Douglas C. Radcliffe, Senior Financial Planner, Financial
Services Representative and founder of Invest Central of San Antonio, was a qualifying participant at the 2015 Top Advisor Forum. The invitation-only meeting, sponsored by MetLife Premier Client Group, took place March 4 -6 in Miami, Florida.
“The annual Top Advisor Forum presents a world-class opportunity to learn what tools and ideas other top advisors and financial planners around the country are using. We pride ourselves on bringing fresh ideas and perspectives back to our clients,” Doug Radcliffe said.
Conference highlights included an Economic Updates panel discussion, development sessions and advisor-led discussion groups. Mr. Radcliffe was invited to present a session on retirement planning for small business owners, an area of expertise for Invest Central.
Keynote speaker, Andrew Friedman of “The Washington Update” shared his thoughts on
current issues including government appropriations, foreign trade, the Affordable Care Act, energy, corporate tax reform and the growing concern of tax drag on investment income. According to Friedman, potential market declines created by what he refers to as “forcing events” could in turn create buying opportunities for investors.
A few of Doug Radcliffe’s takeaways from Mr. Friedman’s presentation.
- Congress is going to have to raise the debt ceiling this summer which will create a lot of
headlines and market uncertainty. Mr. Friedman feels that at the end of the day congress won’t let the nation default on our debt obligations.
- The U.S. has the highest corporate taxes in the world and we are losing many of our corporations to offshore countries. Friedman doesn’t feel there will be any meaningful tax reforms in this session.
- Due to higher personal taxes, investors should pay increased attention to the “tax drag” on their investments. Tax deferral investment vehicles are more important than ever.
2015 Economic Update and Market Update Panel Discussion
In an Economic Updates panel discussion, leading financial experts addressed questions about interest rate uncertainty, as well as issues relating to commodity markets, tax reform and the U.S. government debt.
Take-aways
- The noise caused by our political malaise has distracted investors from recognizing that some companies are mak- ing money. Globally, the U.S. is in the best shape economically because we have fixed most of our structural prob- lems.
- Europe may surprise on the upside. The European banks passed their stress test late last year. European market
labor costs have been going down and combined with a weaker Euro, European Companies may become more globally competitive.
Other issues discussed:
- Income Strategies for retirees
- OPEC, Russia and energy prices
- Commodity markets
- Active investment management vs. Indexes
- U.S. Debt/Entitlements
- Japan
At Invest Central, we continually work to stay informed about issues that affect the investment landscape and
ultimately our valued clients. If you wish to discuss these or other financial issues in greater detail, please call our office at (210) 308-0248.
About Invest Central
Invest Central, has delivered comprehensive financial solutions to individual and small business owners since 1988. Founder, Financial Services Representative and Senior Financial Planner Doug Radcliffe provides a broad range of investment services including asset protection, allocation strategies and business succession.