In keeping with our goal of bringing you important medical issues for yourself and your family this week’s health tip addresses breathing therapies.
 
Our Wealth Tip address financial software and investing in China.  The financial software should help you and your family members do better budgeting and planning.  Investing in China provides a valuable contrarian view of when and why to start new investments.

Jump around or read the entire issue.  Is any of this important to you?  We need to know if our efforts are worthwhile or should be re-directed.  We don’t really expect that every article will be of interest to every reader but there ought to be at least one important article in each issue that presses some of your ON BUTTONS.  Let us know if we are wasting electrons!!

Our intent is to publish smaller newsletters twice a month starting with this issue. Be sure to be in touch with Richard Gray, Editor, at rgray@fjmc.org with your articles, comments, appreciation and critiques. Each issue is brought to you by your editorial staff that includes:

• Richard Gray (Editor in Chief)
• Steven Mandel MD (Medical Editor)
• Gary Smith (Wealth Editor)
• Mark Druy (Publisher)

This HWR was sent out on , at approximately 9:15 PM (Eastern and prior to Shabbat).

HEALTH TIPS

Breathing Free
Dr. Jordan S. Josephson, M.D.

Miserable because your allergy or cold lingers?

Well, you’re not alone. You may be suffering from the nation’s number-one chronic health problem: sinusitis. The good news for sinus sufferers is that treatment exists.  Comfort and cure may be a doctor’s visit away.

The nose is surrounded by four sets of sinuses, which are hollow cavities in the head.  These are: the ethmoid, maxillary, frontal and sphenoid sinuses.  Together, the sinuses and nose act to filter, heat, vaporize and warm the air brought through the nose into the lungs. The sinuses themselves produce mucus to cleanse inhaled air of bacteria, viruses, fungus, pollutants and dirt. This is why sinus sufferers may have exacerbations of asthma symptoms.

When the sinuses become inflamed, the membranes (sinus lining) also swell. The passageways draining the sinuses become blocked, no longer working properly.  Mucus gets trapped in the sinus cavities and can become infected: hence, sinus symptoms prevail.  These may include: nasal discharge, nasal stuffiness, headaches, cough, sore throat, swollen glands, hoarseness, bad breath, mouth breathing, chapped lips, decreased sense of smell or taste, facial and dental pain, snoring and sleep apnea, general fatigue, ear pressure, hearing loss and/or dizziness.  Your partner may complain that you snore, and a good night’s sleep may seem a thing of the past.  And you may be sleeping in the other room.  Also, if you’re an asthma sufferer, asthma symptoms may flare up.

Many sinus suffers have been living with the above symptoms for prolonged periods of time; they may even begin to recognize them as usual and normal.  Others may have given up on treatment, mainly because they have used numerous over-the-counter and prescription preparations to no avail.

Living with discomfort may have become an unhappy resolution-yet it doesn’t have to be that way.

Who Should Seek Medical Advice?

If a cold lingers for more than seven to 10 days, you should seek medical attention.  Fever, nasal congestion, white, yellow or green nasal discharge, or worsening of any of the aforementioned symptoms, probably indicate infection and the need for antibiotics.  Acute sinusitis will resolve with a 10-day course of antibiotics in 90 percent of patients. Chronic sufferers will need a longer medical therapy treatment, with antibiotics and steroid nasal spray. For those of you that snore or have sleep apnea this is the leading cause of heart attack and stroke. 

About Treatment

Sinus disease is a medical condition that can successfully be treated in about 90 percent of sufferers with medication alone.  This may include a combination of nasal sprays, decongestants and antibiotics. For those who do not improve on medical therapy, a surgical procedure called Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery may be the answer for final relief.

A complete evaluation including a thorough history, physical examination and an endoscopic evaluation will allow you sinus specialist to make an accurate diagnosis with which to design a customized treatment plan.  If your specialist suspects that you suffer from a chronic sinus condition, you should have a special X-ray called a CAT scan.  This allows the physician to adequately determine the extent of sinus disease and prepare for appropriate medical and/or surgical management. Remember most patients do not need surgery and can be treated with medicines. 

Should surgery be required, tiny telescopes and cameras will allow the sinus surgeon to reestablish the normal draining patterns within the nose, allowing relief of symptoms. 

The good news is that the surgery if needed is performed under IV sedation without general anesthesia and patients go home the same day with minimal discomfort, no black and blues, no scarring or cuts on the face as the surgery is performed through the nostrils. There is minimal bleeding and most patients leave the hospital with no packing.  Most patients do not require any medicine for pain.  Patients leave the hospital breathing more comfortably, and most patients return to work the next working day to the surprise of their colleagues.  Some report going out to dinner the next night.

Jordan S. Josephson, M.D., Director of the New York Nasal and Sinus Center, Author of Sinus Relief Now (www.sinusreliefnow.com).

WEALTH TIPS

Wealth and Retirement Tips - #1

Getting Software On Your Financial Team
By Richard Gray

A good financial plan may address your income and expenses, taxes, insurance, estate planning, retirement, education needs, and other topics. ... However, having a grasp on how much money to budget once your expenses are paid lets you know how much money can be put toward the goals defined in your financial plan. – Financial Plans vs. Budgets – Wells Fargo

As an engineer I found great guidance in the scientific method, which actually is a part of most disciplines in one form or another.  Google it. In its essence the method is to hypothesize what you expect to happen as a result of an experiment, do the experiment, then compare the results with the hypothesis.  Realize that this method places a great emphasis on planning versus taking what you get.  Ultimately planning empowers learning and growth.  It also feels great when things go as you hypothesize they should. 
Controlling the financial factors in your life should also start with a budget, followed by collecting data and ultimately testing whether you had a realistic picture of your life.

This Wealth note attempts to guide you toward software that helps set a budget, helps collect the data and puts the outcome in front of you to assess and adapt to.  The software packages referenced focus on budgeting and not financial planning.  Financial planning involves more psychology and creating longer term goals so it is less easily software driven.  Having a budget is part of the foundation of a financial plan.  There are many software packages available, so an approach to selecting is to use what a friend of family member recommends.  If you have a financial planner or plan to have one, she can provide more advanced financial software that supports financial planning as well as budgeting and investing.

At this point I am going to reference some internet articles that introduce several packages.  Take a stab at one, you will find it useful even if you find it is not perfect for you – then get another that fits your needs if necessary.

Let me know what you find. Right now I am transitioning from Quicken to Emoney provided by my broker.  Quicken has more report options but Emoney has more depth of data storage and seems to be more reliable at communicating with banks and credit card companies.

Article on 15 top financial software packages for Individuals:

https://business.tutsplus.com/articles/best-personal-finance-budgeting-software-2018--cms-30583

Article on Emoney financial software package that your Financial Advisor may provide:

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-advisor/010517/why-fidelitys-emoney-so-popular-advisors.asp

Wealth and Retirement Tips - #2

What Is Up With China?
Why Have China In Your Portfolio?...
You Will Have China In Your Portfolio!
By Gary Smith

Previous article on China

Last year I wrote an article on China and where it will stand in the world of investing. The potential from China is untapped but that will change soon.   I wrote about a company that is rapidly becoming the largest corporation in the world.  Comments suggested that this is very controversial, and that people lost a lot of money in China investments over the last 20 years.  But that scenario has changed.  The company Tencent will be the largest company in the world in the next 5 years.  Tencent (TCEHY) is the Facebook of China with over 1 billion customers.  Chinese people now pay their bills on Tencent’s platform called We Chat.  Earnings with a 50 % increase just came out last week.  I have been beating the drum about China for 1 ½ years.  My research thru Stansberry, Fidelity, Vanguard, JP Morgan and others, suggests that in the next 3-5 years 1-2 trillion dollars will flow into the Chinese investment market.  HOW?

China Now! Why China Now?

The MSCI is an index of international stocks and companies that many of our managed portfolios invest in.  China because of past history was dismissed from all portfolios having to do with international investing.  But last June that all changed.  The MSCI voted to allow trading in Chinese stocks as part of the MSCI index. May 31st is the date that the MSCI will begin its climb in investments into Chinese companies. Further, not only will international money flow into Chinese companies but all of China’s pension money will flow in as well. 
 
Let examine this concept for a moment.  As many of us know, over the last generation Chinese families were only allowed one child per family.  This became an albatross.  It has caused basically a lost generation.  Parents saved money much as we did but were not allowed to invest in Chinese stocks.  There was a large retirement fund built up with small amounts of return.  However, with declining interest rates in China and NOT ENOUGH workers to fund the retirement, the possibility of their form of pension funds going bust became real.  Because of the real concern about the future of retirees, the Chinese government now allows retiree pension money to be invested in Chinese stocks. Retirement age in China is 62 and that probably will change moving forward; this still may not be enough.

Chinese Stocks and the American Market

Tariffs were recently (temporarily) placed on (and off and…) Chinese goods coming into America.  This would have turned out to be a disaster if not removed.  China has more leverage on America than we do on them. So I don’t think this is not a viable option.  Really China is as much dependent on America as we are on them.  They also own an enormous portion of our real estate.  The tariff situation that has been talked about is much to do about nothing.
 
Let’s suppose the Stock Market in America finally hits the much anticipated severe downturn.  How will this affect Chinese Stocks and how do we invest in this?

1. Large multi-national companies like Tencent, Baidu, Alibaba, JD.com, etc. will lose value in a downturn just like American multi-nationals.  But when will that come.  There is much money to be made before that happens.
2. However, companies that are Chinese national infrastructure companies are somewhat insulated from the rest of the world markets therefore will be less effected. 

The MSCI will invest in the Chinese infrastructure. How do we take advantage of this? Thru what is called the Kraneshares Chinese A shares symbol KBA.  The MSCI will more than likely add JP Morgan’s A shares of Chinese stocks symbol CAF and also the Kraneshares.  These are two A Share index funds that invest strictly in Chinese companies.  They may be less likely to be affected by an international downturn. 
 
As discussed earlier, May 31st is the date.  Money will slowly pour into China but over the next 1-3 years the flow should increase at warp speed rates. Discuss with your money manager putting a small percent of your portfolio into the MSCI or into KBA or CAF.  This article is by no means recommending you buy any of these stocks or companies.  It is intended to give you some information so you can complete your own research on the viability of making China part of your portfolio.  If you are a trend investorthis is a must.  “China is still cheap, hated, and in an uptrend”. This is Warren Buffet’s number one criteria of investing.
 
What other trends might we look at?  Marijuana companies and the American housing market which is till cheap and in an uptrend???  To be discussed.
 
I hope you enjoyed this wealth tip.  Please direct any questions or comments to Gary Smith gsmith@fjmc.org. 

This issue is prepared by a bunch of guys who are continuing to GIVE BACK to FJMC.  We invite you to also give back to FJMC through your participation and most importantly through donations supporting FJMC as Friends of FJMC.  Participate by clicking on “Become a Friend of FJMC” on www.FJMC.org or contact Gary Smith at gsmith@fjmc.org.

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