Episode 53: Well, That Was Fun

Segment 1 (Show Open):

HELLO Lower Alabama! Hello Gulf Coast! Welcome in. Welcome to Coasting in Retirement! That’s. Right. Thanks for joining us today, we’re excited to have you! Josh Null here, I’m joined by regular fill-in co-host Jay Stubbs with Providence Partners. Jay, how you doing buddy?

Listeners: Jay and I are here to discuss financial topics relevant to those of you in or near retirement, living your best life along our part of the Gulf Coast. Here’s what we’ve got in store for you today: First segment – deep dive on our topic of the day. 2nd segment - at about 25 minutes past the hour - “Headlines of the Week”. Then at roughly 45 minutes past the hour, stick around for our 3rd segment, we call it” Josh’s Crystal Ball and Big Mouth”. So buckle up, we’ve got a lot to get to!

Quick background on me for those new to the show. Again, my name is Josh Null, I am a fee-based financial advisor, I hold my FINRA Series 65 securities license, and I am the owner of Gulf Coast Financial Advisors, we are an independent investment management and financial planning firm with offices in Fairhope, Orange Beach, and Mobile! You can find more information on me and the team at Gulf Coast Financial Advisors by visiting our website gulfcoastfa.com, or feel free to give us a call at 251-327-2124. If you missed that contact info, get a pen and pad ready because we will repeat our contact info several times throughout the show!

So Jay, and any investors tuning in that just love stock market volatility…that was fun, right? We are recording this episode on Thursday, April 10th, less than 24 hours removed from the largest single day rise in the stock market valuation, right smack dab back into another 2-3% trading dip. The word “historical” gets way overused, but in the case, it’s not hyperbole to say that we are experiencing truly historical levels of volatility, eclipsing even the crazy ups and downs we saw at the beginning of the Covid crisis. And for a radio show based on top-of-mind topics for investors in or near retirement, or any investor of any age I would say, I think it goes without saying that tariffs and resulting stock market volatility is certainly on the minds of most of you tuning in. Last episode we discussed the reasons for this volatility, this episode we’re going to talk about what to do about it, particularly you investors that may not have the stomach for this roller coaster.

Let me set the table. First, an explanation about how Gulf Coast Financial Advisors is structured. We have the fee-for-service advisory side of the business, where we manage our client’s investments in fee-only advisory accounts, we provide financial planning services, wealth management services, retirement planning, etc. We also coordinate with our strategic attorney and CPA consultants for estate planning and tax planning. In addition to these services, we also have a strategic partnership with Jay Stubbs and Providence Partners around risk management services, such as life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance and income annuities.

On our fee-only investment management side, through our work with Aptus Capital Advisors we provide hedged equity options to help limit the downside of our client’s portfolios plus potential providing additional capital when buying opportunities appear. In other words, when we experience extreme stock market volatility like we’ve had over the past couple of days, we have system that provides our clients’ the opportunity to generate cash and buy when other investors are looking for the exit door. If you want to learn more about how we do this, visit the podcast tab of our website and look for CIR episodes featuring JD Gardner or John Luke Tyner of Aptus Capital Advisors.

But that’s not what we’re here to talk about today. What we are hear to discuss are options for those of you that are tired of holding your breath every time you check your investments. Especially those of you that check your accounts often. And listen, I get it, it can be unnerving to see so much ups and downs, especially when you feel powerless to do anything about it. So with all that said, let’s start with this Jay – you work with dozens of advisors along the Gulf Coast, what type of feedback are you getting around this recent stock market gyrations?

Let’s discuss some product solutions specifically designed to help investors extract themselves from this volatile market, or, for those of in the tipping point of retirement, are there products that allow you take gains off the table and produce lifetime income?

Back and forth, pro & con discussion around MYGAs, FIA’s, Deferred Annuities, SPIAs…and whatever else Jay wants to add to the mix.

Alright listeners, for those of you that would like to start the conversation about your own personal investing goals and retirement dreams, we encourage you to reach out to us. You can call us at 251-327-2124, or find us through our website gulfcoastfa.com. One our site, click on the blue button in the upper right-hand corner to set up a 15-minute introductory phone call on my calendar. Plus for those of you that like to do business in person, like I do, you can always schedule a no-obligation, no-pressure first meeting at any of our 3 convenient locations: downtown Fairhope, or Orange Beach just down the road from the Wharf, or in Mobile off Dauphin St and I-65. We would love to meet you!

Alright folks, coming up next - There’s always a lot going on in the world! Particularly the world of finance, investments and money. Every week we scour the internet for financial articles related to our topic of the day, especially articles that pertain to those in or near retirement. Join us after the break to hear Jay and I discuss this week’s relevant headlines in our “News Headlines of the Week” segment. Stay tuned!

Segment 2 - News of the Week:

“Welcome back to Coasting in Retirement, your host Josh Null here! As we discussed before the break, every week we scour the internet for financial articles related to our topic of the day, especially articles that pertain to those of you in or near retirement. Our job is to help you all understand how these headlines impact you, especially when it comes to your money! Note – if you want to read our referenced articles yourself, we also include the links in our show transcript, which you can find on our website gulfcoastfa.com under the podcast tab. Alright Jay, without further adieu, let’s get at with the Headlines of the Week:

1. So Jay, with I wanted to take an opportunity with this episode to expose our audience to the some of the industry facing news sources that advisors like you and me use. For example, I am a daily reader of Investment News, Advisor Hub and CityWire. You lean on a daily summary from an organization called NAIFA, would you mind to briefly explain what that is? (Jay) From your NAIFA briefings I pulled this article from Thinkadvisor.com, it’s titled “Instead of Timing the Market, Do This:”. Let’s discuss some of the commonsense guidance in this piece, but I also want to make sure we discuss the author’s contention that retirees may want to push their retirement plans out in order to “sit-out” this volatility, what say you?

Instead of Timing the Market, Do This: Pfau, Murguia

2. Josh: Next up Jay, a recent article from Morgan Stanley, a very timely article I would argue, it’s titled “Top 5 Mistakes Investors Make in Volatile Markets”. I want to focus on a couple of those mistakes. First, being over aggressive in an attempt to make up for previous losses or bad choices. Also, let’s discuss panic selling, and conversely, going to cash and staying there. All important points. Let’s start with panic selling. For those investors that cashed in their chips this past Tuesday, how do you think they felt when the market closed on Wednesday after a truly historic run up?

https://www.morganstanley.com/articles/top-5-investor-mistakes

3. Alright Jay, in our show opening we discussed ways that investors can use insurance products such as annuities to reduce volatility and preserve capital. Annuities are not the only thing investors flee to in times of turbulence, theirs also bonds and government securities. I wanted to expand on our opening conversation and help our listeners better understand this macro economic trend, so I found this article on TheStreet titled “What is Flight to Quality in Investing? Definition & Impact”. I like this sentence in the article: “Flight to quality is a bit of a misnomer, as lower-risk asset classes aren’t necessarily higher quality than higher-risk investments—they’re simply less volatile.”. Let’s discuss:

https://www.thestreet.com/dictionary/flight-to-quality-safety

4. Last article, from providencepartners.org, let’s discuss your annuity decision flow chart:

https://www.providencepartners.org/sites/default/files/MYGA-Rates/Prov_Annuity_Flowchart.pdf

Listeners, I hope you learned something from our discussion around these recent financial headlines, all of this matters to your money! Speaking of money, if you would like to start the conversation with us about your investments and retirement planning, I encourage those of you that want to continue the conversation to pick up the phone and give us a call at 251-327-2124, or click on the blue button in the upper right corner on our website gulfcoastfa.com to set a 15 minute conversation, or, better yet, reach out to us to schedule an in-person conversation at any of our 3 offices in downtown Fairhope, Orange Beach or Mobile.

Alright folks, coming up next: Josh’s Crystal Ball and Big Mouth. What have been some of my predictions? Have I been right? Was I ever wrong? How wrong? What do I think is going to affect investors in the near future, or maybe the distant future? We talk about all of these things and poke a little fun at my big mouth. Stay tuned!

Segment 3 – Josh’s Crystal Ball and Big Mouth:

Welcome back! Your host Josh Null here, alongside guest co-host Jay Stubbs of Providence Partners. So, I am opinionated, I have strong opinions at times, I would say a radio show host that isn’t probably wouldn’t be very interesting to listen to. And I am paid in my profession to offer professional guidance and opinions to my clients, otherwise what use am I? Just replace me with AI. I like making predictions, and while I usually proved right, there are times I swing and I miss. Want to hear me eat a little crow? Then let’s get at with Josh’s Crystal Ball and Big Mouth.

Listeners, I hoped you enjoyed a little behind the scenes commentary on how Jay and I form our opinions, and that as fathers and husbands, we are human, and we do pay attention to broad world events. We invite you, one last time, if you would like to have a free, no-obligation conversation on the investment choices in your retirement accounts, and to you business owners tuning in and wanting to learn more about succession planning, then give us a call. You can reach us at 251-327-2124, or through our website gulfcoastfa.com. One our site, you can choose to send us a direct message, or you can click on the blue button in the upper right-hand corner to set up a 15-minute introductory phone call on my calendar.

Folks, that is it for this week! I want to give a huge thank you to my guest co-host Jay Stubbs, thank you to our show sponsor, Jay’s business Providence Partners, thank you to our long-time awesome radio station FM Talk 106.5 out of Mobile, and a huge welcome to those of you just tuning in on WHEP 92.5 FM & 1310 AM, many thanks to the provider of our show music, local band Sloth Racer, huge thank to the show producer, my son Payton Null, and as always my sincere appreciation for all of your out there that have been listening and joining us on this journey. We would love to be a part of your journey as well! Until we talk again next week, have a wonderful and productive week. This has been Coasting in Retirement with Josh Null!

GCFA Disclosure:

Gulf Coast Financial Advisors, LLC ("GCFA”) is a registered investment adviser offering advisory services in the State of Alabama and in such other jurisdictions where it is registered, filed the required notices, or is otherwise excluded or exempted from such registration and/or notice filing requirements. Registration does not indicate or imply that GCFA has attained a particular level of skill or ability, nor does it constitute an endorsement of the firm by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or any state securities regulator.

The Coasting in Retirement radio program serves mainly to disseminate general information including those pertaining to GCFA’s advisory services, together with access to additional investment-related information, publications, materials and links. The publication of this radio show should not be construed by any client and/or prospective client as GCFA’s solicitation to effect, or attempt to effect transactions in securities, nor should it be interpreted as GCFA providing personalized investment advice, or any type of professional advice, for compensation, wherever this program is broadcast. Any subsequent, direct communication by GCFA with a prospective client will be conducted by a representative that is either registered or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration in the state where the prospective client resides.

Certain information, news stories, headlines, data, charts, graphs, figures or statistics presented on this radio program may have been obtained from third-party sources that are believed to be generally reliable but which GCFA may not have independently verified. GCFA does not and cannot guarantee the timeliness, accuracy, or reliability of any such third-party information and undertakes no obligation to update or correct any information that may become obsolete, unreliable, or inaccurate. The radio program also contains the opinions, views, and perspectives expressed by Josh Null and any other GCFA representatives which are solely their own, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, or perspectives of GCFA as a firm. Such personal views and opinions should not be construed as endorsements or professional advice from GCFA. GCFA makes no representation or warranty regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information on this radio program, and disclaims any liability for any direct or indirect loss or damage incurred from using or relying on such information.

GCFA, Aptus, Providence Benefits and Providence Partners are not affiliated, nor are any of their respective representatives.