Diversify Investments Before The Crash

Diversify investments is one of the fundamental principles of long term investing. If you have a large retirement account invested in the stock market, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, bonds, or tax deferred investments, you probably have made adjustments to your retirement portfolio as you seek to diversify investments and keep up with changes in the markets and in levels of risk. The next 12 months for you and what you do with your retirement funds and your real estate will determine the quality of the rest of your life, if I am right about the coming economic decline.

The answers you get are only as good as the questions you ask, and the questions you ask determine the research and self-education you do. In other words, you’ll get answers only to the questions you raise and the research you do. This is one of the important reasons it is so critical that we do NOT ignore contrarian views when it comes to managing a large retirement fund. Those who have ignored contrarian views in past crashes have lost huge portions of their retirement accounts that took a lifetime to acquire. We cannot ignore risk that could wipe us out for the rest of our senior lives.

So what questions have you been asking yourself lately? Here are some of the most important questions you should be asking now in my humble opinion. I think you’ll see how the answers to these questions could make all the difference in the world for you as you move to Sequim and plan your retirement. Even if there is no crash, my analysis and recommendations are solid and will contribute to you living in peace in the years ahead should you choose to retire in an area like Sequim, WA, or anywhere for that matter.

Diversify Investments. Have I diversified my total retirement risks? If the stock market crashes, am I diversified so that my capital and income will not be devastated.
Real Estate Portfolio. Have I diversified my total retirement investments to include the right percentage in real estate, in my retirement home in the right location, and in the right kind of additional real estate?
Location, Location, Location. Are my investments at risk because of their location? [This applies to all kinds of investments, but particularly with real estate. If I owned a $3 million dollar home in southern California, I would sell it at the top right now, before a crash in which you could not only lose a third of the value in a matter of weeks, but in a market where you might not be able to sell the home at any price if things get bad enough. Remember this happened only 14 years ago, so I’m not blowing smoke here.]
Timing is Everything. Am I making the hard decisions now in order to reduce my risks and live a safer retirement, or am I going to procrastinate like most people and wait until after a crash to liquidate and adjust my portfolio?
Business Liabilities. For those who still have a business generating income that you will invest or use in retirement, the question is, “Have I shielded my personal wealth and retirement from my business liabilities, or am I still at risk?” [If you have a California business, for example, that is generating a massive income for you, you’re not going to want to sell and leave California. Many lawyers, doctors, and corporate executives are making out like bandits in California where money flows like wine, so talk of leaving California is out of the question. I get that. I do. But the question to ask yourself is, “What is my backup plan if the market does crash? What will I do if my business crashes, too? How have I protected my retirement funds and retirement income if the gravy train screeches to a halt?” [And it will . . . someday.]
Misplaced Trust. Have I placed all my trust in an Investment Advisor, who manages my retirement fund(s) according to what he thinks is best? [You probably need to read my Kindle book, Day Trading: The Greatest Con Game Ever Invented. It’s not just about day trading, it’s about the entire retirement investment scheme that puts you at such great risk in a time like this when we are almost certainly in a stock market bubble.]
Precious Metals and Crypto-currencies. What level of risk am I willing to take for what could be a huge return? [As we get older, and especially as we enter the retirement phase in which we cannot start all over again if we lose our investments, we need to reduce risk, not increase it. This is not a time to gamble, because the losses could devastate any possibility of retiring in comfort. For you men who are making the key investment decisions, if you want your wife to hate you for the rest of your life, lose 90% of your retirement account by taking too much risk. A woman wants security, especially in retirement, so don’t screw that up, or you might as well live alone.]

When it comes to answering the questions on how to diversify investments, the answers are easy for the uber-wealthy, because they can place large sums of money into a large portfolio that spreads risk and takes advantage of markets that can make up for markets that go down. But for the average retiree with a limited retirement, it is much harder to diversify investments, because you cannot afford to be wrong. Losing 20% of total wealth for a very wealthy person worth $100 million hurts, but doesn’t reduce the quality of the retirement lifestyle by any means. But for the average retiree, losing 20% of one’s entire portfolio could be devastating, and may mean not being able to buy the ideal retirement home, or not being able to maintain the lifestyle you are used to. Lose enough, and you won’t be traveling to see the grandkids anymore either.

I’m including a very good video below, in which one of the smartest and most accurate forecasters, Peter Schiff, explains why we are on the verge of a major economic crash. Believe him or not, that’s up to you. He is a strong believer in buying gold and precious metals, which I am not, unless you are uber-wealthy.

My Recommendation to Diversify Investments.

If you read my blog, you know I’m a real estate expert of over four decades. You may also know I have an economics degree with a specialty in monetary policy, I’ve been a real estate attorney, a Registered Investment Advisor, and I’ve traded for myself for many years in stocks, options, futures, and startups. I’m the owner of iRealty Virtual Brokers, and I’m one of the most qualified Exclusive Buyer’s Agents in Washington and probably the U.S. I don’t mean that last statement to sound like boasting, but if you don’t know me, how will you know the truth? And it is true, although if you work with me you’ll find out I’m not arrogant. Life has a way of humbling everyone, sooner or later. You can always call me and find out what kind of personality I am, and whether you want to retain me as your buyer’s agent.

Here’s what I think would be wise for someone who has a nice home in California, Colorado, Florida, or any major metropolitan area in the country. Sell your home now while we are still at or near the top of the real estate bubble. Yes, I could be wrong about the precise timing of the top, but I do not think I’m wrong about the coming crash. Whether it comes in a month or in the fall or even next year, my recommendation here still is wise for the sake of managing your retirement risks before the crash, in other words, before it is too late.

Then take the proceeds of your sale, and since you are planning to retire in a peaceful place with a wonderful climate where the values are conservative and the people are friendly, buy your ideal retirement home in a place like Sequim, Washington. Yes, you may pay top of the market in Sequim, too, but if you sell now at the top where you currently live, then buying in Sequim at the top is a wash. The key is selling your home while you still can, because if you wait too long, you won’t’ be able to make this transition since your home will be worth far less or you won’t be able to sell it at all.

You might ask, “Well, if I’m going to buy a home in Sequim, why not wait until prices go down?” Good question, but again, if you cannot sell your CA home, you won’t have an option to buy in Sequim at any price, but there’s another more important reason. If the market does decline, and harsh economic times begin, wealthy people all over the U.S. in metropolitan areas will be buying homes in places like Sequim with cash. They will be escaping the chaotic and lawless metropolitan areas. They already have started that move during this past year. You won’t be able to find your ideal home, because there won’t be any in the inventory, and if one does pop up in the inventory, cash buyers from around the country who have been watching the MLS online every single day, will just make an immediate cash offer with no contingencies. If that all unfolds as I expect, you do not want to wait to try to buy a home in that kind of market.

I would also suggest that you consider moving more of your total portfolio into residential real estate, particularly single family homes, from the stock market with its huge market risks. While home prices will go down during a depression, you will still have your asset (which you should own free and clear in this kind of market), and unlike paper investments, real estate won’t go “poof” and disappear forever on you.

Before you watch the Peter Schiff video, I want to leave you with this. In this kind of market, with the complexities of buying (while selling your existing home), and with the risks and due diligence required to make sure you don’t get hurt buying a home in Sequim WA, do you really want to hire any Tom, Dick or Jane Realtor, or do you want to retain an experienced dedicated professional who has spent a lifetime representing and protecting buyers like you? Interview me yourself. I’m easy to talk to. My cell phone is 360-775-5424. That’s my sales pitch to you.