WASHINGTON (Reuters) -China on Thursday criticized the United States for putting a dozen Chinese companies on its trade blacklist over national security and foreign policy concerns, citing in some cases their help developing the Chinese military’s quantum computing efforts.
The Chinese additions to the blacklist maintained by the U.S. commerce department comes amid growing tensions https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/biden-administration-invites-taiwan-its-summit-democracy-2021-11-24 between Beijing and Washington over the status of Taiwan and trade issues.
The department also said several entities and individuals from China and Pakistan were added to the Commerce Department’s Entity List for contributing to Pakistan’s nuclear activities or ballistic missile program.
In total, 27 new entities were added to the list from China, Japan, Pakistan, and Singapore.
China strongly opposes the sanctions on the Chinese companies, and will lodge solemn representations with the United States, Shu Jueting, a spokesperson for the Chinese commerce ministry, said at a news conference on Thursday.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement on Wednesday that the new listings will help prevent U.S. technology from supporting the development of Chinese and Russian “military advancement and activities of non-proliferation concern like Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities or ballistic missile program.”
China’s embassy in Washington charged that the United States “uses the catch-all concept of national security and abuses state power to suppress and restrict Chinese enterprises in all possible means.
“China is firmly opposed to that,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said.
He said the United States should “follow the spirit” of a virtual meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-raised-concerns-over-xinjiang-tibet-hong-kong-xi-warns-taiwan-red-line-2021-11-16 last week and “meet China halfway instead of going further down the wrong path.”
China will take all the necessary steps to defend its companies, and reserves the right to take countermeasures against the sanctions, warned Zhao Lijian, spokesman at the Chinese foreign ministry, at a briefing on Thursday.
The U.S. Commerce Department said Hangzhou Zhongke Microelectronics Co Ltd, Hunan Goke Microelectronics, New H3C Semiconductor Technologies Co Ltd, Xi’an Aerospace Huaxun Technology and Yunchip Microelectronics were placed on the Commerce Department’s entity list for their “support of the military modernization of the People’s Liberation Army.”
It also added Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, QuantumCTek and Shanghai QuantumCTeck Co Ltd to the list for “acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of military applications”.
The eight Chinese firms were listed to prevent U.S. technology being used to help China develop quantum computing applications for its military.
The Commerce Department wants to stop the Chinese military from developing its counter-stealth technology, which could include equipment like advanced radars, and counter-submarine applications such as undersea sensors. The action also blocks U.S. material from being used to help China break encryption or develop unbreakable encryption, the Commerce Department said.
Suppliers to companies on the entity list will need to apply for a license before they can sell to them, which is likely to be denied.
Separately, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology was added to the Commerce Department’s military end user list, but the listing did not provide additional information other than it had produced military products.
The entity list has increasingly been used for national security and foreign policy aims since the Trump administration. Chinese telecom company Huawei was added in 2019, cutting it off from some key suppliers and making it difficult for them to produce mobile handsets.
(Reporting by Chris Sanders and Karen Freifeld; additional reporting by David Brunnstrom and Yew Lun Tian and Jing Xu in Beijing; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Angus MacSwan)
Deal is designed to accelerate eCombustible Energy’s go-to-market strategy
eCombustible Energy has developed a customizable hydrogen-based fuel production technology that provides on-site fuel delivery under long-term fuel supply agreements
eCombustible Energy’s fuel technology is applicable to a large variety of stationary thermal applications, requires little to no modification to customers’ existing thermal power equipment (e.g., boiler or kiln), and the eCombustible fuel contains no carbon
eCombustible Energy fuel production modules are built, installed, owned, operated, and maintained onsite by eCombustible Energy
Global organizations in the mining, steel, tile, beverage, hospitality and tire sectors have shown strong interest in the eCombustible fuel solution, with several under contract and a number under MOU to integrate eCombustible fuel into their operations
Securityholders of eCombustible Energy to receive shares of common stock with a value of $805 million, subject to adjustment, plus an earnout of up to 59 million additional shares
Combined company expected to trade on Nasdaq under the symbol “ECEC”; the transaction is subject to regulatory and shareholder approval and other customary closing conditions
MMIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / November 24, 2021 / Yesterday, Benessere Capital Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq:BENE), a special purpose acquisition company (“Benessere”), and eCombustible Energy LLC, a leading innovator and provider of customizable hydrogen-based fuel for thermal industrial applications (“eCombustible Energy”), announced that the companies have entered into a definitive business combination agreement, providing for a business combination that will result in eCombustible Energy becoming a public listed company, subject to regulatory and stockholder approval and other customary closing conditions. Upon completion of the proposed transaction, the combined company is expected to operate under the name eCombustible Energy Corp. and list on Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol “ECEC”.
Founded in 2010 by Miami-based entrepreneur and investor Jorge Arevalo, eCombustible Energy offers a long-term fuel supply solution that is designed to provide the world’s most fossil fuel-dependent industries with a fuel that is carbon-free, cost-competitive, and requires little to no modification to existing customer equipment. The efficacy of its hydrogen-based fuel, eCombustible, has been validated through testing and independent assessments by third-party engineering firms and experts.
“We believe a carbon-free future will best be achieved on a win-win basis, with fossil fuel-reliant industries being empowered to transition to clean and renewable energy solutions without crippling investments,” said eCombustible Energy CEO, Jorge Arevalo. “This business combination is intended to fuel the acceleration and adoption of eCombustible, and we are confident that we can help many of the world’s largest industrial companies’ transition to our carbon-free fuel and advance ESG objectives in a seamless, viable, and impactful way.”
Benessere is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with technology-focused, middle-market and emerging-growth companies in North, Central and South America. Led by CEO Patrick Orlando, Benessere was drawn to eCombustible Energy given the immense need for and potential of decarbonizing industries.
“The transition away from carbon containing fuel towards hydrogen and other clean fuel technologies has been underway for several years; however, the applicability of hydrogen as an alternative is nascent. eCombustible has not only focused on producing hydrogen efficiently but also making hydrogen a true solution for applications including fixed thermal applications. Thermal energy is foundational to a multitude of industrial applications and we believe eCombustible presents a unique solution with the potential to accelerate the transition to a lower carbon energy future,” said Patrick Orlando, CEO of Benessere. “We are excited to work with the eCombustible Energy team in an attempt to enhance value across the company, industry, public shareholders and society.”
For more information about eCombustible Energy, please visit www.ecombustible.com.
Transaction Overview
Benessere raised $115 million in its initial public offering earlier this year, and approximately $116.5 million is now held in a trust account for the benefit of Bennessere’s public stockholders. Under the terms of the proposed transaction announced today, a newly formed successor to Benessere will issue shares of its common stock with an aggregate value of $805 million, subject to adjustment, to current securityholders of eCombustible Energy upon the closing of the proposed transaction. These eCombustible Energy securityholders may also receive, subject to the terms of the business combination agreement, up to an additional 59 million shares of Benessere common stock based on the daily volume weighted average share price of the combined company’s common stock in any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period beginning on the closing of the transaction and ending on the 30-month anniversary of the closing, as follows: 29.5 million shares if the share price exceeds $12.50 prior to such 30-month anniversary and an additional 29.5 million shares if the share price exceeds $15.00 prior to such 30-month anniversary.
The transaction is subject to approval by stakeholders of Benessere and eCombustible Energy and other customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals. Additional information about the transaction will be provided in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and available at www.sec.gov. The description of the business combination contained herein is only a summary and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the definitive business combination agreement. In addition, Benessere intends to file a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC (the “Registration Statement”), which will include a proxy statement/prospectus of Benessere, and will file other documents regarding the proposed business combination with the SEC.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the business combination agreement and the proposed business combination, Benessere intends to file with the SEC a Registration Statement, which will include a proxy statement/prospectus. Benessere’s stockholders and other interested persons are advised to read, when available, the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus and the amendments thereto and the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and documents incorporated by reference therein filed in connection with the business combination, as these materials will contain important information about Benessere, eCombustible Energy, the merger agreement and the business combination. When available, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials for the business combination will be mailed to stockholders of Benessere as of a record date to be established for voting on the business combination. Stockholders of Benessere will also be able to obtain copies of the Registration Statement, the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC that will be incorporated by reference therein, without charge, once available, at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to: Benessere Capital Acquisition Corp., 78 SW 7th Street, Unit 800, Miami, FL 33130.
Participants in the Solicitation
Benessere, eCombustible Energy and their respective directors, executive officers, other members of management and employees may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from Benessere’s stockholders with respect to the proposed business combination. Investors and securityholders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names and interests in the business combination of Benessere’s directors and officers in Benessere’s filings with the SEC, including the Registration Statement, and such information with respect to eCombustible Energy’s directors and executive officers will also be included in the Registration Statement.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws with respect to the proposed business combination between Benessere and eCombustible Energy, including without limitation statements regarding the anticipated benefits of the business combination, the anticipated timing of the closing of the business combination, the implied enterprise value and pro forma ownership, future financial condition and performance of eCombustible Energy and the combined company after the closing and expected financial impacts of the business combination, the satisfaction of closing conditions to the business combination, the level of redemptions of Benessere’s public stockholders, the potential benefits of eCombustible Energy’s solution for customers and potential customers, and the products and markets and expected future performance and market opportunities of eCombustible Energy. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result” and similar expressions, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties.
Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) the risk that the business combination may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of Benessere’s securities, (ii) the risk that the business combination may not be completed by Benessere’s business combination deadline and the potential failure to obtain an extension of the business combination deadline if sought by Benessere, (iii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the business combination, including the approval of the business combination agreement by the stockholders of Benessere, (iv) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the business combination agreement, (v) the failure to achieve the minimum amount of cash available following any redemptions by Benessere stockholders, (vi) redemptions exceeding a maximum threshold or the failure to meet The Nasdaq Stock Market’s initial listing standards in connection with the consummation of the contemplated transactions, (vii) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the business combination on eCombustible Energy’s business relationships, operating results, prospects and business generally, (viii) risks that the proposed business combination disrupts current plans and operations of eCombustible Energy, (ix) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against eCombustible Energy or against Benessere related to the business combination agreement or the proposed business combination, (x) changes in the energy markets in which eCombustible Energy competes, including with respect to its competitive landscape, technology evolution or regulatory changes, (xi) changes in domestic and global general economic conditions, (xii) the risk that eCombustible Energy is not able to recognize revenue for its products or secure additional contracts that generate revenue, (xiii) risk that eCombustible Energy may not be able to execute its growth strategies; (xiv) risks related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and response, (xv) risk that eCombustible Energy may not be able to develop and maintain effective internal controls, (xvi) costs related to the business combination and the failure to realize anticipated benefits of the business combination or to realize estimated pro forma results and underlying assumptions, including with respect to estimated stockholder redemptions, (xvii) risks related to competition in the markets in which eCombustible Energy intends to compete, (xviii) risks related to the early stage of eCombustible Energy’s business, and (xix) and those factors discussed in Benessere’s filings with the SEC and that that will be contained in the Registration Statement relating to the proposed business combination. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties that will be described in the “Risk Factors” section of the Registration Statement and other documents to be filed by Benessere from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and while Benessere and eCombustible Energy may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, they assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither of Benessere or eCombustible Energy gives any assurance that Benessere or eCombustible Energy, or the combined company, will achieve its expectations.
No Offer or Solicitation
This press release shall not constitute a solicitation of a proxy, consent, or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the proposed business combination. This press release shall also not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any states or jurisdictions in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom.
About Benessere Capital Acquisition Corp.
Benessere Capital Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq:BENE) is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Benessere’s strategy is to identify and complete business combinations with technology-focused middle market and emerging growth companies in North, Central and South America. For more information, please visit www.benespac.com.
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MEDIA CONTACT Isys Caffey-Horne Isys@stripetheory.com 404-368-7070
The United States and five other world powers announced a coordinated effort to tap into their national oil stockpiles on Tuesday, attempting to drive down rising gas prices that have angered consumers around the world.
The move appeared to underwhelm oil traders, who had been expecting President Biden to announce a larger release from America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is the biggest in the world with 620 million barrels. The price of a barrel of crude oil actually rose after the announcement in global trading, although administration officials said prices could fall in coming weeks.
The market reaction underscored the difficulties Mr. Biden faces, both politically and economically, in his efforts to react to the fastest increase in U.S. inflation in three decades. The president has seen his approval ratings slump as gas and food prices have risen, while Republicans have launched a steady series of attacks blaming Democrats.
Mr. Biden has shifted his messaging on the issue in recent weeks, in hopes of showing consumers he understands their financial pain. On Tuesday at the White House, he cast the release of oil from the strategic reserve as an important step toward lowering fuel costs for drivers at the start of the holiday travel season.
“Today we’re launching a major effort to moderate the price of oil, an effort that will span the globe and ultimately reach your corner gas station, God willing,” Mr. Biden said.
“While our combined actions will not solve the problem with high gas prices overnight, they will make a difference,” he said. “It will take time, but before long you should see the price of gas drop where you fill up your tank.”
Earlier on Tuesday, administration officials said Mr. Biden had ordered the Energy Department to tap into 50 million barrels of crude in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Traders had been expecting 100 million barrels, said Richard Bronze, head of geopolitics at Energy Aspects, a market research firm in London.
Britain said it would authorize the release of up to 1.5 million barrels and India said it would release five million. Mr. Bronze estimated that Japan and South Korea would each add four million to five million barrels. China did not announce details of its plans.
The concerted effort, the largest ever for a release of strategic reserves across multiple countries, is meant to address fluctuations in supply and demand for oil, administration officials said. And it was a shot across the bow of OPEC Plus, the name for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries as well as Russia and other countries. Mr. Biden has pushed those countries to increase production, but has been rebuffed.
The move could bring a response next week when the group holds its monthly meeting. While it could prompt those countries to increase production, it could just as easily push the cartel to restrict supply further and push global prices higher.
In recent monthly meetings, OPEC Plus has stuck with plans to increase production by a relatively modest 400,000 barrels a day each month. U.S. officials sidestepped a question about possible retaliation from OPEC Plus. The officials said they had pushed oil producers to announce their own supply increases for weeks and made clear to those nations that Mr. Biden and other world leaders were considering emergency releases of their own. They said Mr. Biden would have preferred a parallel release that included more oil-producing countries.
The price of oil has fallen since late October partly in anticipation that countries would take action to try to tame energy costs. The U.S. benchmark, West Texas Intermediate, immediately jumped after the administration’s announcement, and was trading 1.3 percent higher for the day. So far this month, the price had dropped 4.75 percent.
Demand for oil fell precipitously in the early months of the pandemic, so oil-producing nations cut output. In the United States, reduced demand led to a substantial decline in drilling; the country’s number of active oil rigs was down nearly 70 percent in summer 2020.
As prices rose in recent months, Mr. Biden looked for ways to show he was trying to tame prices, including asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate possible illegal conduct by large oil companies in the national gasoline market. The president has pushed oil producers to ramp up supply even as he urges the U.S. and other countries to wean themselves from fossil fuels over the long term to avert catastrophic global warming.
On Tuesday, Mr. Biden said his environmental agenda was not contributing to the recent price increases at the pump.
“My effort to fight climate change is not raising the price of gas,” he said.
Rising gas prices have stoked anxiety among Americans amid declining approval numbers for the Biden administration.Credit…Jason Henry for The New York Times
The emergency stockpile that Mr. Biden tapped is stored in underground caverns in Texas and Louisiana. It was established after the 1973-74 oil embargo by Arab members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and has been tapped in emergencies like the buildup to the Persian Gulf war in 1991 and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when much of the Gulf of Mexico oil infrastructure was damaged. The reserve is also used to exchange or lend oil to refineries when accidents or storms block shipping channels.
Most experts believe a release could eventually lower prices modestly, but only for a short time because oil prices are set globally and world consumption averages roughly 100 million barrels a day. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States rose to $3.40 on Tuesday from $2.11 a year ago, according to AAA, the travel services organization. But gas prices have started to level off in the past week.
Several recent presidents have ordered releases from America’s strategic reserves, including Mr. Bush; his father, George H.W. Bush; Bill Clinton; and Barack Obama.
But research suggests the effect on gas prices, for the most part, is modest at best — underscoring how gas prices are largely outside a president’s control.
Mr. Obama’s administration led the most recent coordinated global release of oil reserves in June 2011, when the United States and 27 other nations released 60 million barrels of reserves to replace lost production from Libya that was halted by political turmoil in the North African country. Of the total amount of oil released, about half came from reserves in the United States, with the rest from the other 27 industrialized nations that belonged to the International Energy Agency.
Biden administration officials said the coordinated effort announced on Tuesday would come in two parts: a loan of 32 million barrels over several months to refineries and the accelerated sale of 18 million barrels, which has already been congressionally authorized.
Britain will be allowing companies to voluntarily release their oil reserves. If every company takes advantage of the option, it would amount to 1.5 million barrels, a British government representative said.
Helima Croft, head of global commodities at RBC Capital Markets, an investment bank, said OPEC Plus could choose to respond at its next meeting, on Dec. 2.
“If OPEC wants to be obstructionist, they can blunt the impact” of the oil release, she said, by not approving the next monthly 400,000 barrels-a-day production increase at the meeting.
On the other hand, she added, doing that would “expose them to a lot of problems in Washington,” potentially including an antitrust bill in Congress aimed at OPEC, known as NOPEC, that could call for going after the financial reserves of countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. “I think it would be a nuclear option and OPEC won’t want to go down that path,” she said.
Robert McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group, a market research firm and a former energy adviser in George W. Bush’s White House, said Tuesday’s announcement “may be politically smart, but I don’t think it is smart in terms of policy and will likely backfire.”
“There are good odds that OPEC Plus will offset this, and they have a bigger fire hose than we do,” he said. “Using strategic stocks to defend an oil price level set in a global market is pure folly.”
Republicans including Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader, criticized Mr. Biden and blamed the White House for inflation.
In a tweet, Mr. McCarthy said the decision to tap America’s strategic reserves “is a crass political ploy just 3 days ahead of Thanksgiving.”
Democrats in Congress, including the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, have recently called for Mr. Biden to take action to provide immediate relief for Americans.
Jennifer M. Granholm, the secretary of energy, cautioned Tuesday against expecting an immediate, dramatic drop in gas prices. When asked when Americans might see lower prices, Ms. Granholm made no promises: “It won’t be tomorrow,” she said.
Eshe Nelson and Clifford Krauss contributed reporting.
Wealth management can be thought of as a comprehensive service focused on taking a holistic look at a client’s financial picture, including services such as investment management, financial planning, tax planning and estate planning.
Wealth management is generally considered a “high-end” type of service, and some wealth management firms may require a certain level of investment assets or a minimum net worth. For clients who need this level of service, it can be useful to consolidate all types of financial advice in one place with just one firm.
Key wealth management objectives
Wealth management objectives will vary depending on the investor. Each client’s needs and situation are different, and good wealth advisors will tailor their advice accordingly.
Some key wealth management objectives for clients include:
Setting financial goals and designing strategies to achieve those goals
Helping clients maximize their overall wealth
Managing their investments and finances
Setting strategies for passing on their wealth, also known as estate planning
What is wealth management?
Wealth management is a holistic service that focuses on helping mid- to high-net-worth clients grow their wealth, manage their liability exposure and devise strategies to pass their wealth on to their designated heirs. Wealth management services take a comprehensive approach to the financial situation of higher-net-worth clients, versus working with an advisor focused solely on financial planning or investment management.
Some typical services offered by wealth management firms include:
Investment management and advice
Comprehensive financial planning
Tax planning and accounting services
Estate planning
Philanthropic planning
Legal services
Retirement planning
Some of these services may be offered in conjunction with an outside partner, however. Legal services are a prime example.
How much money is required for wealth management?
There are no hard and fast rules regarding how much is required for an investor to obtain wealth management services. Any minimums in terms of investable assets, net worth or other metrics will be set by individual wealth managers and their firm.
That said, a minimum of $2 million to $5 million in assets is the range where it makes sense to consider the services of a wealth management firm. Much below that and it might be hard to justify the expense of this type of service.
Again, these minimum levels will vary by firm. They may also vary a bit by your circumstances. For example, a wealth manager may want to take on the children of some of their current larger clients to help ensure the wealth they inherit stays with their firm. They may also want to establish solid relationships with younger professionals such as doctors or attorneys to retain their business once they start to earn much higher incomes.
How to choose a wealth manager
When choosing a wealth manager to work with, you’ll want to look at several things.
First, does the wealth management firm work with clients like you? Some wealth managers may focus on clients of a certain type and if your situation doesn’t fit with that type of client then that particular wealth manager may not be a good fit for you.
Second, you’ll want to look at the manager’s qualifications. Some criteria you might use in selecting a wealth manager include:
What professional designations do they hold? Examples might include CFP (Certified Financial Planner), CPA (Certified Public Accountant), CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst).
What is their level of experience in the wealth management space?
What services does the firm offer?
How often do you expect to communicate with them?
What types of fees do they charge?
Are they independent or part of a larger firm?
This table summarizes the basic differences between wealth managers, portfolio managers and financial advisors.
A wealth manager provides comprehensive, holistic advice in a broad range of financial and related areas.
These include, but are not limited to:
Investments
Tax and accounting services
Estate planning
Retirement planning
Comprehensive financial planning
Legal and estate planning
Philanthropy
A portfolio manager is focused on investment management and generally doesn’t offer advice or services in areas beyond investments. This professional focuses on:
Financial advisor is a term that can encompass a number of services. Financial advisors often provide advice on investments, financial planning, retirement planning and other related areas. This professional focuses on:
Financial planning
Basic retirement planning
Tax planning
Investments
Wealth management strategies
Wealth management strategies will vary based on the specific needs of the client. Overall, the reason to use a wealth management firm is to seek strategies to help maintain and grow your overall wealth. This can mean different things to different people.
In general, wealth management entails coordinating all the moving parts of a client’s financial situation into a comprehensive wealth plan. This might include their tax situation, investments and retirement planning.
Examples of wealth management strategies include:
Developing a comprehensive investment strategy covering all of the client’s various types of investment and retirement accounts.
Coordinating an optimal tax planning strategy into their wealth planning.
Ensuring that the client’s estate plans reflect their desires.
Developing a succession plan for business owner clients.
Alternatives to wealth management
If the fees or asset minimums required by most wealth management firms seem too high for you, your situation is probably not a good fit for a wealth manager. For those whose situation may not be right for working with a wealth manager, there are other options for getting financial advice:
Personal Capital is an online advisory and wealth management firm that offers a number of services with lower minimums and fees than a traditional wealth management firm.
Vanguard Personal Advisor Services is a service offered by Vanguard that provides advice and planning to clients.
There are a number of other online financial advisory services and apps that have popped up in recent years offering a wide range of services that range from very basic financial advice to some of the aspects of what would be considered to be wealth management. Robo advisors have grown in popularity in recent years and might offer a lower cost alternative if you are not yet at a place financially where engaging the services of a traditional wealth management firm is feasible for you.
FAQs
What does a wealth manager do?
Wealth managers provide holistic financial advice to help their clients grow and protect their wealth. This advice goes beyond just providing advice on a client’s investments or designing a financial plan for them.
Wealth managers generally work with clients with a higher net worth than a financial planner might. They often work with professionals in related areas such as tax professionals and attorneys to help design a comprehensive wealth planning strategy for their clients.
How does a wealth manager get paid?
Wealth managers may be paid in a variety of ways. Two common compensation methods are a flat-fee arrangement or compensation based on a percentage of client assets under management.
What is the difference between a wealth manager and a financial planner?
Financial planner is a term that can mean a lot of things. Financial planners usually focus only on doing financial planning for their clients.
Wealth managers provide comprehensive, cross-disciplinary services for their generally high net worth clients. Financial planning is just a first step in most cases. They integrate this with tax planning, investment advice, estate planning and other services to help clients achieve their goals.
OTTAWA–The current imbalance in Canada between solid demand for housing and the limited supply available is driving up prices and represents the “greatest” risk in the country’s financial system, Canada’s banking regulator says.
Peter Routledge, head of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, said Tuesday that demand for housing remains strong across the country, leading to “very significant” price increases.
Recent data from the Canadian Real Estate Association indicated benchmark house prices in October rose more than 23{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} compared with the same period a year ago. In part, this increase is related to a lack of inventory available for buyers.
CREA estimates that as of October, there were nearly two months of housing inventory–or the amount of time it would take, given the current pace of transactions, for every active residential real-estate listing on the market to sell. CREA said the historical inventory average is roughly five months.
“The greatest prudential risk in Canada’s financial system is the supply-demand imbalance in housing,” Mr. Routledge said in a virtual speech to financial analysts in Vancouver, British Columbia. “The imbalance tends to drive price increases to ever higher levels relative to income; this in turn induces more Canadians to resort to more leverage when buying a home.”
Mr. Routledge cited recent data from the economics team at Bank of Nova Scotia, which calculated that Canada has the lowest number of housing units per 1,000 residents of any Group of Seven country.
Mr. Routledge added that the need to bring the level of housing construction aligned with demand “is an imperative for long-term financial stability.”
For the past decade and until recently, Canadian officials have targeted tougher rules on mortgage-financing to cool demand for housing and slow white-house price growth in major markets such as Toronto and Vancouver, British Columbia. Now, Canadian officials have signaled a shift in policy, eyeing billions toward building additional housing units in urban areas, tailored to middle-class households, as the best way to address housing affordability.
Earlier Tuesday, a senior Bank of Canada official said elevated household debt levels have re-emerged as a concern for the central bank, in part because of a sharp rise in housing prices.
Bank of Canada Deputy Gov. Paul Beaudry said the prevalence of highly indebted households –which are defined as those with a debt-to-income ratio above 350{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}–likely improved during the first year of the pandemic as many Canadians accumulated savings and paid down debt. But that trend appears to be reversing, he said, in part because of the worsening quality of Canadians’ mortgage borrowing in recent quarters.
Stock futures dipped Tuesday evening, holding lower following an extended rout in technology stocks. Investors also anxiously awaited a packed slate of economic data results out Wednesday before a holiday market closure.
Rising interest rates coincided with a selloff in tech and growth stocks for a second day this week, with the Nasdaq dropping another 0.5{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} after Monday’s more than 1{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} decline. The Dow held up strongly and added nearly 200 points, with energy and financials stocks outperforming. The 10-year Treasury yield rose to near 1.7{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}.
“Initially, the markets were happy with the FOMC decision [for Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s renomination] in the sense that it was sort of a continuity play to some degree. But then rates started to rise, and a lot of folks read rising rates as negative for big-cap tech,” Stuart Kaiser, UBS head of equity derivatives research, told Yahoo Finance Live. “So I think the tradeoff we’re going to have here is that, tech has been market leadership — it’s obviously a strong earnings growth and free cash flow engine for U.S. equities — but if you believe it’s going to come under pressure from higher yields, then you end up with kind of a difficult Catch-22.”
Investors are set to receive a deluge of economic data on Wednesday ahead of the Thanksgiving Day market holiday, with both the U.S. stock and bond markets set to close all day Thursday. These reports will include weekly jobless claims, along with the second estimate of third-quarter U.S. GDP. And importantly, the Bureau of Economic Analysis will release the October personal consumption expenditures (PCE) deflator, offering an updated look at the extent of the price increases still reverberating through the U.S. economy.
The headline PCE deflator is expected to rise by 5.1{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} in October over last year for its fastest annual growth rate in more than three decades. Taken in tandem with a bevy of other data pointing to persistently high inflation, investors are speculating that the Federal Reserve will step in and raise benchmark interest rates from their near-zero levels next year to try and stem rising prices.
According to other analysts, the market action this week — with a renewed rotation away from technology and growth stocks in the face of rising rates — could presage the investing environment for next year.
“Today might be an example of what we see more of next year as the Fed moves into a mode of withdrawing liquidity from the markets and ending these pandemic-era policies, perhaps with rate hikes at the end of the year,” Jeffrey Kleintop, Charles Schwab chief global investment strategist, told Yahoo Finance Live. “And that means higher-valuation stocks, well, they tend to not do as well in environments of rising interest rates and tighter financial conditions.”
“So you may want to look to be in those sectors that are maybe trading closer to their average valuations, looking to leadership like financials, energy,” he added. “The only caveat to that is when we see these upticks in COVID cases globally, it tends to favor those lockdown defensives like technology.”
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6:16 p.m. ET Tuesday: Stock futures open lower
Here’s where markets were trading Tuesday evening:
S&P 500 futures (ES=F): -4.75 points (-0.1{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}), to 4,683.75
Dow futures (YM=F): -27 points (-0.08{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}), to 35,739.00
Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): -17.25 points (-0.11{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}) to 16,294.75
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 15: A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on November 15, 2021 in New York City. Following positive economic news out of China, stocks were up in morning trading on Monday with investors looking at retail sales and earnings results out from major U.S. companies later this week. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
