June Newsletter

Greetings and Happy June!

Well, summertime is here.  Now is the time many of you will be headed out for that deserved vacation.  It is always refreshing to take a few days off and just relax for a while whether it is spending time with family or just relaxing on the beach.  To help you vacation proof your home, here are some important tips:

How to Protect Your Home While You're Away on Vacation

1. Get a home monitoring system.

Home security is absolutely essential and there are many options to choose from, so make sure you opt for one that fits your home. Some home security systems even allow you to view live video remotely from your phone, so you can see what’s happening in real-time. This small investment is well worth your peace of mind!

2. Keep up on regular home maintenance

Do you normally have gardeners keep up your lawn and landscaping? Weekly visits from the pool guy? Keep these schedules. If any potential thief is staking out houses, they’ll notice if something is off.

3. Leave a key with a friend or family member.

While you can put a hold on newspapers and mail, you can’t predict when random flyers or forgotten Amazon orders will be left at the front door. By having a trusted friend or family member stop by every day or two, you can avoid unexpected deliveries being left out and also have normal routines (watering plants, bringing trash cans to the curb) carried out. Don’t forget to compensate them for their help!

4. Hold your mail and newspapers.

Fully stuffed mailboxes and yellowing newspapers piled in the driveway are dead giveaways that you aren’t home. If you don’t have a friend or family member available to stop by your house while you’re

gone to bring in the paper and mail, contact your newspaper service to stop deliveries and fill out a mail-hold form.

5. Keep a low profile on social media.

It’s well-known that you shouldn’t advertise vacations online (or anywhere, for that matter) before taking off your trip, but maybe even more importantly is double-checking your social media sites to ensure your address is not readily available to anyone seeking it. Delete any past posts, party invites, or Facebook events that may include your phone number as well, as it’s all too easy to do a quick Google search and link a phone number to an address!

6. Lock up valuables in a safe.

Any run-of-the-mill thieve knows to check the bedroom first for valuables, so get a small safe and keep them secure. If shelling out money for a safe isn’t an option, put valuables somewhere unusual like a kitchen pantry or bathroom closet in an inconspicuous container.

7. Don’t leave a hide-a-key.

Potential thieves will always look for the hidden key, and they will find it. This spare key is the one you should be giving to a friend or family member.

8. Install an outdoor sensor light.

It’s simple install for those of you who aren’t tech-savvy, and you can pick one up on Amazon for less than $20. Motion-sensor flood lights can also prove to be useful year-round for general home security whether you’re home or not and often are equipped with technology to have them turn off and on at certain times of the day.

9. Disconnect your garage door.

It’s no secret that technology can be easily hacked, especially by more experienced or motivated criminals. Garage door openers (depending on what brand they are) can sometimes be opened by universal remotes, so be proactive! Disengage your garage door opener and opt for a manual lock.

10. Advertise your security.

Having a security system will most definitely deter burglars, so advertise it! Post these stickers near your most obvious and accessible entry points like your front and back door, as well as side doors off your garage. You can even buy a pack of stickers if you haven’t been able to implement your security system before your next trip.

Gladstone Farmland

Did you miss our seminar last month?  We had a great turnout and thank you to everyone who attended.  We hope you enjoyed your Olive Garden meal and you were able to able to take away some great information.  If you could not make it, you can still take advantage of this preferred stock which pays a 6% monthly dividend.  You may have attended but still have questions, please do not hesitate to ca

CD's and Money Markets

Did you know we offer CD and money market accounts?  Our money market is paying 1.3% with no minimum opening balance.  It is also FDIC insured.  So don't forget about us when you are rate shopping.

When is the last time you had your portfolio reviewed?

These should be looked at least once a year.  This includes your investment accounts and insurance.  If you do not have someone to do this for you, we would be happy to help.

Have you recently retired or know of someone who has or will be soon? 

Did you know that rolling over your 401K to a Traditional IRA can be beneficial?  Here are a few reasons why:

More Investment Choices

Your 401(k) is limited to a few planets in the investment universe; in all likelihood, you have the choice of a few mutual funds – mostly equity funds – and that's it. However, with an IRA, most types of investment are available to you – not just mutual funds, but also individual stocks, bonds and bond funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), to name just a few.

“IRAs open a larger universe of investment choices,” says Russ Blahetka, CFP, founder and managing director of Vestnomics Wealth Management, LLC, in Campbell, Calif. “Most 401(k) plans do not allow the use of risk management, such as options, but IRAs do. It is even possible to hold income-producing real estate in your IRA.”

You can also buy and sell your holdings anytime you want. Most 401(k) plans limit the number of times per year you can rebalance your portfolio, as the pros put it, or restrict you to certain times of the year.

Better Communication

If you leave your account with your old employer, you might be treated as a second-class citizen – not deliberately, but it just might be harder to get communications regarding the plans (often news is distributed through company email) or get in touch with an advisor or administrator.

And having ready access to information is extra important in the unlikely event something goes south at your old workplace. “I have a client whose former employer went into bankruptcy. His 401(k) was frozen for three years since the court needed to make sure there was no monkey business there," says Michael Zhuang, principal of MZ Capital Management in Bethesda, Md. "During [that time] my client had no access, and he was constantly worried about losing his retirement fund.”

Fewer Rules

Understanding your 401(k) is no easy task because each company has a lot of leeway in how they set up the plan. In contrast, IRA regulations are standardized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). An IRA with one broker follows most of the same rules as with any other broker.

Estate Planning Advantages

Upon your death, there’s a good chance that your 401(k) will be paid in one lump sum to your beneficiary, which could cause income and inheritance tax headaches. It varies depending on the particular plan, but most companies prefer to distribute the cash fast, so they don't have to maintain the account of an employee who is no longer there. Inheriting IRAs has its regulations too, but IRAs offer more payout options. Again, it comes down to control.

Lower Fees and Costs

You'd have to crunch the numbers on this one, but rolling over into an IRA could save you a lot in management fees, administrative fees and fund expense ratios – all those little costs that can eat into investment returns over time. The funds offered by the 401(k) plan may be more expensive than the norm for their asset class. And then there's the overall annual fee the plan administrator charges.

The Bottom Line

For most people switching jobs, there are many advantages to rolling over a 401(k) into an IRA. That being said, a lot depends on the specifics of the 401(k) plan, both the old employer's and the new one: investment options, fees, loan provisions, etc. and how these terms and features compare to those offered in an IRA you could establish with a brokerage or bank.

You could also have the best of both worlds. You don’t have to roll all of your money into an IRA. Some of your balance can remain in your former company's 401(k) if you’re happy with the returns you’re receiving. You can then set up a new IRA or roll over the remainder into an existing account or a new rollover IRA. After you've done your rollover, you can contribute to both your new company's 401(k) and an IRA (Roth versions, too) as long as you don’t go over your annual contribution limit.

Thank you

To all of our clients and friends, thank you!  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to get to know you and your families.  Thank you for trusting us with your goals and your dreams and thank you for your referrals!  That is such a huge compliment.  To each and every one reading this newsletter, thank you for your time.  If we can help in anyway, or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or email us.  Our website is www.parablefinancialnetwork.com.  Please look us up and we are also on Facebook.  Our office number is (912)387-0111.

Thank you and be blessed!