Should Doctors Collect Treasures?

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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On Investing in Art and Collectibles

By Rick Kahler CFP®

Rick Kahler CFPAlmost everyone has a story about a cousin or an aunt who bought a box of junk at an auction and found in it a diamond ring worth several hundred dollars. Every once in a while a valuable painting by a famous artist turns up in someone’s attic. “Antiques Roadshow” sometimes features odd items that have been sitting around in someone’s house for years and that are appraised for thousands of dollars.

This doesn’t mean buying and selling art or collectibles is a good way to make money.

Collectibles

Buying art, antiques, or collectibles is extremely speculative, in part because values are so subjective. What a given item is worth depends entirely on what a collector might be willing to pay at any given time. A piece of pottery or jewelry might fluctuate considerably in value as trends come and go. Yesterday’s hot collectible (think Beanie Babies or Jim Beam bottles) might be tomorrow’s overpriced embarrassment.

Does this mean you should never buy art or antiques in hopes that they’ll increase in value? Not necessarily. I am suggesting, though, that investment shouldn’t be the primary reason for your purchase.

If you’re going to collect Art Deco jewelry or decorate your home with original artwork, do so because you like those things. Choose a painting because you want it hanging on your wall. Buy a carving or a pot because you want it. Collect iron toys or old books because you have fun searching for them at antique stores and garage sales. If your art or collectibles increase in value, consider it a nice bonus.

If you’re hanging onto a piece of art or an antique that you don’t like because you think it’s valuable and you think of it as an investment, why keep it? You could sell it and put the proceeds into your retirement portfolio. Then your investment wouldn’t be taking up space in your house, and you wouldn’t need to worry about maintaining it or insuring it. Another option would be to use the money to buy something you would enjoy owning.

Do the Research

If you do decide to sell an item, do some serious research and try to find out what it’s really worth. Don’t just stick a price on it for a garage sale or walk into an antiques store and take whatever they offer you. Get at least two or three estimates from dealers or other qualified experts. For something that’s potentially quite valuable, paying for an appraisal might be money well spent.

Finding valuable collectibles at rummage-sale prices is almost always sheer luck. Anyone who consistently makes money buying and selling art or collectibles has invested the time and effort to become an expert. Unless you’re willing to do the same—and you would enjoy it—don’t try to fund your retirement this way.

Making Memories

In the interests of full disclosure, I should confess that not all of my own purchases turn out perfectly. One of my travel memories is of the time I bought two hand-woven carpets at bargain prices. What made the purchase memorable was the experience of stuffing the bulky rolled-up rugs into a taxi and hauling them to the airport, only to find that the baggage handlers had gone on strike.

Those carpets still decorate the floors in our house. Are they worth more than I paid for them? After all the effort it took to get them home, I certainly hope so. But I bought them because I liked them and wanted them in my home.

Assessment

But, if my primary goal had been investing, I would have put the purchase price into several well-diversified mutual funds instead.

Conclusion

Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/HealthcareFinancialsthePostForcxos

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

Risk Management, Liability Insurance, and Asset Protection Strategies for Doctors and Advisors: Best Practices from Leading Consultants and Certified Medical Planners™8Comprehensive Financial Planning Strategies for Doctors and Advisors: Best Practices from Leading Consultants and Certified Medical Planners™

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Understanding and Investing in Collectibles

Posted on October 26, 2008 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Sans Cash Flow Entitlements

[By Staff Writers]

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Many medical professionals have a broad range of investments that are typically not securities and rarely provide entitlement to specific cash flows.  One example is collectibles, which are durable real property expected to store value for the owner. 

Definition

According to Jeff Coons PhD, CFP™, the term collectible may represent such items as artwork, jewelry, sports memorabilia, stamps, and wine. While a detailed discussion of the wide variety of collectibles markets is outside the scope of this post, there are common characteristics of collectibles as an investment. 

Common Collectible Characteristics

First, the value of a collectible generally rests entirely in the eye of the beholder.  Since there is typically no cash flows associated with a collectible, unless the collector charges at the door for a look at their collection, the value of the collectible is only what another collector is willing to pay for that particular item. 

Second, while there are some collectibles that may be considered standardized across individual pieces in terms of quality and other defining characteristics, collectible investments are generally unique.  As a result, there is typically not an active market with prices established on a regular basis for most collectibles in a manner similar to the stock and bond markets.

Assessment

In total, the lack of ongoing cash payments from a collectible and the general non-comparability of items result in the collectibles market being more of a knowledge-based market than most of the investments discussed on the E-P.  Since the value of a collectible is limited to the amount that another collector-investor is willing to pay for the item, a knowledgeable investor may be able to benefit from the lack of information of another investor. 

By the same token, if a physician-investor does not have superior information regarding the value of a collectible, then the basic lack of economic fundamentals behind a return assumption for such investments makes collectibles generally less attractive as compared to investments providing ongoing cash payments.

Conclusion

Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/HealthcareFinancialsthePostForcxos

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

Risk Management, Liability Insurance, and Asset Protection Strategies for Doctors and Advisors: Best Practices from Leading Consultants and Certified Medical Planners™8Comprehensive Financial Planning Strategies for Doctors and Advisors: Best Practices from Leading Consultants and Certified Medical Planners™

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