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10 SPRING 2016 Your Best Interest An expert in finance and capital markets explains how to take advantage of today's historically low interest rates. 10 SPRING 2016 THE PRAIRIE Mid-career earners: If a new car or home is at the top of your purchase list, now is the perfect time to buy. "You won't find lower interest rates in our lifetime," says Hume. Or maybe you've always dreamed of being your own boss. Those past the hurdle of student loans will find that it's also a favorable climate for starting a business of their own. "Never underestimate the power of borrowing at a low rate," says Hume. Young families: Low interest rates won't deliver the return needed to grow college funds and other savings, so Hume recommends a long-term savings plan that includes investing in the stock market. The market's potentially higher returns bring higher risk, so you'll need to be prepared to ride out the highs and lows. "Don't panic and pull your money out when the stock market goes down," says Hume. "You can change the allocation, but you don't want to pull that out." Retirees: People with wanderlust will be happy to know that while interest rates are low in the U.S., rates abroad are even lower, which contribute to a favorable exchange rate and a stronger dollar. In the meantime, Hume advises a recalibration of retirement savings: "We used to advise people to subtract their age from 100 and invest that percentage in the stock market, put about 5 to 10 percent in cash, and the rest in fixed income," she says. "That doesn't work in a low-interest environment." Instead, she advises investing more heavily in the stock market or even finding a stock that pays a dividend, to mimic what a government bond used to do. Overwhelmed? "Hire an adviser you trust to help you with these decisions," she says. —Melissa Kvidahl I t's clear to anyone with a savings account that the era of five percent interest rates is long gone; these days you're lucky to see any return on savings. So what happened? It all comes down to how the country reacted to the financial crisis of 2008, says Associate Professor of Finance Susan Hume. When banks and financial firms lost big by lending to borrowers who couldn't pay them back, the government responded by lowering interest rates in an effort to restore the institutions to their pre-'08 strength. The move was done to encourage people to take out loans, says Hume, bringing money back into the failing institutions. "It also [ensured] that banks [could] build themselves back up because they're not paying out as much in interest." Hume anticipates interest rates will stay low for the foreseeable future, and depend- ing on where you are on your financial journey, that's either a challenge or an opportunity. But have no fear. Hume shared her tips on what you can do to either capitalize on, or minimize the damage from, today's historically low rates. Recent college grads: Scrutiny is high for potential borrowers even with today's low interest rates. That means those with outstanding student loans are likely to find it more difficult to borrow for that starter home than their debt- free peers. So find a way to refinance that student loan debt at a lower rate, says Hume. That will make you more qualified for a mortgage.

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