Wealth management views from Raymond James’ Curtis Smith

Curtis L. Smith, Wealth advisor, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.

Smith is currently a wealth advisor with Raymond James overseeing locations in Arizona and Nebraska since 2009. Smith served as a financial consultant for Wells Fargo’s Wealth Management Group from 2006 to 2009 and began his career in the securities industry at Morgan Stanley’s Private Client Group in 2004.

2015 trend to watch:

“One of the most impactful trends to be aware of is the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy and the effect on interest rates and inflation in the future. This has a direct correlation on economic expansion, real-estate values and bond price valuations. It’s also important to monitor geopolitical uncertainties, the U.S. Labor Market                     data and corporate profitability.”

Advice for 2015:

“First, start by creating a balance sheet and an income and expense summary. This allows you to take a holistic view of your net worth and identifies any additional income available for investment opportunities. Second, define clear goals and objectives while considering appropriate methods to fund each goal (401k, IRA, Roth IRA, investment account, real estate, etc.). Finally, it’s important to evaluate other areas of your overall plan to ensure they are coordinated with your accumulation goals such as tax, insurance, estate and charitable giving strategies.

Best Arizona investment:

“Swift Transportation. They are a leader in the trucking industry, operating more than 18,000 tractors with more than 35 terminals nationwide. Swift has annual revenues of more than $4 billion per year and strong earnings outlook and profitability forecasts. In addition to company financials and forecasts, the trucking industry is predicted to have strong growth and demand in the future which should have positive impacts for Swift Transportation as well.”