Invest in Your Future

CHRIS EVERT:

 Hi, I'm Chris Evert. Welcome to Episode 3 of What Moves You, an audio miniseries from Morgan Stanley in support of the WTA. We're here to talk about some of the most common questions you have about money with Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Advisor Nadine Wong. Questions like the ones I had over the course of my career.

NADINE WONG:

Hi, I'm Nadine Wong. I'm a Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Advisor and a Global Sports and Entertainment Director. I specialize in serving the unique and complex needs of professional athletes and entertainers.

As a teenager, I didn't know much about money management. But I remember telling my dad, I remember this very well, Dad, you don't have to make me a lot of money, but please don't lose me any money.  It's a hard truth to face, but as tennis players, our careers are shorter than people with normal jobs. So investing for the future is especially important.

NADINE WONG:

Here’s a bit of a misconception that I often hear from athletes: to preserve the wealth they build during their sports careers they should invest in conservative fixed income securities, like bonds. But the median career length of a Top 150 player is 14 years-- and many players end up having a second career, maybe as a tennis commentator – like Chris! Life is long.

So as an active player, you'll probably be investing for the next 40 to 50 years. The earlier you start, the better, because your money has longer to grow. Given that, part of investing wisely is understanding how much risk you can, or want, to tolerate.

Investing in equities (another word for stocks) might expose you to more market ups and downs — and therefore more risk. But that bumpiness has historically smoothed out in the long run and stock funds will generally grow at a faster rate than bond funds.

But when you're starting out, it's tough to even know where to begin. That's where an experienced financial advisor can help. They can help you create an investment plan that aligns with your financial goals. That means taking into account how much risk you’re comfortable with, how long you’ll be investing and your income needs. 

And how do you know how much to invest in stocks vs bonds? A common guideline is to subtract your age from 100 to determine the percentage you'll invest in equities vs fixed income. So if you're 20 years old, 100 minus 20 is 80- you could put 80% into equities and 20% into fixed income. Of course, this is just a guideline – everyone’s individual circumstances are different and a trusted financial advisor can help you determine the right approach for you.

The other thing you need to know about investing is the importance of diversification. Just like with your tennis game, you can't only focus on your explosive forehand. Your performance as an athlete improves with the more tools you have available- a strong serve is key, a quick drop shot, a dependable backhand- all of these improve your chances of winning. It's the same thing with investing - you want to diversify where you put your money so that even if SOME assets lose value, your return can be positive overall.

Ultimately, you want to maximize the value of your winnings over the long-term by working with an experienced financial advisor to help you follow your personal version of these investing guidelines.

CHRIS EVERT:

Smart long-term investments can help you make sure that your finances outlast your career. 

Thanks for listening to What Moves You. I’m Chris Evert.

You know, as tennis players, we travel all over the world to work and play, and that's an exciting and wonderful part of the gig. But it can create complications when it comes to getting paid.

And ugh, paying taxes. That's next time.

This material has been prepared for educational purposes only. It does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments and strategies, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor. The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor’s individual circumstances and objectives. 

Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining financial market. 

Bonds are subject to interest rate risk. When interest rates rise, bond prices fall; generally the longer a bond's maturity, the more sensitive it is to this risk. Bonds may also be subject to call risk, which is the risk that the issuer will redeem the debt at its option, fully or partially, before the scheduled maturity date. The market value of debt instruments may fluctuate, and proceeds from sales prior to maturity may be more or less than the amount originally invested or the maturity value due to changes in market conditions or changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Bonds are subject to the credit risk of the issuer. This is the risk that the issuer might be unable to make interest and/or principal payments on a timely basis. Bonds are also subject to reinvestment risk, which is the risk that principal and/or interest payments from a given investment may be reinvested at a lower interest rate. 

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