‘Decoupling’ isn’t just about relationships; it can be used in your finances, too

Years ago, Gwyneth Paltrow famously referred to the ending of her marriage to Chris Martin as a “conscious uncoupling.” She wrote in an article for Vogue that she wanted to “be a family, even though [they] were not a couple.” It appears to have turned out OK for Gwyneth and Chris, and the concept may be similarly applied to your financial future.

In Nate Silver’s book, ”On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything,” he describes the concept of decoupling as “the ability to block out context … the opposite of holistic thinking. It’s the ability to separate, to view things in the abstract, to play devil’s advocate.” Money can be complicated, but decoupling can make it less so. Here are some examples.

Nvidia is a great company. It is on the leading edge of the artificial intelligence movement and its stock is up over 100% this year and well over 300% over the last three years. So it was a great stock to own. Will it stay a great stock? It depends mostly on whether its growth rate can justify the premium investors are paying to own it. It could; or competition or substitution may take place, forcing Nvidia to switch gears to maintain its torrid rate of growth. Decoupling is when you can look at a great company and see reasons why it may not be a great stock.

We all have heard that home ownership is the American dream. We know the stories of our parents buying their homes and having them almost magically increase in value to levels that they may not be able to afford today. After 30 years, their mortgage was paid off and they owned this wonderful asset. But a home is a use asset, so decouple it from the investment piece.

I am a huge believer in people loving where they live. There can be a lot of pride in owning your home. You probably settle down in a neighborhood where you can build community. Every month, you add a little equity as you pay down your mortgage. But nothing is all good or all bad. Home ownership also comes with costs that can surprise you, upkeep requirements and neighborhood turnover. Many of the tax benefits of home ownership have been reduced, muddling the decision between renting and buying. That equity in your home could be invested someplace else — a “cost” that is often overlooked. Decouple your decision and make it about where and how you want to live. Don’t feel compelled to buy if it doesn’t fit what you want for yourself. The home as an investment may or may not turn out well, so don’t have the investment be your driving force.

By the way, if you invested $50,000 in the S&P 500 in May 1994 and let it sit, you would have $1,000,000 today. I guess the last 30 years were decent for stocks as well as real estate — even though the future is not guaranteed for either.

How about deciding when to begin claiming Social Security? Experts have made a good living emphasizing (dare I say, exaggerating) the benefits and importance of this decision. We use software that shows what happens when you make your claiming decision. And yes, the longer you live, the more the benefits of waiting can accrue to you. In this case, though, you need to decouple what the total lifetime financial benefits are from what you can expect your life to look like.

Over a 30-year period, those benefits are often not as huge as you would be led to believe. The dollars sound big, but future dollars are worth less than today’s dollars because of inflation. Your claiming decision should involve your tax situation, your marital status, your health and that of your partner, your spouse’s benefits, where your other investments are located (taxable, tax-deferred, or tax-free accounts) and your earned income. For many people who can afford it, delaying for at least one spouse can make sense, but not always.

Gwyneth’s uncoupling has been successful; for your success, look at decoupling financial decisions.

Ross Levin is the founder of Accredited Investors Wealth Management in Edina. He can be reached at ross@accredited.com.