Author: Saratoga TODAY

In high school physics class, I learned that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it can only be transformed. Within investments, the same principle applies to risk. To start, risk is a tricky thing to define. The financial world has settled on a measure of volatility called standard deviation. Although imperfect for a variety of reasons, standard deviation gives a quantifiable measure of how bumpy the ride has been which is a reasonable approximation for how it will be moving forward. Unfortunately, volatility is usually equated with losses. What about the opportunity cost of missed gains?

As a society, we have been conditioned to think that financial risk is checking our monthly statement and seeing a lower number than the month before. That type of downside risk is intuitive and easy to understand – money, which was once yours, no longer appears to be so. Upside risk is much more abstract in an alternate universe type of mental exercise – we have no way of accurately quantifying what might have been. Our desire to hold onto what is already ours will sometimes cause us to make short-term decisions with long-term money because the pain of losing money is greater than the satisfaction of making money.

In finance textbooks, the risk-free rate of return is typically the return on a government issued bond. This is somewhat of a misnomer for an individual investor with a “cash under the mattress” mentality. Inflation is a silent killer of financial plans for those who “don’t want any risk.” Unaccounted for, it gradually eats away at the spending power of your money which technically leaves you with less money than you had before. Mentally, it is the easiest risk to cope with because we trick ourselves into saying that we still have the same amount of nominal dollars as we did before. Inflation risk doesn’t even compare to the upside risk we spoke about before. I have talked to plenty of people who have been sitting in cash for years just waiting for things to calm down to get back into the market. This type of second-guessing is a paralyzing fear. Afraid to make a misstep, investors instead do nothing and jeopardize their growth potential. Like inflation, upside risk is invisible, but potentially catastrophic for a financial plan. To tie this back to physics class, moving money into cash is not de-risking the portfolio, it is merely a transformation of the risks that one is bearing.

In the short-term, cash is the safest investment and stocks are one of the riskiest. As one zooms out, those roles become reversed. The problem for many is that when downside risk rears its head, focus shifts to the short-term. “It’s just for now. I’ll re-invest when things calm down,” we tell ourselves. The coast is never completely clear, and the invisible losses incurred by sitting in cash for too long have a negative compounding effect on future plans. Investors are always searching for the optimal portfolio or investment strategy. The solution is clear: whichever strategy you can stick with. As always, it helps to have an objective voice on your side to help see the big picture.

For more information, visit www.contwealth.com.

David Rath, CFA is the Director of Portfolio Strategies at Continuum Wealth Advisors in Saratoga Springs.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Network Saratoga LLC has launched their new website, Network Wedding Guide at www.NetworkWeddingGuide.com. The new website is a member-based virtual showcase of venues and wedding professionals in the Saratoga, Adirondack, and Capital Region areas with exclusive offers just for members. 

Network Saratoga LLC owner, Fran Dingeman, has been creating and coordinating wedding shows in the Saratoga region for over 20 years. 

“When the pandemic hit, one of the many industries that was drastically impacted was the wedding and event industry,” said Dingeman. “As a company that produced nine events in Saratoga in 2019, having to reduce to two in 2020 was a significant decrease. As many businesses did over that time, we focused more on virtual and digital endeavors.” 

The creation of Network Wedding Guide was funded through a Saratoga County grant offered to help local businesses who demonstrated a need due to COVID. 

“We created Network WeddingGuide.com to help as many local businesses as possible,” said Dingeman. “A select group of local wedding professionals are featured with business descriptions, photos, and an exclusive offer that is only available through the Network Wedding Guide website. Engaged couples are invited to enter the site for a nominal fee. Once on the site, they will be entitled to savings offered by each vendor when they purchase their services through the designated site portal.” 

Network Wedding Guide premiered in August with 34 wedding industry participants representing 18 vendor categories. Once engaged couples pay for access to the site, they check back as often as they like. 

Network Saratoga LLC plans to host in-person wedding shows again in 2022, beginning with the Longfellows Wedding Show on Feb. 27, now in its 21st year.

“The landscape looks positive for the wedding industry right now, with many 2020 weddings and events rescheduled for 2021 and 2022,” said Dingeman. “The majority of professionals we work with are extremely busy and are hopeful about next year as well!”

 For more information, email info@networkweddingguide.com or call 518-365-3459. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Movement Disorder Specialist, Dr. Kathrin LaFaver, has joined Saratoga Hospital Medical Group – Neurology, bringing significant expertise in treating patients with Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia, ataxia, and other movement-related neurological conditions. 

LaFaver joins Saratoga Hospital from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, where she was an associate professor of neurology. Previously, she was the director of the movement disorders clinic as well as the Raymond Lee Lebby Chair in Parkinson’s Disease Research at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.

LaFaver see patients at Saratoga Medical Hospital Medical Group – Neurology at 6 Care Lane, Saratoga Springs. For an appointment, call 518-693-4629.

By now most of you have heard of Bitcoin, the ‘new’ currency revolutionizing finance. Some of you may actually own a little, and a very few of you may be mining it. But what is Bitcoin and why is it important to understand this new currency? 

Simply put, Bitcoin is digital money. The concept of ‘digital’ may seem bizarre to us because we’re used to tangible assets. I can hold a dollar bill in my hand, place a gold coin in my pocket, or hang a valuable painting on the wall. 

Read the full story on Saratoga Business Report – www.saratogabusinessreport.com 

BALLSTON SPA — Back after a one-year hiatus, the triumphant return of the popular Saratoga Balloon and BBQ Festival, the Festival will occupy the Saratoga County Fairgrounds August 27-29 for three days of family fun. Due to covid-19 concerns, the Festival organizers moved from the traditional Father’s Day weekend to the new dates in late August when the event was more likely to happen without restrictions. 

Once again, the schedule is jam packed with highlights: Friday features the Dare Devil Trained Dog Show, balloon launches at about 6:30 p.m., the Brent McCoy Comedy Juggling Act, and the Balloon Glow at dusk. Saturday is the longest day with more dog shows, another day with Brent McCoy, tethered balloon rides, helicopter rides, and the evening balloon launch. On Sunday there are two new additions, The Car Show with 100 cars from 11 to 3 and the New York Steak Cook Off with dozens of teams competing for the prizes and fame and bragging rights. Meet the grill masters and watch their expert techniques to hone your own skills the next time you grill at home.

Every day, every minute of the Festival, the Kids Zone is in full swing with bounce houses, pony rides, a petting farm, face painting, a designated magician, Shawn, a balloon twister, and games. There is live music daily in the Music Barn next to the Beer Garden serving craft beer, wines, and wine slushies.  There is a wide choice of food including four BBQ rigs, some local and an award-winning pit master from Ohio, the Smoke Shack, plus Jamaican Jerk Chicken, brick oven wood fired pizza, turkey legs, burgers, and more.  With all that, then there’s the Marketplace to do a little shopping: artists, artisans, specialty food makers, eclectic household items like massage guns populate the space along NY Wine and Distilled Spirits.

The Saratoga County Fairgrounds are located at 162 Prospect Street in Ballston Spa. Festival hours are Friday 3 to dusk after the Balloon Glow; Saturday 11 to 8; and Sunday 11 to 5. It is a rain or shine event. Adult admission is $12 and children under 16 $5 at the gate. There is a special price on Sunday, adults are only $8 and children the same $5.  For the adventurous you can book a balloon ride on the Festival website www.balloonandbbq.com. For balloon launch updates check the website and www.facebook.com/saratogaballoonandbbq. 

According to the US Census, Saratoga County’s population increased by 7.2 percent from 2010 to 2020. 

This rise in our county’s population continues a five-decade-long trend. During these fifty years, the county’s population has increased 53 percent. This compares favorably with surrounding counties, like Albany County which saw a 10 percent increase during this same time, or Rensselaer at six percent, or Schenectady at five percent.

When something increased 53 percent, it sounds like a lot. But over fifty years, it averages out to just about 1 percent growth per year. In raw numbers, the growth means about 1,600 more people a year are added to our population. 

During the last 10 years, the Towns of Ballston, Halfmoon, and Malta experienced the highest percentages of growth. In prior decades, it was Wilton, Milton, Moreau and Clifton Park that often led the way. In many respects, it is the Northway corridor where our growth has been concentrated because of the infrastructure — roads, water, and sewer — that is available in those areas.

In the City of Saratoga Springs, our population is now 28,586, up just a little more than 7 percent from ten years ago. The City added about 190 people per year during the last decade. This means we’ve experienced a .70 percent annual growth rate. 

We need this type of reasonable growth to continue if we want to sustain our economic success and quality of life. We also must simultaneously plan for our future growth. Our planning must include efforts to preserve our local farms, open spaces, and historical properties. We need to continue the many local and county efforts to integrate and expand our trail systems. We need more workforce housing so more people can live near where they work. We need expanded public transportation as well.

Our five decades of growth is no accident. But it is unique. Two-thirds of all counties in New York State saw a decrease in their population in the last ten years. We are fortunate to have tremendous amenities that make living here attractive. The list of these attractions includes but is NOT limited to: SPAC and our arts and cultural attractions; the Track, Casino, and Fasig Tipton; the Great Sacandaga, Saratoga Lake, the Hudson River, and our canal system; three beautiful state parks and the Saratoga National Historical Park; as well as an abundance of locally-owned small businesses in every City, Town and Village across the county. 

Our k-12 schools are among the top performing in the state. They are constantly innovating. In many cases, the people moving here went to school here themselves years before. As they start to have families, they come back knowing this is a great place to raise their children too. At the Chamber, we call these people “rebounders.” They come back with trailing spouses making them highly sought after by local employers growing their local operations.

The Chamber is working to grow our population because we need more people to fill the local jobs we now have. Our Healthy Saratoga campaign is part of our talent recruitment effort. More so now than perhaps ever before, we expect people will want to live in healthy communities going forward. The work of our Veterans Business Council helps to promote Saratoga County as a great place for Veterans and their families to live and work. Our work to promote Saratoga County as a great place to visit has also helped us convince people to live here. 

Thinking of the success and growth we’ve seen in the last fifty years, I am reminded of the quote often used in the investment community. “Past performance is no guarantee of future results.” We cannot be complacent. Where we can do better, we should. That’s what those leaders before us did over the last fifty years. Let’s make them proud by continuing this tradition for the next fifty years.