Betterment Resources | Original Content by Financial Experts

The racial wealth gap, and how your investments can help narrow it

The racial wealth gap, and how your investments can help narrow it Feb 6, 2024 8:00:00 AM In celebration of Black History Month, we turn our focus toward the topic of Black wealth. Our goal at Betterment is to make people’s lives better through investing. We believe that wealth-building is one of the most powerful tools to live a better life and lay a path for generations to come. So each February, in celebration of Black History Month, we turn our focus toward the topic of Black wealth. The reality of the racial wealth gap and the path ahead We can’t fully appreciate the importance of building wealth for Black people without acknowledging our collective past and examining its lasting impact. Rising out of slavery did not create equality for Black Americans in 1865. Many factors have created and sustained a substantial wealth gap, including housing discrimination, credit inequality, mass incarceration, inaccessible healthcare and education, and lower-paying jobs. The domino effect of these factors has been powerful over the last century and a half. There are still enormous wealth disparities between Black and non-Black households. According to the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, the wealth of the typical Black family ($44,900) was roughly 15% of the typical White family. But all is not lost, and progress can be seen. Housing and business equity were key drivers in the 28% growth of Black wealth between 2019 and 2022. Black businesses employed 1.3 million workers and created 48,000 new jobs in 2020 alone. And while stock equity emerged as the largest disparity in wealth growth across racial groups during the same period, Black Americans make up the fastest-growing group of stock investors. So what now? The racial wealth gap is clearly not just a Black problem, nor can it be solved by individual actions alone. Organizations like the National Advisory Council on Eliminating the Black-White Wealth Gap are at the forefront of developing proposals to address the issue systemically. Other organizations are also making meaningful strides toward progress: Black Girls Code fights to establish equal representation in the tech sector. The National Fair Housing Alliance works to eliminate housing discrimination. The National Urban League works to provide economic empowerment, educational opportunities, and the guarantee of civil rights for the underserved in America. How you can join the movement right now Here at Betterment, we’re committed to supporting individuals through our investing products and our voices. In that spirit, we’ve created two ways for customers to make a difference through their investing: Donate eligible shares from your taxable investing accounts to the NAACP, which advocates for economic policies that support Black entrepreneurs and workers. Invest in companies actively working toward minority empowerment through our Social Impact portfolio.

How donating shares can help you save on taxes

How donating shares can help you save on taxes Jul 24, 2023 12:00:00 AM Donating shares lets you avoid paying taxes on capital gains, and you can still deduct the value of your gift on your tax return. In 1 minute There are many different ways for you to give back to your community. For example, giving directly to individuals in poverty, donating cash to charities, and volunteering your time are all well-known and worthwhile options. As an investor, you may have access to an option that comes with significant potential advantages: You can donate qualifying appreciated shares—or in other words, shares that are worth more today than when you acquired them. When you donate in the form of cash, you can deduct the value of that donation on your tax return. And that’s great! But by donating cash, you could be missing out on an additional tax incentive. Donate appreciated shares instead, and you could also avoid paying taxes on capital gains. That means your donation goes further while spending the same amount. And yes, you still get to deduct the value of those gifted shares on your tax return—as long as you’ve held them for at least a year. However, you should be aware that the deduction may not be exactly the same value. The IRS calculates the tax-deductible value of those shares as the average of the highest price and the lowest price on the day you made the transfer. Sometimes that means the deductible value ends up being slightly lower than the exact value you donated. Other times it ends up being slightly higher, giving you yet another benefit! But either way, the amount you save by avoiding the capital gains tax can exceed the differences in valuation. Consider if boosting your charitable giving by donating shares is right for you. In 5 minutes In this guide, we’ll: Explore donating shares instead of cash Explain how the IRS calculates these deductions Show you how Betterment makes donating shares easy You’ve been investing, planning for your future and becoming financially secure, and you’d like to pay it forward. That’s great! There are many ways to give back to your community. You might donate to charitable organizations. You might give cash directly to those in need. Or you might give of your time by volunteering. As an investor, you have a charitable super power. You can make your gifts go further and enjoy tax benefits at the same time. Why you should consider donating shares instead of cash When you have assets that have gained value, donating cash means you may not be making the most of your gift. Donations in the form of eligible shares offer two main advantages: You won’t pay capital gains taxes on the shares you donate You can deduct the value of your gift on your tax return Since you get more tax benefits, your money can stretch further. You have more left over to donate, invest, or use as you see fit. How the IRS calculates these deductions When you donate a share, you do so at a certain point in time, with an associated price. For greatest tax efficiency, you generally should only donate shares you’ve held for at least one year1. At that point, the IRS lets you claim a deduction for the whole, appreciated value up to 30% of adjusted gross income. However, the price at the time of your gift isn’t necessarily the same value that’s deducted on your tax return. The IRS rules say the deductible amount for your tax filing must be the “fair market value.” And the IRS determines the fair market value by taking the average of the highest price and lowest price on the day of the transfer. Say you donate $1,000 worth of shares: 20 shares worth $50 each. During the day of your donation, the shares trade at a high price of $51 and a low of $47. The IRS will call the fair market value of all twenty shares $980. That $980 is the deductible value when you file your taxes for the year. So keep in mind that the value you plan to donate won’t necessarily match the exact value you can deduct on your taxes. However, while the numbers may be slightly lower or higher than you initially expect, the value of saving on capital gains tax by donating appreciated shares and then being able to deduct that value to lower your taxes even further, generally exceeds any differences in valuation during the day of transfer. Betterment makes donating shares easy We believe that donating securities should be as easy as donating cash. You’re trying to make a difference. You shouldn’t have to worry about math or forms. No snail mail. No walking into an office. So we streamlined the process. Here’s how: We track how much of your account is eligible to give to charity. Betterment automatically reports the amount eligible for donation, assessing which shares of your investments have been held for more than one year, and which of those have the most appreciation. We estimate the tax benefits of your gift. Before you complete a donation, we’ll let you know the expected deductible amount and potential capital gains taxes saved. We move assets from your account to a charitable organization’s account. No paperwork! With a traditional broker, your gift would have to move from your account to the organization’s brokerage account, which involves time and paperwork. But Betterment offers charities investment accounts with no advisory fees—on up to $1 million of assets—to make the gift process seamless. We provide a tax receipt once the donation is complete. We’ll email the receipt to you, and you’ll also be able to access it from your Betterment account at any time. Additionally, we take on most of the reporting for our partner charities, letting them devote their resources more efficiently to the causes you support, rather than to administrative tasks. We partner with highly-rated charities across a range of causes. These include nonprofits such as the World Wildlife Fund, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and Givewell. Log in to your Betterment account to see the full list. Don’t see your preferred charity? Put in a request to add them! Gifting securities to charity, rather than donating cash, is a strategy that wealthy philanthropists have been employing for decades to save on capital gains taxes. We hope to democratize these benefits by helping everyday Americans use the same exact tax-saving method. If you decide it’s right for you, join our community of altruistic investors today and make the most of your charitable donations! If you’re already a Betterment customer, log in to donate your appreciated shares. 1IRS Publication 526, pg. 11-12

Optimize your investing by optimizing your deposits

Optimize your investing by optimizing your deposits Jul 13, 2023 1:41:00 PM There’s an art to investing money. We can help you determine how much to save and the deposit strategies to help reach your goals. How much you need to invest and how you do it changes with your circumstances. With the right techniques and tools, you can be equipped to make the choices that are best for you, whatever your situation. Why it matters: If you simply invest money when you have “extra” or make deposits randomly when you remember to, you may be missing out on growing your investments or even reducing your taxes. When you open an investing or Cash Reserve goal, we’ll ask you what you’re saving for, your target amount, and the date you want to reach it by (your time horizon). Then we’ll recommend how much to save each month and give you resources to show projections since we can’t predict the future. There are two deposit strategies to choose from: Lump-sum investing is depositing the entire balance of cash at once. Dollar-cost averaging is depositing the same amount of money at fixed intervals (weekly, monthly, etc) over a period of time. Lump-sum investing may be better if you have extra cash and are looking to maximize the time your funds are invested which can result in higher long-term returns. But know that it can require strong discipline during volatile markets. You might see sizable unrealized short-term losses during market declines, making it hard to resist the urge to sell. Dollar-cost averaging may be better if you want to take less risk with a lump sum of cash and protect against short-term market declines, or if you only have money to save after each paycheck. But know that you may be forfeiting potential long-term upside by not investing a larger amount right away. On the positive side, this method helps you avoid timing the market and can be easily coordinated with the timing of your paycheck. You end up buying more shares of an investment when the price is low and fewer shares when the price is high which can result in paying a lower average price per share over time. Pro Tip: The easiest way to start dollar-cost averaging is by automating your deposits. To get started with dollar-cost averaging, simply log in to your Betterment account, click the Deposit button, select an account, and adjust the frequency to meet your needs. If you’re dollar-cost averaging, consider this: The timing of your deposits matters. Scheduling deposits to occur the day after each paycheck can be an effective strategy. There are three reasons for this: Paying yourself first. From a behavioral standpoint, this protects you from yourself. Your paycheck goes toward your financial goals first, and then toward other spending needs. Avoiding idle cash. When your cash sits in a traditional bank account, it typically earns very little interest. In times of inflation, your cash is actually losing value. Idle cash could cause you to miss out on investment growth. Reducing your taxes. Regular deposits can help us rebalance your portfolio more tax-efficiently, keeping you at the appropriate risk level without realizing unnecessary capital gains taxes. We use the incoming cash to buy investments in asset classes where you’re underweight, instead of selling investments in asset classes where you’re overweight.

What’s The Best Crypto to Buy Now? (Hint: There’s Not One)

What’s The Best Crypto to Buy Now? (Hint: There’s Not One) Oct 24, 2022 4:34:00 PM Here are three reasons why you shouldn't try to find the “best” cryptocurrency to buy now. (And what you can do instead.) If you decide to go on a Google search hunt for the best cryptocurrency to buy this year, you may find yourself down a rabbit hole in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable part of the internet. (Don’t worry, we’ve all been there at some point.) And if you don’t end up there, you may find yourself on one of the many generic investing websites, all offering you similar “top cryptocurrencies to buy in 2022” lists. You’ll find the usual suspects here, mostly based on market capitalization or even personal preference of the writer. It’s common for these lists to include Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, Cardano, Binance Coin, Polkadot, and Avalanche. All fair examples but no need to do a Google search at this point. Instead of attempting to discover the next best cryptocurrency or token, we favor a different mental model. Ask yourself this question: What’s the best area of crypto to invest in, not now, but over the next three years? (Or whatever time horizon you are investing within.) You’ll see that trying to find the needle in the haystack—and it’s an incredibly large haystack—is probably not the best route to take. Rather, we recommend a more long-term, wide-reaching approach to selecting your investments. Three Reasons Not to Find the "Best" Crypto To sum it up, here are three reasons why you shouldn't try to find the “best” cryptocurrency to buy now. (And what you can do instead.) 1. You’re probably not a professional crypto investor. (And that’s perfectly OK.) If you are like nearly everyone, you’re not a professional crypto investor. Absolutely fine. Similar to any other asset class, non-professional crypto investors are at a disadvantage when it comes to technical resources, market data, and general industry knowledge. At Betterment, we have people whose job it is to research individual crypto assets and analyze the pros and cons of including them on our platform. So instead of pretending to be a crypto day trader in search of a new token that’ll take you to the moon, we recommend staying on planet earth. One way to do this is to learn about broad sectors in crypto and decide for yourself which areas you think may have the most growth potential. Among other things, we’re talking about the metaverse, decentralized finance, and Web 3.0. You could take it a step further and read up on NFTs but you may just be tempted to right-click-save on a picture of an ape that for some strange reason you can’t stop staring at—avoid the temptation, for now. Read up on crypto sectors, and if you’re feeling up to it, try explaining them to your friends or family to see if you grasp the important notes. This approach will give you a wider understanding of the crypto industry and pairs well with our next two recommendations. 2. You don’t have enough time. (Join the club!) Making wise investment decisions takes time. One of the best investors to ever live, Warren Buffet, reads 80% of his day. We’re going to guess you can’t spend 80% of your day reading about crypto. So how do you make up for this? As we said, educate yourself about crypto industry sectors instead of searching for individual assets. But don’t stop once you can explain what the metaverse is and why it could change the future. Yes, you are short on time, but if you have done the work to understand sectors in crypto and are interested in investing, you have two very important questions to ask yourself: How much do I want to allocate into crypto? And what is my time horizon? These are very personal questions. And with the little time you do have, ones worth thinking about. Knowing the amount you are comfortable investing and when you need to withdraw the funds will help you better understand the risks and make a decision that lets you sleep at night. We like sleep. 3. You’re increasing your risk. (Not a good thing.) Investing in one cryptocurrency is not quite comparable to putting all of your eggs in one basket. It’s more like having one egg. One cryptocurrency, like one egg, can be fragile, or in financial language, volatile and prone to losses. It lacks any diversification within the crypto asset class. Diversification is a complex subject, but generally speaking, the goal of diversification is to invest in uncorrelated assets to reduce the risk of losses in a portfolio while enhancing its expected return. Moral of the story: we recommend diversification. Consider how your crypto investments fit into your larger diversified portfolio of uncorrelated assets. Within crypto, you can consider spreading your investments across multiple assets and even multiple sectors within crypto. One way of thinking about it is since predicting the future is near impossible, diversification sets you up for various outcomes. We built diversified crypto portfolios to give you the choice to invest across the crypto asset class.

What To Do With An Inheritance Or Major Windfall

What To Do With An Inheritance Or Major Windfall Oct 21, 2022 11:50:00 AM You may feel the urge to splurge, but don’t waste this opportunity to move closer to your financial goals. It’s hard to be rational when thousands of dollars appear in your bank account, or you’re staring at a massive check. You might be excitedly thinking about what to buy with a tax refund. Or mourning the loss of a loved one who left you an inheritance. Whether you were expecting this windfall or not, it’s important to slow down and think about the best way to use it. Many people might let their impulses get the better of them. But used wisely, every windfall is a chance to give your financial plan a boost. In this guide, we’ll cover: Why it’s so easy to waste a windfall Why taxes should always come first What to do with the rest of your windfall Why it’s so easy to waste a windfall We tend to treat windfalls like inheritances differently than we treat other money. Many of us naturally think of it like a “bonus,” so saving may not even cross our mind. And even if you’ve worked hard to develop healthy spending habits, a sudden windfall can undo your effort. Here’s how it might happen: An inheritance makes your cash balance spike. You spend a little on early splurges, and start to slack on saving habits. This behavior snowballs, and a few months or years later, you face two consequences: you’ve completely spent the inheritance, and you’ve lost the good fiscal habits you had before. You may also fall into the trap of overextending your finances after using an inheritance for a big purchase. Say you use the inheritance for a down payment on a bigger house. Along with a bigger house comes higher property taxes, home maintenance costs, homeowner’s insurance, and monthly utilities. New furniture, too. Your monthly expenses can expand quickly while your income stays the same. The moment you find yourself with a lot of extra money, you should also think about taxes. Why taxes should always come first You don’t want to spend money you don’t have. If you burn through your windfall without setting aside money for taxes, that’s exactly what you could be doing. You’re not going to pay taxes on a tax refund, but if you receive an inheritance, win the lottery, sell a property, or find yourself in another unique situation, you could owe some hefty taxes. The best thing to do is consult a certified public accountant (CPA) or tax advisor to determine if you owe taxes on your windfall. What to do with the rest of your windfall Once taxes are taken care of, look at your windfall as an opportunity to accelerate your financial goals. Remember, if you created a financial plan, you already thought about the purchases and milestones that will be most meaningful to you. Sure, plans can change, but many of your responsibilities and long-term goals will stay the same. Still stuck? Here are some high-impact financial goals you can make serious progress on in the event of a windfall. Pay down your debt Left unchecked, high-interest debt can often outpace your financial gains. Credit card debt is especially dangerous. And while your student loan debt may have low interest rates, paying it off early could save you thousands of dollars. Paying off debt doesn’t have to mean you can’t work toward other financial goals—the important thing is to consider how fast your debt will accrue interest, and make paying it off one of your top priorities. Depending on the size of your windfall, you could snap your fingers and make your debt disappear. Boost your retirement fund It’s not always fun to plan years into the future, but putting some of your windfall to work in your retirement fund could make life a lot easier down the road. Put enough into retirement savings, and you may even be able to adjust your retirement plan. Maybe you could think about retiring earlier, or giving yourself more money to spend each year of retirement. Refinance your mortgage Paying off your primary mortgage isn’t usually a top priority, but refinancing can be a smart move. If you’re paying mortgage insurance and your equity has gone up enough, refinancing might mean you can stop. And locking in a lower interest rate can save tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your mortgage. Taking this step means your goal of home ownership may interfere less with your other financial goals. Revisit your emergency fund Any time your cost of living or responsibilities change, your emergency fund needs to keep up. Whatever stage of life you’re in, you want to be confident you have the finances to stay afloat in a crisis. If you suddenly lost your job or couldn’t work, do you have enough set aside to maintain your current lifestyle for at least a few months? Start estate planning Wherever you’re at in life, it’s important to consider what would happen if you suddenly died or became incapacitated. What would happen to you, your loved ones, and your assets? Would your finances make it into the right hands? Would they be used in the right ways? When you find yourself with a major windfall, it’s a good time to create or reevaluate your estate plan. Take time to double-check that you’ve set beneficiaries for all of your investment accounts. If you haven’t already, create a will and appoint a power of attorney. If you have children, you may want to set up a trust. Estate planning isn’t fun, but it can start paying immediate dividends in the form of peace of mind.

The Role Of Life Insurance In A Financial Plan

The Role Of Life Insurance In A Financial Plan Oct 21, 2022 11:44:00 AM Life insurance helps loved ones cover expenses and progress toward financial goals after you’re gone. When you’re making a financial plan, life insurance probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But if you pass away, life insurance helps take care of your loved ones when you can’t. It helps your beneficiaries stay on track to pay off your mortgage, pursue secondary education, retire on time, and reach the other financial goals you’ve made together. It protects them from the sudden loss of income they could experience. Life insurance won’t help you reach your goals, but it ensures that your loved ones still can when you’re gone. In this guide, we’ll cover: Life insurance basics How to decide if you need life insurance How to apply for life insurance Life insurance basics Whatever policy you buy, life insurance has five main components: Policyholder: The person or entity who owns the life insurance policy. Usually, this is the person whose life is insured, but it’s also possible to take out a policy on someone else. The policyholder is responsible for paying the monthly or annual insurance premiums. Insured: Also known as the life assured, this is the person whose life the policy covers. The cost of life insurance heavily depends on who it covers. Beneficiary: The person, people or institution(s) that receive money if the insured dies. There can be more than one beneficiary named on the policy. Premium: This is what you pay monthly or annually to keep a policy active (or “in-force”). Stop paying premiums, and you could lose coverage. Death benefit: This is what the insurance company pays the beneficiaries if the insured person passes away. As soon as the policy is in force, the beneficiaries are usually eligible for the death benefit. In some circumstances, insurance companies aren’t obligated to pay the death benefit. This includes when: The insured outlives the policy term The policy lapses or gets canceled The death occurs within two years of the policy being in-force and the insurance company finds evidence of fraud on the application Term life insurance vs. permanent life insurance Term life policies last for a set period of time. When the term is up, the policy expires. This is usually the most affordable type of life insurance. And since it’s not permanent, you can let it expire once you reach your financial goals and have other means of providing for your loved ones. You’re not stuck paying for protection you no longer need. In fact, the premiums are so low that you can even abandon your policy later without losing much money. Permanent life insurance policies don’t have an expiration date. They last for as long as the policyholder pays the premiums. Since they’re permanent, these policies also have a cash-value component that can be borrowed against. These policies have higher premiums than term policies. Permanent life insurance policies include whole, variable, universal and variable universal life. So, should you sign up for life insurance? If you have financial dependents, and you don’t have enough money set aside to provide for them in the event of your passing, then life insurance should be considered. Here are some cases where buying life insurance might not be beneficial: You have neither a spouse nor dependents You don’t have any debt You can self-insure (you have enough saved to cover debts and expenses) Unless that describes you, getting life insurance should probably be on your To-Do list. How much coverage do you need, though? That depends. If you’re married, you might want to leave a financial cushion for your spouse. You also might want to make sure that they can continue to pay off the loans you co-signed. For example, your spouse could lose your house if they are unable to keep up with the mortgage payments. Consider choosing a policy that will cover any debts your spouse may owe and the loss of your income. A common rule of thumb for an amount is 10x the insured's income. If you have kids, consider getting a policy big enough to cover all childcare costs, including everything you pay now and what you may pay in the future, such as college tuition. You may wish to leave enough behind for your spouse to cover your kids’ education expenses. Your death benefit should usually cover the entire amount of all these expenses, minus any assets you already have that your family can use to make up some of the financial shortfall. This could be as little as $250,000 or as much as several million dollars. How to apply for life insurance Applying for life insurance usually takes four to eight weeks, but you can often complete the process in just seven steps: Compare quotes from multiple companies Choose a policy Fill out an application Take a medical exam Complete a phone interview Wait for approval Sign your policy And just like that, you have life insurance—and your dependents have a little more peace of mind. Life insurance is about preparing for the unexpected. As you set financial goals and plan for the future, it’s important to consider what your family’s finances would look like without you. This is your fail-safe. In the worst case scenario, life insurance could prevent financial loss from adding to your loved ones’ grief.

What Is A Fiduciary, And Do I Need One for My Investments?

What Is A Fiduciary, And Do I Need One for My Investments? Oct 21, 2022 11:32:00 AM When it comes to getting help managing your financial life, transparency is the name of the game. When you seek out financial advice, it’s reasonable to assume your advisor would put your best interests ahead of their own. But the truth is, if the investment advisor isn’t a fiduciary, they aren’t actually required to do so. So in this guide, we’ll: Define what exactly a fiduciary is and how they differ from other financial advisors Consider when it can be important to work with a fiduciary Learn how to be a proactive investment shopper What is a fiduciary, and what is the fiduciary duty? A fiduciary is a professional or institution that has the power to act on behalf of another party, and is required to do what is in the best interest of the other party to preserve good faith and trust. An investment advisor with a fiduciary duty to its clients is obligated to follow both a duty of care and a duty of loyalty to their clients. The duty of care requires a fiduciary to act in the client’s best interest. Under the duty of loyalty, the fiduciary must also attempt to eliminate or disclose all potential conflicts of interest. Not all advisors are held to the same standards when providing advice, so it’s important to know who is required to act as a fiduciary. Financial advisors not acting as fiduciaries operate under a looser guideline called the suitability standard. Advisors who operate under a suitability standard have to choose investments that are appropriate based on the client’s circumstances, but they neither have to put the clients’ best interests first nor disclose or avoid conflicts of interest so long as the transaction is considered suitable. What are examples of conflicts of interest? When in doubt, just follow the money. How do your financial advisors get paid? Are they incentivised to take actions that might not be in your best interest? Commissions are one of the most common conflicts of interest. At large brokerages, it’s still not uncommon for investment professionals to primarily rely on commissions to make money. With commission-based pay, your advisor might receive a cut each time you trade, plus a percentage each time they steer your money into certain investment companies’ financial products. They can be motivated to recommend you invest in funds that pay them high commissions (and cost you a higher fee), even if there’s a comparable and cheaper fund that benefits your financial strategy as a client. When is it important to work with a fiduciary? When looking for an advisor to trade on your behalf and make investment decisions for you, you should strongly consider choosing a fiduciary advisor. This should help ensure that you receive suitable recommendations that will also be in your best interest. If you want to entrust an advisor with your financials and give them discretion, you may want to make sure they’re legally required to put your interests ahead of their own. On the other hand, if you’re simply seeking help trading securities in your portfolio, or you don’t want to give an advisor discretion over your accounts, you may not need a fiduciary advisor. How to be a proactive investment shopper Hiring a fiduciary advisor to manage your portfolio is one of the best ways to try and ensure you are receiving unbiased advice. We highly recommend verifying that your professional is getting paid to meet your needs, not the needs of a broker, fund, or external portfolio strategy. Ask the tough questions: “I’d love to learn how you’re paid in this arrangement. How do you make money?” “How do you protect your clients from your own biases? Can you tell me about potential conflicts of interest in this arrangement?” “What’s the philosophy behind the advice you give? What are the aspects of investment management that you focus on most?” “What would you say is your point of differentiation from other advisors?” Some of these questions may be answered in a Form CRS, which is a relationship summary that advisors and brokers are required to give their clients or customers as of summer 2020. You should also know the costs of your current investments and compare them with other options in the marketplace as time goes on. If alternatives seem more attractive, ask your advisor why they haven’t suggested making a switch. And if the explanation you get seems inadequate, consider whether you should continue working with your investment professional. Why is Betterment a fiduciary? A common point of confusion is whether or not robo-advisors can be fiduciaries. So let’s clear up any ambiguities: Yes, they certainly can be. Betterment is a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) with the SEC and is held to the fiduciary standard as required under the Investment Advisers Act. Acting as a fiduciary aligns with Betterment’s mission because we are committed to helping you build a better life, where you can save more for the future and can make the most of your money through our cash management products and our investing and retirement products. I, as well as the rest of Betterment’s dedicated team of human advisors, are also Certified Financial Planners® (CFP®, for short). We’re held to the fiduciary standard, too. This way, you can be sure that the financial advice you receive from Betterment, whether online or from our team of human advisors, is in your best interest.

Four keys to riding the market's ups and downs

Four keys to riding the market's ups and downs Oct 21, 2022 10:05:00 AM Let time work in your favor. Let the market worry about itself. Financial markets are unpredictable. No matter how much research you do and how closely you follow the news, trying to “time the market” usually means withdrawing too early and investing too late. In this guide, we’ll explain: Why a long-term strategy is often the best approach The problems with trying to time the market How to accurately evaluate portfolio performance How to make adjustments when you need to Why a long-term strategy is often the best approach Watch the market closely, and you’ll see it constantly fluctuate. The markets can be sky high one day, then come crashing down the next. Zoom in close enough on any ten-year period, and you’ll see countless short-term gains and losses that can be large in magnitude. Zoom out far enough, and you’ll see a gradual upward trend. It’s easy to get sucked into market speculation. Those short-term wins feel good, and look highly appealing. But you’re not trying to win the lottery here—you’re investing. You’re trying to reach financial goals. At Betterment, we believe the smartest way to do that is by diversifying your portfolio, making regular deposits, and holding your assets for longer. Accurately predicting where the market is going in the short-term is extremely difficult, but investing regularly over the long-term is an activity you can control that can lead to far more reliable performance over time. The power of compounding is real. By regularly investing in a well-diversified portfolio, you’re probably not going to suddenly win big. But you’re unlikely to lose it all, either. And by the time you’re ready to start withdrawing funds, you’ll have a lot more to work with. The basics of diversification Diversification is all about reducing risk. Every financial asset, industry, and market is influenced by different factors that change its performance. Invest too heavily in one area, and your portfolio becomes more vulnerable to its specific risks. Put all your money in an oil company, and a single oil spill, regulation, lawsuit, or change in demand could devastate your portfolio. There’s no failsafe. The less you lean on any one asset, economic sector, or geographical region, the more stable your portfolio will likely be. Diversification sets your portfolio up for long-term success with steadier, more stable performance. The problems with trying to time the market There are two big reasons not to try and time the market: It’s difficult to consistently beat a well-diversified portfolio Taxes Many investors miss more in gains than they avoid in losses by trying to time a dip. Even the best active investors frequently make “the wrong call.” They withdraw too early or go all-in too late. There are too many factors outside of your control. Too much information you don’t have. To beat a well-diversified portfolio, you have to buy and sell at the perfect time. Again. And again. And again. No matter how much market research you do, you’re simply unlikely to win that battle in the long run. Especially when you consider short-term capital gains taxes. Any time you sell an asset you’ve held for less than a year and make a profit, you have to pay short-term capital gains taxes. Just like that, you might have to shave up to 37% off of your profits. With a passive approach that focuses on the long game, you hold onto assets for much longer, so you’re far less likely to have short-term capital gains (and the taxes that come with them). Considering the short-term tax implications, you don’t just have to consistently beat a well-diversified, buy-and-hold portfolio. In order to outperform it by timing the market, you have to blow it out of the water. And that’s why you may want to rethink the way you evaluate portfolio performance. How to evaluate portfolio performance Want to know how well your portfolio is doing? You need to use the right benchmarks and consider after-tax adjustments. US investors often compare their portfolio performance to the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average. But that’s helpful if you’re only invested in the US stock market. If you’re holding a well-diversified portfolio holding stocks and bonds across geographical regions, the Vanguard LifeStrategy Funds or iShares Core Allocation ETFs may be a better comparison. Just make sure you compare apples to apples. If you have a portfolio that’s 80% stocks, don’t compare it to a portfolio with 100% stocks. The other key to evaluating your performance is tax adjustments. How much actually goes in your pocket? If you’re going to lose 30% or more of your profits to short-term capital gains taxes, that’s a large drain on your overall return that may impact how soon you can achieve your financial goals. How to adjust your investments during highs and lows At Betterment, we believe investors get better results when they don’t react to market changes. On a long enough timeline, market highs and lows won’t matter as much. But sometimes, you really do need to make adjustments. The best way to change your portfolio? Start small. Huge, sweeping changes are much more likely to hurt your performance. If stock investments feel too risky, you can even start putting your deposits into US Short-Term Treasuries instead, which are extremely low risk, highly liquid, and mature in about six months. This is called a “dry powder” fund. Make sure your adjustments fit your goal. If your goal is still years or decades away, your investments should probably be weighted more heavily toward diversified stocks. As you get closer to the end date, you can shift to bonds and other low-risk assets. Since it’s extremely hard to time the market, we believe it’s best to ride out the market highs and lows. We also make it easy to adjust your portfolio to fit your level of risk tolerance. It’s like turning a dial up or down, shifting your investments more toward stocks or bonds. You’re in control. And if “don’t worry” doesn’t put you at ease, you can make sure your risk reflects your comfort level.

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