Tag: Basketball

Lug Nuts

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John Wooden is the greatest college basketball coach of all time, winning ten NCAA championships as the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. The Wizard of Westwood paid attention to small details, especially socks and shoes.

Each season, Coach Wooden instructed his players on how to correctly put on their socks and tie their shoes because if a player had trouble with their feet, they would not play well. He wanted to eliminate blisters and untied shoes that slowed down his players.

In the book Wooden – A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off The Court by John Wooden and Steve Jamison, he talks about how all the parts are needed for a car to run correctly, but if it had loose lug nuts, the wheels would fall off. Lug nuts are cheap and cost about $45 for a box of 24, and I doubt anybody ever considers them when buying a new car, but they’re a vital component for a functioning automobile. Coach Wooden had star players like Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but if the other players on the court did not play well and support each other, the team would lose. Bench players, substitutes, and lug nuts help complete the process and make things work.

Successful investors must pay attention to small details, like fees and expenses. Review your advisor fees and expense ratios on your funds. Try to cut the number of funds you own as well. Your funds have significant overlap if you own a few dozen or more, and you don’t need four or five large-cap mutual funds. A quick search on Yahoo! Finance can help you research your fund’s allocation, holdings, and fees. The ADV highlights your advisor’s costs.

Also, check your spending and budget. Can you eliminate recurring payments or reduce nuisance fees?

Your 401(k) is another detailed battleground. If you own a retirement target date fund, you don’t need to own anything else. A key component in your plan is the employer match, and it’s paramount that you match the match. For example, if your employer offers a 5% match, contribute 5% of your pay to the plan. If your plan offers automatic rebalancing, select the annual option. An annual rebalance keeps your risk tolerance in check.

If you pay attention to the small details, they will add up to big wins.

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. ~ John Wooden

May 4, 2023

Bill Parrott, CFP®, is the President and CEO of Parrott Wealth Management in Austin, Texas. Parrott Wealth Management is a fee-only, fiduciary, registered investment advisor firm. Our goal is to remove complexity, confusion, and worry from the investment and financial planning process so our clients can pursue a life of purpose. Our firm does not have an asset or fee minimum, and we work with anybody who needs financial help regardless of age, income, or asset level. PWM’s custodian is TD Ameritrade, and our annual fee starts at .5% of your assets and drops depending on your asset level.

Note: Investments are not guaranteed and do involve risk. Your returns may differ from those posted in this blog. PWM is not a tax advisor, nor do we give tax advice. Please consult your tax advisor for items that are specific to your situation. Options involve risk and aren’t suitable for every investor. Prices and yields are for today only and are subject to change without notice.

My NCAA Basketball Bracket

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What a tournament! March Madness did not disappoint. I was rooting for Baylor to win, and they did! I entered ESPN’s Tournament Challenge and finished in the 94th percentile, ranking 843,000 out of 14 million. My final game prediction was Baylor beating Gonzaga 74 – 72. The final score was 86 – 70. As always, there were several surprises and exciting moments like UCLA’s march to the final four and Jared Suggs game-winning shot.

Scott Drew inherited a struggling Baylor Basketball program in 2003 with the goal of winning a national championship. His assistant head coach, Jerome Tang, joined Coach Drew’s staff the same year. It took them eighteen years of blood, sweat, and tears to realize their dream. At the time, Baylor Basketball was involved in a scandal when one player murdered another, and their former coach was making financial payments to players.[1] It was a dark time to take over the program, but their perseverance, faith, and vision paid off.

Investors can learn much from the Baylor Bears and their run to the national championship. To succeed as an investor, you need a plan, patience, vision, and luck. Long-term thinking is a must. And, buying stocks when they’re down is an excellent way to acquire great companies at discounted prices.

Learning to overcome losses is also essential because when you invest, you will own some losers. There were 68 teams in the tournament – 67 losers and one winner. However, every team that made it to the big dance had a successful season, and most of them will return next year. Gonzaga ended their season with a record of 31-1, the University of North Texas won their first-ever tournament game, and Abilene Christian stunned Texas. Cut your losses, learn from your mistakes, and refine your process. Don’t be distraught with your losers, and let your winners run.

Diversification is also a must. The Baylor team has several elite athletes, role players, and specialists, and every person contributed to the team’s success. Your portfolio needs several components to perform well. A globally diversified portfolio of low-cost funds gives you exposure to numerous markets and thousands of securities, each playing a vital role.

To produce generational wealth, build your team, diversify your assets, invest often, and think long-term.

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. ~ Michael Jordan

April 6, 2021

Bill Parrott, CFP®, is the President and CEO of Parrott Wealth Management in Austin, Texas. Parrott Wealth Management is a fee-only, fiduciary, registered investment advisor firm. Our goal is to remove complexity, confusion, and worry from the investment and financial planning process so our clients can pursue a life of purpose. Our firm does not have an asset or fee minimum, and we work with anybody who needs financial help regardless of age, income, or asset level. PWM’s custodian is TD Ameritrade, and our annual fee starts at .5% of your assets and drops depending on the level of your assets.

Note: Investments are not guaranteed and do involve risk. Your returns may differ from those posted in this blog. PWM is not a tax advisor, nor do we give tax advice. Please consult your tax advisor for items that are specific to your situation. Options involve risk and aren’t suitable for every investor.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baylor_Bears_basketball

The NCAA Tournament and Investing

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It’s finally here! The greatest sporting event is back after last year’s hiatus. Though fans, bands, cheerleaders, and mascots are missing, it’s still exciting to watch. My family and I look forward to competing against each other with our brackets, and I always participate in ESPN’s Tournament Challenge, hoping that I will be the one with the perfect bracket. However, after Oral Roberts beat Ohio State, I’m out, and so are 95% of the other participants. Picking winners is not easy. The odds of a perfect bracket is 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808. If you know something about basketball, your odds improve to 1 in 120 million.[1]

According to ESPN, there are 108 perfect brackets out of 14.7 million submitted or .000735% after the opening games. And 93 participants lost every game! Is this an ideal bell curve? I rank 8.9 million after selecting nine winners, so I still have a chance. My choice to win it all is Baylor because they’re a good team, and it’s my daughter’s alma mater. I’m also rooting for Gonzaga because of their affiliation with the West Coast Conference and Arkansas since their head coach is a graduate of the University of San Diego.

The only thing harder than picking a perfect bracket is selecting a basket of individual stocks that outperform the market every year.  Yes, it’s possible to beat the market in the short-term. I’m sure several individuals bought Peleton, Zoom, DocuSign, or NIO last year and made a lot of money riding the COVID wave. However, have they been profitable for five, ten, or thirty years? Also, the more stocks you own, the closer your portfolio will resemble an index fund. What is the magic number of stocks to hold? In one study, it’s twenty.[2] How are the four companies faring this year? They’re down 12.5%, underperforming the S&P 500.

Standard & Poors SPIVA study revealed that 82% of large-cap fund managers did not outperform the S&P 500 over ten years, and 87% failed to do so after fifteen years. The same data holds for small and mid-cap money managers. The study found that 74% of mid-cap managers did not beat the S&P 400, while 75% of small-cap managers failed to match the S&P 600.[3] I know what you’re thinking; I’ll only invest in the winners. Some professional money managers outperform the market over time, but can you identify them before they start their run?

Peter Lynch, the legendary fund manager of the Fidelity Magellan mutual fund, was thirty-three when he took over managing the fund. The fund only had $18 million in assets in 1977. The fund’s assets would swell to $14 billion when he retired. Before taking over as the lead money manager, the fund lost 42% in 1973 and 28% in 1974. If you invested $10,000 in the fund, you lost 70% of your capital. Would you have remained invested in the fund as Mr. Lynch took the helm? If you sold out to find a better money manager, you missed incredible returns. Mr. Lynch posted eye-popping returns from 1977 to 1990 as the fund generated an average annual return of 29.2%, more than double the S&P 500. In hindsight, Mr. Lynch was an obvious choice. His fund returned 2,570%. A $10,000 investment grew to $267,420![4]

I bet the person who currently has a perfect bracket is posting about it on social media letting the world know they picked Oral Roberts and North Texas. The same is probably true for people who chose a few winning stocks last year. I will let them enjoy their fifteen minutes of fame. If they can do it every year, then I will give them the credit they deserve.

In the meantime, I would recommend investing your money in a globally diversified portfolio of low-cost mutual funds. If you want to take a flier on a stock or two, then allocate 1% to 3% of your investment capital to your ideas.

Invest for the long-term, buy the dips, save your money, follow your plan, and good things will happen.

It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen. ~ John Wooden

March 20, 2021

Bill Parrott, CFP®, is the President and CEO of Parrott Wealth Management in Austin, Texas. Parrott Wealth Management is a fee-only, fiduciary, registered investment advisor firm. Our goal is to remove complexity, confusion, and worry from the investment and financial planning process so our clients can pursue a life of purpose. Our firm does not have an asset or fee minimum, and we work with anybody who needs financial help regardless of age, income, or asset level. PWM’s custodian is TD Ameritrade, and our annual fee starts at .5% of your assets and drops depending on the level of your assets.

Note: Investments are not guaranteed and do involve risk. Your returns may differ from those posted in this blog. PWM is not a tax advisor, nor do we give tax advice. Please consult your tax advisor for items that are specific to your situation. Options involve risk and aren’t suitable for every investor.

[1] Google

[2] https://www.investopedia.com/investing/dangers-over-diversifying-your-portfolio/, by Brian Beers, 1/13/2020

[3] http://www.ginsglobal.com/articles/80-of-us-fund-managers-underperform-sp-500-over-5-years/#:~:text=Over%20the%20past%2010%20years,ending%20June%2030%2C%202020), Webiste accessed 1/20/2021

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidelity_Magellan_Fund

All That Jazz

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Jerry Sloan, the legendary coach of the Utah Jazz, recently passed away. Mr. Sloan had a stellar career as a player and a coach. As a player, he was twice an all-star, and his number was retired by the Chicago Bulls.  In 2009, he was enshrined in the NBA hall of fame for his coaching ability. He coached the Utah Jazz for more than 20 years, “the longest coaching tenure with the same team in professional sports,” and retired as the 4th winningest coach in NBA history.[1] Mr. Sloan was consistent and respected.

Coach Sloan led the Utah Jazz to their first NBA finals in 1997 with players Karl Malone and John Stockton. The Utah Jazz teams under Sloan weren’t flashy like the Lakers, nor did they have the pedigree of the Celtics, and they weren’t as coarse as the Pistons, but they were fundamentally sound, and nice – like most people in Utah.

If Coach Sloan were an investment professional, he probably would have been a fan of dollar-cost averaging, a consistent strategy that relies on fundamentals and patience. The dollar-cost averaging strategy lacks the flair of private equity, liquid alts, futures trading, IPOs, or option collars. Still, it is stable and reliable, and for most investors, it delivers results.

How does dollar-cost averaging work? This strategy requires you to invest a fixed dollar amount each month into a mutual fund or several funds. Let’s look at an example. You decide to invest $500 per month in Vanguard’s 500 Index Fund (VFINX) over several years.

  • One Year: After one year, your investment is worth $5,950, and it generated a loss of 1.83%.
  • Five Years: After five years, your investment is worth $37,298. It generated an average annual return of 8.92% and produced a gain of $7,298.
  • Ten Years: After ten years, your investment is worth $105,927. It generated an average annual return of 11.11% and produced a gain of $45,927.
  • Twenty Years: After twenty years, your account is worth $310,255. The 20-year average annual return was 8.74%, and it produced a gain of $190,255.
  • Thirty Years: After thirty years, your account is worth $818,929. The 30-year average annual return was 8.79%, and it produced a gain of $638,929.
  • Forty Years: After forty years, your account is worth $2.97 million. The 40-year average annual return was 10.24%, and it produced a gain of $2.73 million.

For the dollar-cost averaging strategy to reward shareholders over time a down market is needed, and the lower, the better. If you’re investing for the long haul, a down market will allow you to accumulate shares at lower prices. Your share accumulation will pay dividends when the stock market recovers because you will own more shares at higher prices. If you participate in a 401(k) plan, you likely witnessed this happening in your account.

If you’re looking for an easy way to accumulate wealth, look no further than the dollar-cost averaging strategy. A calculated, consistent investment strategy over time is a winning formula. This strategy is easy to institute, and you can do it with an IRA, 401(k), 403(b), 529 Plan, or taxable brokerage account, and you can start it with any dollar amount.

Courage is the most important of all the virtues because, without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” ~ Maya Angelou

May 30, 2020

Bill Parrott, CFP®, is the President and CEO of Parrott Wealth Management located in Austin, Texas. Parrott Wealth Management is a fee-only, fiduciary, registered investment advisor firm. Our goal is to remove complexity, confusion, and worry from the investment and financial planning process so our clients can pursue a life of purpose. Our firm does not have an asset or fee minimum, and we work with anybody who needs financial help regardless of age, income, or asset level. PWM’s custodian is TD Ameritrade, and our annual fee starts at .5% of your assets and drops depending on the level of your assets.

Note: Investments are not guaranteed and do involve risk. Your returns may differ from those posted in this blog. PWM is not a tax advisor, nor do we give tax advice. Please consult your tax advisor for items that are specific to your situation. Options involve risk and are not suitable for every investor.

 

[1] https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/jerry-sloan, website accessed May 29, 2020.

 

The Los Angeles Lakers

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The Los Angeles Lakers are iconic. A dynasty. They’re one of the great franchises – not just in basketball, but all sports. They’ve won 16 NBA Championships. Their roster has included legendary players like Magic, Kobe, Shaq, Wilt, Kareem, Mikan, Worthy, Baylor, Jamal, LeBron and The Logo.

I grew up watching the Laker’s in the ‘80s with Show Time. Their battles with the Celtics, Pistons and Bulls were epic. A Magic led fast break, or a Kareem sky hook was magical. Listening to Chick Hearn enhanced the experience.

This season the Laker’s have fallen on hard times with a dismal record of 32-41. They’ll miss the playoffs for the 6th year in a row and snap LeBron James playoff streak. He had made the playoffs every year since 2005 and appeared in eight consecutive NBA Finals.

LeBron James is arguably the greatest player of all time. Despite his pedigree, it wasn’t enough to get his team into the playoffs. His abilities couldn’t make up for a less than stellar roster. When Mr. James was winning championships, he was surrounded by strong teammates like Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Kevin Love.

It takes more than one strong performer to generate wins. It takes a team balanced with specialists.

Most investors are familiar with story stocks like Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, or Google (Alphabet). These high-flying brand names probably anchor most individual portfolios. It may be easier to identify these companies because they’re constantly mentioned on the airwaves and social media. But how do you expand beyond these highfliers? How do you build a supporting cast? How do you identify the 15th best stock in your portfolio?

Is it possible for a superstar company like Apple or Amazon to carry a portfolio of average, or below average, stocks? If you owned Weight Watchers, Camping World, Stamps.com, PG&E, PetMed Express, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Shutterfly, Kraft Heinz, Tupperware, United Rentals or Zillow your portfolio would have had disastrous results as each of these stocks was down more than 35% last year.

A portfolio of individual stocks may leave you exposed to concentrated losers, especially if you only own a handful of companies.  In addition, your portfolio may ignore categories like small companies, emerging markets, real estate holdings, or (gasp) bonds.

A diversified portfolio of low-cost mutual funds or ETF’s will give you an opportunity to find winners around the globe.

Dimensional Fund Advisors Global Allocation Portfolio is an excellent example of a diversified portfolio. The fund’s asset allocation is 60% growth, 40% income. It owns more than 13,500 securities scattered around the globe through eleven different mutual funds with exposure to stocks, bonds and real estate. It has generated an average annual return of 9.47% for the past 10 years.[1] It’s not dependent on one superstar stock. It performs well because it’s diversified with a strong supporting cast.

Rather than trying to find one stellar stock, build your investment portfolio with a broad mix of low-cost mutual funds based on your financial goals. Your diversified account will give you exposure to several magnificent companies. It will also remove anxiety by eliminating the need to find the “best” stock. You’re no longer dependent on the daily movements in the stock market because you now own thousands of investments from around the world.

So, go ahead and draft a portfolio of low-cost funds based on your goals and start winning the investment game today!

The game’s in the refrigerator, the door’s closed, the light’s out, the eggs are cooling, the butter’s getting hard and the Jell-O’s jiggling. ~ Chick Hearn

March 26, 2019

Bill Parrott, CFP®, CKA® is the President and CEO of Parrott Wealth Management located in Austin, Texas. Parrott Wealth Management is a fee-only, fiduciary, registered investment advisor firm. Our goal is to remove complexity, confusion, and worry from the investment and financial planning process so our clients can pursue a life of purpose.

Note: Investments are not guaranteed and do involve risk. Your returns may differ than those posted in this blog.

 

[1] YCharts: March 2009 – March 2019

Losers

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The Washington Generals have been playing basketball since 1952. During their tenure they’ve won three games, one in each of the following years – 1954, 1958 and 1971.[1] Despite their lackluster output they repeatedly play in front of sold out crowds at over 450 events per year. Why? It’s because their primary opponent is the Harlem Globetrotters.

The Globetrotters win most of their basketball games and, as a result, the Generals must endure a constant thumping. They are perennial “losers” because of their role, however, they’re really winners because of their long-term association with the Globetrotters.

Some investors are classified as “losers” because they routinely purchase stock at the wrong time. They buy stocks when the market hits an all-time high or just before a correction.

The last three corrections in the stock market have been the Great Recession, The Tech Wreck, and Black Monday. If you invested 100% of your money in the stock market on the eve of these three catastrophic events, how would your portfolio have fared?

The Great Recession occurred from October 2007 to March 2009 and the S&P 500 fell 57%. A $100,000 investment in October 2007 fell to $43,000 in March 2009. If you sold during the dark days of the recession, you would’ve lost 57% of your investment. If you held on, your original investment is now worth $226,000 – a gain of 127%! You generated an average annual return of 7.84% from 2007 to 2018.[2]

The Tech Wreck happened from April 2000 to October 2002. During this rout, the S&P 500 dropped 43%. A $100,000 investment in April 2000 fell to $60,000 by September 2002. You lost 43% if you sold at the bottom.  If you held, your original investment is now worth $263,000 – a gain of 163%.[3]

The stock market crash on October 19, 1987 was frightening. The market fell 22% on Black Monday after falling 4.5% the previous Friday. If you invested $100,000 on Thursday, October 15, 1987, you were down more than 26% by the market close on Monday. After two days of investing you lost $26,000. However, 31 years later, your original investment is now worth $1.64 million. You made 1,543% on your investment, or 9.5% per year![4]

If you happen to be a loser and buy stocks at the wrong time, hang on, because, like the Globetrotters, the stock market usually wins in the end.

“I have never known anyone who could consistently time the market. And in fact, I’ve never known anyone who knows anyone, who was able to consistently time the market.” ~ Burton Malkiel

August 26, 2018

Bill Parrott is the President and CEO of Parrott Wealth Management firm located in Austin, Texas. Parrott Wealth Management is a fee-only, fiduciary, registered investment advisor firm. Our goal is to remove complexity, confusion, and worry from the investment and financial planning process.

Note: Investments are not guaranteed and do involve risk. Your returns may differ than those posted in this blog.

Photo Credit: Andrey Popov

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Generals#Beating_the_Harlem_Globetrotters, website accessed 8/28/18.

[2] Morningstar Office Hypothetical – results as of 7/31/2018.

[3] Ibid

[4] Ibid

16 Seed.

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March Madness is in full swing.  Perennial blue-bloods like Arizona, UNC, Michigan State, and Virginia were expected to go deep in this year’s tournament.  These teams are laden with NBA caliber talent and it’s possible several of their players will be lottery picks in the upcoming draft.  It’s not surprising most people picked these schools to win their office bracket.  In fact, more than a quarter of the brackets picked Virginia to win it all this year.

Entering this year’s tournament, a 1 seed has never lost to a 16 seed.  The 1 seeds have compiled a first-round record of 135-0!  That was until this year when The University of Maryland Baltimore County destroyed Virginia 74-54.

The Retrievers put on quite the show, adding a punctuation mark to this year’s madness.  Led by 5’-8” point guard, K.J. Maura, the team kept Virginia at bay for most of the game.  They played as a unit and didn’t rely on a star player or a McDonald’s All-American.  They were just a bunch of determined young men playing extremely efficient basketball.

The mascot for the school is the Chesapeake Bay Retriever.  According to the American Kennel Club, “Chessies take to training, but they have a mind of their own and can tenaciously pursue their own path. They are protective of their humans and polite, but not overtly friendly, to strangers. Chessies make excellent watchdogs and are versatile athletes.”   This definition can also be applied to their men’s basketball team.

Investors are always on the hunt for one stock or fund they can buy to propel their portfolio to new heights.  In doing so, they ignore the efficiency and power of a diversified portfolio.  A balanced portfolio will deliver solid results without relying on a star stock or fund. In other words, you don’t need to be on the lookout for a 1 seed to win the investment game.

A balanced portfolio of five exchange traded funds (ETF’s) generated an average annual return of 7.7% for 10 years from February 2008 to February 2018.[1]  An initial investment of $50,000 is now worth $105,000.  This efficient portfolio doubled in value despite falling 24% during the Great Recession.

A low-cost, index portfolio shuns the star money manager model to provide market driven returns for shareholders.  A benchmark hugging portfolio is an excellent way to grow your wealth.  Active fund managers and high-flying stock pickers despise the index model because of their market producing returns.  However, 93% of large-cap active fund managers failed to beat their benchmark on a 15-year basis.  Most active money managers also failed to beat their benchmark on a 1, 3, 5, and 10-year period.[2]

It’s also wise to work with an advisor who will act as your coach. A fee-only, fiduciary financial planner can help guide you by developing a game plan based on your hopes and dreams.  In addition, a reputable planner will be with you during good times and bad.

As you build your winning team focus on a diversified portfolio of low cost investments and work with a fee-only, fiduciary advisor who’s a Certified Financial Planner practitioner.

Do you believe in miracles? Yes! ~ Al Michaels.

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. ~ Matthew 17:20

Bill Parrott is the President and CEO of Parrott Wealth Management an independent, fee-only, fiduciary financial planning and investment management firm in Austin, TX.  For more information please visit www.parrottwealth.com.

March 20, 2018

Note:  Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns.  Your returns may differ than those posted in this blog and investments aren’t guaranteed.

 

 

[1] The five funds are IVV, IJR, EFA, BND & VNQ held from 2/29/2008 to 2/28/2018. Each fund started with $10,000 and the portfolio was rebalanced annually.

[2] https://www.spglobal.com/our-insights/SPIVA-US-Scorecard-Mid-Year-2017.html, Aye Soe and Ryan Poirier, 9/21/17.