Insights

Second Quarter 2003|Jim Williams| A few weeks back, I met with my favorite Registered Dietician/Nutritionist for a personal nutrition assessment. Knowing that I am carrying a few (several?) pounds of fat around my middle, I expected to be exhorted to stop eating candy and junk food, and lose weight. However, I learned more importantly that I am deficient in lean body weight and the solution is to eat more than the minimum amount of protein. I find that I have to consume a lot of protein to reach my daily target, and doing that keeps me pretty full. Interestingly, by focusing on the positive: eat more protein rather than the negative: quit eating junk food, I effortlessly made some substantial changes in my personal nutrition. I think that what we do here at J. F. Williams Co., Inc. in financial advisory services is quite similar.

First Quarter 2003|Jim Williams| I learned a lesson last month. While I was engrossed in the news coverage of the war in Iraq, my spirits were alternatively lifted and then dashed. In the space of time between the first Tuesday, when the first strike took place, and Sunday night after several Americans had died or been captured, I went from being quite optimistic about the prospect that the war would be over in a few days, to down-in-the-depths apprehension that all of the predictions of a “quagmire” were about to come true. As I considered my own reactions to the news coverage, I started to wonder if there might be some lessons with regards to the similar onslaught of information which comes at us with respect to the financial markets.

Fourth Quarter 2002|Jim Williams| President Bush recently announced a series of tax-reduction proposals that are being characterized and analyzed within the context of an economic stimulus plan. The centerpiece of the proposals is the elimination of taxes on dividends paid by recipients of those dividends, and the proposals would also accelerate reductions in the federal tax rate and marriage penalty. . Congressional Republicans are strongly in favor of the bill. Democratic opposition to the Bush plan is significant.

Third Quarter 2002|Jim Williams| Section 529 plans have become quite popular because they allow you to save for future college education costs while eliminating federal income taxes on qualified distributions. These plans have no income restrictions and contribution amounts are very generous. The beneficiary of a 529 plan can be anyone you wish, including the account owner, with no age limitations. Whether they’re a good idea depends upon your circumstances.

Second Quarter 2002|Jim Williams| We are now under a constant barrage of bad news in the financial pages. The declines in stock values have been dramatic. The S&P 500 is trading at levels we last saw over 5 years ago. The internet bubble, the irrational exuberance bubble, the speculative bubble, are all being erased. This is what fills the headlines. Let me urge you to consider where the pain is really coming from.

First Quarter 2002|Jim Williams| Recall that the fundamental reason for fixed income in a diversified portfolio is to moderate the volatility of the equity component of the portfolio while maintaining a reasonable yield and a store of value. A perpetual argument exists among bond investors about the relative merits of using bond funds versus direct investments in individual bonds.