Three Investment Tools For You

Make it personal
If you’ve ever used a power saw, food processor, or lawn mower, you know that the right tool makes any job much easier and faster.  That’s the spirit behind the interactive, personalized tools in the Osbon Labs. With a few clicks of the mouse these tools will help you better understand your own financial situation and plan for the future.

Control what you can
Regular readers know that we focus relentlessly at Osbon Capital on things you can control.  Like what?  Investment management expenses are one thing. Taxes are another.  Savings is a third.  For fun and profit do a quick check – or have your advisor check – how you measure up in these three areas.  Go to:

• Cost Control Calculator – use this calculator to see how much more you end up with for every basis point (1/100 of one percent!) of expense you cut — usually in the form of needless or excessive investment management fees. Every dollar you don’t waste on expenses stays in your portfolio and compounds forever.  We can audit your investment expenses and recommend ways to make significant cuts that add directly to your bottom line.
• 529 Calculator – even if you don’t have kids or they are past college age the 529 account offers a great tax incentive to invest for future education.  Although contributions are not deductible, assets accumulate tax-free and are not taxable when distributed. Since 529s can go on forever and can be transferred to succeeding generations, or even other people, the 529 can act as a permanent family education fund.  This calculator shows how quickly your education assets can grow. (Stay tuned for information on another perk of our tax system, the health savings account, coming here in August.)
• $5 Million Dollar Man – this one started out as a savings guide for the graduating college senior of a friend, but is useful for anyone at any age.  It’s simple tool that shows the impact of saving and investing over long periods.  Start with the end in mind.  How much money would you like at a future date?  What kind of return do you need?  Play with the various inputs to find the answers.

Actively passive
Index investing allows you to get market returns for asset classes around the world, in a diversified, low-cost, tax-efficient way. Passive indexing is powerful, especially when practiced consistently over long periods. The power tools in Osbon Labs let you actively make the most of passive investing. They’re user-friendly, and always available.  Or call us, and we’ll do the work for you.

John Osbon – josbon@osboncapital.com