Schwartz Financial Weekly Commentary 12/7/15

Michael L. Schwartz, RFC, CFS Comprehensive Wealth Management and Retirement Planning Weekly Commentary – December 7, 2015
Weekly Market Overview: Anyone looking at U.S. stock market performance last week might assume it was a pretty quiet week. They would be wrong. It was a very bouncy week… read more.		IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR: No, not the holidays. It’s the time when investors begin to consider pundits’ forecasts for the coming year. Here are a few of those… read more.		Weekly Focus: Value vs. Growth Investing See our morningstar report… click here.
OFFICE HAPPENINGS Annual Holiday Open House (Families Welcome!) Sunday, December 13th @ Schwartz Financial 115 Old York Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046 RSVP by 12/7/15 February 2016 Welcome to 2016 Presentation More information to come soon. 115 Old York Road | Jenkintown, PA 19046 | ph 215.886.2122 | fax 215.886.6144 website | blog | LinkedIn | You Tube
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Michael L. Schwartz, RFC, CWS, CFS, a registered principal offering securities and advisory services through Independent Financial Group, LLC., a registered broker-dealer and investment advisor.  Member FINRA-SIPC. Schwartz Financial and Independent Financial Group are unaffiliated entities. This information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation or recommendation that any particular investor should purchase or sell any security. The information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable but its accuracy or completeness is not guaranteed.  Any opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.  An Index is a composite of securities that provides a performance benchmark.  Returns are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to project the performance of any specific investment.  Indexes are unmanaged, do not incur management fees, costs and expenses and cannot be invested in directly.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. * The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general. * The DJ Global ex US is an unmanaged group of non-U.S. securities designed to reflect the performance of the global equity securities that have readily available prices. * The 10-year Treasury Note represents debt owed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the U.S. Government is seen as a risk-free borrower, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for the long-term bond market. * Gold represents the London afternoon gold price fix as reported by the London Bullion Market Association. * The DJ Commodity Index is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for the commodity futures market. The Index is composed of futures contracts on 19 physical commodities and was launched on July 14, 1998. * The DJ Equity All REIT TR Index measures the total return performance of the equity subcategory of the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry as calculated by Dow Jones. * Yahoo! Finance is the source for any reference to the performance of an index between two specific periods. * Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance. * Past performance does not guarantee future results. * You cannot invest directly in an index. * Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision.

Year End Tax Moves for 2015

Michael L. Schwartz, RFC, CWS, CFS Comprehensive Wealth Management and Retirement Planning Year End Tax Moves for 2015
One of our major goals is to help our clients identify opportunities that coordinate tax reduction with their investment portfolios. In order to achieve this goal, we stay current on ever-changing tax reduction strategies. This special report covers the details of many year-end tax strategies for 2015. Remember- every situation is different and not all strategies will be appropriate for you. Please discuss all tax strategies with your tax preparer prior to making any final decisions.   Click here for our special report and learn more about 2015 Year End Tax Moves
OFFICE HAPPENINGS Annual Holiday Open House (Families Welcome!) Sunday, December 13th @ Schwartz Financial 115 Old York Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046 RSVP by 12/7/15 February 2016 Welcome to 2016 Presentation More information to come soon. 115 Old York Road | Jenkintown, PA 19046 | ph 215.886.2122 | fax 215.886.6144 website | blog | LinkedIn | You Tube
To unsubscribe from our Weekly Commentary please reply to this e-mail with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line, or write us at mike@schwartzfinancial.com.
Michael L. Schwartz, RFC, CWS, CFS, a registered principal offering securities and advisory services through Independent Financial Group, LLC., a registered broker-dealer and investment advisor.  Member FINRA-SIPC. Schwartz Financial and Independent Financial Group are unaffiliated entities. This information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation or recommendation that any particular investor should purchase or sell any security. The information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable but its accuracy or completeness is not guaranteed.  Any opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.  An Index is a composite of securities that provides a performance benchmark.  Returns are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to project the performance of any specific investment.  Indexes are unmanaged, do not incur management fees, costs and expenses and cannot be invested in directly.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. * The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general. * The DJ Global ex US is an unmanaged group of non-U.S. securities designed to reflect the performance of the global equity securities that have readily available prices. * The 10-year Treasury Note represents debt owed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the U.S. Government is seen as a risk-free borrower, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for the long-term bond market. * Gold represents the London afternoon gold price fix as reported by the London Bullion Market Association. * The DJ Commodity Index is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for the commodity futures market. The Index is composed of futures contracts on 19 physical commodities and was launched on July 14, 1998. * The DJ Equity All REIT TR Index measures the total return performance of the equity subcategory of the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry as calculated by Dow Jones. * Yahoo! Finance is the source for any reference to the performance of an index between two specific periods. * Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance. * Past performance does not guarantee future results. * You cannot invest directly in an index. * Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision.

The seeds of American Democracy were sown by the Pilgrims

Before the Pilgrims sailed, they secured a charter to settle the Northern part of the Virginia Colony in British North America. When they arrived, 500 miles off course, they had no rights to settle the land around their anchorage. Determined to make the most of their circumstances, the Pilgrims sowed the early seeds of Democracy by establishing the Mayflower Compact. The passengers of the Mayflower established a “civil body politic.” They agreed to submit to government chosen by common consent, and obey all laws made for the common good of the colony.

These principles, including the separation of church and state, and the rule of "just and equal laws," would guide and inform American thinking for years to come. After the Revolutionary War, politicians looked to the Mayflower Compact for inspiration and guidance as they pondered the laws that should guide our new country. John Adams said the agreement was "the first example in modern times of a social compact or system of government instituted by voluntary agreement conformable to the laws of nature, by men of equal rights and about to establish their community in a new country."

This year, we can be grateful to the Pilgrims for more than the traditions of feasting and giving thanks; we also can show appreciation for the freedom and responsibilities of democracy.

However we interact, be it friends, family, clients, prospects or just those that receive our emails, we’re thankful to have the opportunity to serve you – through good times and bad. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Financial Security II

Financial Security II

Imagine this scenario.  You get an email that appears to be from your bank.  You open it and read a message riddled with misspelled words that direct you to “click the link below.”  You click on the link, and are taken to a page that looks almost exactly like the website you’re used to visiting … almost.

You’ve been phished. 

Hopefully, this scenario has never happened to you.  Or if it has, you recognized the warning signs and knew to stay away.  Unfortunately, many people don’t recognize those warning signs, and fall prey to a particularly insidious form of Internet fraud called phishing.

Phishing is defined as “the creation of email messages and Web pages that are replicas of existing, legitimate sites and businesses.  These Web sites and emails are used to trick users into submitting personal, financial, or password data.  These emails often ask for information such as credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security numbers, and passwords that will be used to commit fraud.”¹  A play on the word “fishing,” (with regular people as the prey, and fake emails/web sites as the bait), the crooks behind phishing like to target the following areas:

Ÿ Retail/Service – 29.37%

Ÿ Payment Services – 25.13%

Ÿ Email – 12.39%

Ÿ Social Networking – 6.43%

Ÿ Other – 26.68%

People who fall for these scams are often duped into giving out sensitive information, like their Social Security numbers, account passwords, credit card numbers, or even bank PIN numbers.  Or, they may be directed to sites that proceed to install malicious software onto their computer or mobile device.  Either way, phishing poses a major threat to your finances, your identity, or your data. 

Thankfully, phishing is easy to avoid if you follow a few common-sense rules:

Ÿ Legitimate banks, retailers, and social media sites should never ask for your personal information via email.  If you receive a message from someone asking for this info, assume it’s a scam. 

Ÿ Furthermore, as a general rule of thumb, do not reply to any message, electronic or otherwise, that requests your personal information. 

Ÿ Never use links in an email to connect to a website.  Open a new browser window and type the site address in directly. 

Ÿ Always double-check the URL of any site you intend to visit.  Some thieves set up sites with URLs that look very similar to a legitimate site.  For example, “amzon.com” instead of “amazon,” or “facebok.com” instead of “facebook.”  You get the idea.  

Ÿ When doing business online, look at each website’s address.  Secure websites should have a small symbol of a lock next to their URL, or the letters https (instead of merely http) at the beginning of the address.  Both the lock and the letter “s” indicate that the site has been verified as secure. 

Also, learn to recognize what common phishing messages look like.  There are often a few telltale signs:

Dear Costumer,

We have recieved notice that your identity is not secure! This could put your account in danger.  To register for a higher lvel of security, simply:

1.   Click the link below to open a secure portal to our site

2.   Confirm your the owner of the account by answering a few simple questions

If you do not comply with these instructions in 7 days we have no choice but to permanently delete your account. 

Sincerely,

Your Bank, Privacy Division

The warning signs aren’t hard to spot.  Look for misspelled words (costumer, recieved, lvel, etc.), links to click on (“Click the link below”), threats (“If you do not comply”), and references to a well-known business or organization. 

I hope you found this information valuable.  Just remember that by keeping your eyes open and remembering a few common-sense rules, you can protect yourself, your loved ones, and your data from phishing scams. 

Good luck! 

Regards,

,

Michael L. Schwartz, RFC®, CWS®, CFS

P.S.  Please feel free to forward this commentary to family, friends, or colleagues.  If you would like us to add them to the list, please reply to this email with their email address and we will ask for their permission to be added. 

Michael L. Schwartz, RFC, CWS, CFS, a registered principal offering securities and advisory services through Independent Financial Group, LLC., a registered broker-dealer and investment advisor.  Member FINRA-SIPC. Schwartz Financial and Independent Financial Group are unaffiliated entities.

This information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation or recommendation that any particular investor should purchase or sell any security. The information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable but its accuracy or completeness is not guaranteed.  Any opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.  An Index is a composite of securities that provides a performance benchmark.  Returns are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to project the performance of any specific investment.  Indexes are unmanaged, do not incur management fees, costs and expenses and cannot be invested in directly.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

* The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general.

* The DJ Global ex US is an unmanaged group of non-U.S. securities designed to reflect the performance of the global equity securities that have readily available prices. 

* The 10-year Treasury Note represents debt owed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the U.S. Government is seen as a risk-free borrower, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for the long-term bond market.

* Gold represents the London afternoon gold price fix as reported by the London Bullion Market Association.

* The DJ Commodity Index is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for the commodity futures market. The Index is composed of futures contracts on 19 physical commodities and was launched on July 14, 1998.

* The DJ Equity All REIT TR Index measures the total return performance of the equity subcategory of the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry as calculated by Dow Jones.

* Yahoo! Finance is the source for any reference to the performance of an index between two specific periods.

* Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance.

* Past performance does not guarantee future results.

* You cannot invest directly in an index.

* Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision.

* To unsubscribe from our “market commentary” please reply to this e-mail with    “Unsubscribe” in the subject line, or write us at “mike@schwartzfinancial.com”.