Hello,

It’s Thanksgiving week, so let's consider the good. Despite the challenges we’ve endured over the last twenty months with COVID-19, I think many of us may agree that overall 2021 has been much better than 2020. Let’s be grateful for that!

I write that, but then I think of those who have struggled with illness and isolation, even this year. Hopefully, we’ll experience a reprieve from the virus’ negative impact soon.

Thankful For You

Also, I’m grateful that many of you have trusted me with planning your financial future. I don’t take this lightly, and I appreciate you.

We’ve achieved at our firm what few advisors have been able to accomplish, and we’ve been able to do in a short period of time. We’ve experienced tremendous growth this year. This would not have been possible without the trust and confidence many of you have placed in me and our firm. For that I’m grateful!

I hope that you have a blessed Thanksgiving, and you’re able to enjoy spending time with the important people in your life.

Amelia and I had a good time at the park over the weekend.
Have You Ever Considered An Allocation That Isn’t Completely Market Tied

Have you heard how real estate has been doing? If you’re like some people you may be tempted to buy property or a rental. That comes with a set of obligations that may be lengthy.

Did you know there is another way to have exposure to real estate in your portfolio without owning real estate outright?

Traditionally, this has been done by owning a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). Hold on though, because REITs come with details you must know. Sometimes if REITs are not traded they may have liquidity limitations. Which means you can only get money out at a certain time or after a certain period or if metrics are achieved.

If the REIT is concentrated in only one sector, obviously that’s the only exposure you have. Sometimes the fees can be hard to ascertain in REITs too. These reasons alone are enough to say “forget it!”

But like everything, companies have developed a more palatable route. You can now use a REIT that is held in an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). Remember that ETFs are baskets or pools of various investments held jointly.
Diversification Tool

The thought process is that if one part of the fund is doing poorly, then the other parts that are doing well will pick it up. It’s a diversification tool, and the fund we use has exposure to commercial, residential, and international real estate. This creates a broad range exposure so that if one part of the industry is impacted, perhaps the other areas can balance it out.
 
ETFs were first introduced in the early 1990s, and they are completely liquid. So, anytime the stock market is open you may buy and sell ETFs. You can now have real estate exposure through a REIT with an ETF wrapper.
 
I believe this may be important, because real estate is only about 45% correlated to the overall market. That means if the market dips, REITs do not mirror those losses normally.

Amelia picked out this outfit for Oscar, our dog. He's ready for Christmas!
The Numbers

You may participate in the upside of real estate industry without directly owning real estate outright. The REIT ETF we use for our clients has earned 9.28% gross since inception, which is strong!
 
Obviously, if there was another housing crisis like we saw in 2008 and 2009 this type of fund may be impacted. However, it may be appropriate to allocate a portion of your portfolio to real estate to lessen the impact of an equity market correction.
 
If you’d like to discuss if a REIT ETF is applicable for you, just reply to this email or call us at 864.641.7955. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving holiday!

Until next week,

David C. Treece,
Financial Advisor

PS: It's always interesting going back and reading newsletters from a year. Here is our Thanksgiving 2020 letter. Click here
Did you miss one of our last newsletters?

Do You Have an IRA or 401k? What you need to know: Click here

Where the Stock Market Is NOW: Click here

Who Impacted You: Click here
Investment advisory services offered only by duly registered individuals through AE Wealth Management, LLC (AEWM). AEWM and Clients Excel, LLC are not affiliated companies. Investing involves risk, including potential loss of principal. Any references to protection, safety, or lifetime income, generally refer to fixed insurance products, never securities or investments. Insurance guarantees are backed by the financial strength and claims paying abilities of the insuring carrier. This podcast is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet particular needs of an individual’s situation. Clients Excel is not permitted to offer and no statement made during this show shall constitute tax or legal advice. Our firm is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Government or any governmental agency. The information and opinions contained herein provided by third parties have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed by Clients Excel.