2016 AAII Silicon Valley Main Events

All the Past Main Event Topics and Speakers

With presentations you can download, where available....
Dec 10, 2016: 2016 UPDATE FOR INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYERS
Alan Pinck, Enrolled Agent and Owner, A. Pinck & Associates 2016 UPDATE FOR INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYERS Alan Pinck will present a review of the items that will affect individual taxpayers in their 2016 filings. This will include any currently expired last-minute changes, which are or may be brought back. He will take a look at how the Affordable Care Act affects the investor, with the added Medicare tax. Pinck will also present a look into the crystal ball based on who won the election and give insight into what is currently on the IRS audit radar. His real-world approach and stories bring his sessions to life! Pinck last presented to us in 2014. You Will Learn:
  • About 2016 federal and California tax updates
  • About current IRS audit triggers
  • About potential tax changes, depending on who was elected
Nov 12, 2016: INVESTING IN REITS
Don Stewart, Investment Adviser and Longtime REIT Investor INVESTING IN REITS There are hundreds of real estate investment trusts (REITs), and REIT mutual funds and ETFs. This presentation will discuss the structure of REITs; where you can find the resources needed to research them; and a variety of ways, from simple to more complex, to invest in REITs. You Will Learn:
  • About the history, development and structure of the REIT industry
  • About free research resources on REIT stocks, mutual funds and ETFs
  • Simple and complex ways to invest in REITs
Nov 12, 2016: COMPUTERIZED INVESTING: HOW TO VERIFY YOUR INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Al Zmyslowski, Computerized Investing Subgroup Chair, AAII Silicon Valley Chapter COMPUTERIZED INVESTING: HOW TO VERIFY YOUR INVESTMENT STRATEGY An introductory session on how you can use web-based tools to verify your investment strategy. Using mutual funds and ETFs, Al Zmyslowski will backtest various portfolios, check out asset allocation and correlation, use Monte Carlo simulation to find how long your portfolio can survive with a given withdrawal rate, and much more! You Will Learn:
  • How to use web-based tools to backtest your ETF or mutual fund portfolio
  • How you can use Monte Carlo simulation to determine portfolio growth and survival rates
  • How to determine your portfolio’s asset correlations
Oct 8, 2016: CYBERSECURITY: UNDERSTANDING THE THREATS & STAYING SAFE
Judy Chow, Director of Product Management, Symantec Corporation CYBERSECURITY: UNDERSTANDING THE THREATS & STAYING SAFE Each day, you manage your personal world through an intelligent network of computers and connected devices This seminar will provide practical advice on how to protect yourself against cyber threats and how you can keep your identity, finances and private information secure. You Will Learn:
  • Trends in our connected digital world, such as smartphones and the Internet of Things
  • Threats in our cyber landscape
  • Practical and proactive approaches to staying secure
Oct 8, 2016: PROFITABLE HIGH-DIVIDEND INVESTING IN TODAY’S MARKET
Harry Domash, Publisher, DividendDetective.com and WinningInvesting.com PROFITABLE HIGH-DIVIDEND INVESTING IN TODAY’S MARKET Harry Domash, known for his lively presentations, will describe low-risk preferred stocks, ETFs and other dividendpaying securities paying 6% to 7%. He will also give you his favorite picks in popular high-dividend categories such as real estate investment trusts (REITs), business development companies (BDCs) and master limited partnerships (MLPs). You Will Learn:
  • What’s working now and what isn’t
  • How to find reasonably priced preferreds in this overheated market
  • What fundamental factor actually drives share prices
Sep 10, 2016: DISSECTING THE BOND MARKET
Marilyn Cohen, Founder and CEO, Envision Capital Management, Inc DISSECTING THE BOND MARKET There are encouraging and terribly discouraging events taking place in the bond market. Plus, there are toxic malignancies that must be avoided. Cohen will discuss this in detail. You Will Learn:
  • Where value lies in bondland with specific investment recommendations
  • What not to invest in
  • Multiple solutions to bond challenges
Sep 10, 2016: COVERED CALL WRITING: A LOW-RISK STRATEGY TO GENERATE MONTHLY CASH FLOW
Alan Ellman, President of the Blue Collar Investor Corp. COVERED CALL WRITING: A LOW-RISK STRATEGY TO GENERATE MONTHLY CASH FLOW The presentation is an easy-to-understand approach to mastering covered call writing. This is a strategy that combines both stock (buying) and option (selling) investing. It is geared to the average retail investor with the goal of taking control of your financial future by generating a monthly cash flow. You Will Learn:
  • How to use fundamental and technical analysis as well as common sense principles to select covered call stocks and options.
  • How to use the Ellman Calculator
  • How to use a series of exit strategies to mitigate losses and maximize gains
June 11, 2016: MORNINGSTAR’S BEST IDEAS FOR 2016 AND BEYOND, and 7 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL RETIREMENT PORTFOLIO PLAN
Christine Benz, Director of Personal Finance, Morningstar 1. MORNINGSTAR’S BEST IDEAS FOR 2016 AND BEYOND Christine Benz will share Morningstar’s outlook for various parts of the stock market based on the firm’s equity analysts’ bottom-up research. She’ll also discuss the analysts’ best ideas across a swath of investment vehicles: individual stocks, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Finally, she’ll present model retirement portfolios consisting of the firm’s top-rated mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. You Will Learn:
  • Morningstar’s criteria and systems for rating stocks and funds
  • Which parts of the equity market are attractively valued or overvalued
  • Best ideas for retirement planning
2. 7 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL RETIREMENT PORTFOLIO PLAN Given low yields and the ebbing away of pensions, retirement planning today is much more challenging than it was even 20 years ago. Christine Benz will discuss the keys to crafting a retirement portfolio that’s well-balanced, tax-efficient, and low-maintenance. She will also share some model portfolios populated with Morningstar’s high-conviction mutual fund and exchange-traded fund picks. You Will Learn:
  • How to construct an in-retirement portfolio that syncs up with your spending horizon.
  • How to test your portfolio’s sustainability given your anticipated spending needs
  • Which key asset classes belong in all retiree portfolios
May 14, 2016: Estate Planning
Fred Smith, Registered Investment Adviser Estate Planning This is the eighth and last in a series of financial planning workshops covering investing, retirement planning, Social Security claiming strategies and estate planning. This session will focus on the practical aspects of estate planning. These workshops assume no prior knowledge and are suitable for people in all stages of life. You Will Learn:
  • About your critical documents: will, trust, advance directive, power of attorney, etc.
  • Practical considerations for an executor or trustee
  • How to deal with your digital legacy: email, social media, photo files, etc.
May 14, 2016: Fraud and the Individual Investor
Erin E. Schneider, Associate Regional Director for Enforcement, Securities and Exchange CommissionFraud and the Individual Investor Erin Schneider will discuss some of the red flags of investment fraud and common scams, as well as review some recent enforcement cases. She will also cover the key questions you should ask before you invest and how to check out your investment adviser or professional. You Will Learn:
  • Investment fraud red flags to watch for.
  • Key questions to ask before you invest
  • How to check out your investment professional or adviser
April 9, 2016: SOCIAL SECURITY CLAIMING STRATEGIES
Fred Smith, Registered Investment Adviser SOCIAL SECURITY CLAIMING STRATEGIES This is the seventh in a series of interactive Financial Planning Workshops covering investing, retirement planning, safe withdrawal rates, estate planning and much more. This session will focus on Social Security claiming strategies. These workshops assume no prior knowledge, and are suitable for people of all stages of life. You Will Learn:
  • About full retirement age, early retirement and delayed retirement
  • Simple strategies for singles
  • Strategies for married couples, such as claiming partial benefits initially
April 9, 2016: PREDICTING MARKET TRENDS WITH BARRON’S
Peter Miller, Statistics Director, Barron’sPREDICTING MARKET TRENDS WITH BARRON’S This presentation will begin with an overview of Barron’s Market Week section, covering how and why the paper is arranged the way it is. The primary focus, however, will be on how to use various tables and data points in Barron’s Market Week to trend the market. Peter Miller will discuss market direction, market intensity, breadth of movements, market tops/bottoms, investor sentiment and yield curve analysis. You Will Learn:
  • How to analyze and trend the market with the aid of Barron’s Market Week
  • How to find and use Dow Theory concepts
  • A definition of market intensity and the Arms index
March 12, 2016: SAFE WITHDRAWAL RATES FROM YOUR RETIREMENT PORTFOLIO
Fred Smith, Registered Investment Adviser SAFE WITHDRAWAL RATES FROM YOUR RETIREMENT PORTFOLIO This is the sixth in a series of interactive Financial Planning Workshops covering investing, retirement planning, safe withdrawal rates, estate planning and much more. This session will focus on safe withdrawal rates from your retirement portfolio. These workshops assume no prior knowledge, and are suitable for people of all stages of life. You Will Learn:
  • About Bengen’s 4% rule and variations thereof
  • Bucket techniques for your portfolios
  • About required minimum distribution (RMD) strategy and other withdrawal considerations
March 12, 2016: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Richard Farkas, President, Strategic Global Investment Services, Inc.; Financial Adviser and Branch Manager, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Multiple time frame analysis is a technique that short-term traders have used effectively for many years. This approach can be used for longer-term investors to help identify trend changes for better entry and exit points, or serve as an early warning sign for secular bull and bear market transitions. Learn how to make the best use of tools readily available to help you keep your emotions in check and stay on the profitable side of the market. You Will Learn:
  • The merits and misgivings of technical analysis
  • Process versus human emotions
  • Available tools and resources
Feb 13, 2016: MANAGING YOUR CASH FLOW IN RETIREMENT
Fred Smith, Registered Investment Adviser MANAGING YOUR CASH FLOW IN RETIREMENT This is the fifth in a series of interactive Financial Planning Workshops. This session will focus on cash flow management during your retirement years. The slides from the prior workshops are available at www.siliconvalleyaaii.org. These workshops assume no prior knowledge and are suitable for people at all stages of life. You Will Learn:
  • About the three-legged stool: Social Security, pension, retirement portfolio
  • About other tools such as a reverse mortgage or annuities
  • Long-term care and umbrella liability policies
Feb 13, 2016: NAVIGATING STOCK PRICE CRASHES
Steven Rossi, Quantitative Analyst, RS Investments NAVIGATING STOCK PRICE CRASHES This presentation will be a practitioner’s guide to understanding and avoiding large negative equity price moves. Steven Rossi will talk about identifying events that cause stock prices to crash, and how to position a portfolio to reduce high price crash risks and improve investment performance. You Will Learn:
  • How to recognize events that cause stock price crashes
  • How to position portfolios to reduce price crash risk
  • Strategies for improving investment performance
Jan 9, 2016: Financial Retirement Planning
Fred Smith, Registered Investment AdviserRetirement Planning This is the fourth in a series of interactive Financial Planning Workshops covering investing, retirement planning, safe withdrawal rates, estate planning and much more. This session will focus on retirement planning. These workshops assume no prior knowledge, and are suitable for people at all stages of life. You Will Learn:
  • About the accumulation phase; why to start early
  • About different types of accounts: traditional IRA, Roth IRA, 401(k), etc.
  • How to manage your retirement accounts
Jan 9, 2016: Financial Market Outlook: Welcome to the Challenges in 2016!
Thomas J. Kopas, Principal and Portfolio Manager, Pring-Turner Capital GroupFinancial Market Outlook: Welcome To The Challenges In 2016! A new year begins with critical questions for investors. Does the current earnings recession signal an economic downturn and bear market? What are realistic investment return expectations in today’s low-interest-rate world? How can I take advantage of the secular and cyclical outlook for stocks, bonds and commodities? Tom Kopas will discuss which proactive asset allocation decisions will bring investors profitably and safely through today’s challenging environment. You Will Learn:
  • How to create better portfolio returns with less risk
  • About a unique perspective from internationally recognized independent research
  • How to build wealth in this changing and difficult investment environment