Mortgage Market Update

Opes Advisors

The very essence of life is that it can change abruptly. And, clearly what happened in the real estate, mortgage, credit and stock markets in the past years falls into the “abrupt” category. In addition to the tremendous stress that it presented, the changed financial circumstances brought new choices to evaluate.

One place where it’s always safe to boldly move ahead is in the arena of planning. And, the three Rs are still relevant today. However, they’ve been changed to represent some of the key components of a personal financial strategy: Retirement, Returns and Real Estate.

Retirement: In the the past, many people have thought that maxing out their 401(k) plan was sufficient to fund their retirement. It’s best to reevaluate that approach and determine if that strategy will produce the expected results.

Returns: The returns we’ve seen this decade have been very different from the high returns of the previous two decades. Now is the time to determine what returns are expected going forward and to position one’s portfolio to achieve that. What returns are needed to generate an appropriate retirement income?

Real Estate: Many people in the Bay Area have 50% of their net worth tied up in their home (real estate – including a primary residence home – is an asset class), which means they also have a 50% exposure connected to that single asset. Is there a strategy in place to manage that asset?

There are many questions to consider regarding a home purchase, a refinance decision or managing investments. A comprehensive financial plan helps to avoid actions that could negatively affect one’s overall financial situation, taxes, future wealth and retirement plans.

Opes Advisors provides integrated personal finance services encompassing stocks, bonds, real estate and real estate financing. We regularly create personalized wealth building strategies for our clients by reviewing all of their assets and liabilities, as well as their commitments and long term goals.

Having a valuable plan in place takes away the insecurity of wondering where you stand. If you, or someone you know, needs to create or update their financial strategy, please contact me.

Now, on to the rates we've been seeing this week: