Adam Van Wie: Safely Surfing Through Volatile Investment Waters

About Fun With Annuities Episode #113

One of the rising young stars in the Fee-Only financial planning world is Adam Van Wie. Having previously worked for several Fortune 500 companies, Adam brings a Mechanical Engineering degree to managing money.  Of course, he has his CFP designation amongst other accolades, but his unique planning strategies give new meaning to “building” a customized portfolio.

Even though Adam has never met a wave he wouldn’t surf in his hometown of Jacksonville Beach, Florida; his non-emotional pragmatic approach is why I refer clients to him without hesitation.  My question is, aren’t you looking for a fee-only mechanical engineered trained surfer as part of your financial team?  If not, then why not!

I started throwing fastballs immediately at Adam to tackle how he handles inflation and the current rising interest rate environment.  His answers to both were “pure Adam.”  Think of a general walking through a combat zone with bullets flying by his head but not flinching.  Isn’t that what you want from your advisor?

We then pivoted to recent and future market volatility and the effect that politics (both sides) sometimes have on his decisions.  Taxes are the main item that Adam is paying attention to when he glances toward and keeps up with what’s going on in Washington, D.C.  His coordinated efforts with your current CPA and lawyer(s) bring together a team that allows you to live the retirement lifestyle you have worked hard to achieve.

I also questioned Adam about a potential housing bubble, but he knocked it out of the park.  I agreed with his take that current inventory is still an issue to keep prices high, and we couldn’t see enough building in the near future to satisfy growing demand.  The bottom line is that it’s a good thing if you own a home right now.  If you are a youngster trying to buy one, then not so much.

When most people say “stay the course,” it’s almost an eye-roll moment.  However, when Adam starts talking about his overall strategies and plans moving forward long-term with client money, you trust him to win the battle for your retirement freedom and desired lifestyle. I know that I do.

This appearance on Fun With Annuities is not the last rodeo for Adam Van Wie. I look forward to sharing his insights with you on future podcasts. There is no way not to like Adam.  I’ll guarantee that one. Enjoy!

"For those of you that this is the first time you’ve experienced any real volatility - if you have more than five years to invest, I would double down, buy more. Long term, American companies have a natural inclination to increase their profitability, and that’s what drives stocks in the long run. It’s a little bit of a rigged game, but it’s rigged in your favor." —  Adam Van Wie

Brief Bio on Co-Host: Adam Van Wie

Adam D. Van Wie is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional and the Chief Operating Officer of Van Wie Financial. Adam is also the co-host of the Van Wie Financial Hour radio program.

Adam offers comprehensive financial planning, issue-based consulting, and asset allocation and management services. Prior to his financial advisory career, Adam worked for several Fortune 500 companies in a combination of finance, sales, consulting, and management jobs.

Adam received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tulane University with a minor in Business Administration and his MBA from Emory University. He is a member of the national Financial Planning Association (FPA), as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Financial Planning Association of Northeast Florida. In addition, Adam is a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Planners (NAPFA).

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Adam Van Wie discuss:

• Being both analytical and tactical
• Does the market care about politics?
• Putin-proofing and pandemic-proofing your investments
• Two questions to ask your advisor

Key Takeaways:

• You need to be analytical and strategic, investing in the long-term while at the same time looking at short-term trends and figuring out how you could avoid losing, knowing what could happen in the short-term.
• The market doesn’t care that much about politics. The market has gone up historically on both sides; it isn’t as related as people think. However, there are specific policies that one side will do that will affect certain investments.
• The pandemic changed everything, but not every change was bad. The transition to webinars and online meetings has the upside of being able to save a lot of people’s time.
• Ask your advisor if they are a fiduciary or if they are putting their client’s best interest ahead of themselves. Then, ask them how they are getting paid because there wouldn’t be any reason for them to hide it if there’s nothing wrong with how they’re getting paid.

Fun With Annuities® Podcast is hosted by America’s Annuity Agent®, Stan Haithcock, The Annuity Man®. Hear brutal annuity facts with no sales pitches from the top independent agent in the country, licensed in all 50 states. Author of 7 books, Stan dives deep on all annuity types and strategies. It’s fun, learning the contractual truths on how annuities actually work and if they’ll fit your personal retirement lifestyle.

Listen in on how you can be livin’ the reality, not the dream®. Listen and subscribe on Libsyn, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, and Spotify.