May 2014

Has it been a month already? Seems the older I get, the faster the clock moves, or is it just me? Maybe it's because Kelly and I have been so busy at the office? Looks like summer is here, and I finally got the boat in the water. Now I have to try and find the time to use it!

Kelly is just about ready to take the "Series 65" test, so she'll be registered to discuss and manage securities, as well as give investment advice. I know she'll be happy to get all that behind her. She's been studying really hard these past few months, and it's a very difficult test to pass, but I know she'll do fine.

As always, we're working hard staying on top of everything, and keeping up with the ever-changing economic landscape. New strategies and products are coming on line constantly. One of the most popular strategies we've seen, and many clients are using, is called "Asset Based Long Term Care".

This is simply a single premium life insurance plan with a long term care benefit rider. It provides tremendous leverage of your premium dollars for long term care planning, as well as acting as life insurance in the case you don't need LTC. It also provides 100% liquidity after two or six years depending on what product you choose. What that means is that you can get your total premium back anytime after year two/six. Of course you'd lose your benefits if you did that, but you have the liquidity if needed. These newer "hybrid" strategies are pretty amazing when used the right way. I'd encourage anyone interested to call the office and we'll be happy explain it to you and get quotes if needed.

Also, our radio show "The Safe Harbor Retirement Planning Show", is now on twice weekly! We're now on Wednesday mornings from 8:00-8:30am, as well as our Saturday show from 10:00-10:30am. We're also being interviewed by Harold Johnson (former WSOC ABC sports broadcaster in Charlotte) on the fourth Friday of each month at 7:10am on WSIC AM 1400. So listen in if you can, because it ton's of fun! Kelly has all of our radio shows, plus interviews on our website under the radio tab if you want to listen to them.

Enjoy this month's articles, and please feel free to attend any of our upcoming events.

Until next month,

James Stillman

Mutual Funds: Are they a thing of the past,
and are they right for you? - Part 2

Lake Norman Magazine, May 2014

Hi folks! Last month was the first in a series of articles I'll be doing about mutual funds. I feel like it is an important topic to cover because the mutual fund industry is a $13 TRILLION industry in America and $27 TRILLION globally. That's pretty huge!

Educated investors and U.S. government regulators are starting to take a hard look at the industry and what goes on behind the scenes of mutual fund companies. Stick with me for a few more months as we outline some of the problems and inequities we have identified for investors, and how they can use this information to help themselves.This month we'll cover how expenses can take a bigger chunk out of your earnings potential than you may realize.

Expenses can be much higher than you think.

An investor's goal is to keep as many dollars as possible, and to do that investors must keep expenses as low as possible and total returns as high as possible. Two types of expenses work against an investor's goals: stated and unstated. Together they produce a formidable obstacle for growing wealth.

All content is intended for informational purposes only. Any guarantees are for insured products only and are dependent on the claims paying abilities of the insurer. All investments carry some risk and you should be advised by your personal financial advidor before implementing any strategies discussed, as they are not suitable for everyone.

JDS Wealth Management Corporation's outgoing and incoming e-mails are electronically archived and subject to review and/or disclosure to someone other than the recipient. We cannot accept requests for securities transactions or other similar instructions through e-mail. We cannot ensure the security of information e-mailed over the Internet, so you should be careful when transmitting confidential information such as account numbers and security holdings. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to this message and deleting it from your computer."

This Month

Mutual Funds: Are they a thing of the past, and are they right for you? - Part 2

The War Goes On

Deal Activity Is On Fire