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Investing 101: Wrap Fees Explained

Published on: December 8, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

If you’ve looked into hiring an investment adviser or advisory firm to help manage your investments, you may have seen some offer various advisory services bundled together under one comprehensive fee. These types of service fees are called wrap fees and are offered as sponsored packages by many advisory firms.

With wrap fee programs, your advisor or firm serves as the “sponsor” for the program; essentially the liaison between you and your service offerings. Typically, the fee for these types of programs is determined by the overall value of your investment account. While it may seem easy enough on your end to just pay one flat fee for a bundling of advisory services, there are things you need to watch for when considering wrap fee programs.

Understanding Wrap Fees

Coming This December: Federal Rate Hikes… (More in 2018)

Published on: December 1, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

There’s been chatter recently among economic experts that federal rate hikes would likely soon be on the way. Since 2016, the Federal Reserve has risen interest rates three times, but they’ve not not made any definitive announcements on the further hikes, leaving it open to speculation when they’d actually be introduced.

It appears that economists and experts have now been able to reach a consensus. In fact, it appears that the recent Senate tax reform bill passed on Friday may have forced the Fed’s hand. In a recent article, Reuters reports that the recent legislation has forced a shift in risk-forecasting; toward a need for higher federal rate hikes and sooner.

According to the article, experts are projecting three rate hikes between now and 2019. This is actually in accordance with the Fed’s own projections, however the reasoning is up for debate.

CFPB Replacement Pick Sparks Contention

Published on: November 24, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

Last week, we spotlighted the resignation of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) head, Richard Cordray. His departure left a mark of uncertainty over the fate of the institution – one of the financial industry’s top regulators.

Who’s the Boss?

This week sparked contention over who would be taking the helm following Cordray’s departure. Although Cordray had named his deputy director as acting head while a replacement was sought, it seems the White House already had a replacement in mind. Nick Mulvaney, who until recently served as director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, has been appointed as the CFPB replacement pick.

With Cordray’s Resignation, What’s Next for the CFPB?

Published on: November 17, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

This week, Richard Cordray handed in his resignation as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The early resignation comes at a time of increased criticism over current financial regulations and an uncertain outlook for many regulatory bodies. The CFPB especially, has been subject of intense criticism from the financial industry as overbearing and stifling.

As Director, Cordray was very much the face and voice of the bureau. Under Cordray, the Consumer Bureau held very close to the guiding tenets under which it was created: to protect financial consumers from unethical behavior. His departure leaves senior officials in the bureau and supporting lawmakers scrambling to secure the future of the CFPB against a regulatory overhaul.

What exactly is the CFPB?

Investors Need to Watch Out for Paid-to-Click Fraud

Published on: November 10, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

Investors Beware: Paid-to-Click Fraud

There’s a new online scam targeting investors. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued an alert to investors to watch out for Paid-to-Click (PTC) fraud. PTC scams involve fraudsters duping investors out of money for purchasing online advertisements.

With Paid-to-Click fraud, investors are targeted by scammers who promise a share of profits for the upfront purchase of ad bundles and packages. Some scams may promise easy financial returns and online advertising space while others simply promise returns in exchange for an upfront fee alone.

Fed Implores Congress to Preserve Key Financial Regulations

Published on: November 3, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

In his remarks to Congress, out-going New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley implored lawmakers to preserve and maintain key financial regulation measures in face of growing support for review of standing requirements.

Dudley recently announced his decision to retire from his position earlier (mid-2018) than his term allots. According to a Reuters article, part of Dudley’s responsibilities as New York Fed President extend to being a “point-person” for Wall Street. The New York branch serves as the Fed’s eyes and ears on Wall Street, providing on-the-ground reports of activity to the central bank.

“Do no harm”

Wells Fargo Offers New Robo-Advising Platform

Published on: October 27, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

Banking giant, Wells Fargo, recently rolled out a new robo-advising platform aimed at enticing first-time investors to invest through Wells Fargo-packaged investment offerings. The unveiling of the automated advisory platform marks the latest in a concerted effort by large-scale financial institutions to capitalize on tech-savvy consumers and meet the changing demands of a digital marketplace.

Robo-advising has grown as an increasingly popular platform for investors who seek more autonomy in their investment decisions as well as expedited trading.

What is Robo-advising?

(Capital) Loss Can Be Your Gain: Leverage Your Stock Loss into Tax Deductions!

Published on: October 18, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

Nobody wants to lose out on an investment, but did you know that stock loss – also known as capital loss – can actually be leveraged into savings on future investments through tax deductions? While it may sound strange, converting stock loss into savings is actually a widely used strategy for many seasoned investors.

Once you understand how tax laws apply to your capital losses, you will quickly see the benefits of reporting them. You will be able to form strategies that actually take advantage of stock losses ahead of time. Once an investment starts to head south, you’ll be able to make the right decisions to mitigate that loss.

Stock Loss Deductions

Fraud Watch: Beware of Senior Financial Scams

Published on: October 13, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

A recent report shows that senior citizens have become one of the largest demographic groups target by financial scams and investment fraud. In the past, we’ve offered tips for preventing elder financial abuse, but it seems that the problem is much more aggressive than just making sure that you take steps to protect your investments.

According to the recent report, Americans 62 and older are the targets of widespread and rampant financial abuse.

And these scams aren’t being perpetrated by the seedy criminals you’d expect to be preying on the elderly; instead, the report shows that these senior financial scams are perpetuated by the very people that should be helping you make smart and secure financial decisions. People like:

Smart Investing Tips: Cryptocurrency Investing

Published on: October 6, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

You’ve probably heard of the popular cryptocurrency investing platform Bitcoin, but what about Ethereum?

Or Litecoin?

Or Dash?