Three Tips to Help You Avoid Stepping Face First into Real Estate Risk 

Limiting risk in real-estate investments substantially increases your chances of earning high returns.  A solid risk assessment prevents you from getting burned, losing your initial investment or much worse. Investors pick real estate for three main reasons: Earn positive cash flow, take advantage of tax benefits or gain the satisfaction of impacting the lives of others. No matter which combination of these reasons attracted you to the idea of investing in real estate, the following three tips can help you reduce risk and maximize your benefits.

1. The first tip is simple, but often disregarded: Avoid speculation. In my book, “Standing in the Rain,” I describe speculation as “financial Russian roulette.” The odds can appear to be in your favor and the risk can often be downplayed in relation to the potential reward. Investors are seduced by speculation. They succumb to hearsay and promises of quick returns with little effort.  Speculation is a short-term investment ploy and it minimizes real estate’s incredible potential as a long-term investment.  Long-term investors look to retain their real-estate assets despite modest market fluctuations, short-term speculative investors become finicky when their asset does anything besides rise in value. Speculation is usually fueled by misinformation, greed or pseudo demand, and it does not have its place in the real-estate market. Forget about all things “get rich quick.” Wise real-estate investing requires thorough due diligence and I suggest you never let anyone convince you otherwise.
2. Do your best to ensure positive cash flow. Being ill-prepared for a property that swallows cash every month can quickly reduce the amount of capital you have to work. Remember, cash is king, queen, prince and duke of Real Estate City. When possible, consider the benefits of a substantial down payment.  It gives you instant equity, helps reduce your interest rate and lowers your monthly payments.  Predicting constant appreciation is never easy. But, with experience or the assistance of a seasoned professional, you can take the necessary steps in an educated attempt to ensure positive cash flow. Lack of due diligence places a painful strain on your cash flow and forces you to sell your investment property before the benefits are realized.
3. Narrow your focus. Which is the better choice for you, commercial or residential real estate?  Investing in real estate carries a great potential for creating substantial wealth. Such wealth rarely comes without making a number of difficult decisions. Before investing, consider your options. Ask yourself if you are qualified, or even willing, to handle evictions, time management, repairs, reinvesting money back into the property, documentation and necessary inspections. Real estate can be mostly “hands off.” You can hire professionals to handle every part of the process, but the appeal of real-estate investing is often its “hands-on” nature. Narrowing your focus and choosing which type of real estate you want to invest in requires your careful consideration.

In “Real Estate Risk and Retirement Planning Part One,” I have included a section that details different options you have when investing in real estate. Watch for “Real Estate Risk and Retirement Planning Part Two” it in the next few weeks.  I will discuss market trends and weeding through cumbersome rules and regulations. 

All My Best,

Thomas J. Powell

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Tags: capital, commercial real estate, documentation, due diligence, economics, ELP Capital, evictions, foreclosure, investment advice, ira, land lord, las vegas, long-term investments, markets, necessary inspection, Nevada real estate, options, property, Real estate, reinvesting money, reno, repairs, residential real estate, ria, speculation, strategy, thomas powell, time management, TIPS

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Residential Real Estate

 There are dozens of reasons why the residential real estate market bubbled and exploded, causing the ensuing credit crisis and economic strife. The popularity of loans requiring no documentation, the easy access to sub-prime loans and the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates low all intertwined to fuel the housing crisis. The housing bubble was also inflated by Wall Street’s ability to package and sell mortgages in large pools. Now, after struggling to repair the housing market for more than a year, we are seeing improvements that are unveiling extraordinary investment opportunities in residential real estate. 

It appears we have hit the bottom of the housing market trough. Housing prices found some stabilization; although the prices are still close to the lowest they have been all decade. But, the collapse took years to build and expecting a complete turnaround in 2009 is unrealistic. The real promise in housing is in the future. Getting your money into the market now is optimal because of low prices and reasonable mortgage rates. Plus, there will continue to be tax relief with the recent Obama-endorsed home-buyers’ tax credit extension—which is planned to be available for repeat buyers who have lived in their prior residence for at least five years. 

The United States should see a gradual increase in home sales throughout 2010, but the residential market will most likely not witness a return to “normalcy” until 2011. According to Steve Bergsman, author of “After the Fall, Opportunities and Strategies for Real Estate Investing in the Coming Decade,” “When a bubble market bursts, left behind is a lot of carnage and it takes about three years for the markets just to get a handle on the mess.”[1] 

The three-year anniversary of the housing collapse is fast approaching and a number of high-profile reports have been published this month that suggest the residential housing market is already improving. The Case-Shiller index, which tracks variations in the values of houses in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas, showed an increase of 2.9 percent in the second quarter of 2009. In the first quarter it was down 7.9 percent. Two reports released by the Commerce Department last week suggest that while the overall economy continues on a wobbly path toward recovery, the housing industry is experiencing a number of positive signs. For example, “The supply of new homes was at 7.5 months in September, down from 9.5 months in May.”[2] 

While residential inventory appears to be slimming, foreclosure rates continue to mount in multiple areas across the country. With a significant number of Option ARMs set to reset over the next several months, many cities will continue to experience record-setting foreclosure levels.  However, foreclosures are increasing in different cities than those affected in the last quarters of 2008. Rates appear to be easing in the cities that were hit hardest by the housing collapse and rising in major metro areas in other states. This suggests that the cities previously overrun with foreclosures have found ways to combat the problem and are gradually making progress. 

A continuing stream of foreclosures may keep the residential inventory plump, and prices could remain stable over the next couple quarters. But, as inventory shrinks, so too will the abundance of quality investment opportunities. With the residential real estate market now hovering around the bottom, now is the right time to invest. 

Commercial Real Estate: No Reason to Panic

 While it appears that we have already witnessed the worst of the residential real-estate collapse, we are preparing for the brunt of the crash in commercial real estate. The commercial real-estate industry has taken the place of residential real estate as the breeding ground for widespread fear. Daily reports suggest the commercial real estate storm will be more severe than the one that struck residential housing. Instead of causing another shipwreck, our economy’s commercial woes may prove to be more of an anchor that puts an imposing drag on our recovery. 

The combination of job losses, store closings, rising vacancies and drastic cost-cutting measures puts commercial real estate in a serious bind. However, knowing their mortgages will soon come due or reset, owners and managers of office buildings, shopping centers, hotels and apartment complexes have had ample time to prepare for upcoming obstacles. 

Owners of commercial real estate are not backed into a corner. Banks prefer options that keep mortgage payments flowing. Therefore, banks are willing to work with borrowers to find solutions, even though bundled commercial mortgages will add to the difficulty of negotiations. Securing loan payments is not entirely the responsibility of banks or those who hold investments in pools of bundled loans. The owners of commercial buildings originally took on the responsibility and many of them are actively working to find solutions to keep their properties operating. Many property owners will continue to make their payments either because they have adapted their strategies to fit the difficult times, or because they have explored creative ways to bring in extra income. Of course, some number of defaults will be inevitable. Some of those property owners who are unable to acquire loan restructuring or extensions will view a loan default as their best option. 

As with the residential real estate debacle, the government is sure to intervene in an attempt to keep our economy from falling into another dark hole. For example, the already-in-place Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) supports the issuance of asset-backed securities in order to help small businesses meet their credit needs. The TALF is one of a handful of sluggish government efforts that was created to help provide a crutch for the commercial real-estate industry. 

Commercial real estate will continue to tug on recovery efforts, but it is not likely to cause the amount of damage we witnessed during the residential collapse. The time to invest is not when everyone shows interest in an asset. A staple to wise investing has always been buying low and selling high. The commercial real estate market has produced sound investments in the past and will once again flourish. Getting into the market in times of success is more costly, the opportunities are scarcer and the rewards are not as fruitful. The best time to invest is when the masses are fearful, and the masses are easily spooked by commercial real estate right now. 

The Benefits of Hiring Professionals

As is the case when taking on any money-making venture, the waters are difficult to navigate alone. We all want to make investments that are conducive to both our current financial situation and our future goals. Investing with a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) helps eliminate the series of headaches that come with making sound investment decisions.

Hiring a RIA has a number of benefits. For instance, a RIA can take on the following responsibilities:

• Provide objective investment and financial advice
• Set achievable financial and personal goals
• Take into account all of the factors that influence your current financial situation (your assets, liabilities, income, insurance, taxes, etc.) and provide a comprehensive analysis of where improvements can be made. Also, this helps to guide your investment plans and retirement goals
• Provide consistent investment consultation based on your fluctuating savings, investment selections and asset allocation

Before hiring a RIA, you should also be able to answer the following questions:

• What services do you need? Can your potential RIA deliver these services or are there any limitations on what they can deliver?
• What experience does the RIA have in dealing with investors in your situation?
• Has the RIA ever been disciplined by a government regulator for unethical behavior?
• What services are you paying for and how much do those services cost?
• How does the RIA plan on getting paid and are you comfortable with this payment method?
• RIAs are required to register with either the SEC or their state securities agency, depending on their size. It is imperative to ask for proof of their registration

There are a number of professionals who can provide guidance for your investment strategies. Hiring a RIA can help to take the frustration out of the investment process and help you avoid many of the common roadblocks. The true value of a RIA is their ability to thoroughly understand your overall financial goals and provide professional investment advice that is consistent with those goals.

All My Best,

Thomas J. Powell

[2] See http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125673286433612857.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_realestate

Tags: banks, Case-Schiller, commercial real estate, Credit, economics, economy, ELP Capital, Federal Reserve, Finance, financial, Financial Future, foreclosures, homebuyer tax credit, invest, loans, normalcy, obama, Real estate, real estate assets, registered investment advisor, residential real estate, Retirement, ria, Standing In The Rain, The Powell Perspective, Thomas J. Powell

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              As our economy slowly recovers, many investors are concerned with recouping the money they lost during the crisis. Pulling your funds out of investments all together will do nothing to bulk up your savings, while sinking your money into risky funds can do further damage. So, with black-and-white options not offering solutions, where can investors put their money to work?

Many investors are turning to investments that they feel are safe, such as bank CDs or money market mutual funds. The problem with these “safe havens” lies in the low returns. “The average money market fund yields .05 percent, or $5 on a $10,000 deposit.” With rates of return this low, these investments may not be able to keep up with inflation, let alone fill the gaps left by the losses experienced over the last 24 months.

Another option is to do nothing. Yvon Chouinard, founder of the Patagonia sports outlets, says, “There’s no difference between a pessimist who says, ‘Oh it’s hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything’ and an optimist who says, ‘Don’t bother doing anything, it’s going to turn out fine anyway.’ Either way, nothing happens.” The idea of holding on to your portfolio “as is” and wishing for the stocks you currently hold to rebound may work in some instances. But, if time turns out to be your enemy, your retirement years will be funded only by the amount you currently have, minus the effects of inflation.

As investors actively search for ways to re-energize their portfolios, many are returning to real estate. The real-estate market is hovering around the bottom, interest rates remain near record lows and a large inventory gives buyers an abundance of options. On the residential side, many foreclosures and bank-owned properties can now be purchased for a fraction of their value. The same opportunities are becoming available in commercial real estate as owners are unable to pay off or refinance their loans.

As I have mentioned before, real estate can help your portfolio win the battle over inflation. Real estate’s value will return over the next couple of years. When it does, those who invested now will not only recoup their losses, but they will also have the possibility of dramatically increasing their portfolio’s value.

Shaking Our Stone Age Tendencies

Letting our emotions dictate our investment decisions is a risky behavior. Out of instinct, we all get emotional when we earn or lose money. It is in our wiring to feel connected with the money we have accumulated. We tend to panic when our money is in jeopardy.

We make a connection between money and safety. Psychology suggests that we are programmed to protect our safety the same way our ancient ancestors were. Even though we encounter vastly different problems than our ancestors did, we still attempt to solve them in the same way. Moving with the herd used to be crucial to staying alive. Today however, moving with a herd of investors can weaken your portfolio. Pushing money into an investment simply because the majority of others are is usually the exact opposite of what you should be doing.

In the same vein as the herd behavior, is our tendency to make investment decisions based on past success. Just because a strategy worked in the past does not necessarily mean it will work in the present. Markets change dramatically from week to week. Strategies you used in the Dotcom boom of the late nineties may lead to an unpleasant outcome in today’s market. Sticking to market fundamentals is one thing, but taking on blind risk a second time because it worked out the first, is nothing more than a gamble. It is the same concept behind betting on red because the roulette ball fell in a red pocket the previous spin. No matter what your past performance, prudent due diligence is always necessary to gauge the current market trends, analyze risk and make sound investment decisions.

I have encountered a number of studies that suggest we remember the bitter feeling of losing money more acutely than the feelings we have when we earn the same amount in an investment. A few lousy investment decisions and an investor can be turned off indefinitely. It is important to learn from our mistakes and use the knowledge to our advantage. Our emotions can lead us to make decisions that, in hindsight, are horrible ideas. A bad decision is bad no matter what the outcome. Making money out of an emotional decision is lucky, but the decision itself was still the wrong one.

There is no way to completely escape our tendencies to invest based on emotion. But, by being aware of the negative impact our emotions have on our investment decisions, we can limit their influence. Wise approaches such as hiring investment professionals, practicing prudent due diligence and planning sound exit strategies can all help us become better investors.

Bank Closures v. the FDIC

Last week, federal regulators seized seven more banks- three in Florida and one each in Georgia, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin. The bank failures brought the year’s total to 106, which is the most since the savings and loan debacle brought about 181 failures in 1992.  Plus, with 416 banks on the FDIC’s watch list, the number of bank failures is expected to rise before the end of the year. With bank closures quickly absorbing millions of dollars from the FDIC’s Deposit Insurance Fund, is it possible that our savings accounts are realistically still protected?

The FDIC operates like a basic insurance policy, except banks are the customers instead of individuals or groups of individuals. Banks pay insurance premiums to the FDIC in exchange for its commitment to protect their depositors’ money. In the late 1920s, when banks closed at an alarming rate, depositors had no protection from bank failures. Between 1929 and 1933, banks lost an estimated $1.3 billion of their customers’ money. Today, the FDIC protects several trillion dollars worth of deposits. But as of June, it only had $10.4 billion in its deposit insurance fund—down from about $45 billion earlier this year.

The FDIC’s reserves have quickly depleted as the cost of bank failures outpace the fees the corporation collects. Last month, as bank closures continued to mount, the FDIC’s board of directors considered four ways to bulk up the insurance fund. The options considered were: borrow from healthy banks, borrow from the treasury, levy a special fee on banks or collect regular premiums early.

Borrowing from healthy banks would reduce the amount of money available to the private sector. Borrowing from the Treasury could send the wrong message to the public and have adverse effects on the banking industry. Levying a special fee on banks could push those on the edge into failure. The last option, albeit not particularly attractive either, is to collect regular premiums early. Deciding to follow through with this option, the FDIC stated it “adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would require insured institutions to prepay their estimated quarterly risk-based assessments for the fourth quarter of 2009 and for all of 2010, 2011 and 2012.” The press release indicated that the FDIC estimates prepayments will total approximately $45 billion.

Once approved, the proposed prepayments could give banks a bill for three years of premiums by the end of this year. While the requirement would put banks in a tough situation, the FDIC does not seem to think banks will find it too cumbersome. The FDIC believes that “the banking industry has substantial liquidity to prepay assessments.” As stated in the press release, “As of June 30, FDIC-insured institutions held more than $1.3 trillion in liquid balances, or 22 percent more than they did a year ago.”

The FDIC does have the capability to protect our deposits. However, initiatives that charge banks three years’ worth of premiums at once could help the FDIC weather an onslaught of bank closures without requiring the government to print more money…I hope. 

All My Best,

Thomas J. Powell

Tags: asset management, Bank Failure, Billion, CD, commercial real estate, crisis, Dotcom boom, ELP Capital, FDIC, herd behavior, high return, Inflation, insurance, insured institution, invest based on emotion, low return, Patagonia, prepayments, Real estate, registered advisor, residential real estate, risky behavior, Thomas J. Powell, thomas powell, tom powell, Trillion, Yvon Chouinard

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              Investors at all levels have been tempted to stash their savings away in what they view as safe places: federally-insured banks, gold, their mattresses. But, as retirement creeps closer, or for some of you, continues on, it is difficult to protect the value of what you have. It is even more difficult to take what you have and get it to work for you. However, difficult does not mean impossible. There are tremendous opportunities in this economic climate and these opportunities can do wonders for your future.

              There is no direct financial path to retirement safety, but putting some basic concepts to work can give your investment portfolio a boost and start you in the right direction. A 60-year-old investor needs to plan for at least 30 years of financial security, so investing in the short-term is not sufficient. Planning for the long-term comes with one major obstacle: inflation. Shoving your cash into a large, everything-proof safe will ensure that the cash is always available, but inflation is resistant to safes and will still eat away at your value. Inflation adds to the puzzle of retirement planning, but keeping a stash of conservative investments can help save your portfolio from being deteriorated by inflation.

              Investors do not have to fear that most conservative money-market funds or bonds issued by the federal government will lose their money. But, these are short-term protection strategies. The returns offered by these investments are likely not enough to stave off inflation. If the cost of living significantly rises, you are going to want your savings to do the same. Many investors are turning to TIPS (Treasury Inflation Protected Securities) for peace of mind. TIPS can be very helpful in side stepping inflation woes, but in a low-inflation environment, your returns will be lower than many other fixed-income securities. So, do not go overboard with TIPS.

              Your best weapon is diversification. Having a diverse mix of investments is a great strategy for both conservative and more risk-adverse investors. Diversification will always be your best hedge against inflation. Setting up a brief meeting with a registered investment adviser will help you to build a diverse portfolio that meets your needs. Playing it too safe now is not something you want to try and correct years after retirement. Running out of money later in life is something you can, and should, protect against now. And, again, this economic climate is filled with long-term investment opportunities.

Living Vicariously Through Predictions

              Despite grim news reported for September that housing starts came in lower than expected, they rose from August rates. The tendency to be disappointed when expectations are not fulfilled adds to the bad news already being forced on us during these difficult times. When a report from the Commerce Department was released in Washington earlier this week, newspapers jumped at the chance to report that the glass was half empty. All predictions aside, housing starts still showed improvement.

              According to The Wall Street Journal, “The rise in housing starts came in at 0.5 percent, climbing to a seasonally adjusted 590,000 annual rate compared to the prior month.”[1]  Housing starts improved, but major media outlets pumped out headlines such as “Bummer for Housing Starts” (Forbes) and “Housing Starts Miss Expectations” (CNNMoney.com). The media ignored projections made by 76 economists in a Bloomberg survey. Their estimates predicted that housing starts would rise somewhere between a rate of 582,000 to 630,000. But, their estimates were made at a time when the August rate was thought to be 598,000. When a correction to the August figures brought the number down to 587,000, the predictions had already been made. If the numbers the economists were using were off by 11,000, then you could assume most of them would have lowered their expectations by the same amount. This would have made the average of the 76 predictions stand at 595,000; which is very close to the recently reported 590,000 figure.

              The point of all of this is that our economy still showed a humble sign of improvement. With the amount of slack still present in the housing industry, it is a small feat to break ground on any amount of new homes. Looking through rose-colored lenses will not do us any good, we need to be realistic. In that same vein, hammering out pessimistic stories when they are not realistic will only bring down the confidence upon which our markets rely. A group of surveyed economists who were making predictions based on false numbers should not have a drastic impact on our economic situation. As Charles Mackay wrote in his well-noted “Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds” in 1841: “Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.”

              Negativity spreads quickly. We have enough to go mad over without becoming disappointed when a group of “experts” do not have their predictions come true. I think the real worry here should be in our experts’ ability to make accurate predictions. Instead of “Bummer for Housing Starts” how about “Experts off Again” or “The Facts the Experts Couldn’t See Coming”?  

Oh! I Didn’t See You There, Small Businesses

              Small-business advocates have criticized the White House for not giving more attention to small businesses. But, on Wednesday the Obama Administration announced that it would use funds leftover from the $700 billion bailout package to aid small businesses. Discussion of the new program came in response to dissatisfaction with the initial wave of bailouts that aimed at helping large financial firms and neglected small businesses. Many policy makers have argued for months that the $700 billion stimulus was only used to balance the books of large banks.

              The new plan, which is still nameless, will aim to increase lending at small, community-based banks. As was the case when individual states were dealt federal funds, the banks will be required to submit somewhat-detailed plans outlining how they plan on using the money. Since the new program will aim to get funds into the hands of small business owners, the banks’ plans will need to detail how they will play a part in this.

              After a number of meetings with community banks that will be scheduled through the end of the year, officials hope to determine the amount of capital that will be distributed. The funds are only to be available to small institutions with less than $1 billion in assets. 

              In his announcement in Washington on Wednesday, President Obama said he was prepared to “shift the government bailout efforts from larger banks to smaller banks because small business owners still have too little access to credit.”[2] Officials behind the new program hope that increasing credit to smaller institutions will energize job growth, which is something that has been reported on relentlessly, but has received little government attention.

              Although the exact amount of the remainder of the stimulus funds is unknown, federal officials agree it is enough to support this new initiative. Having the funds already available and not having to wait on them to be raised will help get the program off the ground. The life of many small businesses could depend on the government’s ability to act quickly. Taking months to consult community bankers may delay the program and inhibit small businesses from acquiring much-needed capital. Small businesses have been ignored thus far and, through innovation and flexibility, they have been able to survive.

Thomas J. Powell

[1] See http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091020-709265.html

[2] See http://www.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idUSWAT01385420091021

The discussion of investment strategies in this article should not be considered an offer to buy or sell any investment. As always, consult an investment professional to assist you in meeting your investment goals.

Tags: alternative investments, bailout, Bloomberg, ELP Capital, Finance, gold, hedge, housing starts, Inflation, Investing, investments, mattress, obama, powell perspective, Real estate, Retirement, small businesses, Thomas J. Powell, TIPS

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              Inflation concerns have been on economists’ minds since the Fed started passing drastic measures to combat our country’s troubled economy. Now, as the worst of the storm appears to be behind us, the concerns about the repercussions of our government’s monetary actions are under the microscope. The Fed’s commitment to keep the interest rate near zero for the next year has fueled speculation that other central banks will raise interest rates first—which would make other currencies more attractive than the dollar. Australia’s decision last week to raise interest rates already hurt the dollar and suggested that resource-based economies might recover quicker, and be more attractive to investors, than the United States. 

 The V-Shaped Climb 

              As manufacturing gains its footing, the stock market strengthens, housing inventories fall and retail spending returns; our economy will continue traveling up the V. However, government provides the stability in many market rebounds.  Once government funds are pulled back, the likelihood of dropping back into a recession could increase.

              Until spending is once again a consumer behavior, instead of a government one, the underlying economic problems will remain—threatening to pull us into another deep recession. In order for consumers to spend again, they are going to need to be convinced that their hours will not be cut, their jobs will not be lost and their wages will not be dropped. Of course, before they can be convinced of any of this, the unemployed will have to be reintroduced into the workforce. 

              We will continue wrestling with high unemployment numbers until business owners are confident that their products and services are once again in demand. Currently, businesses are getting by with nearly-depleted inventories. But, as consumer demand rises, business owners will beef up inventories; which will produce the need for more employees in the manufacturing industry. Business owners are scraping by with the bare-minimum number of employees. Larger inventories require new employees to sell, stock, ship and manage the products. 

              So, as consumer demand slowly returns, so too will new jobs. As we crawl out of this recession, a number of positive signs fuel consumer demand. As home prices continue to rise, homeowners will no longer be underwater and their confidence will get a boost. As the stock market continues to climb, so too will investors’ confidence. Major markets are all interrelated. Signs of growth in one market have the ability to positively impact another. The process is slow and filled with pockets of discomfort, but the climb has begun and the journey is forecasted to be slow and steady. Being patient and taking the right steps now will help our economy avoid falling down the second trap in the dreaded W-shaped recovery.  

Protecting Your Wimpy Dollar, Not Fearing it 

              Fearing inflation is a reactive investor’s behavior. This group of investors waits until something drastic happens in the marketplace that demands they respond. Active investors prefer to take more proactive measures to prepare for unappealing market conditions, such as inflation. Wise investors salt the slugs of inflation long before they have the chance to take over their gardens and devalue their investments.

              First, let us be clear that our country still may be on track to side step a nasty bout of hyper-inflation; which could cause a gallon of milk to cost a truckload of fifties. Our policy makers have to make the right decisions as we trudge through this recovery. To recognize the silver lining, an economy needs to have ultra-low unemployment levels and rising wages to effectively foster a period of hyper-inflation—both of which we are lacking at the moment. Unemployment is flirting with the 10-percent mark and real average hourly wages fell from December, when they were at their recent high point, to August at a seasonally-adjusted 1.5 percent.[1]

              Some may consider worries about inflation to be premature, but there are countless signs suggesting that the dollar will continue to considerably weaken over the next couple of years. The most concerning: Our government has borrowed hundreds of billions of dollars in efforts to hold up our banking system and this has added to our country’s already-enormous debt responsibilities. Having far too much money and too few goods is the root cause of inflation. Therefore, the biggest worry is that our government will continue to print money to pay for its extraordinary debt. Even if some experts are arguing that inflation concerns are premature, there are proactive actions an investor can take to protect his or her investments.

              Some assets rise in value during times of inflation and having a dose of them in your investment portfolio can do wonders for its performance. The following are widely-considered to be the best performers:  

·      Real estate: Traditionally, investors have used real estate as a hedge against the spontaneous performance of portfolios that are overloaded with stocks and bonds. Real-estate assets can also act as a hedge against inflation. Plus, today’s affordable prices and availability have real estate looking extremely appealing as an investment opportunity.

·      Commodities: Inflation causes the price of materials to rise. So, why not hold interest in the materials themselves? Investing in commodities through exchange-traded funds can help small investors avoid the many drawbacks that come with investing in commodities (like deciding where to store 1,000 barrels of oil).

·      Gold: With our currency no longer anchored to gold, it can lose value—and often does. The magic with gold is that it often moves opposite the value of the U.S. dollar.

·      TIPS: Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities are similar to other Treasury securities in that they are long-term IOUs that pay a fixed rate of interest until they mature. But, with TIPS, the government adjusts the payments up or down each month according to inflation levels.  

All My Best, 

Thomas J. Powell 

The discussion of investment strategies in this article should not be considered an offer to buy or sell any investment. As always, consult an investment professional to assist you in meeting your investment goals.

[1] See http://www.bls.gov/news.release/realer.nr0.htm

Tags: 10 percent, central banks, commodities, consumer spending, credit streams, Dollar, gold, hedge, hyper-inflation, Inflation, inventories, IOUs, Real estate, Recovery, TIPS, tips for hedging inflation, trade deficit, unemployment, weak dollar, wise investors

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Welcome to Black Gold the HedgeCo blog site about Energy and investing operated by logi Energy.  logi Energy is an investment management team that invests in the oil and gas sector in equities, options, futures, as well as on and off shore oil and gas fields and wells.  In this premier post, I’d like to tell you who we are and what we believe.  In other posts, other team members from logi Energy will provide detail and clarity to my mere words.  The basis of our investment approach is that peak oil has occurred in the world.  The world will never produce as much oil as it did in 2008 – ever again -.  Exploration has been conducted for over 130 years and every jungle, every desert, every mountain range, every rolling plain and every ocean site with potential to produce has been reviewed to identify where oil is.  As we look back at what the world has found over the decades, we now know that we’ve never found as much oil as we did in the 1960s.  Every decade since, we have discovered less and less oil. We are on track this decade to discover approximately 20% of what was discovered in the 1960s.  Today we use technology so sophisticated, it takes a PhD to refine the mathematics of the software processing the imagery. Complex engineering and deep mathematics are a hallmark of the oil industry.  Long gone are the days when geologists would lick the rocks taken from wells to identify pay zones for oil and gas.  We have technologies for finding, drilling, producing and improving oil production that allow us to very quickly identify opportunities and exploit them at a rate faster than we’ve ever been able to do.  Field after field, major region after major region, we have been applying these technologies to stretch out production well beyond original predictions.  These days our predictions are getting better and we are finding that even with the best of technology and nearly unlimited funding, we can’t stop major regions from peaking.  The latest unconstrained use of technology and money was the North Sea.  With no limitations in drilling or technology, it peaked in 1999 and today produces 70% of what it produced just 10 years ago.  The world is using oil at prolific rates.  Today we use six times the oil we used in 1950.  It is the most magical fluid in the world. One gallon of gasoline has the energy content of a man week of hard labor. Don’t believe me?  Assuming you get 32 miles per gallon on the highway like I do, how long would it take you to push your car 32 miles? A week? Longer?  Even more difficult, where could you get a week of hard labor for $2.85?  You can’t get that anywhere in the world.  The Egyptians used slaves to build their pyramids; the modern world uses liquid hydrocarbons. Some of us use our oil in more efficient ways than others. For the last 5 years, the third world citizen driving their moped has been impervious to price changes that have caused the economies of the OECD to cave in.  The summer of 2008 was the first of many price oscillations we will experience in the post Peak Oil world.  Prices will ascend until people can no longer afford the commodity, the demand dries up and prices drop letting the market rush back to the lower prices.  If it behaves like most other limited commodities, we can expect these oscillations to continue until the world transitions to other forms of energy for transportation.  Now knowing why and when the oscillations occur is our full time effort.  Check out our website at www.logipeakoil.com or contact us for details on how we do this.

BLACK GOLD posting  future

Tags: Bernanke, BlackGold, commercial real estate, COMMODITY, ENERGY, GAS, gold, Harvard Real Estate, hedge fund, LOGI, obama, OIL, OIL PRICES, PEAK OIL, President Barack Obama, Putting Money to Work, Real estate, Thomas J. Powell

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           As markets continue to produce signs of stabilization over the next quarter, it is unlikely that unemployment figures will show much improvement. With figures the highest they have been in more than 25 years, unemployment appears to have neared its peak. Lowering the rate to levels our economy can adequately support will prove to be a daunting task. But, with a little encouragement the corporate sector certainly has the power to handle it.

            Last week, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was quoted by multiple major news sources after he told the Brookings Institute, “The recession is likely over at this point.”[1] According to Bernanke, the economy appears to be growing, but not at a pace that will be sufficient for lowering the unemployment rate. Historically, economic upturns after recessions have been stamped with consumer demand. This time around, however, many Americans may not have the ability to help lead a recovery because they have been completely wiped out financially.

            In order to spur consumer-led demand, the corporate sector will again have to make jobs readily available. The unemployed are not the kind of consumers that are needed to invigorate our economy and induce growth. We do not need to turn to an economics textbook to tell us that our broken economic cycle can be patched with more available jobs—this much we know.

            Corporations large and small have been forced to adapt to this constricted economy and the majority of them were required to do so through downsizing. Now, company leaders are reluctant to increase their workforce until they are confident there is a significant increase in demand for their products and services. But, one strong possibility that could provide the encouragement needed to get company leaders hiring again is a temporary change in corporate tax policy.

            A temporary tax break aimed at equaling the payroll costs of adding new employees would strip the risk for companies that are awaiting a full-blown recovery before they hire. Plus, according to a recent article published in The Wall Street Journal:

“The impact of a two-year program on the federal deficit would be relatively modest. Using a conservative set of assumptions, an $18 billion annual program, which represents 10% of estimated corporate tax receipts in the next fiscal year could create nearly 600,000 good-paying jobs …”[2]

            Before they commit to hiring, companies are waiting for consumers to spend. But, before consumers commit to spending, they are waiting for companies to hire. The cycle is stagnant and will remain so until one side is persuaded to change their behavior. A government-sponsored tax break for companies that agree to hire could be the first action taken during this recession that encourages our country’s government, companies and individuals to work together.

Capital River is Frozen; We Can Thaw it

            Because of the severe impact of the recession, the stream of capital that once flooded our economy has been reduced to a trickle. The majority of the flow evaporated when banks were forced by the Fed to tighten their lending standards as delinquent loans polluted their books. Consequently, failing to restore the flow is making it extremely difficult for the Fed to take progressive measures toward recovery and has the potential to drop us back into another recession.

            According to Bloomberg.com:

“The Fed’s second-quarter survey of senior loan officers, released Aug. 17, showed U.S. banks tightened standards on all types of loans and said they expect to maintain strict criteria on lending until at least the second half of 2010.”[3]

With dropping values in commercial real estate, rising unemployment numbers and a seemingly unending onslaught of delinquent mortgages; banks are not lacking reasons to practice strict lending measures. Earlier this year, through a series of stress tests, the Fed found that 19 of the country’s largest banks needed $75 billion in new capital to protect themselves from mounting losses.

            With all of my recent writings and blog postings concerning the benefits of getting our private capital back in the game, I am by no means hiding my agenda for restoring capital flow. The economy will only be repaired once the flow of capital is rejuvenated. It is much easier to lead capital tributaries back into the main stream if they are first flowing. Over the next couple of quarters, banks will continue to deleverage and work toward a balanced lending system. But, without raising more private capital, banks will not be able to establish a lending system that enables credit-worthy individuals and businesses to acquire reasonable loans; which puts an enormous restraint on economic progress.

            Our economy is already positioned to attempt to force a jobless recovery, which will certainly create complications in sustaining a recovery. Trying to force a credit-less recovery will only exacerbate our struggles. Dragging our banks through a painful recovery without sufficient capital will only position them to break and lead us right back through more of the same. By identifying ways to put our private capital back into the equation we are positioning our financial system to rise from this recession stronger and more efficient. By investing in private enterprise, we are sparking long-term, mutually-beneficial relationships between capital-producing businesses and banks (while also earning gracious returns on our initial investments). Now is the time to put our private capital back to work.

Without Our Capital, Banks Get the Axe

            Our private capital plays an integral part in our local economies—which then all collectively have crucial roles in our country’s financial stability. Because banks have become over-reliant on easy credit, they are now struggling to keep their businesses running by raising capital the old fashioned way. Without our capital, our banks (and more importantly our communities) cannot function properly. Not able to fulfill their debt obligations, banks are closing their doors and falling under the control of the FDIC; which “estimates bank failures will cost the fund about $70 billion through 2013.”

            Banks are necessary to ensure that money circulates in our communities. They distribute the money of their depositors to borrowers who have a worthwhile purpose for the money. The banks secure our savings and lend the money to companies or individuals. Banks provide a convenient location for borrowers to acquire funds. Without banks, companies would find it very difficult to borrow large sums of money.

While banks perform their role as intermediaries, they also essentially increase the supply of money. By accepting deposits from its customers and loaning the money to worthy borrowers, banks “create” money. Consider the following simple example. Imagine a customer deposits $20,000 into her bank account. Even though the bills are no longer in circulation, the amount of money in our country does not change as a result of the deposit. Allowing the money to simply sit in the bank’s safe would not earn the bank anything. Therefore, the bank lends $10,000 to an entrepreneur in return for an additional interest fee. The depositor still has a $20,000 credit in her account and the entrepreneur has $10,000, therefore the money supply has increased by $10,000. The entrepreneur purchases supplies with the money and creates a product that he sells for a profit. As long as banks have depositors, they are able play their crucial role of increasing the money supply by making funds available to those looking to find backing for their ventures.

            The word “bank” itself is derived from the Italian word “banca,” which referred to the table on which coins were counted and exchanged in the middle ages. “Bancarotta,” from which the word “bankrupt” was derived, means “broken bank.” Originally, if a banker was unable to pay his debts, the authorities arrived to smash his table in half with an axe. Today, the FDIC seizes failed banks and seeks buyers for their branches, deposits and faulty loans—all, for some reason, without smashing anything with an axe.

All my best,

Thomas J. Powell 

Tags: banks, Bernanke, Credit, economy, ELP Capital, entrepreneur, FDIC, Federal Reserve, las vegas, markets, Money, nevada, obama, private capital, Real estate, real estate investments, recession, Recovery, reno, tax, Thomas J. Powell, unemployment

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            With a bad habit of ignoring profound systemic problems, Federal Treasury officials are now securing a system that encourages the same careless risk-taking that originally got us into this mess. With this week marking the one-year anniversary since Lehman Brothers imploded, it is only appropriate to discuss the faulty system that protects and rewards failing financial institutions.

            The talking heads in charge of the world’s financial practices are on path to deliver more of the pain and suffering we have been experiencing over the past 20 plus months. The Lehman Brothers’ collapse last year showed us how brutal a large bank failure can be. Now, because of the mess caused by Lehman’s demise, it is unlikely that our government would again allow an institution of similar size to fail. This essentially gives big banks a free pass to misbehave. If you owned a business that was referred to as “too big to fail,” and you knew the government would do all they could to keep your doors open, would you not be inclined to take risks? It is like giving a six year old the keys to a candy factory and a set of cavity-resistant teeth. All risk is stripped away, so why not have some fun?

By receiving government funds, big banks are allowed to carelessly take on high degrees of risk, knowing that there is a safety net underneath them. This recession has been gut-wrenching. It has badly battered our economy and exposed wounds that will not heal in our lifetimes. No one wants to experience a downturn of this size again. But, if officials continue to foster an environment that rewards carelessness by major financial institutions, we will inevitably get more rounds of the same. While we should be demanding big banks to practice prudent due diligence, we are instead enabling them to write off any level of accountability. This recession should have been a major wake-up call for all businesses, but those institutions deemed “too big to fail” have also been allowed to be “too big to learn.”

Top Five of the Bad, Bottom Five of the Good

            Ravaged by the bursting of the real estate bubble, Nevada is among the states with the deepest wounds. Historically, our state has been in the top or bottom five of the most-unappealing statistically-compiled lists put out by major media. Unfavorable, sure, but we all choose to live here for one good reason or another. For instance, our tax structure keeps Nevada among the most business-friendly states in the country. For this reason, we have highly-competitive local markets and capitalism thrives here. Our state officials are somewhat handcuffed because of our demand to keep government out of our businesses as much as possible. By adopting and supporting this system, Nevadans have agreed to take on more personal responsibility when it comes to providing our own financial security—and we are now being put to the test.

            Across our country, state officials are scrambling for ideas that will simultaneously better their state’s situation and put them in the position of being quality leaders. In Nevada, our elected officials have considered bringing in a pricey third-party consultant to advise them on how to progress the state. This means not only are the individuals we put in office to make vital decisions not carrying out their duty, but now we will also foot the bill for a new position. We elected these authorities to represent us; not lead us, by way of expensive consultation, in an undesirable direction. With that said, when we elect them we do not, in turn, remove ourselves from the equation. We are not reduced to waiting on our state leaders to be proactive.

            These are extremely trying times for our country. The recovery is going to be led by us via our private capital and our private enterprise. The government does not have a weapon in its repertoire that comes close to matching the power of our collective private resources. Across the U.S., and particularly in our state, there is an abundant supply of quality projects that have been postponed due to insufficient capital. Because success requires both money and knowledge, every successful idea struggles with acquiring adequate funding at least once throughout the process. Every successful venture has to be properly backed and the majority of the backing comes from private capital. At the end of the day we, the people, are the engine that runs our country.

            Nevada is riddled with quality projects that could be going forward with proper capital and qualified management. We now have to be proactive in matching the two. Being among the top five states in the country in foreclosures, troubled institutions and bank closures does not mean we cannot also be among the top five states to emerge from this recession.

Survival of the Government-Backed Banks

            Even the banks that did not become entangled in the shaky investment strategies of Wall Street during the boom still indirectly had their knees taken out from beneath them throughout this meltdown. According to CNBC.com, 92 banks have failed in the U.S. through the first nine months of 2009; including three here in Nevada. As a comparison, in all of 2008 only 25 banks closed.

            In any meltdown, the government’s focus is on the big banks that have the potential to buckle our country’s financial system if they go under. But, that focus leads to a distinct advantage for big banks over their competition. Having government support allows the bigger banks the power to go out and collect the majority of the available capital, while smaller banks are forced to scavenge. This crisis has presented terrible obstacles for banks to raise the capital lifeblood needed to remain in business. Without liquid capital, smaller banks are consumed by their debts. With losses on commercial real-estate loans rising, the smaller banks that feed credit into our communities are drowning.

            When governments support the behemoth banks and allow the smaller banks to sink, they essentially help eliminate the competition needed to improve our financial system. Without intervention, smaller banks are generally able to pose a competitive threat to the large firms because they are more apt to find ways to be faster, smarter and more strategic. It has always been a staple in American capitalism to save a place in our economy for smaller businesses because they push against the bigger corporations and keep them honest.

            Competition in the banking industry leads to a financial system that operates more efficiently. By helping to eliminate competition, our government is essentially allowing the largest banks to monopolize the industry. By supporting the large and abandoning the small, our government is positioning us to face a much weaker economic recovery than if the innovative smaller firms were allowed to compete fairly. We are essentially heading in the same direction as Europe, which has long had its bank assets heavily concentrated in massive firms. The tactic may make it easier for governments to regulate financial systems, but it also eliminates the capitalistic nature that has made our banking industry the strongest in the world.

NEXT WEEK: Banks as Intermediaries

All my best,

Thomas J Powell

Tags: Add new tag, Bernanke, economy, ELP Capital, Investment, markets, nevada, Real estate, recession, Risk, tax, Thomas J. Powell, to big to fail, tom powell, Treasury

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Earlier this week, after wrestling with the spate of painful economic news provided by major media, I recognized that I had no immediate control over any of the massive economic concerns. The stock market zigged when I hoped it would zag. Unemployment numbers, often reported differently, moved at different paces in the undesirable direction. Our federal deficit grew, which increased our individual debt responsibility. The problems were not confined by the pages of the newspapers. When I peered through my office window I saw quality real-estate projects continuing to sit lifeless because they lacked funding. After a few moments of reflection, I recognized that I, and certainly the majority of us, am being forcibly weighed down by all of the negative. Instead of dwelling on the uncontrollable, we should be manifesting the positive by taking hold of the reins on those things in which we can have significant influence.

I decided to start anew with more refreshing thoughts. So, I turned to a medium in which I had some control over the information that was presented to me: Google. Two main pages topped the list when I searched for the words “Economy: We Are the Answer.” The first was an informal Yahoo Answer Board on which the following question was raised: “Is there hope for the American economy or should we just drastically change the way we live?” The user went on to define “drastically change” by giving up our private houses and cars. The second most-popular page that appeared was BarackObama.com, which suggests no one within Google’s reach really believes we the people have the capacity to be the answer to our economic problems. According to my Google search, the answer either rests in the hands of President Obama or we will all be forced to live in communal frat houses without automobiles.

When our economy is running smoothly, we all welcome the opportunities to be part of a do-it-yourself world. We bag our own groceries, scan our own documents, rent our own movies and print our own boarding passes. On a weekly basis, we all most likely take it upon ourselves to deposit, track, clean, swipe, dry, spray, refill, bus, organize, pour, dispense and scan in the presence of other do-it-yourselfers in the vast public. As long as the tasks are minimal and the goal is clearly in view, we are encouraged to do everything ourselves. The responsibilities we used to let others handle, we now do ourselves (I cooked my own meal at Melting Pot earlier in the month). About half of the times I visit a gas station, there is no reason for an attendant to be present—unless I am in Oregon or New Jersey, where state officials prohibit me from pumping my own gas. But, when an issue has options that are more complex than selecting diesel or regular, our individual accountability takes a vacation. Why do we turn our focus to other superpowers to take control and eliminate ourselves from the equation?

The Problem is Passivity                               

This economic downturn is nothing more than a collection of intertwined problems. Although financially painful and physically overwhelming, there is no reason for any of us to hide underneath our desks and wait for the shaking to end. Think about the steps we all take when trying to overcome a timely problem—for an example, a clogged drain. We take a short period of time to analyze the situation. We look at all the factors involved and ask ourselves crucial questions: Is the water draining at all? Is the clog causing the pipes to leak? How severe is the leak? Is it causing immediate damage? Next, inevitably, it is human instinct to search for the quickest fix. We switch on the garbage disposal and rub our lucky rabbit’s foot. When we are forced to take real action we must recognize the weapons we have to combat the problem (a plunger, a drain snake, Drain-O). After we extinguish our resources, we then consult the knowledge of an expert. 

Now consider the enormity of our current economic struggles. The formula for dealing with the problem is much more complex, but it should still follow the basic fundamentals. Why then have droves of investors been complacent to listen to long-winded “experts” before analyzing their situation and deducing what it is that they can do for themselves? The formula is flip-flopped when we let ourselves believe that any given problem is too big or too complex. Remember the old adage, “We can only eat an elephant one bite at a time”? Many of the intricacies of this recession are out of our control, but the sooner we take control over the issues we can influence, the sooner the complex problems begin to untangle.

If the severity of the problem is directly proportionate to the amount of time we take to analyze it, then we only need a brief moment to stare into a clogged drain. In that same vein, our economic crisis is much more complex and has required a longer period for analysis. I argue we have passed this stage of the process and action is required now. This summer brought about a number of signs that suggest we are now slogging around somewhere near the bottom. With home-improvement projects, summer vacations and outdoor entertainment, consumers typically spend more in the summer months. We are now entering what is destined to be a difficult autumn. Unemployment will continue to strain on families, foreclosures will mount and consumers will tighten the belts they let momentarily loosen over the summer.

On the other hand, as the leaves turn and nature gets stripped of its color, a buckled economy will continue to present opportunities for us to take action. It is time for all of us to stop viewing ourselves as helpless observers and again consider ourselves part of the equation. In some ways we already are important variables, but we rely on the inadvertent action we take to be sufficient. How many times have you heard an angry citizen blurt out something along the lines of “I do my part, I’m a taxpayer”? The somewhat-passive action of paying taxes funds many integral economic systems in which our country balances itself. Just as we hire plumbers to help unclog our drains and keep them running smoothly we elect (read “hire”) officials to help unclog our economy and keep it running smoothly. With our plumbers, we are responsible for paying the bill to enable them to do their job. The same is true for the officials; by paying our taxes, we essentially all pick up our share of the bill and expect them to do their share of the work. Without our capital, their positions would not exist; but this hardly means we have positioned ourselves as active parts of the recovery.

Investing to Make a Difference

To be an important cog in the recovery machine, we must put our money to work. Our money does not do any good stuffed in a mattress or buried underneath the deck. Private capital built this country and there are few economic problems that private capital cannot solve, if allocated effectively. During the Great Depression, a time when the economy constricted and the majority of construction projects were put on hold, the entire construction of the Empire State Building was completed. Thanks to funding from its principle backer, an automobile tycoon aiming to one-up a major competitor, the Empire State Building was constructed with staggering momentum. During the Depression, building materials were cheaper and workers were eager to earn a wage, much like today. The construction put people and money back to work in dire times; not to mention the mystique the building has given our country for nearly eight decades.

A project as grand as the Empire State Building might only come around once a century, but that does not rule out the need for quality projects in our own communities. When private capital teams with quality-managed projects, the outcomes can be extraordinary. But, you need both. Whereas quality projects cannot get off the ground without capital, poorly-managed projects get ran back into the ground even with all the capital in the world.

This recession has torn through our communities and left a stockpile of quality real-estate projects to collect dust. Without proper funding, the projects remain undeveloped, unproductive and severely underemployed. Placing our private capital into quality projects will bolster the number of available jobs in our communities and get people behind a meaningful cause. There are loads of individuals that could be taking charge and becoming part of this recovery. We will show great resilience when we, on our own, come out of this strong, super-charged and feeling part of something.

We have to put the days of excuses behind us. We should be searching for any project that someone says “can’t be done” and aim to defy. When the newspapers have stopped reporting stories that highlight economic blemishes, our unemployment numbers are approaching all-time lows and our government takes a permanent vacation from bailouts; we will only vaguely remember our current doubts. We will, however, remember the period of time when we all did our part to restore communities. We will remember the turning point when we took action to pull ourselves from the painful times and regained our spot as part of the equation.

Tags: bail-out, Bernanke, Billion, Business, Credit, deficit, do-it-yourself, economy, Finance, Geithner, media, obama, Paulson, Real estate, Retirement, Standing In The Rain, Stimulus, Thomas J. Powell, Trillion

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Reasonable Regulation: That’s Allstate’s Stand

            Many companies involved in financial services cower when an official of any stature mentions the threat of national regulation, but Allstate has decided to embrace it. Since late April, Allstate has been pushing an advertising campaign that is rooted in support for creating a national regulation agency for all players in the financial industry, including insurance companies. Each ad in the four-part series, which runs in major magazines such as The Atlantic, touts the common theme of calling on “Congress to act boldly and quickly in drafting strong, comprehensive and clear federal regulation.”[1]

             Under the current system, insurance companies are regulated on a state-by-state basis, something that Allstate CEO Tom Wilson thinks needs be changed. In a national press release, Wilson argued:

 The American consumer is burdened with a patchwork of insurance regulatory systems that are cumbersome and ineffective in managing risks in an era of rapid change and innovation. American families need better protection from systemic risks and access to products and services that will help better manage their financial futures.[2]

            Allstate’s push for a national regulation system is bold. The campaign appears to be having an impact as the Obama administration has started tackling a number of vital decisions that could ultimately lead to national regulation for all financial services. President Obama himself may not have been directly affected by Allstate’s campaign, but according to PRnewswire.com at least one Congressperson has received more than $20,000 in campaign contributions from Allstate over the past four years. Clearly Allstate has identified the potential benefits that would come bundled with national regulation.

            One group that stands to be trapped and bound by the regulatory net of a national system is the stock brokers on Wall Street. The Obama administration has proposed a plan that would hold brokers to the stricter fiduciary standards of registered investment advisors. Under this plan, brokers would be required by law to act in their clients’ best interests, not their own. Also, with each piece of investment advice, brokers would be obligated to disclose what they stand to gain personally. A plan to implement a complete regulation overhaul is sure to be cumbersome and will take time to be implemented effectively. The Obama administration would be wise to have patience with this reform and comb through all of the complexities before attempting to have anything signed into law.

 At the end of the day, the federal regulatory overhaul will aim to force those in the financial system to be more transparent, something the Allstate campaign clearly addresses: “Only when there is transparency around valuing the risk in the financial system—including the role of insurance to help mitigate that risk—will we regain confidence in the economy.”[3]           

To view all of the Allstate advertisements in their entirety, visit allstate.com/fedreg.

Commercial Real Estate’s Role in the Next Bailout

            Banks have had little to celebrate over the past 20 plus months. Still dizzy from the debacle caused by residential real estate, banks nationwide fear the devastation that could soon be unleashed by the rising number of foreclosures in commercial real estate.

            The banks which provided the money to build endless numbers of commercial buildings originally did so because they, like so many others, believed occupancy and rent rates would always consistently rise. But, many owners of commercial buildings are now fueling another wave of foreclosures because they are not able to generate enough cash from tenants to cover their principal and interest payments. Because the loans have also been bundled and sold on Wall Street as commercial-backed mortgage securities (CMBS), the foreclosed buildings spark a ripple effect. Anticipating the severe consequences this could have on our economy, the Federal Reserve is struggling to contain the situation and prevent the need for a second wave of bank bailouts.

            According to Deutsche Bank, about $153 billion in loans that make up CMBS will come due by the end of 2012. The vast majority of these will not be eligible for refinancing through their lenders because the values of the properties have dropped so dramatically.[4] The losses will potentially cripple not only the owners of the commercial properties, but also anyone holding CMBS. Furthermore, because CMBS typically help drive pension and hedge funds, the pain will be widely spread.

            The only positive side of this mess will be the number of affordable investment opportunities for those looking to get into commercial real estate. Commercial real estate does perform in the long haul. But, because of the onslaught of new commercial buildings that sprouted in recent years, we are now experiencing an uncomfortable rebalancing of the industry. Loans that were made on loose credit and then bundled by Wall Street into dicey investment vehicles are all being exposed. However, the underlying properties are not rotten; they still make for sound investments.

            Like the residential market, the commercial real-estate industry was saturated with quick deals that turned sour because they were not thought through. Now, because the consequences stretched so far, the commercial real-estate industry has to be turned upside down and untangled. Although the untangling process will be turbulent, it will also be exposing an array of investment possibilities. Commercial real estate provides the venues for consumer spending. As the economy slowly recovers, so too will the demand for prime commercial real estate—something that will be readily available and reasonably priced in the immediate future.  

Keep Health Care in Our “Best Interest”

            I have been reluctant to bring the argument of national health-care reform to the Powell Perspective because it does not necessarily pertain to real estate, finance or investing. But, national health-care reform has the potential to have drastic impact on our economy, and for this reason I believe it deserves attention here.

            I have been convinced to raise this issue after overhearing a 20-something at the gas pump discuss the issue with someone of similar age. “Man, the whole thing is no big deal, I mean how often do we really go to the doctor anyway?” he said. As I drove off, I realized that the young man, healthy and probably feeling somewhat resilient, was simply not interested in the topic. He wanted to be able to disregard the topic so he could have more attention to focus on the issues that had a more immediate impact on him.

            This week will bring an important turn in the debate over national health-care reform. The Obama administration has committed itself to rethinking the plan before the President is scheduled to address Congress on September 9^th. President Obama is now going to be leading the arguments that he has been able to mostly sidestep thus far. What has me concerned is that the administration will recognize what I did while pumping my gas: The youth do not care. If the Obama administration addresses this and rebrands the issue to somehow get the youth behind it, then the approval rating for health-care reform could skyrocket. The same demographic that helped the President win the office, could now help direct a national issue that they may not be truly interested in for another 20 years. On the other hand, maybe it is time to address the demographic who will still be paying for this change long after we are gone. After all, the people that currently have a vested interest are at a standstill after becoming equally heated on both sides of the issue.

            Since its appearance in the Obama administration’s limelight, health-care reform has done nothing but become more complex. The plan is unclear. No one knows what it will look like, we only know what the media reports: We’re currently 37^th in the world in health-care quality. Death panels will dictate how long we live. The President will personally pull the plug on our grandma. If there are details to this administration’s plan, then they have all been shadowed by heated talk show hosts’ attempts to get the public screaming about something no one knows about.

            On September 9^th President Obama is going to be forced to add some structure to his administration’s plan. Thus far, no one has been able to dissect and discredit the plan because it has only taken shape through various town hall meetings and informal gatherings. In his first address to Congress since February, President Obama will be talking exclusively about health care. This national issue is going to take rigid leadership from the President. If he wants to make any progress he is going to have to involve the nation by getting the young to care and the old to stop shouting at one another and listen.

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