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Those who start careers with $50k in student loan debt could find themselves with $530,000 less at retirement (Think Advisor)
A new report from LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute suggests that university debt could seriously affect retirement savings. Researchers found that a 22-year-old who starts a job with $30,000 in student loan debt could hit retirement with $325,000 less than someone without the education loan. Substitute $50,000 of debt, and you get about $530,000 less in retirement savings, reports Emily Zulz.
"The general belief has always been an investment in education was worthwhile because it would result in a higher paying career," according to the LIMRA report. "However, the recession impacted millennials at the start of their careers, with many ending up unemployed or underemployed for years after they graduated."
Advisors should know a few things about estate planning (Wealth Management)
When it comes to estate planning, it behooves advisors to know a few simple strategies that can help clients and their families save money and avoid troubles down the road, writes Kevin McKinley.
He suggests that: 1) Adult children should not always be added as joint owners of parents' financial accounts; 2) If IRAs are donated to charity, no taxes will be owed by the donor or recipient; 3) Roth IRAs should be left to older children; 4) Insurance policies of older clients should be kept in place; and 5) Clients should get their affairs in order for "what if" scenarios.
Edward Jones will start a program to encourage advisors to text their clients (InvestmentNews)
Edward Jones is rolling out a program that will encourage advisors to text their clients in mid-December. Advisors will be able to send out pre-populated message reminding clients of upcoming appointments, as well as "free-form messages for relationship building," reports Alessandra Malito.
"It is particularly important to younger generations: the millennials, the younger Gen X … It is the preferred means of communication," said Jim Olsen, principal of marketing communications at Edward Jones.
Executives of a now bankrupt Oregon company are being accused of orchestrating a $40 million Ponzi scheme (Oregon Live)
Prosecutors contend that the executives of Eugene, Oregon-based company "Berjac of Oregon" created a $40 million Ponzi scheme that hurt more that 400 investors. The members of the company's founding family face federal criminal charges, including bank fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy, reports Molly Young.
"Court documents show Berjac's underfunded portfolio was worth $1.3 million in 2012. Investors were owed $40 million, or 31 times that," writes Young.
There's a couple of bright spots in China still (Advisor Perspectives)
"While we don't see any turnaround in manufacturing in the foreseeable future, we are more positive on infrastructure and housing. In the case of infrastructure, we expect the new Five-Year Plan ... to maintain investment at current levels at the very least and, possibly, to increase it," writes Hayden Briscoe of AllianceBernstein.
And "in housing, we see the possibility of a cyclical upswing, possibly by the middle of next year," he continues. "A revival in property development would also be supportive for the broader economy, in our view, and positive for the global commodities market - although we're not suggesting that demand for commodities will return to anything like pre-2012 levels in the foreseeable future."