Run for Cover

About four years before the 2000-02 “tech wreck” where the NASDAQ dropped 80%, according to Yahoo Finance, former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan warned of “irrational exuberance” at a dinner speech.

In an interview with CNN on December 17, 20018 Greenspan said, “It would be very surprising to see it (markets) sort of stabilize here, and then take off.” Greenspan went on to say leading stock indexes may have a little upside left. But that’s only going to make the inevitable drop more painful. So, “at the end of that run, run for cover,” he said. Now, I don’t know if Greenspan is correct, nor do I offer an opinion as to how much time there might be before a major downturn. I do know that no one needs to foresee the future to prepare for it.

 “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” – General George S. Patton

Who told us in 2007 that Credit Default Swaps and sub-prime mortgages could ruin the world as we know it? So if no one told you about the last crisis, who do you think will alert you in advance of the next one? 

Nearly half (48.6%) of chief financial officers in the U.S. believe this country will be in recession by the end of next year, according to the Duke University/CFO Global Business Outlook survey released on December 12, 2018. The Duke survey also found that 82% of CFOs believe that a recession will begin by the end of 2020. 

It seems like just a minute ago the US CFOs were embracing the mistaken notion that the US could enjoy 4% GDP growth. We’ve been saying for some time now what former Fed Reserve chair Janet Yellen said that, “quite high” levels of corporate debt are “a danger.” Yellen is absolutely correct with her observation that, “High levels of corporate leverage could prolong the downturn and lead to lots of bankruptcies,” she said on CNBC, December 10, 2018.

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” – Yogi Berra 

According to me, it’s not about the prediction, it’s all about the preparation. We put far more emphasis on the work necessary to keep clients assets intact than attempting to predict what might happen or when it might happen.  

I was asked to speak to 100 of my peers recently. I started by asking, how do you think that two story white house in Mexico Beach, Florida survived Hurricane Michael?

The first answer was, “It was God” and the second answer offered was, “It’s a miracle.” The third response was the correct answer, “They built it for the big one.”  The point I was making is that just as most houses are built in the same pattern, most portfolios are going to do the same thing at the same time. Like ordinary houses after a Category 4 hurricane, your assets could be devastated.

As we looked at a photo of one of the few houses left standing after Hurricane Michael I did everything I could to inspire my colleagues to approach the task as these home owners did. “It’s the first house that either one of us had ever built,” said Dr. Lebron Lackey, one of the homeowners.  The house was built with concrete walls. The foundation included 40 foot pilings. Rebar is placed through all of the walls to increase stability. The additions added about 15%-20% more expense than usual.

In the investment world, cost is king. The lower the cost the better. But that answer addresses a different question. Now is the time for you to discover ways to ‘run for cover’ by keeping your assets intact begin by determining how much loss you can accept. Followed by how active management strategies can be applied on behalf of your personalized goals. Then look to see what asset classes outside of cash, bonds, stocks can be added to your portfolio. I count 8 asset classes at Yale Endowment, for example.   A stool with eight legs is simply stronger than a two or three legged stool to hold up the weight. Even in a hurricane.  And when it comes to cost, it is often the case that you get what you pay for. Sometimes you have to pay more to keep more after a disaster. 

“It’s like déjà vu all over again.” – Yogi Berra

Suppose the CFOs are wrong about the severity and the timing. Just suppose it’s not another recession around the corner, because it could turn out to be a worldwide Great Depression II. Something astrophysicist Michio Kaku, Ph.D. said at a 2014 conference I attended with my peers in 2018 should have happened ten years ago. Act as if another depression is in the cards. If it doesn’t happen, who cares? If it does happen, prepared investors may be able to take advantage of opportunities they never saw coming. It’s worth noting that on a per capita basis, more Americans became millionaires after the Great Depression than any other time in history. As I wrote just be before Thanksgiving: Be thankful for cash

200 N. Westlake Blvd., Suite 109

Westlake Village, California 91362-3783

805.495.2077   800.266.2077  888.WHY.BEPOOR

Fax: 805.497.8342

www.westlakefinancialadvisors.com

Securities offered through Securities America, Inc. (SAI), Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Investors Advantage and SAI are separate entities.

Important Information from FINRA to consider before transferring your account. Trading instructions sent via email may not be honored. Please contact my office at (805) 495-2077 or Securities America, Inc. at 800‐747‐6111 for all buy/sell orders. Please be advised that communications regarding trades in your account are for informational purposes only. You should continue to rely on confirmations and statements received from the custodian(s) of your assets. The text of this communication is confidential and use by any person who is not the intended recipient is prohibited. Any person who receives this communication in error is requested to immediately destroy the text of this communication without copying or further dissemination. Your cooperation is appreciated.