What Is Worksite Wellness All About? – A Series – The Health Status Concept (Today’s Approach)

The various definitions of health status indicate that it can be determined on the basis of both objective and subjective measures. Typically, in the workplace, it is determined on the basis of clinical biometric measures such as BMI (body mass index), blood pressure, weight, cholesterol levels and blood sugar level. These objective measures are derived through a process commonly known as biometric screening.Since health status can involve both objective and subjective data, knowing these different data points is important.Subjective Data Sources• Biographical information• Physical symptoms• Past health history• Family history• Health beliefs and values• LifestyleObjective Data Sources• Physical characteristics• Appearance• Health, lifestyle and other behaviors• Body systems functioning• Measurements and screening results• Results from lab testingSince there is no standard for health status, it can be based on either objective or subjective data. Generally though, current approaches are focused almost exclusively on the effects of illness and the varying states of ill-health.How individuals conceptualize their health has been shown to vary as a function of:• Age and gender• Social class• CultureThis means that how they view their health status will vary as well. Given that the conceptualization can vary, it is important to make the assessment about the individual employee as a whole person and not just about their current biometric data. This means that the employee needs to be viewed in the various contexts that can and will influence their health and not just as an isolated individual. An effective health assessment requires a contextual awareness and understanding in addition to observing and understanding any objective measurement and test results.Despite the worksite wellness community’s heavy reliance on objective measures as indicators of health, I found it interesting to read that “self-assessed health contributed significantly to the prediction of mortality, even after controlling for a wide array of objective health indicators.” (Wright, 1977)In his book, Healing Beyond the Body, Dr. Larry Dossey wrote: “Our own opinion about the state of our health is a better predictor than physical symptoms and objective factors such as extensive exams, laboratory tests or behaviors.” Dr. Dossey also wrote that how people answer the question “Is your health excellent, good, fair, or poor is a better predictor of who will live or die over the next decade than in-depth physical examinations, and extensive laboratory tests.”The quotes by Wright and Dossey are particularly note-worthy given the worksite wellness community’s heavy promotion of workplace biometric screening results as being indicators of an employee’s health status. Given that health can be defined in very broad conceptual terms and health status can be very subjective as well, it might behoove the worksite wellness community to take a look at its current approach to wellness being limited to just individual employee health status that is based on biometrics and health risk assessments.When it comes to the status of an employee’s health, the worksite wellness community would be wise to look beyond just the results of biometric screenings.ResourcesDossey, Larry. MD. 2001. Healing Beyond The Body. Boston: Shambhala Publications.Wright, Stephen. 1997. Health Status Assessment in Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine. Baum, Andre. Newman, Stanton. Weinman, John. West, Robert. McManus, Chris. (Eds.) New York: Cambridge University Press.

What’s the Hardest Part of Marketing Yourself?

In my Fast Track Marketing System I divide marketing into seven very specific modules:1. The Game of Marketing2. The Mindset of Marketing3. Marketing Messages (Your Value Proposition)4. Marketing and Selling Conversations5. Written Marketing Materials6. Marketing Strategies7. Marketing Action PlansAll of these have their particular challenges. But in my experience in working with thousands of Independent Professionals, it’s #7 that seems to be the hardest for most people.After all, most of the other 6 modules are all about preparation to market yourself.You learn the basics of the game of marketing, you work on your marketing mindset, you develop marketing messages, conversations, and written marketing materials, and ultimately choose the marketing strategies to get the word out.And then the rubber hits the road. You have to actually get out there and connect with potential clients through networking, speaking, an eZine, social media, emails, etc.For most, the bottom falls out of their marketing at this point. It simply goes nowhere, or more specifically it goes into the infamous “Random Zone” where things are done haphazardly and inconsistently.If people have worked to develop the whole foundation of their marketing first, know who their target market is, have put together a web site and have practiced their marketing and selling conversations, they are going to have more success.But even the well-prepared struggle with implementation.Why is putting action plans into action so hard? Here are three of the most common ones. Are they familiar to you?1. As soon as you start reaching out, you face possible rejection. What if your message, your talk, your emails fall on deaf ears? What if your potential clients could care less? What if they outright rejected your promotional efforts?We conjure painful mental images in our mind that stop us cold.For this one we need to work again on our mindset, on our thinking, realizing that if we reach out and people aren’t interested, that it’s not personal. They don’t hate us; either they are simply not good prospects right now or our message doesn’t have the impact it could.So reach out to new prospects and keep improving your messages.2. It takes way more time and effort than you ever thought it would. We think of marketing as a few promotional things we do here and there. This should be easy, we think. But it’s not.Time to do a reality check. Any marketing activity takes time, effort and commitment to make it work. Marketing is a bit of an art and nothing works perfectly on the first draft.You need to make detailed and realistic plans based on strategies that others have used successfully in the past. If you just make it up as you go along, your chances of success are very slim.3. It’s never good enough and although you might even know what you’re doing, you put off your marketing launches until everything is perfect… but it never is.What underlies this are beliefs about perfection, not being good enough and being judged by others. It’s not so much rejection you fear, but disapproval. What will others think of you?Well, if your marketing campaign isn’t relevant to those you are targeting, it’s not a big deal. They’ll just ignore it. They won’t think much about it at all. But for the ones that are looking for what you offer, they’ll not only be interested, they’ll respond.Your prospects are not looking for perfection from you; they’re looking for assistance and value. If you’ve got that, perfection is virtually irrelevant.I’ve done a whole lot of marketing action plans that were rejected by most people, took me a long time to implement, and were far from perfect. And most of them have made me hundreds of thousands of dollars!Marketing success is about know-how, value, commitment, and persistence. Everything else is just a distraction.The Fearless Marketer Bottom Line: There could be a lot of other things stopping you from following through with your marketing plan as well. The question is, where are you going to focus – on your fears and worries about rejection, time, and perfection – or are you going to focus on the value and difference you make and give your marketing plans a real chance?

Who Needs Health Savings Accounts And Health Reimbursement Arrangements?

Employers and the self-employed are using two main strategies to keep the cost of health insurance low and to reduce their taxes. Known as an HSA, a Health Savings Account can make most health care expenses tax deductible, and provide tax-deferred earnings. Individuals and business owners can start an HSA once they purchase a health plan that’s certified to be HSA compatible. These plans are available in the individual market for much lower premiums than plans in the group coverage market.Can Health Savings Accounts Be Combined With A HRA?Employers and people who are self-employed if the spouse works in the business may add a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to substantially increase the tax savings available with an HSA alone.To put it simply, a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) is an employer-funded medical reimbursement plan for employees. Someone who is self-employed cannot have an HRA in his or her name, but can reimburse the spouse, who works in the business as a W-2 employee, through an HRA. All of the family’s qualified health care and insurance expenses can be reimbursed, and that includes the expenses of the self-employed business owner by virtue of being a member of the HRA-covered family.The big rush to get HRAs in place by Dec. 31 resulted because the cost of health insurance premiums could then be reimbursed for the whole year back to January 2011. Reimbursement for other kinds of health care is not retroactive, though. Those who start a HRA in January 2012 can reimburse their employees for health care, including premiums.Since group coverage has become an expensive option for both employers and employees, HRAs present a less expensive choice that can help both parties save on health care costs. Compared to group plan rates, policies in the individual market can save employers up to 50 percent. Certain of these plans, known as Health Savings Accounts, This makes if feasible for more employers to provide health care coverage to more employees. By setting up a HRA, employers can legitimately reimburse their employees for individual health insurance premiums and other health care costs.How Do Health Reimbursement Arrangements Work?On a regular basis, an employer contributes a pre-determined amount to an account on an employee’s behalf. The employee can submit a reimbursement request for qualified medical expenses, and such reimbursements are not taxed.What’s Required To Start A HRA?The primary requirement is that the plan must be funded solely by the employer. It cannot be funded by salary reduction. In addition, the plan may only provide benefits for substantiated medical expenses.HRAs may be designed in many fashions to suit the specific needs of employer and employees alike. It is one of the most flexible types of employee benefits plans, making it very attractive to most employers.How Do Employers Benefit From A HRA?HRAs are most commonly offered in conjunction with a high-deductible health plan. As a rule, these plans keep premium costs low, so employers can use the savings to fund the HRA. All employer HRA contributions are tax deductible for the employer, and tax-free for the employee.Employers may establish when HRA funds may be used. This can range from comprehensively covering all health care to a limited plan for emergency room expenses only. Because they are so flexible, HRA plans enable employers to control costs of providing healthcare benefits while providing a valuable employee benefit.With an HRA, employee healthcare expenditures are visible and clear to employer and employee alike, thereby fostering a greater understanding of the costs of health care. In addition, employees who can monitor and control their health care costs become smarter health care consumers.Studies show that only 20 to 50 percent of employees actually use their health care coverage, meaning employers often pay health insurance premiums for employees who are not utilizing the coverage. A HRA allows employers to determine the best type of coverage for their employees based on the demographics of their employee group.HRA plans may also cover retired employees (and their spouses and tax dependents). Employers may wish to consider a HRA as an alternative to more expensive traditional retiree health care options.Employee benefits, like a HRA, enable employers to recruit and retain quality employees. With a HRA in place, the employer is perceived in a positive light by current and prospective employees because a benefits package is being provided with their interest in mind.

Why Home Entertaining Is Taking the Top Spot of Quality Parties

With today’s recovering economic period from recession, home entertaining has been noted to increase in activity and frequency for most people who still want to party and dine in a reasonable cost. Guests has become accustomed to the house party entertainment that their families and friends has been opting due to the more personal and tighter gathering this type of hosting can be able to pull off.What usually happens with home entertaining can resemble having an event in some flashy venues. There is food, wine or drinks, people you know, and of course the conversation and people to meet. The service can be more personal as the host knows most of his guest preferences and ready about the flow of the event.Most hosts prefer catered services to handle the food, drinks, and dining services for their guests. This can be sensible as some hosting individuals prefer a hired organizer to handle all the necessities of their party. But for those do-it-yourself individuals, they happen to have the right skills to just order food and appoint some guests to play service providers during the party. Of course, you can only happen to do this for small and intimate gatherings for friends and family. For business or community related functions, professional catering should be hired always.In urban areas, specially, the parties are held in tight circles and neighborhoods. This can ensure no security issues or a more trusting gathering as everyone knows everybody around. Most neighborhood parties are held in one house and entertaining becomes easy with everyone willing to help out with the preparations, during the party, and the cleaning up to do later on. Young professionals are also into house entertaining as they are usually tired from the club scenes or the happening joints around the metro. They now prefer a more laid back and quality-rich conversations with like-minded people or their long time friendships to party with in a more secluded and private space that has the right amenities and comfort – like a house.House entertaining enhances the bonds between guests and hosts in the sense that the event is taking place in a very private and sometimes scared place for one of them. A level of trust is usually established between guests and hosts that are looking for a more meaningful place of interaction without the fear of making a public embarrassment or trivial social expectations. Entertaining in the house can easily open up shy types out of the listed guests as they know that there are only a limited but trust worthy persons in the event.Entertainment for your guests during home events can be done with the manufactured house entertainment set like DVD players, flat television sets, fantastic sound systems, and many other technological gadgets that can provide the entertainment factor for your guests. Watching a movie, sports event, or even a recorded social event can grow the bond between families and friends when they share the same interest or sports team. Or the old fashioned poker game, board games, or plain conversation can keep everyone on the loop and amused all throughout the house party. Food, music, company, and a comfortable venue make home entertaining a lot better than parties at any high end spot.

How Small Businesses Can Secure Their Payroll and Check Printing

The financial industry faces a constant threat from criminals. Large and small businesses alike can fall victim to check fraud. In order to safeguard funds, businesses must make sure that they using sensible methods when printing checks.Many businesses print their own checks because it saves time and money. A company can print payroll checks for employees and payment checks for suppliers. While self-printing can save money, it can also increase the chances of fraud. Payroll check security can be achieved by following a few simple guidelines:1. Always use the correct equipment. In order to maintain the integrity of payroll checks, you should use MICR technology. Use a MICR printer with MICR toner to print checks. This makes the checks easier for the bank to process and more difficult for criminals to duplicate.2. Only print on blank check stock. Using pre-printed check stock makes it easy for criminals to steal checks and then simply fill in the blanks.3. Use blank check stock with security features. Built-in security features make it impossible to duplicate checks. Check paper should contain one or more of the following security features: copy void pantograph, micro printed border, watermark seal, or chemically reactive paper.4. Only allow a small number of people access to check printing utilities. In order to prevent check fraud, always make sure that you know who has access to checks. Keep check-printing equipment locked in a secure area. Do not leave blank check stock or software exposed in plain sight.5. Always shred documents that contain personal or company account information. Criminals have been known to rummage through trash bins to find the information they need to commit identity theft and check fraud.Always remember that money is a great motivator. People can be driven to lie, cheat, and steal if their need for money is great enough. For the safety of your personal and business finances, never provide unnecessary temptations. By following the rules above, you can decrease your chances of becoming a victim of check fraud.

Home Business Online Opportunity

Various improvements in the internet use have made it possible for one to actually work from home. In order to have a successful home business online opportunity one needs to have a few accessories in order to carry out the job effectively. One of the opportunity in the internet that one can take advantage of includes online jobs, marketing products and sale of various products on the internet. This opportunity only requires one to have access to internet and a computer. Networking is also one of the requirements of online jobs. This is because it helps one to expand the market base of the services offered to the market. A good online network can determines the success of a business in the internet. One gets to have access to more ideas that can actually be used to develop the online business.A home business online opportunity is very easy for one to take part in as it does not require a lot of documentation that accompanies establishment of other forms of business. Online writing services are one of the opportunities that one can take advantage of form the internet. The only requirement one needs to have register with one of the many writing agencies available in the internet. This is usually free and the only requires skills and will to perform the job. There are many writers who have successfully being able to employ people to do the writing for them at a fee which is usually paid at the end of the month.One should be ready to take risks in order to be successful. This is because in most case the online business requires one to work with people that one does not have a visual knowledge of. Hence one needs to be able to work on basis of trust and honesty in order to successfully establish and take advantage of a home business online opportunity. Credibility is one of the virtues that determine the success of an online business. One has to work honestly with the online clients in order to get a reliable supply of work.Record keeping is one of the requirements of an online business. One needs to take time to record all the business carried out in the online business. This will help to solve disputes and provides details that are used to advertise the business to the clients online. In business the client is the most important aspect in business. To develop a home business online opportunity one has to ensure that the services are quality and follow the specifications of the clients. This will help to build the reputation of the business and the image of the business to the clients.Advertisements tools can be used to advertise the online job to people all over the world. There are various advertisement tools that are cheaper and very effective such as use of products and developing blogs that are related to the business. The success of a home business online opportunity depends solely on the quality of the services offered to the clients.

What Kind of Personal Loan Is Right For You?

Personal loan choices are numerous with several different terms and conditions. Deciding elements in what choices are accessible to you depends on just what you would like to do with the loan proceeds, the time period of the loan, and so on. These variables and others assist loan companies to determine precisely what your loan is likely to cost you.Signature loans are unsecured by equity of any type. Understandably, the interest you have to pay for one of those loans will most likely be greater. Additionally, due to the greater risk associated to the loan provider, it might be more challenging to obtain some of these loans, and unfortunately your credit scores weighs in when it comes to deciding eligibility. A lot of these unsecured signature loans are generally worthwhile for individuals who own very little of value and has basically no downside to his or her overall credit score.Since the only recourse a lender has got with this kind of personal loan is by means of the court system, larger rates of interest are usually imposed, additionally, the tendency is not really to give a loan any greater than $25,000, if that.Nevertheless, sometimes, the larger rate of interest with this particular type of personal loan is more than outweighed simply by their added benefits, which usually require no tying up of private property without demand for supplying a financial statement as well as tax returns.Usually though, even though you have got poor credit, when you have assets that are of value to offer a lender as a guarantee, it’s usually best to get a secured loan to lower not just the interest rate, but also your monthly obligations due to the extended loan terms, which are not the condition with unsecured loans.Essentially these types of signature loans are loans you may use to get all sorts of things such as short-term or personal loans for financing on a big screen TV for instance. Use the cash as you like. To find the most favorable interest you certainly want to check out a secured personal loan in which you use your home or possessions to get the funds. Signature loans are normally smaller unsecured loans which range from $100 to $5000.Cash advances by using charge cards – Needless to say, credit cards are traditionally used for “loans,” and there’s nothing wrong with that-as long as you do this for just a brief period of time. Preferably, you would use a charge card having an “introductory” interest rate that’s less than typical (zero interest in some instances), which is likely to end up being for a year or less. If that’s the case, it’s possible that you’ll pay out absolutely nothing for your loan… but as long as one does, in fact, pay it back within the granted period of time.If you choose to use a charge card which has an introductory APR, you’ll find that you may possibly be entitled to additional incentives, such as points which can be used to get products or services, cash back, as well as commercial airline miles.Payday loans – When you’re an individual who has a less-than-perfect credit rating, you might be capable of getting a short-term loan that is generally known as a payday loan. By short-term we are referring to a two-week time period that will depend with your company’s payday schedule. Understand that cash advance loans do not come inexpensively! Online payday loans have the greatest expense of just about any personal loan currently available. Rely on them only when you’ve got no other option, and eliminate them as quickly as possible.The majority of “payday” loan companies will ask to get a post-dated check in the amount of the borrowed funds, including the loan company’s service fees. Many of these post-dated checks are going to be for the date of your subsequent paycheck. The loaner’s service fees tend to be state governed more often than not, however the common range can be $15 to $35 for every $100 borrowed. If you don’t fulfill the obligation, a lot of these fees can move up.Signature loans are a good alternative to those pressure-ridden payday loans. Despite the fact that they are similar, signature loans supply you with the choice to pay them back in reduced payments on every payday, rather than needing to go ahead and take the entire amount of money from your following check. This can be a God-send for personal household emergencies!Bad credit loans – There are actually specified bad credit loans currently available due to the growing number of individuals that have poor credit ratings. However, be careful and research your options, simply because that appealing rate of interest which you notice marketed online or anywhere else isn’t always the rate you will end up having at this specific loan company, and that’s due to the fact that lenders can promote their least expensive annual percentage rate as long as that’s the rate in which a minimum of two-thirds of their total loans carry. You might get into the regrettable 1/3!There are plenty of less-than-perfect credit loans on the web, and as with anything else regarding money on-line you have to be particularly careful in this area. Prior to going personal loan browsing, take a look at many alternatives. Make a decision before you start the amount you need to borrow and, most importantly, just how much of a payment you are able to squeeze into your budget.One warning: Don’t apply at a multitude of locations, mainly because credit reporting agencies report every time an inquiry is produced. This one thing can easily affect your credit rating. Limit your alternatives down prior to you making the very first inquiry by selecting the perfect loan for you personally, depending on your own private desires. 1 size will not fit all!

Subprime Auto Loan Lenders

A sub-prime buyer is a person who need loan to buy auto but has bad credit or a lower credit score than the prime borrower. If you are a sub-prime automobile loan lender then do not get upset there are many auto financing groups available online, that would help you in finding the best of the car loan available online. There are many websites that will provide you with financing that are extremely lenient and have easy requirements to get approved too.The online financing party understand in giving second chances to everyone who deserves it. Traditional lenders only care on getting the loan amount back with interest. If they see a chance for a default loan payment then they will not approve your auto loans for bad credit. But, the online car financing provider will make sure they understand you support you in your financial despair.Consider Internet to be your main domain for couple of weeks. Search for the best website that provides with lenders from all over the nation. There are many financier lenders online so do not worry for the customer service. With the help of online car loan you will only get the best of all. Why? Because of the heavy competition it becomes crucial for all the lenders to provide you with best auto loan rates online.Why online lenders are good options to get auto loans for bad credit?Firstly, be realistic! You have a bad credit and no traditional lender will approve you and auto loan with a credit like that. They all want confirmations of the loan payments back to them. It is your priority first to get a car loan and increase your credit score by paying off the loan amount. There are many financier’s available online that are ready to provide car loan financing based on credit score. There are many people online who have already received the benefits of auto loans for people with bad credit. If you think you are a bad credit score, then I would recommend you to apply for sub prime car loan online. If you are someone who is going through tough times in life, then I would strongly recommend you to buy a bad credit auto financing online. All you have to do is to show confidence that you will be able to return the money back to the financiers irrespective of the personal financial or social crisis like death or divorce.The world economy is collapsing, and US is not only the one in economic downturn but there are different countries that are going through the same situation. Considering this condition, some of the financiers have come forward in giving a helping hand to all the auto loans for bad credit. You can use auto finance calculators available on all the online websites just to help you know the final figure so you can decide on which sub-prime auto loan you should finalize. When you go online and search for the best car loan rate website makes you have the complete power. From all the financial deals, car finance deal is the second largest and the most happening one online. People are going online every now and then for each and every commodity shopping.

S&P 500 Rallies As U.S. Dollar Pulls Back Towards Weekly Lows

Key Insights
The strong pullback in the U.S. dollar provided significant support to stocks.
Treasury yields have pulled back after touching new highs, which served as an additional positive catalyst for S&P 500.
A move above 3730 will push S&P 500 towards the resistance level at 3760.
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Pfizer Rallies After Announcing A Huge Price Hike For Its COVID-19 Vaccines
S&P 500 is currently trying to settle above 3730 as traders’ appetite for risk is growing. The U.S. dollar has recently gained strong downside momentum as the BoJ intervened to stop the rally in USD/JPY. Weaker U.S. dollar is bullish for stocks as it increases profits of multinational companies and makes U.S. equities cheaper for foreign investors.

The leading oil services company Schlumberger is up by 9% after beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Schlumberger’s peers Baker Hughes and Halliburton have also enjoyed strong support today.

Vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna gained strong upside momentum after Pfizer announced that it will raise the price of its coronavirus vaccine to $110 – $130 per shot.

Biggest losers today include Verizon and Twitter. Verizon is down by 5% despite beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Subscriber numbers missed estimates, and traders pushed the stock to multi-year lows.

Twitter stock moved towards the $50 level as the U.S. may conduct a security review of Musk’s purchase of the company.

From a big picture point of view, today’s rebound is broad, and most market segments are moving higher. Treasury yields have started to move lower after testing new highs, providing additional support to S&P 500. It looks that some traders are ready to bet that Fed will be less hawkish than previously expected.

S&P 500 Tests Resistance At 3730

S&P 500 has recently managed to get above the 20 EMA and is trying to settle above the resistance at 3730. RSI is in the moderate territory, and there is plenty of room to gain additional upside momentum in case the right catalysts emerge.

If S&P 500 manages to settle above 3730, it will head towards the next resistance level at 3760. A successful test of this level will push S&P 500 towards the next resistance at October highs at 3805. The 50 EMA is located in the nearby, so S&P 500 will likely face strong resistance above the 3800 level.

On the support side, the previous resistance at 3700 will likely serve as the first support level for S&P 500. In case S&P 500 declines below this level, it will move towards the next support level at 3675. A move below 3675 will push S&P 500 towards the support at 3640.

SPDN: An Inexpensive Way To Profit When The S&P 500 Falls

Summary
SPDN is not the largest or oldest way to short the S&P 500, but it’s a solid choice.
This ETF uses a variety of financial instruments to target a return opposite that of the S&P 500 Index.
SPDN’s 0.49% Expense Ratio is nearly half that of the larger, longer-tenured -1x Inverse S&P 500 ETF.
Details aside, the potential continuation of the equity bear market makes single-inverse ETFs an investment segment investor should be familiar with.
We rate SPDN a Strong Buy because we believe the risks of a continued bear market greatly outweigh the possibility of a quick return to a bull market.
Put a gear stick into R position, (Reverse).
Birdlkportfolio

By Rob Isbitts

Summary
The S&P 500 is in a bear market, and we don’t see a quick-fix. Many investors assume the only way to navigate a potentially long-term bear market is to hide in cash, day-trade or “just hang in there” while the bear takes their retirement nest egg.

The Direxion Daily S&P 500® Bear 1X ETF (NYSEARCA:SPDN) is one of a class of single-inverse ETFs that allow investors to profit from down moves in the stock market.

SPDN is an unleveraged, liquid, low-cost way to either try to hedge an equity portfolio, profit from a decline in the S&P 500, or both. We rate it a Strong Buy, given our concern about the intermediate-term outlook for the global equity market.

Strategy
SPDN keeps it simple. If the S&P 500 goes up by X%, it should go down by X%. The opposite is also expected.

Proprietary ETF Grades
Offense/Defense: Defense

Segment: Inverse Equity

Sub-Segment: Inverse S&P 500

Correlation (vs. S&P 500): Very High (inverse)

Expected Volatility (vs. S&P 500): Similar (but opposite)

Holding Analysis
SPDN does not rely on shorting individual stocks in the S&P 500. Instead, the managers typically use a combination of futures, swaps and other derivative instruments to create a portfolio that consistently aims to deliver the opposite of what the S&P 500 does.

Strengths
SPDN is a fairly “no-frills” way to do what many investors probably wished they could do during the first 9 months of 2022 and in past bear markets: find something that goes up when the “market” goes down. After all, bonds are not the answer they used to be, commodities like gold have, shall we say, lost their luster. And moving to cash creates the issue of making two correct timing decisions, when to get in and when to get out. SPDN and its single-inverse ETF brethren offer a liquid tool to use in a variety of ways, depending on what a particular investor wants to achieve.

Weaknesses
The weakness of any inverse ETF is that it does the opposite of what the market does, when the market goes up. So, even in bear markets when the broader market trend is down, sharp bear market rallies (or any rallies for that matter) in the S&P 500 will cause SPDN to drop as much as the market goes up.

Opportunities
While inverse ETFs have a reputation in some circles as nothing more than day-trading vehicles, our own experience with them is, pardon the pun, exactly the opposite! We encourage investors to try to better-understand single inverse ETFs like SPDN. While traders tend to gravitate to leveraged inverse ETFs (which actually are day-trading tools), we believe that in an extended bear market, SPDN and its ilk could be a game-saver for many portfolios.

Threats
SPDN and most other single inverse ETFs are vulnerable to a sustained rise in the price of the index it aims to deliver the inverse of. But that threat of loss in a rising market means that when an investor considers SPDN, they should also have a game plan for how and when they will deploy this unique portfolio weapon.

Proprietary Technical Ratings
Short-Term Rating (next 3 months): Strong Buy

Long-Term Rating (next 12 months): Buy

Conclusions
ETF Quality Opinion
SPDN does what it aims to do, and has done so for over 6 years now. For a while, it was largely-ignored, given the existence of a similar ETF that has been around much longer. But the more tenured SPDN has become, the more attractive it looks as an alternative.

ETF Investment Opinion

SPDN is rated Strong Buy because the S&P 500 continues to look as vulnerable to further decline. And, while the market bottomed in mid-June, rallied, then waffled since that time, our proprietary macro market indicators all point to much greater risk of a major decline from this level than a fast return to bull market glory. Thus, SPDN is at best a way to exploit and attack the bear, and at worst a hedge on an otherwise equity-laden portfolio.