Welcome to episode 34 of Payne Points of Wealth. We're going to talk about the roaring ‘20s today! There is so much going on. The economy's revving up and earnings are going to heat up as we begin earning season. Wondering what you need to do with your portfolio? Taxes are probably going up and we're going to give you strategies. On the tipping point, we're going to talk about the fine print. The financial industry always has caveats with what they're trying to sell you. We're going to give you the buyer beware and show you exactly what to look for. We've got lots of fun, fascinating facts of finance today too. It’s gonna be another great show, don’t miss it!
 
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...
The roaring ’20s are back! [1:09]
The most dangerous words in investing [4:01]
One theme over the last year [7:04]
The Tipping Point [8:21]
The annuity [8:50]
The mutual fund [10:25]
The real estate investment trust [12:33]
Hidden Facts of Finance [16:42]
It’s different this time...?
If you weren't in the industry back in the ‘70s, then you haven't seen a bear market in bonds. That has consequences for investors because all these newbie advisors haven't seen what happens. They haven't seen the devastation caused when interest rates go up in those dreaded weapons of mass financial destruction, some people call bond funds. 
One thing we've been putting out week after week is that inflation just keeps creeping in and one of the gauges that we love is the producer's price index. What the heck is that? Simply put it's what it costs companies to produce goods and that's going up... a lot. Companies are going to pass those costs on to us, the consumer, which causes inflation. That's what rising prices are all about. 
The four most dangerous words in investing are "it's different this time". 
Well, guess what? It is different this time! The GDP is going through the roof. It's the strongest US global economic recovery in almost 50 years. It's even longer than Bob’s been in the business. This recovery is going to be the best ever. We're seeing economic growth around the globe, unlike anything anybody who's listening to this right now, has seen since they've been investing.
This week on the tipping point: Financial products aren’t bought, they’re sold
When a financial product is sold it's like eating Chinese food. It tastes so good going down, but you feel so empty later. One big culprit is the annuity industry. You’ll never hear of anyone who went online and bought an annuity. It's always been sold to them and the person selling it doesn't do it for nothing. The commissions are astronomical on a lot of these products.
Then you have another group of investments called mutual funds. They're not necessarily good or bad. It all comes down to whether or not they're appropriate. What could go wrong with a mutual fund? Well, one example, is if you have a manager of that fund that's trying to outperform their underlying index a lot of times they'll take a lot more risks than they need. Then end up getting less returns because they're trying to time the market as well as charging higher fees. 
Lastly, we have non-traded REITs. Every time we see a non-traded REIT and ask the investor if they went out and found this to buy it the answer is always "Oh no, the guy who sold it to me told me said it was good." REIT stands for Real Estate Investment Trust. The crazy thing about these is they're sold because people feel like they're getting a "private real estate deal". On the flip side, you can buy a portfolio of REITs in an exchange-traded fund, which is 100% liquid meaning you can buy and sell it all day long. We’ve found that it's usually better than these private REITs where you can never get out of them.
This week’s hidden facts of finance
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway bought Coca-Cola stock in the late ’80s and the early ’90s. Today, those shares are projected to generate $672 million a year in annual dividend income. Tha