What Is Impact Investing?

Jeff Speicher has assisted clients with their financial needs since 1998. After working at UBS and Wells Fargo, Jeff Speicher opened his own independent firm, Speicher Financial Group, in 2019. In his role as financial advisor and managing director, he works with clients on personalized investment strategies.

For those looking to do more than make money with their investments, impact investing could be just what they have been looking for. In particular, the younger generation is looking for ways their investment funds can help make a social or environmental difference in the world. This method of investing in socially responsible funds is often called impact investing.

A UBS Investor Watch survey noted that nearly two-thirds of young Americans were highly interested in sustainable investing. This means they are actively looking for socially responsible companies, such as those actively engaged in doing something good in the world or avoiding harmful activities.

Though impact investments can span several industries, including healthcare, renewable and clean energy, and education, the primary purpose of impact investing is that investments offer not just financial returns but also are in line with the investor’s conscience and values. Companies can take advantage of investor interest by making a financial commitment to more socially responsible investments.

Research can help you find a socially responsible company that meets your expectations. Impact investing could be an excellent way to use your finances to impact the world for the better.

Benefits of Paying Down Student Loans During a Forbearance Period

Long-time wealth management professional Jeff Speicher serves as managing director of his own firm, Speicher Financial Group. Jeff Speicher makes a point of staying updated on market trends, including current news regarding student loan payments.

If you have federal student loans, you are probably already aware that loan payments have been paused until 2021 as a part of the so-called “coronavirus forbearance.” This means that payments are temporarily suspended, a move intended to help Americans financially during the current global pandemic.

However, if you are in a comfortable position financially, this forbearance could present a unique opportunity for you to get ahead on your payments. When your student loans are in forbearance, you are not required to make payments, and the accumulation of interest is also paused. Those looking to pay down their student loan debts faster can use this opportunity to make additional payments and start chipping away at the principal of the loans.

It can also simply be beneficial to keep your established habits in place. If you are already used to making regular payments, and are in a financial position to keep making those payments, you should seriously consider keeping up with them, even during the forbearance. Not only will this help you maintain good habits, but it will also pay down the principal and ultimately shorten the term of the loan.

 

Should You Prioritize Paying Off Debt over Saving for Retirement?

The managing director of Speicher Financial Group, Jeffrey “Jeff” Speicher began his career as a financial advisor in 1998 with Paine Webber, a predecessor to UBS, in Denver, Colorado. Jeff Speicher later worked for Wells Fargo for over a decade before founding his own firm, where he offers financial advice to clients on matters such as retirement planning and debt repayment.

Should working adults pay off their debt ahead of retirement? The answer depends on an individual’s financial position. For example, if a person is paying off a mortgage at a low interest rate, they may want to pay off the debt in full, before retiring, by increasing their monthly contributions. However, if that same person opted to deposit those additional funds into a retirement account that has a higher interest rate, the potential long term growth of that account can outweigh the benefits of paying off that mortgage debt. This long term growth may even be higher if the individual’s employer offers a matching retirement account benefit.

Ultimately, it is important to remember that saving and paying down debt doesn’t need to be a zero-sum game: With thoughtful financial planning that’s tailored to an individual’s personal circumstances, it is possible to pay off debt while saving for retirement. 

What Is Portfolio Rebalancing?

For over 20 years, financial advisor Jeff Speicher has addressed his client’s financial needs using his experience in financial markets to deliver personalized investment services. In his current role, he guides Speicher Financial Group as the managing director and financial advisor. Jeff Speicher specializes in offering his clients sound portfolio management strategies.

Portfolio management strategies are used by professionals to achieve long-term financial objectives and provide risk tolerance. Rebalancing, a portfolio management strategy, involves buying and selling portions of a client’s portfolio in order to regain an asset class back to its initial state. Rebalancing becomes necessary in the event an investor’s strategy or risk tolerance level changes.

For instance, if a target asset allocation was 50 percent stocks and 50 percent bonds, rising prices of stocks can increase the portfolio’s stock weighting to 70 percent stocks and 30 percent bonds. In this case, an investor may decide to sell some stocks and invest in bonds to regain the initial asset allocation of 50/50.

Portfolio rebalancing aims to protect an investor from overexposure to undesirable risks. Measures are also put in place to ensure the risk level associated with an asset remains within an investor’s desired margin. Rebalancing gives investors an opportunity to sell assets at high prices and buy at low prices. While there’s no specific schedule for rebalancing, it is advisable to review allocations at least once per year. 

Barron’s Top 1,200 Advisors Recognizes Success Around the Country

For more than two decades, Jeff Speicher has been working as a financial advisor in Colorado. Having served with such firms as UBS, PaineWebber, and Wells Fargo Advisors, he is the managing director of the Speicher Financial Group. Over the course of his career, Jeff Speicher has earned several recognitions for his work, including being named a Premier Advisor by Wells Fargo and being nominated for Barron’s Top 1200 Advisors list in 2017 and 2018.

The annual Top 1200 Advisors ranking from Barron’s is the entity’s more comprehensive listing of financial advisors in the United States. It recognizes all types of financial advisors from the District of Columbia and all 50 states, from employees at large financial firms to independent advisors. The ranking is one of four listings that Barron’s puts out each year; the other three of which are the Top 100 Advisors, Top 100 Independent Advisors, and Top 100 Women Advisors listings. Barron’s also releases three firm- or team-based rankings.

Through its Top 1200 Advisors ranking, Barron’s highlights the best financial advisors in the nation to promote increasing standards in the industry. The report includes each state’s top advisor, along with several additional advisors, the amount of which depends on the wealth and population in the state. Each advisor is ranked based on the quality of their practice, their assets, and their revenue according to internal company documents, regulatory records, and over 100 data points provided by the advisor being ranked.