What's behind the curtain at those often-discussed, murky hedge funds? According to our guest Mark Spindel, the managers of these risky investment vehicles for the rich pretty much do what we do: try to figure out what's going on in the world (aka assess the macro economic outlook), weigh the risks that exists and put money to work. In addition to being one of my oldest friends in the world, Spindel is the founder, Managing Member, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer for Potomac River Capital, LLC.
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Prior to launching the firm a decade a ago, Mark spent nearly ten years at the World Bank where he was Deputy Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer of the International Finance Corporation managing $15 billion in fixed income reserves and was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Bank’s $14 billion pension fund where he oversaw strategic asset allocation across investment classes including equities, bonds and alternative investments (hedge funds, private equity and real estate).
Mark described where he thinks the economy stands right now: we are in a slow growth world, where the U.S. looks better than most of the alternatives. He says that being an investor in the post-crisis era is harder than it used to be--primarily because central banks are taking such unusual steps to spur their economies and it is hard to know what the impact of unwinding the policies will be. His recommendation for any investor? Own a large US stock index fund along with a bond fund that invests in inflation protected bonds or "TIPS".
Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:
- Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE
- Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com
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When Ted Benna, aka The Father of the 401(k), examined Section 401(k) of the tax code after it became effective in 1980, he realized that there could be a way for workers to save more money for retirement on a tax-deferred basis. The extra benefit that he saw was that employers could add a match, which would be a perfect way to incentivize all employees to forego some of their weekly pay and divert it towards retirement. The largest companies started the trend, but soon smaller companies, which previously had not offered any retirement savings vehicles, also got into the act. You know what happened after that--deferred savings plans replaced most pension plans and retirement savings became just one more thing that Americans had to do on their own.
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The first iteration of the 401(k) was pretty simple--just a couple of investment choices. Benna said that as plans introduced lots of investment choices, they became more confusing. Unfortunately, that opened the door for the financial services industry to pile on fees and also to make itself indispensable in the process. Benna believes that with the DOL's new fiduciary rule, participants should hopefully see a return to simpler plans with far more reasonable fees.
Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World, except when he picks Rod Stewart (#NeverAgain). Here's how to contact us:
- Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE
- Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com
- Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio