Yvette is a recently-widowed 63-year-old. The couple had no children, and when her husband died, she was the beneficiary of his $45,000 life insurance policy. She also receives benefits from his retirement plan and social security, but this income falls about $300 short of covering her regular monthly expenses, which includes a sizeable amount for health insurance. In the months since her husband’s death, she sold their larger home and purchased a condominium, netting $80,000 from the combined transactions. Yvette was a homemaker all her life, and her husband
handled all their finances, so Yvette is just learning how to balance her checkbook. One thing she does know is that she is going to have to purchase a new car within the next few months. Yvette is in good health and expects to live at least another 25 years. Which of the following types of investments should be included in recommending an asset allocation to Yvette?
Explanation
Answer: B - Given her age, her stated need to buy a new car within the next few months, and the fact that she is experiencing a monthly cash shortfall, Yvette has a need for liquidity, which the money market fund will provide. She will need the cash to buy a car, and she needs to have cash readily available to pay for some unexpected expenses as well since her income stream is fixed and isn’t currently covering her needs. A life insurance policy is definitely not an appropriate choice since it doesn’t appear that there is anyone dependent on Yvette for his well-being. An aggressive growth stock fund would be too risky, given her age and background, and based on the facts, her marginal tax rate should be extremely low, which does not make the municipal bond fund a good choice since she would be earning a lower return with little or no benefit.
