Break from the Grind May 25, 2017

A Little Friday File Fun

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In South Haven, Michigan, a family believed their cat perished in a house fire. However, when they returned to the home two months later, the family dog went to a part of the house that used to be a bathroom and started sniffing it, licking it and scratching at it. When the homeowners investigated, they found the cat alive.

In Titusville, Florida, a woman stopped into a CVS at 9:50 p.m. to buy a birthday card. When she went to the checkout counter a little after 10, she triggered an alarm and was locked in the store. She stood in front of a security camera and called police who had to wait for the store manager to come and free her.

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In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a man was charged with leaving the scene after his car was found in a swimming pool at an apartment complex. The man, who later turned himself in, says he was trying to find a parking spot but the lot was full. He stopped his car to turn around, then got out of the car to check and see if he had enough room to make the turn without hitting another car. He says he thought his car was in park when got out, but when he turned around, he saw it rolling towards the pool.

In Steamboat Springs, Colorado, the owner of Moose Watch Café awoke to find the bumper torn off her car. The car is used to deliver doughnuts. Apparently, although there were no doughnuts in the car at the time, a bear smelled the sweet odor and ripped the bumper. The bear also made and attempt to claw away the insulation in the trunk to get to the smell, the Associated Press reports.

In Memphis, Tennessee, a couple leaving a barbeque festival were pulled over on the highway by police. The officer asked them if they were aware that the body of an unconscious man was on their trunk. They thought the officer was joking and got out of the car to see there was a man on the trunk. The driver said there’s a slight lip on the trunk that likely saved the man’s life. According to the Associated Press, when the police office woke up the man, he was disoriented and said he did not remember leaving the festival.

A news anchor in Russia was startled when she was interrupted by an unlikely source.


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This is why I will NOT live in Australia. (Warning to those horrified by spiders and rodents.)

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You know the head bob when you try to stay awake, but keep dozing? It’s amazing how human-like this dog seems.

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Investing May 25, 2017

Managed Account Users Plan More Confidently

Research from Fidelity suggests personalized, goals-based advice pairs well with the use of managed accounts.

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According to the Fidelity Managed Accounts Survey, the overwhelming majority of investors who use them (89%) believe that using a managed account simplifies their investing process.

Survey respondents cite the top three benefits of owning a managed account as “having confidence my portfolio is properly diversified; being able to talk to a financial professional about my investments; and having confidence I’m on track to meet my investing goals.”

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“Working with a professional money manager can benefit even the most seasoned investors by taking the emotion out of their financial decisions,” explains Rich Compson, head of managed accounts at Fidelity. “We hear time and again from investors—particularly nervous ones—that a managed account has helped them stay properly allocated during stressful times when they otherwise would have overreacted, like in volatile markets.”

The survey results show investors “don’t have to have a complicated portfolio to reap the benefits of a managed solution.” In fact, according to Fidelity, just 10% of survey respondents “say their financial needs are very complex.”

Fidelity’s survey examined triggers that prompted people to make the move from do-it-yourself investing to a professionally managed account. They cite “lack of skill, will or time to manage my own investments” as the most prominent reason, at 31%, followed by a desire for a financial professional to tell them what to do (23%) and a life event (22%). Investors of all ages report that a family member or friend (30%), a financial adviser (25%) or their company’s retirement plan (20%) introduced them to a managed account.

While on average respondents started investing around age 30, pivotal life events such as marriage, change in job status or birth of a child commonly serve as the triggers pushing an investor to use professionally managed investments. And as Fidelity lays out, “managed accounts offer more than a point in time solution, as 72% of Baby Boomers surveyed have invested in a managed account for more than 20 years.”

Fidelity’s data shows users of the structure on average hold 68% of their total investable assets in a managed account, with Baby Boomers reporting the highest average at 77%. Millennials hold 64% of their assets in a managed account compared to Gen Xers at 62%.

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