Global Stocks Dive Again – What You Can Do About It

by Shirley Luu, Financial Wealth Guru
January 7, 2016

This week, the Dow took another hard hit, closing down nearly 300 points due to, in large part, China fears as well as recent unrest in the Middle East.

As reported by CNN Stockswatch, most experts polled by CNN are predicting more volatility and limited gains for 2016.

Should you be worried?

Unfortunately, absolutely, because what if that plunge turns into a crash? Such an event could be a loss too big to recover from, and for those near retirement age, those losses could be debilitating?

So you may be thinking, okay Shirley, how do I protect my nest egg while still using the markets?

You have a couple options…

The first is you can move that money into a guaranteed fixed fund, but the con there is as the market rises again, you miss those gains i.e. minimum returns.

Another option of course is to simply leave your money alone because it’s only “paper money,” as some will say, but the reality is that paper money is real money, and if it goes down too low, the eventual gains with time may not makeup for those big losses.

If you’re young, you could can gain back your losses, sure, but what if you’re not young.

But what if you took your portfolio and checked to see if it qualified for a retirement/saving plan that gave you the best of both worlds? meaning if stocks plunge like this week, you incur ZERO losses, but if the markets do well, you benefit from the gains.

Many people may think this sounds too good to be true, but the reality is that it is true, and unfortunately many financial advisors are unaware of these modern financial products, so you owe to yourself and your dependents to see if you may qualify for such plans.

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Shirley Luu
Financial Wealth Guru (for over 20 years)
703-608-1203
shirley@ShirleyLuuFinance.com

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Dow Jones Stock Market over last year + drop on August 24, 2015 as of 11:20am

Stock Market Turmoil: Why my clients aren’t worried

by Shirley Luu, Financial Advisor

August 24, 2015

The Dow took a nose dive this morning, more than 1000 points, the worst in four years, and now everybody is freaking about it – as they should be.

Because if you have a 401k or IRA qualified plan, as the market tanks, so do your plans.

But here’s why my clients aren’t worried…

The plans that I recommend to my clients are safeguarded from stock market turmoil like today. At the same time, the beautiful thing is my clients get to participate in the upside when the stock market is climbing.

So days like this are not what we want to see of course, but again, my clients are guaranteed a minimum return even if stock prices fall. How awesome is that!

If you want to stress out about your retirement plans and the market, below is NBC News video talking about it.

But if you want to learn more about how you can protect your money and maintain peace of mind on days like this, you should reach out to my team and we’d be happy to tell you more.

Contact Shirley Luu

CRYSTAL CITY / WASHINGTON D.C. – July 30, 2015

Shirley Luu receives Executive Brava Award from SmartCEO at Gala

The The Washington Brava! Awards ceremony was held this past weekend to a sold-out crowd of more than 300 local executives and guests gathered to celebrate the noteworthy achievements of an elite group of female CEOs.

Created by Washington SmartCEO, the Brava Awards celebrated the distinguished achievements of 40 of Greater Washington’s top women business leaders. This year’s class collectively generates more than $2.49 billion in annual revenue and employs 7,958 individuals. The winners will be/are profiled in the July/August issue of SmartCEO magazine.

“Brava winners possess the hallmark qualities of successful leaders — vision, passion, compassion, dedication, perseverance. Each winner in this year’s class exhibits these qualities in all facets of her life, from running her business to tending to her family and donating time and resources to philanthropic initiatives,” says Jaime Nespor-Zawmon, president of SmartCEO Events. “We are honored to recognize a group of women who are truly making a difference in the world.”

Shirley Luu received the Executive Brava Award – given to 10 of the 40 celebrated Brava Award Winners. You can view her profile page on SmartCEO here.

The night was full of smiles, laughs, good food, and powerful woman who are making a difference in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. Enjoy some of the photos from the event below. For the full gallery, click here.

LAS VEGAS – July 17, 2015

Shirley Luu speaks at Las Vegas Convention for Financial Advisors

Shirley Luu attended the LC15! Business Conference held by First Financial Security, Inc.

Hundreds of FFS Agents attended from all over the country for the 4-day conference featuring training, education, and guest speakers including social media guru – the “king of vine” Zach King as well as FFS EFC Shirley Luu who spoke on the same day.

“This is a lady I’ve known for a number of years. She’s the energizer bunny. She never stops. She’s the leader of one of the fastest growing teams in the company, but Shirley Luu’s most important quality is how much she loves people and is willing to give,” said Andy Fiorenza, Master of Ceremonies as he introduced her on stage.

On the final day of the conference, Shirley Luu spoke and was welcomed with a standing ovation by the packed house of financial advisors.

She then gave a powerful 30 minute presentation and exclusive training sharing some of her secrets of success and how to best serve their financial clients as they guide them toward some of the best financial products available on the market.

Shirley Luu recognized and awarded at LC15!

As one of FFS’s top leaders and producers, Shirley Luu and was recognized for a plethora of awards – in recognition of the excellence of not only her, but Shirley Luu’s team. It was only a few months ago that she received the prestigious MVP Award, but Shirley Luu has not slowed down a bit as she continues to empower individuals with superior financial products as well as training new team members to succeed in the business.

Shirley Luu gets a teleporter and a time machine?

In response to one of the contests inspired by social media guru, Zack King, with millions of followers, Shirley Luu offered up one of her own creative videos showing off to the world and to the attendees of LC15! how she got ready and got to the Las Vegas Convention. Lets just say, it involves a teleporter AND a time machine. Click the video below to view.

Ahh… It’s that time of the year when all of us are thinking about the beautiful spring and summer approaching. We work on sprucing up our yards and getting our houses in order. Isn’t it time we did the same for our finances?

Have you considered that this would be a good time to reassess the financial plans you have in place and perhaps replace them with some new and innovative products now on the market?

What seemed great 10 years ago may now be dusty and outdated. You owe it to yourself to see what is new in retirement planning, re-evaluate your strategy and make your nest egg more secure.

Let’s think a moment – 20 years ago the battery for your mobile phone looked like a small backpck. The cost was over $100,000 and the only think it did was make and receive phone calls. Today your smart phone is like carrying around a pocket-sized laptop with all of its capabilities. The same is true of the investment market. New products can help you avoid the vagaries of the stock market and provide you living benefits and financial security in your retirement.

When evaluating your financial plans here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. Does your retirement account protect you from loss if the S&P market drops?

2. When you begin liquidating your retirement account does it give you guaranteed lifetime income that you can’t outlive?

3. Does your current retirement plan have monthly income double up should the need for long term care arise?

If you answered no to any of these questions you could benefit by learning more about the financial products available today. When it comes to retirement, we all have different reasons and stages in our lives that we need to consider.

Whatever financial plan you have, make sure it covers these three critical things. What if you live too long? Will you outlive your money? If you die too soon, is your family covered?

And between living too long and dying too soon, what if you suffer a chronic or critical illness? How do you pay for that? Make sure your insurance plan addresses these issues.

The coverage you get should also be appropriate for your stage of life, thinking about wills, living trust, probate. Do you want a tax free retirement and death benefit for your family?

I hope the information provided is helpful in planning your financial spring cleanup!

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call to speak with Shirley Luu at 703-608-1203.

Shirley Luu was recently announced as a 2015 Brava! Executive Winner by SmartCEO.

The Brava! Awards program celebrates female CEOs, nonprofit leaders and high-impact executives who combine their irrepressible entrepreneurial spirit with a passion for giving back to the community. Brava! Award winners are exemplary leaders of both their companies and their communities. They encourage local philanthropy, mentor up-and-coming leaders and set their companies on the path to tremendous growth. Each year, an independent committee of local business leaders selects winners based on company growth, community impact and mentoring. SmartCEO shares their inspiring stories in the July/August issue of SmartCEO magazine and celebrates their success at an awards reception in July.

The original press releases follows:

Washington SmartCEO Announces the 2015 Brava! Award Winners

40 powerhouse female business leaders to be recognized in SmartCEO’s Brava! Awards program

Washington, DC (April 28, 2015) — Washington SmartCEO is pleased to announce the 2015 Brava! Award winners. The Brava! Awards celebrate the distinguished achievements of 40 of Greater Washington’s top women business leaders. This year’s class collectively generates more than $2.49 billion in annual revenue and employs 7,958 individuals. The winners will be profiled in the July/August issue of SmartCEO magazine and celebrated at an awards ceremony on July 30, 2015.

To share in the excitement leading up to the event, follow us @SmartCEO #BravaAwards.

“Brava winners possess the hallmark qualities of successful leaders — vision, passion, compassion, dedication, perseverance. Each winner in this year’s class exhibits these qualities in all facets of her life, from running her business to tending to her family and donating time and resources to philanthropic initiatives,” says Jaime Nespor-Zawmon, president of SmartCEO Events. “We are honored to recognize a group of women who are truly making a difference in the world.”

The Washington Brava! Awards ceremony on July 30, 2015, is an expected sell-out event where more than 300 local executives and guests will gather and celebrate their noteworthy
achievements. Past Brava! winners will also be in attendance to welcome the new class of winners into the Brava! community. The event will kick off with a cocktail reception, followed by a video-packed awards ceremony and a final, inspirational toast to the female leaders of Greater Washington.

About SmartCEO
SmartCEO’s mission is to educate and inspire the business community through its award winning magazine, connections at C-level events and access to valuable online resources. SmartCEO’s integrated media platforms reach decision makers in the Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, metropolitan areas.