Freshfield Investments

02/17/2022

Dr. Andy Lawson, PhD, Financial Advisor & Investment Manager to clients in the U.S. and Europe and Freshfield's Founder.

"Having a financial plan and your investments managed the right way by focusing on diversification and cost-control substantially increases the likelihood that you will be ready for the retirement you want."

Visit our website to read more about Dr. Andy Lawson's qualifications and to book a FREE consultation to discuss your financial and retirement planning needs.

Dr. Andy Lawson, B.S. M.S. Ph.D. (Finance), is a fiduciary financial advisor. He provides investment management and financial planning and has 25 years' experience.

02/15/2022

TAX-LOSS HARVESTING COULD INCREASE YOUR INVESTMENT RETURN

Summary: We find out how to reduce taxes in a taxable trading account by applying tax loss-harvesting and learn that loss harvesting is most effective in accounts which hold index funds.

3 min read:

Summary: We find out how to reduce taxes in a taxable trading account by applying tax loss-harvesting and learn that loss harvesting is most effective in accounts which hold index funds. Tax loss-harvesting is a trading process which seeks to reduce the taxes for a taxable investment account. In the...

02/11/2022

IS YOUR INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO EFFICIENT?

Summary: We find out how to build an efficient portfolio using Nobel Prize-winning methodology and discover that an efficient portfolio is the best possible portfolio.

3 min read:

Summary: We find out how to build an efficient portfolio using Nobel Prize-winning methodology and discover that an efficient portfolio is the best possible portfolio. Let's identify all of the securities we would consider suitable to hold in an investment portfolio. One way to do this is to start w...

02/10/2022

EMH SAYS INVESTORS SHOULD PREFER INDEX FUNDS-IS IT RIGHT?

Summary: The Efficient Market Hypothesis, which was awarded the Nobel Prize, implies investors should prefer index funds over actively-managed funds. We examine the theory and the evidence. And remember a friend.

3 min read:

Summary: The Efficient Market Hypothesis, which was awarded the Nobel Prize, implies investors should prefer index funds over actively-managed funds. We examine the theory and the evidence. And remember a friend. In the 1960s, Dr. Eugene Fama proposed the Efficient Market Hypothesis, or EMH. It says...

02/09/2022

WHAT IS PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Portfolio management is (1) the process of combining securities (such as stocks and bonds) into a portfolio tailored to the investor’s unique financial circumstances, time-horizon, cash-flow requirements and long-term investment objectives and (2) the monitoring and adjusting of that portfolio to keep pace with the investor's evolving situation and requirements.

Click the link to read how Freshfield can assist you with portfolio management (2 min read):

Portfolio management is (1) the process of combining securities (such as stocks and bonds) into a portfolio tailored to the investor’s unique financial circumstances, time-horizon, cash-flow requirements and long-term investment objectives and (2) the monitoring and adjusting of that portfolio to ...

02/08/2022

SHOULD I INVEST INTERNATIONALLY?

The U.S. capital market makes up about half of the world capital market. But many Americans invest only in the U.S. By doing so, they are forgoing significant investment opportunities.

So the answer is YES; investing internationally provides a significant benefit to almost every investor.

Read this article for more information in regards to adding an international component to your investment portfolio. (2 min read)

Yes. Investing internationally provides a significant benefit to almost every investor. Global capital markets The U.S. capital market makes up about half of the world capital market. But many Americans invest only in the U.S. By doing so, they are forgoing significant investment opportunities. Addi...

02/07/2022

HOW TO SELECT AN INVESTMENT ADVISOR

You should interview investment advisers to decide which one would best be suited to help you achieve your goals. Asking detailed questions will help you determine your comfort level with the prospective adviser on both a personal and professional level.

Here is a list of questions for you to consider to ask your investment advisor during your initial consultation (3-minute read):

You should interview investment advisers to decide which one would best be suited to help you achieve your goals. Asking detailed questions will help you determine your comfort level with the prospective adviser on both a personal and professional level. Some questions you might ask include: 1. Are....

10/07/2019

MUTUAL FUNDS AND ETFs: YOU GET WHAT YOU DON'T PAY FOR

Funds with high expense ratios rarely earn back their expenses. This implies investors should hold low-cost index funds.

Read the full article here (3-minute read):

Summary: Funds with high expense ratios rarely earn back their expenses. This implies investors should hold low-cost index funds. Does your portfolio hold mut

08/15/2019

CAN YOU REALLY BE $250,000 WEALTHIER IN 15 YEARS IF YOU LOWER YOUR INVESTMENT COSTS?

Yes. With an initial portfolio of $500,000, a 15-year investment horizon, annual contributions of $10,000 and under reasonable assumptions, an investor could be $250,000 wealthier by reducing their investment costs.

See the full illustration (4-minute read).

https://www.freshfieldinvestments.com/post/can-you-really-be-250-000-wealthier-if-you-lower-your-investment-costs

07/24/2019

WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH A 401K OR SIMILAR PLAN FROM A *FORMER* EMPLOYER?

There are four options (1) keep it where it is, (2) move it to the new employer's 401K, (3) cash out or (4) roll over into an IRA account.

Rolling over is often the best option because it provides access to investment funds that generally have a lower cost than those your 401K offers--investment funds in 401Ks tend to be more expensive than investment funds generally. And because it provides access to important asset classes (sections of stock and bond markets) which can help increase the return of your portfolio or decrease its risk, or both, and which may not be available in your 401K.

To objectively and professionally evaluate your 401K options, book a FREE 45-minute consultation with fee-only Financial Advisor Dr. Andreas Lawson, Ph.D.

https://www.freshfieldinvestments.com/book-online/free-initial-personal-consultation/book

06/08/2019

TODAY I LOOKED AT ANOTHER 401K ACCOUNT.

I found high fees and a tiny fund line-up.

1. It was being charged about 0.40% per quarter or about 1.6% per year in 'admin' fees. This is a very high fee which significantly impedes a portfolio's growth potential.

2. And there were only a couple of dozen funds to choose from. It is difficult to build a properly diversified portfolio (a portfolio diversified across asset classes and global regions) from such a small selection of funds.

This case perfectly highlights the problems afflicting so many 401Ks--high fees and a tiny selection of funds.

These characteristics of 401Ks make it very difficult to build a (1) low-cost, (2) fully-diversified portfolio. Which is what almost all 401K account owners should be doing.

Remedies?

You may be able to reduce fees by moving to index funds, if they are available. And consider adding international stock and bond index funds to your portfolio. This would likely increase diversification and hence reduce risk or increase the average return of your portfolio, or both.

If your 401K is from a previous employer, you should very likely roll it over to a brokerage and build a globally diversified portfolio using low-cost index funds.

05/21/2019

TODAY I WAS ASKED TO EXAMINE A 401K ACCOUNT...

It is invested in 27 mutual funds. I can think of no sound economic reason the account should hold that many funds.

The goal for almost every investor is a portfolio which (1) is fully diversified, (2) has the correct asset allocation for the investor's financial goals and investment horizon and (3) incurs the lowest costs and fees possible.

Depending on the 401K, an appropriately diversified portfolio with the correct asset allocation can usually be built from 10 to 12 mutual funds or ETF's. And, if possible, the selected funds should be low-cost funds or index funds.