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02 June, 2020 General

Tip for Protecting Your Investment Accounts


ALL BLOG CONTENT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. ANY REFERENCE TO OR MENTION OF INDIVIDUAL STOCKS, INDEXES, OR OTHER SECURITIES ARE NOT RECOMMENDATIONS AND ARE SPECIFICALLY NOT REFERENCED AS PAST RECOMMENDATIONS OF PATTON WEALTH ADVISORS. ALL GRAPHS, CHARTS, AND TABLES ARE PROVIDED FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY. EXPRESSIONS OF OPINION ARE ALSO NOT RECOMMENDATIONS AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE IN REACTION TO SHIFTING MARKET, ECONOMIC, OR POLITICAL CONDITIONS.  IT IS COMMON FOR US TO USE A FUND AS A PROXY FOR AN INDEX OR ASSET CLASS.  FOR MORE DETAILS SEE OUR FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.

This is a quick, and very important tip, about how to protect your investment accounts. Obviously this is important at all times but is even more so during times of a pandemic such as we are experiencing now.

Trusted Emergency Contact

A Trust Contact is someone you authorize your financial service provider (bank, brokerage firm, investment manager, etc.) can reach out to if they deem it an emergency. We recommend you provide this information to all of your financial service providers.

Why should you provide a Trusted Contact?

A Trusted Contact is someone your service provider can get in touch with in the event we are concerned about your health, well-being, or welfare (financial exploitation, fraud, etc.). This is simply for your protection. Furthermore, if you were to fall ill and be unable to communicate for a period of time, your service provider can communicate with your Trusted Contact.

What this does NOT do

Specifying a Trust Contact DOES NOT grant them access in any way to your account(s). Your service provider will NOT take any instructions from your Trust Contact.

Your Trusted Contact may be asked to share or validate information about you and/or your accounts. Your service provider may also share some information with your Trust Contact about you and your accounts but will only do so as needed.

You may remove your Trust Contact at any time.

How to provide Trusted Contact Information

Every service provider will have a different process for establishing and authorizing a Trust Contact. This is often accomplished via a form or online process. You will need to reach out to each provider to inquire about their process.

Providing Trust Contact Information to Patton Funds

Clients of Patton Fund Management can email CustomerService@PattonFunds.com to request our Trust Contact Authorization Form. Furthermore, we will provide help in establishing a Trust Contact at all service providers, such as brokerage firms and our fund administrator, associated with your accounts under our management.

Conclusion

Adding a Trust Contact to your investment accounts is a simple and effective way to help protect your investments. If something were to happen to you, having a Trusted Contact can reduce the risk that something occurs that is not in your best interest.

Other Protection Considerations

  • Account Passwords: adhere to the tips in this article from UC Santa Barbara
  • Information Security: consider these 10 tips from UC Berkeley
  • Avoid Elder Abuse: see these 8 tips from the National Council on Aging about how to avoid money scams and more

Contact Mark A. Patton :

The information provided here is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered an individualized recommendation or personalized investment advice. Any specific securities or investment strategies mentioned here may not be suitable for everyone. Each investor needs to review an investment strategy for his or her own situation before making any investment decision including whether to retain an investment adviser.

All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice in reaction to shifting market, economic or political conditions.  Data contained herein from third party providers is obtained from what are considered reliable sources. However, its accuracy, completeness or reliability cannot be guaranteed. This content was created as of the specific date indicated and reflects the author’s views as of that date. Supporting documentation for any claims or statistical information is available upon request.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  Any comments about the performance of securities, markets, or indexes and any opinions presented are not to be viewed as indicators of future performance.

Investing involves risk including loss of principal.

Indexes are unmanaged, do not incur management fees, costs and expenses, and cannot be invested in directly. For more information on specific indexes please see full disclosure here.

Any charts, tables, forecasts, etc. contained herein are for illustrative purposes only, may be based upon proprietary research, and are developed through analysis of historical public data.

All corporate names shown above are for illustrative purposes only and are NOT recommendations.

International investments involve additional risks, which include differences in financial accounting standards, currency fluctuations, geopolitical risk, foreign taxes and regulations, and the potential for illiquid markets. Investing in emerging markets may accentuate these risks.

Fixed income securities are subject to increased loss of principal during periods of rising interest rates. Fixed-income investments are subject to various other risks including changes in credit quality, market valuations, liquidity, prepayments, early redemption, corporate events, tax ramifications and other factors. Lower-rated securities are subject to greater credit risk, default risk, and liquidity risk.