A Good Time To Finance Your Purchases

An elderly client of mine recently met me and casually spoke about wanting to buy a car, so I asked him what he planned to buy and how. He said he was looking at something in the $40,000 range and wanted to pay for it from his savings because he just did not believe in debt. And while I understood where he was coming from and the generation he represented, I just knew that I had to talk him out of the idea of plunking down $40,000 cash when debt was so cheap and abundant.

So, I pulled out my iPad and ran a few numbers for him even though I knew the math and the answer in my head. I knew that the smart thing to do in these low interest rate times was to finance... not buy all at once. It's an idea in this debt averse times that needs to be addressed.

I ran a few numbers and showed him how most of his liquid assets were tied up in retirement accounts and nicely invested, and from which pulling out $40K would incur a harsh income tax bite. So it was best to let go of the idea of taking it out of his IRA and look for other sources of cash. He said he could take the $40K out of the roughly $44K he had sitting around in the bank, but that brought on some other issues.

Fundamentally, I wanted him to have enough cash on hand to tide him over a rainy day... and while $44K was way more than he needed to keep liquid, leaving $4K that would remain after he spent $40K on a car would be way too little given his health, family obligations, etc. I showed him how he could get low-cost financing with rates as low as 2.5% at certain institutions which would result in very manageable monthly interest payments. I also told him to not just go straight to his major commercial bank but to use auto loan calculators freely available at sites such as bankrate.com to do a little research before buying.

I also cautioned him against going in for too short a financing period because at such low interest rates, he'd be better off picking at least a 48-month payment plan. I told him he could make a down-payment of $10,000 because I knew he was concerned about taking on too much debt, and could finance the rest. He could then invest some of his capital to earn more than the 2.5% he was paying on the car. Rates are low, but it's not that hard to beat a 2.5% rate and you don't have to take a lot of risk to do so. In cases like this it is usually better to use other people's money if you use common sense.

I also suggested consider buying a used car with low miles directly from a dealer or other legitimate source so he'd have the peace of mind of buying a certified pre-owned car that had a clean title.

A few other tips I gave him... which apply to just about any big-ticket item you want to buy...

Get on the Internet and look at prices on sites like Kelly Blue Book and at other sellers of the product you want to buy.

Use handy on-line calculators to figure out things like monthly payments and fees.

Do not reveal your monthly payment capacity to the seller because they will find ways to hook you up with an expensive purchase that still meets your monthly payment capacity... instead, focus on price first even though the seller will keep pushing you for a monthly payment amount.

Do not get sold into buying more than your budget... see, you could well buy a $50,000 car for just a slightly higher monthly payment but remember, at the end of the day, you're putting your hard earned cash into something that depreciates in value the instant you buy it... it just does not make sense to throw money into depreciating assets especially when you have bigger things to worry about such as home loans, college expenses and so on.

Remember, you can either raise the bridge... or lower the water... Raising the bridge is about earning more to afford an expanded lifestyle, perhaps a dubious choice just to own a fancy car -or lower the water - voluntarily cutting back on your expenses to fit your income.

At the same time, if you have money, be smart about weighing your options and consider using loans in this low-interest rate environment so you can invest your cash somewhere else and have it deliver more than the interest rate you'd pay on your loans. So, be smart about how you manage your finances and keep all your options on the table.

While it may seem incredibly appealing to pack up everything and head for a place in the sun when you retire, going through the whole process requires a fair bit more work than most people realise. Life as an expat can be a relaxing way to spend your time after all those years working and by making sure you've got a few things covered, you know there'll be no problems. Your first steps should be organising everything in your soon-to-be old home, so don't be afraid about getting in touch with people who can help.

Be prepared for some huge changes

A major decision involves your old home; what are you going to do with it? Some people may choose to sell while others decide that rental is a good idea, as it provides a regular income that you should be able to depend on - but what if something goes wrong? You'll need to organise someone responsible to look after it on your behalf who can deal with repairs and ensure that your tenants pay their rent on time, so choose wisely.

Depending on where you're moving to, it could be a good idea to get some lessons in your new home's language. Sure, you'll find that a lot of expats think that English is enough but if you're thinking about integrating into society there's no better way to do so than being able to speak like the locals do. Don't worry if you make the odd mistake; people will be happy that you're making the effort to fit in and may even offer to help you improve your skills.

Call a wealth management advisor as soon as you can

You'll find that you're making a lot of huge choices in a short space of time, so be sure to enlist the help of professionals who can help you take a lot of the pressure off. Your finances will be up in the air, so speaking to wealth management advisors is a great idea. They'll be able to talk to you about everything from how your pension will be affected to letting you know what kinds of insurance you'll need, as well as tell you what you should be budgeting for during and after your big move.

When you're looking for an advisor, make sure that your chosen specialist is experienced in global wealth management. That way you'll know that they're skilled in helping clients who are located all around the world, rather than just in the UK, and have contacts in many countries who can help out with any issues that could arise. Ask plenty of questions and be prepared for absolutely anything, but above all enjoy your new life in the sun.

A Financial Advisor Can Secure Your Dreams

Ever since kindergarten, we have already been taught to dream big. We would take out our crayons and draw our future houses with a family, a car, and a pet dog named Rosie. Sometimes, we would even play dress up in the international costume of the places we want to visit in the future. As adults, we come to a realisation that in order to get hold of these, we need to work hard for it. Working hard and managing money to meet these goals, however, can get tricky at some point. This is why having a financial advisor can be beneficial in securing finances, and in turn, getting to our dreams. Here are a few tips in finding the right one for you.

Find someone you can trust. Be careful because it is easy for any person to say they are financial planners. Stick with the professionals with designations and educational backgrounds recognised by the state. It is safer to get references from friends and relatives to have an overview of the planner's capabilities. Also, check their certificates and do research whether their qualifications are legitimate. Hiring someone without checking his or her credentials is risky. They may not know what they are doing and put your money in the wrong investments that can deplete your savings or bury you with high fees. You do not want to entrust your future in the wrong hands.

The next thing to consider is what kind of financial advisor suits you according to your needs. Not all of them offer comprehensive advice from taxes to loans. There are types of planners that only focus on estate planning or on retirement. Find out which area of your finances you need help on and what you expect from the advisor. Also beware of those who are actually insurance salesmen tied to companies that offer advice just to benefit their businesses and increase sales.

When it comes to compensation, financial planners can be paid in three ways- flat fees, commission, or assets. Payment through flat fees is where you pay per visit or per hour. In commission, every time you purchase investments, a part of the total amount you pay will be deducted and that portion goes to your advisor. A fee based on assets are where planners charge you annually based on a percentage of profit you gained from the investment advice they have provided. Talk to your planner about this before sealing the deal.