The current economic, political and social climate has a lot of us feeling like humanity is about to fall off the edge of the world.
Okay, that’s overstating it a little.
But still, the CDC predicts new COVID-19 cases could hit at least a dozen states hard in the next four weeks. Governments are scaling down or halting reopening phases. The New York Times reports that long-term unemployment projections remain grim.
However uncertain the recovery, though, those with the means could help move it along simply by managing their wealth. Are you trying to decide the best way to structure your Deferred Sales Trust? Of course, you could just take the installment payments. Or, you may wish to consider the following truths before you decide.
Investing Helps the Economy
It’s Economics 101, and it’s simple: Investing in the stock market helps the economy. Purchasing stock allows companies to raise money and either grow or settle debts. Alternatively, that capital could be what they need to fund their operations during hard economic times.
A recession investment portfolio might focus on the sectors that rarely experience a decline. For instance, health care and consumer staples generally perform well during crises. However, did you consider that investing in medical companies could help them develop treatments? Furthermore, the communication and IT sectors are experiencing a boom with more businesses transitioning to remote operations.
There is also the psychological effect of stock market performance on consumer behavior. It often doesn’t have a direct correlation. For example, strong market performances in April and May didn’t prompt the Federal Reserve to issue a confident economic outlook. Yet, steady trading activity couldn’t hurt the chances that the overall stock market average over time will improve. Stability leads to positive reports, which in turn prompts consumers to stop saving their money and start spending instead.
Investing Helps Fund Change
Philanthropy and positive ROI aren’t two terms normally used in the same conversation, and there’s a reason for that. Charity organizations are trying to change the world. They feel they can do more good by passing profits on into funding their cause. Now, though, social injustices are trending at the top of the headlines. More and more traditional businesses are climbing onto the bandwagon, trying to make as much of a difference to the status quo as possible.
Impact advisors have made the call for other financial firms to come into their way of thinking. They believe they can create investment strategies that help fund activist organizations. The method is pretty straightforward. When you invest in companies pushing for social change, they receive capital that helps them broaden their impact. You could help businesses fund advertising campaigns that address current issues. They might use the influx to help sponsor philanthropic endeavors.
Both efforts can help them tie their images to the inclusion of everyone in every community. Furthermore, consumers are making a beeline to support brands that identify with social responsibility. It’s not unreasonable to expect your investment returns to be on par with those in a traditional market or a less volatile climate.
If you’ve been holding out for a more stable economy to make decisions on how to manage your DST, you might be waiting for a while. Let the advisors at Reef Point help you develop a well-structured plan. Taking action now with a socially responsible investment strategy could add your strength to a quicker recovery.