The day kicked off with financial planner Craig Martin’s discussion of “The Volatility in Your Investments & the Loss It Creates.” Craig, alongside his wife and fellow speaker, Peggy, assist clients in coordinating tax planning with investments and cash flow. He delved into the pros and cons of volatility in investments, the importance of diversifying a portfolio, and how he uses volatility to his clients’ advantage. He elaborated, “If we add alternatives – something besides stocks and bonds… we have increased the returns…but we’ve reduced the risk…We call that an efficient portfolio.”
Following Martin, Hughes Private Capital CEO, Greg Hughes, shared his secrets on “How to be the Bank.” He explained that the first step is to take advantage of the lack of competition in inefficient markets. He said of his own experience, “What looked like chaos was just chaos to the untrained eye. But that’s where the gold mine was.” He went on to describe Hughes Capital’s new buy and hold fund. The fund offers private mortgages on homes in the Midwest and Southeast, empowering hard-working families to achieve the American dream of homeownership, while producing targeted returns of 11-14% for investors. He explained, “If we can marry an inefficient market and an appropriate non-traditional investment, then we get what we call excess returns…You can actually bring your return up, and your volatility and risk down.”
“Who wants to be part of an inefficient market? [They] are illiquid, data-inefficient, and chaotic. But then it dawned on me: what looked like chaos was just chaos to the untrained eye. That’s where the gold mine was.” – Greg Hughes, CEO and Co-Founder, Hughes Private Capital
Next, Marty Jensen, Managing Director of Alliance Trust Company of Nevada, walked listeners through the intricacies of trust design. During his talk, “Protecting Your Assets Through Trusts,” he continually stressed the importance of using creativity to craft a trust that will solve personal goals. “The great thing about a trust is it’s a blank canvas, and you’ve got the crayons. You can just write and color it any way that you want. It’s your money; it’s your trust…you can condition the language to satisfy any concern that you have,” he explained. He went on to say that Nevadans, especially, have one of the most progressive jurisdictions for trusts in the U.S.
InvestX attendees took a quick break for lunch before reconvening for CPA Tim Nelson’s lively presentation on “Tax Structuring for the High Net Worth Individual.” In between cracking jokes, Nelson relayed some of the most commonly missed tax write-offs, some 2017 tax changes that will hit bank accounts, and the top three tax advantages every investor should know. One attendee, Cindy Tietjen, commented that “He [Nelson] was informative and enlightening, and the way he delivered his information was clear and precise enough that any level – from business owner to beginner – could understand why it was important.”
“If you don’t have some sort of an LLC or corporation, get one. Not only can they save taxes, but [they can also] decrease your audit rate.” – Tim Nelson, President, Evans, Nelson & Company CPAs
The final presentation of the day came from Wealth Manager, Peggy Martin, on what she called the “soft side” of investing and financial planning. Her talk, titled “Legacy Planning: The Transfer of Values, Beliefs and Wealth” dove into the importance of leaving a legacy of stories and values for future generations, in addition to wealth. Martin cited a study done by Allianz Insurance Company of North America in 2012 that revealed 86 percent of boomers rated family stories as the most important aspect of their legacy. She explained that “sharing the stories of our unique experiences, life lessons, and nuggets of wisdom provides a touchstone for our loved ones and future generations.” At one point, Martin had audience members in tears as she read aloud a piece from her own ethical will. She explained that these ethical wills are “very much an enhancement to helping people manage their wealth.”
After wrapping up their presentations, all five speakers resumed their places at the front of the room for an open-forum panel discussion. Questions from the audience bounced from panelist to panelist, growing and evolving with each panelist’s unique contribution. Cindy Tietjen expressed her appreciation for this opportunity, explaining “All of the speakers were engaging and experienced. We aren’t all experts, so being able to have questions answered by experts in so many fields at once – how they look at the questions, what they bring to the table, how they view the advantages and disadvantages – that was the best part of the day.” Speaker Craig Martin even learned something from fellow panelist Marti Jensen. He asked us, “Did you see me with my mouth open while he was talking? I’ve got a client base that fits [Marti’s] model and I didn’t know – I just learned something. Great panel.”
“We aren’t all experts, so being able to have questions answered by experts in so many fields at once – that was the best part of the day.” — Cindy Tietjen, InvestX attendee
At the end of the afternoon, cocktails were served as guests and speakers mingled and connected one-on-one. On the day as a whole, attendee Joe Healy commented, “InvestX provided useable information on investment ideas as well as estate tax rules. The program reminded that it is important to stay current on investment opportunities.”
Saprina Allen and Desean Horne were active participants throughout the day. Allen relayed some of her own investing experiences during Greg Hughes’ talk.
Speaker Craig Martin and Jon Murphy discuss Martin’s presentation on ‘The Volatility in Your Investments & the Loss It Creates’ during a break.
Greg Hughes answers questions on inherited IRAs after the event. Many of the guests stayed after presentations were over to further their discussions with the speakers.
Speakers Peggy Martin and Marty Jenson discussed different sides of estate planning. ‘You owe it to yourself to get an estate plan,’ Jenson explained.
Tim Nelson answered tax-related questions for guests John and Cindy Tietjen after his presentation. “He was informative and enlightening,” Cindy said.
Marty Jensen elaborated on trusts during the panel discussion. “In almost every category of trusts, Nevada is either number one or two in the United States.”
Craig Martin answers an audience question during the speaker panel. “The team is so important. You guys don’t understand how valuable this panel is,” said Martin.
InvestX attendees listened intently during Craig Martin’s talk on volatility. Joe Healy said, “The program reminded that it is important to stay current on investment opportunities.”
Frequent Hughes Private Capital event attendees Dorlon and Vickie Peckham gained valuable investing insights at the first ever InvestX.
The afternoon concluded with an open forum panel where audience members had the opportunity to have their questions answered by all of the speakers at once.
Hughes Private Capital COO Steve Sixberry chatted with attendee Steve Mestre during the lunch break.
Each InvestX guest was provided a custom workbook to write down questions and take notes throughout the day.