strategy for Apple earnings does a couple of things: It takes advantage of the present high implied volatility and consequent elevated option pricing.
Apple Weekly Bull Put Spread
Last week, Apple stock had a 20+ point downward move. On Monday April 30th, Apple opened at $587.32 and on Friday, May 4th it closed at $565.25, a $22.07 drop. Mean reversion is a characteristic of asset price movement. What it means is that stock prices will have a tendency to revert towards the mean after a big move.
The Tactical Option Investor|Paperback
Overview This book is written for serious investors who want to understand how to use options to enhance the return from their portfolios, not for the speculator who thinks he can get rich with a small trading account. You won't find any get-rich-quick schemes in here or promises of spectacular returns.
How value investing grows your retirement portfolio
"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago," is one of my favorite quotes from legendary investor Warren Buffett. Buffet certainly believes in patience and discipline. He was also known to say, "Price is what you pay. Value is what you get." Growth and value are two different styles of investing. Growth stocks may be relatively expensive but are projected to have rapid growth in revenues and earnings in the future.
Market Beat: Options strategies for stock investors
Options are tools that stock investors can use to help manage their investment portfolios. Using options requires quite a bit of sophistication and they are certainly not suitable for all investors. There are two types of options: puts and calls, and they can be combined in a variety of ways to produce different outcomes. If you own a put, that gives you the right but not the obligation to sell your stock or ETF a set price by a certain date.
Market Beat: The ‘January Effect’ on stocks
The term, "January Effect" is another one of those old stock market sayings that describes a seasonal tendency. The January Effect is the tendency of stocks, especially small cap stocks to rise in value the first few weeks of the new year. If you look back at market returns from several years ago, there was an outperformance for stocks in January. In recent years however, that tendency has disappeared. There are some reasons for the relative outperformance in January that occurred years ago.
Market Beat: Understanding bond yields can be tricky
The key to making good investment decisions is through education. People who are already retired should have some of their portfolio allocated to fixed income investments. One decision that you need to make is whether to use mutual funds or individual bonds for your fixed income investments. An advantage to using mutual funds is the diversification they offer, which can be especially beneficial with high yield or junk bonds because you can spread out the default risk.
Market Beat: The ‘Fear Index’
The "Fear Index" is a nickname that has been given to the volatility index or VIX. The reason it's called the fear index is because it tends to rise in value when investors are nervous and worried about the stock market. The volatility index value is derived from the implied volatility calculation of nearby options on the S&P 500 index. If the implied volatility is low, it means that options prices are relatively inexpensive. Options become inexpensive when there is not a lot of demand for them.
First quarter stocks reports
The first quarter of this year was a pretty good one for stocks, even though the market has pulled back a little bit recently from its record high levels. On March 1 the S&P 500 hit an all-time record high of 2,400.98. The total return for the S&P 500 for the quarter was a gain of 6.3 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit its all-time high on the same day, March 1, at 21,115.55. The Dow was up about 4.5 percent for the quarter. The tech heavy NASDAQ hit a new high on April 3.
First quarter review
The first quarter of this year was a pretty good one for stocks, even though the market has pulled back a little bit recently from its record high levels. On March 1, 2017 the S&P 500 hit an all-time record high of 2,400.98. The total return for the S&P 500 for the quarter was a gain of +6.3 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit its all-time high on the same day, March 1, at 21,115.55. The Dow was up about +4.5 percent for the quarter. The tech heavy NASDAQ hit a new high on April 3.
Health Care Employees at Frontline in Battle Against Ransomware
As recent noteworthy attacks have shown, no health care organization or provider is safe from ransomware threats, and the results of an attack can be devastating. Ransomware is a virus which limits or eliminates access to data and typically is introduced into a computer system by acceptance of an electronic communication. Once the virus is deployed, the owner is charged a ransom to regain the data or access to it.
Raising a child costs $245,000? How it adds up
Recently I wrote a column on the cost of raising children that generated a lot of interesting comments. I mentioned that according to the USDA, the average cost of raising a child today up to the age of 18 will be $245,340. Some readers thought that number was way too high and others thought it was too low. Let's take a look at where that number comes from so you can determine if their estimates can help you with your financial planning.
Average cost of raising a child over $245,000
When younger people enter the workforce and start planning for their future one thing they need to consider carefully is the cost of raising children. When you start planning for your retirement and deciding how much you can afford to sock away in your 401(k), you'll need to understand the cost of raising children when you're putting your budget together.
Make your voice heard on new conflicts rule
The Department of Labor proposed a new rule regarding advisers who advise clients on qualified retirement plans like your 401(k) and IRA. The new regulations will require all retirement plan advisers to operate under what's known as the fiduciary standard. will run for 75 days before a rule can be made. Presently, registered investment advisers are held to the fiduciary standard by a law known as the Investment Advisors Act of 1940.
What women need to know when they retire
Kenneth Roberts is a private wealth manager at Universal Value Advisors and has been in the securities business for over 20 years and has worked as an investment advisor, branch manager, professional trader and portfolio manager. He specializes in managing income and growth portfolios and has expertise using option strategies to produce income and control risk.
Why dividend growth is important for young workers
Young people entering the workforce should start contributing to their retirement plans as soon as possible. They need to invest early and save frequently. When investing in stocks, it's important to understand the role that cash dividends play. Over long time frames, dividends have been responsible for more than 40% of the total return of some of the major indexes. Dividend paying stocks also tend to be good performers.
How inflation may force millennials to reconsider risk
Millennials are people born after 1980. I've seen sources that give differing dates, but I think being born between about 1980 and 2000 qualifies you as a millennial. Pew Research has done some interesting polling and found that millennials grew up with technology, like video games, send lots of text messages and tend to get married later. They also put off homeownership until later in life and are more likely to live in a city than their parents who sought refuge from urban life in suburbia.
Why retirement savers should track the housing market
Housing-related decisions can be some of the most important financial decisions people have to make. For the majority of the middle class, homeownership represents their largest asset. Young people in the accumulation phase of their life need to plan their home purchase very carefully, as that home is likely to become a significant part of their overall worth. People planning for retirement have to decide whether they want to have their mortgage paid off before they retire or not.
What a strong dollar means for retirees
The U.S. dollar has been getting stronger relative to other currencies recently. The dollar has risen steadily for over 11 weeks and that's the longest winning streak for the dollar since our currency became free-floating in 1973. As of Monday, the U.S. Dollar Index stood at a four-year high. The dollar index measures our dollar against a basket of six major currencies, the euro, Japanese yen, British pound, Canadian dollar, Swedish krona and the Swiss franc.
Why trusts aren't just for the wealthy
Trusts are one of the essential tools of any estate plan. According to a recent study, over 70% of U.S. households with a net worth greater than $1 million use trusts. The probate process can be lengthy and expensive and should typically be avoided at all costs through the use of trusts. There are many different types of trusts for various purposes and competent legal advice should be sought before establishing a trust.
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