October 2021 – JamesACox.com

Climate change, environment, ESG, health, new economy, Socially Responsible Investing, SRI, Taxes

Pending Meat Tax Could Change Economic Behavior

October 26, 2021July 12, 2022 James Cox

In the past year plant-based meat products have made real inroads into many popular restaurant chains. Many plant-based brands have developed models that make them cost competitive and flavor competitive with animal-based meat products.

Animal-based meats have been criticized on several levels. The role that CAFOs (concentrated animal farming operations) play in deforestation, methane release, pollution, and accelerating climate change. In addition, several recent studies have shown that meat products have many negative health consequences, including cancer. (1)

In a recent paper Fitch Solutions Macro Research found that meat could be the target of new consumption taxes, similar to sugar taxes to fight obesity that have proliferated over the past few years.

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interest rates, retirement, risk management

Negative Yielding Bonds and Risk

October 22, 2021July 12, 2022 James Cox

Bonds are traditionally used within investment portfolios to reduce equity risk and generate income through the yields they carry. For example, a 10-year bond with a face value of $10,000 with a 5% yield generates $500 in income. Most recently the US 10-year yield was 1.5%.

However, over the past few years central banks in Europe and Japan have experimented with Quantitative Easing and driven rates below zero%. In August 2021, the amount of negative yielding bonds reached over $16.5 trillion. In May 2019 that amount stood at $12 trillion. Yields in Europe continue to fall as the ECB in June indicated its plans to set up a new bond buying program in upcoming meetings. A slow-down in the European economy, spiking energy prices and rising inflation has left businesses and economists frustrated. (1)(2)

What is a negative yielding bond? It is a bond with an inflated value and a yield of less than zero%. An example of a negative yielding bond is one with a face value of $10,000 but a market value $11,000. The purchaser of such a bond literally pays more than the bond worth for the right to own the bond. As bond yields move down the value of a bond increases. As bond yields move up the value of a bond decreases.

As energy prices and inflation has risen, bond yields have quickly moved higher. As a result, the amount of negative yielding debt has decreased, and the value of bonds held by central banks and institutional investors has plummeted.

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Climate change, environment, ESG, new economy, retirement, risk management, Socially Responsible Investing, SRI

What Role Do Moral Values Play in Investment Selection?

October 18, 2021July 12, 2022 James Cox

As a financial advisor, I am constantly approached by mutual fund and ETF wholesalers who are selling their investment vehicles. Yesterday I was approached by a representative who offered a vehicle that invested and looked at company fundamentals in a way that I believe is important. Before we talked, I asked if these were funds that invest based on sustainable or ESG (environmental, social, and governance) criteria.

He said, “These funds rank very highly based on ESG ratings.” And when I looked at the Morningstar ratings, they did. However, when I dug deeper several red flags jumped out at me. First, nowhere on the fund prospectus do they mention using screening for sustainability or ESG concerns. The second red flag was when I looked at existing holdings… their top holding is one of the largest US oil companies.

This to me is non-negotiable.

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interest rates, retirement, risk management

How to Guarantee Retirement?

October 15, 2021July 12, 2022 James Cox

Several years ago, I read a post on LinkedIn which sounded the alarm bells that the “time is running out” for your retirement account.

I found it offensive and in poor taste, playing on the fears of the public at large. Throughout most of 2021 there has been a palatable undercurrent of fear in the market… on the part of investors, on the part of money managers, on the part of economists… Inflation rocketing higher, talk of asset bubbles left and right, issues around hiring and employment, falling consumer sentiment, and all of these leading to a slowing in the economy

The 5% pullback in September 2021 in the market reinforced that fear for some.

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health, protection, risk management

How will your family survive?

October 12, 2021July 12, 2022 James Cox

My cousin died from a heart attack two years ago.

He was 48 years old. He left behind a wife and two teenage children. Their plans for the future were shattered and his family is left to pick up the pieces.

My son was born when I was 30 years old. Honestly, I didn’t get life insurance until I was 36. I had never been taught the importance of using Life Insurance to help manage risk and protect your family. Recent studies show that I’m not alone. There is a huge gap in the level of financial literacy in the United States.

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interest rates, retirement, risk management, Taxes

Trick or Treat? Revisiting The Potential Downside of Tax Reform for Investors

October 6, 2021July 12, 2022 James Cox

There is an old story that goes “beware what you wish for…” Things don’t always turn out as expected. In 2017, President Trump proposed and Congress approved a huge tax cut plan… the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The results have been controversial.

Along those lines I watched a fascinating interview of Tom Lee, head of research at Fundstrat, on Bloomberg four years ago. His insight proved very valuable and accurate. (1)

His feeling is that a Tax cut, as it was being discussed, could be negative for investors long term. “There’s two reasons; First, when cutting tax rate you raise the after tax cost of debt. Leverage becomes a problem for a lot of businesses. Second, because you are cutting tax rates you are effectively giving cash to all businesses, even businesses where you want to reduce allocation.“

His observation was that companies that are currently struggling with cash flow will have a temporary life preserver tossed to them, but it will not change the fundamental issues facing a lot of industries. It will distort markets.

In fact, that is exactly what happened. Companies that were not profitable and not healthy continued to borrow and live off of debt instead of reforming their business models.

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disability, health, protection, risk management

A few life lessons…

October 1, 2021July 12, 2022 James Cox

In the past few months I have seen several friends pass away…

I have seen several people in my circle struggle with illness, addiction and disability…

All are under the age of 50. None of them planned on what happened to them.

None of them planned on the impact it would have on those around them.
Life is not a straight line.
We all are forced to deal with situations that are beyond our control.

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