Vitamin D…an Essential Key To Your Future Plans

Vitamin D…An Essential Key To Your Future Plans.

By: Sarah Johnson, CFP®, RD, MS

The way people view retirement these days has changed.  Individuals are seeking and planning for more active, fulfilling retirements than ever before.  When working hard to save for retirement, do not forget that happiness and wealth are largely dependent upon the foundation of your overall health.  Getting sufficient Vitamin D, the “Sunshine Vitamin,” is one easy step everyone can take.

How Vitamin D affects your overall health:
  • Improves lung function in those with asthma.
  • Lung health is especially crucial during Covid19!
  • Keeps your bones strong.
  • Over 55% of adults in the USA have low bone density.
  • Promotes positive gut health, protects, and restores good bacteria in the gut.
  • Reduces chronic inflammation.
  • Helps keep you looking and feeling young.
  • Lowers your risk of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, type I and Type II diabetes.
  • Can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 50% and colon cancer by 75%.
How to know if you are deficient in Vitamin D

Risk Factors:

  • You may have low Vitamin D if you:
  • Live in the northern hemisphere (HELLO MINNESOTANS!)
  • Are over the age of 50
  • Suffer from or are at risk for obesity – BMI over 30 (calculate yours here)
  • Have a diet low in fish and fortified dairy
Signs and symptoms:
  • Look out for these signs and symptoms of low vitamin D – though this is not a complete list:
  • Fatigue
  • Low bone density
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Autoimmune disease
  • The best way to know your Vitamin D levels is to get tested.  While all healthcare providers should be able to perform the test, check with your insurance first, to make sure you are aware of potential costs.
How to best get your daily dose:

Sun Is King (or sun lamps for winter in the northern hemisphere)

Hands down, the best and most natural way to get your Vitamin D is from the sun.  While there are other issues with too much sun exposure, there is no way to get too much vitamin D from the sun, as your body transforms it into a non-toxic form.  Isn’t the body amazing?

  • Most people only need 15 minutes a day during peak sun hours (10am-3pm).  A simple tip is to try waiting 15 minutes to apply your sunscreen.  Upper body has more receptors than your lower body, so try to make sure it’s not just your legs that are seeing the light.
  • You may also notice an improvement in your gut function when you get sufficient Vitamin D from the sun, and with 74% of Americans suffering from gut and digestion issues, this is a huge benefit.
Supplements

If you have low levels of vitamin D, and your time in the sun is not cutting it, supplementation can be an option.  When looking at supplements, ask your provider for a trusted brand and look for one that contains K2 in order to maintain proper calcium levels in your body.

Many people ask “what level of vitamin D should I be taking?” It is important to note that setting optimum vitamin D levels should be personalized, as your vitamin D requirement is unique.  So many things from genetics, to magnesium levels, to inflammation can affect how well you absorb and metabolize vitamin D.  A supplement intake that works for one person may not be appropriate for another.  Talk with a registered dietitian or your MD, and get your levels tested.

Food

Unlike most other nutrients our bodies need, Vitamin D is not readily found in high amounts in foods, though it is found in small quantities in cod liver oil, beef liver, and fatty fish such as salmon and tuna.  As you can see, it can be difficult to meet your requirements day in and day out with food alone.  While your diet may not reach your full daily requirements, it certainly is an important piece of the puzzle.

Just like with a financial plan, there is no “one size fits all” plan for your optimal health, but starting with some awareness about your Vitamin D intake is a great place to start, as your health truly is your greatest investment.

Listen To Every Story

Listen To Every Story.

Very proud of one of our own. Always committed to making a difference…

The OU piano area would like to present “Pieces of Healing” beginning today, June 15. Performances will be posted every Monday and Thursday featuring students and faculty performing original compositions as well favorite classics. In times of panic and isolation, this project brings hope and togetherness with the goal of helping our community to move forward. The first piece is “Listen to Every Story” written and performed by Bob Schneeweis.

Which “Letter” Recovery Are We On Now?

Which Letter Recovery Are We On Now?

By: Robert Schneeweis, Chief Executive Officer

I hear from so many relieved people that “The Market” has recovered. Ever since the Covid-19 related “shock to the stock market” and the resulting efforts by Central Banks and governments around the world, we have heard various views of what the eventual recovery would look like. Optimists touted a V shaped recovery (sharp down, quickly followed by a sharp recovery). Those touting more “realism” predicted a W shaped recovery (up and down based on the trend of the virus). As it turns out it, it appears we are in a K shaped recovery (Peter Atwater, an adjunct lecturer in the economics department at William & Mary, is credited for coining the “K-shape” theory). This K analogy refers to the notion that the rebound is unequal, some markets have shot up again (i.e. large technology companies), and others have fallen (i.e. small businesses).

Market “experts” have been at a loss to predict the path of any market recovery because, first of all, they had no way to predict the track of Covid-19 and second, because the economic response has been so unusual. The economic shock suffered by the world earlier this year was the biggest seen in generations but the same isn’t true of corporate earnings, at least if we look at big U.S. companies. Why do I say the economic response has been unpredictable and unusual?

  • The Federal Reserve gave support to investors that they have never done in history (direct intervention – buying bonds in the open market).
  • The US Federal reserve is on a track to “negative interest rates”, an anathema to them prior to this crisis.
  • Though there are differences between the members, the G20 countries have provided significantly more fiscal stimulus than they did in 2008-2009 financial crisis.
  • The “FAANGs’” (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google) earnings have increased by 140% since the beginning of 2018 while the broader All Country World Index (MSCI ACWI) earnings are down 20%. The Fangs have increased sales about 80% (in 30 months!), while sales for world stocks as a whole are flat.
  • The top 5 stocks in the S&P are up over 73% from the market lows, almost double the recovery of the other 495 companies.

So where are we headed now? What should we look forward to? First of all, an obvious tactic is to go with momentum and buy the large technology stocks like Netflix or Amazon or even Tesla that seem to be on a tear. But to quote Peter Atwater again: “When extreme inequity is this obvious and this widely applicable, we’ve reached the point where the arm and the leg of the K are more like alligator jaws, primed to snap closed. Talk about the perfect accompaniment to an extraordinary financial market peak. Even inequity has been taken to extreme excess.”

We at Yes Wealth are aware that when bank CDs only give you 1% for 5 years and a 10-year treasury bond gives you ½ of that, companies that you read about in the paper and whose stock “just seems to go up no matter what” are tempting. We believe there is a definite transfer of wealth from an old economy to the “new economy” driven by disruptive technologies. But the valuations of many of the more famous “growth stocks” in the US, China and developed markets are more extreme than even at the top of the tech bubble. How long will this trend continue? No one knows, but if the worst of the pandemics’ economic impact is in sight, with or without a vaccine, the lopsided winner vs loser chart will subside as we return to a more normal society. The travel industry (airlines, hotels, destinations) will recover, health care will be important and so will restaurants. As always, we will look for innovative ideas in both stocks and fixed income investments that generate growth while protecting your assets from outsized risks.