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Erin McHugh
11175 Cicero Drive
Suite 650
Alpharetta, GA 30022
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| Dear Clients and Friends,
Welcome to the Redwood View, the periodic newsletter of Redwood Wealth Management! We hope to use this forum to provide timely and useful information to our valued clients and associates. The topics will cover all areas of wealth management as well as current issues that might affect you or your family. |
Mayor Welcomes Redwood to Alpharetta
The clients and friends of Redwood Wealth Management joined Alpharetta Mayor Arthur Letchas in the official opening of the new Redwood office at an Open House June 25th.
Clients enjoyed wine, beer, and appetizers as the advisors at Redwood showcased their new space for about four hours. Many clients commented on the modern design and upscale feel of the new office.
The mayor, accompanied by several city officials and chamber of commerce employees, noted that while the former Redwood office was already in his city, he was glad the partners of Redwood saw fit to stay in Alpharetta.
"We saw a unique opportunity to move up to a space that was both nicer than our old office and also significantly bigger which would allow us to grow as a firm," said Redwood partner Raj Chokshi.
Mayor Letchas also complimented the Milton Park complex, where the new office is located. Milton Park is a mixed use development with high-end office space, condos & homes, and quaint cafes within walking distance, perfect for client meetings and other gatherings. |
Redwood Expands Talent Base
 Unlike many firms, Redwood focuses on smart growth by only adding advisors who will enhance our ability to serve our existing clients.
Erin McHugh certainly fits that description joining Redwood with an Ivy League education and over ten years of financial planning experience.
"I chose Redwood because it encompasses the values of fee only financial planning and investment management that meet my clients' expectations," Erin said.
She started her career in wealth management in the institutional equity sales office of ING Baring Furman Selz, LLC and subsequently the Financial Planning Center of AXA Financial. In 2001, she joined a boutique fee-only financial planning firm where she was responsible for providing comprehensive financial planning, tax planning, and investment advice to high net worth individuals, families, and small business owners.
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Gold: The New Sexy
Technology, China, Real Estate, now GOLD
There has been a lot of noise lately about the wisdom of using gold in client portfolios. As usual, the proponents of using gold make it sound as if buying gold is an obvious, easy decision and that those portfolios which don't hold large positions in gold are simply not aware of its amazing benefits.
As Chief Investment Officer at Redwood, my job is to protect and grow our client accounts and so I would like to restate our position about gold.
The current popular contention is that you should buy gold to protect your portfolio from an inflationary environment since other types of investments like stocks, bonds, and real estate will severely underperform in such an environment.
Many economists believe (though many do not) that we are about to enter a period of large increases in inflation. So it should be obvious, according to gold proponents, that gold should be a large percentage of one's portfolio in 2009.
So let's examine Gold's recent performance as an inflation fighting tool.
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Meade quoted in Journal of Financial Planning
 Shawn Meade's profile continues to grow in the world of Financial Planning. In April, we reported that Shawn was personally contacting the Georgia Congressional delegation in his role as the Government Relations Board Member for the Georgia Financial Planning Association.
Last month Shawn was quoted in Trends in Investing, a supplement to the Journal of Financial Planning, a prominent national investment magazine. Shawn, a member of Redwood's Investment Policy Committee, was asked about Redwood's use of Index Funds versus actively managed funds and responded:
"We are using a lot more passive funds versus actively managed funds due to the inherent limitations regarding actively managed funds. Their two biggest downfalls...are their capital gain distributions and the fact that they may be drifting away from what their intent is.......Most investors also assume that actively managed funds do better in market downturns and our research shows that is not true".
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 2010: Roth IRA Conversion Opportunity
By Brian Huey
One of the biggest changes to IRA rules in years is on the horizon and now is the time to discuss this opportunity with your Redwood Wealth Advisor. Beginning January 1st 2010, the income limits for converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA will be eliminated. Although the income limits for funding a Roth will remain, the rule change opens the door for any investor who owns a traditional IRA and would like to convert it to a Roth.
Significant advantages of Roth IRAs include:
- Investment earnings can completely escape taxation, provided you hold the Roth IRA for five years and are at least 59-1/2.
- Minimum distribution rules do not apply to the Roth IRA, thus eliminating the requirement to make withdrawals at age 70-1/2.
- Beneficiaries can withdraw earnings tax-free if the five-year holding requirement is satisfied.
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We hope you have found something useful in the newsletter. If you feel anything in The Redwood View might be helpful to a friend or family member, please feel free to forward it to them. The professionals at Redwood Wealth Management wish you and your family a prosperous 2009.
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