LifeSteps Financial Briefing | July 2019
Henry's Take
Happy Summer! While the market, interest rates and the impact of foreign affairs continue to be on our minds, vacations and family time are priorities this month. And, it seems that family time has prompted many of our clients to re-evaluate home and lifestyle preferences. 
 
We’ve had a lot of questions about the outlook for residential real estate, when and if to sell and how to go about getting ready. So, we invited M’Lissa from  The Realtor Family  to talk with me about the real estate market, financing and other key priorities when considering buying or selling a home. 
 
The following is the first in a three part series: Considering Resident Real Estate. Watch for the 2 nd  and 3 rd in the series on our LinkedIn and Facebook pages. 
 
Have a happy and safe summer season. If there is anything we can do to help, please give us a call.

?Henry Ford, Principal
The Facts
HOME BUYERS

The average nationwide interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage was 3.84% mid-June, just over ½ of 1% above its all-time low of 3.31% achieved at Thanksgiving 2012.

Source: Freddie Mac
Used with permission from By the Numbers
ARE YOU BETTER ON YOUR OWN?

The average American worker who retires in 2020 will have paid $135,000 in Social Security taxes during his/her working lifetime, less than the $193,000 in Social Security retirement benefits that he/she is projected to receive.

Source: Urban Institute
Used with permission from By the Numbers   
Terminology: Options

Options are contracts that give the owner the right (but they are not required) to buy or sell an underlying asset (like a stock, ETF, etc.) at a fixed price for a specific period of time. There are two standard types of option contracts: a call and a put. Option contracts are for a specific amount of time. The price of the option is dependent upon the underlying asset or security.

A call option is a contract that gives the investor the right to buy the stock the is related to the option at a later date for a certain price, while a put option allows the investor to sell that particular stock.
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The underlying concept is that if you purchase a call option you think the stock will increase in value and you can buy the stock at the lower contract price at a later date and make a profit. The problem is if the stock does not increase then the investor runs the risk of losing the full amount of his/her investment.
Giving Back
Local blood supplies are at critical levels and LifeStream Blood Bank needs your help so that they can continue to provide the blood needed by our local hospitals. Please consider giving back to our community by giving blood. LifeStream provides blood products and services to more than 80 Southern California hospitals.

LifeStream has a critical need for platelets and type O blood donations; however, all blood types are needed. In emergency situations, when a patient’s blood type isn’t known, doctors reach for type O blood first until the patient can be stabilized. Platelets have a very short shelf life – only 5 days. LifeStream needs to collect 500 donations per day of all types to replenish the supply and meet the needs of area patients.

Walk-ins are welcome; to schedule an appointment, call 800-879-4484 or visit  LStream.org .

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Thursday: 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Sunday: 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Riverside Hours
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Thursday: 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Sunday: ?7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
This report is for information purposes only and is not a recommendation for any particular security. Mention of individual securities should not imply that we own the security or have owned it in the past. In addition, the information provided here should not form the basis for investment decisions. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This information should not be used in any transaction without the advice and guidance of your Tax Professional. LifeSteps Financial has not independently verified, or attested to the accuracy or authenticity of the information, including any investment performance measurement.