A bear market occurs when the stock market goes down 20% or more. The S&P 500 crossed this line on Friday May 20, 2022 and rallied back up by about 6% by the end of the month. We have almost 100 years of market data to help us get a sense of how normal this…
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There is a funny thing about life experience. Not only is it mostly non-transferable, but also somehow, life can feel like a series of new things when it’s often a remix of our past experiences. There are many truisms that can be said of investing: Pessimists are always right … eventually, but only temporarily. By…
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For those who grew up in the United States, most of our experience with inflation has been relatively tame. The exception of this was the 1970s when it was above 10% for a few of those years – still mild by global standards. You may shake your head as you remember the price of a…
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The sketch comedy show Monty Python famously said, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.” People sometimes use the phrase to mock the notion that life can be predicted. At times, the world is chaotic, and things happen that nobody expected. One month ago, nearly no one thought 75 years of European peace would be broken. Even…
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This past month we saw escalated volatility in the capital markets. It was the worst performing month since March 2020 when the pandemic was driving panic. The context and reasons for this more mild rout in January are completely different than we saw in 2020. In the past month, we received mixed news for the…
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We live in a sea of soundbites. The catchiness of a soundbite normally has far more power than its veracity. We feel that it’s important that we grow in our evaluation skills and challenge our assumptions. Sometimes good data is used dishonestly to promote a narrative. Over the years, we have talked about our concerns…
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Lately, the two headline challenges to the stock market are inflation and the omicron variant of COVID. It seems that everyone has become armchair immunologists, eager to share high-conviction ill-informed opinions. The professionals are saying it’s too early to have any reliable insight on the new variant and so we defer to future data. We…
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In September, we received the terrible news that a fire was raging in Sequoia National Park. It would be the shame of our generation to lose any of these ancient trees. It feels like our wildfire problem is accelerating to an apocalyptic level. Each year, over the past 30 years, the United States has averaged…
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Excerpt from our October 2021 Newsletter Before the year 2000, it was reasonable to expect a safe 6% interest rate (or “yield”) on your savings. There were multiple guaranteed options such as government bonds, CDs, and fixed annuities. Even as recently as 2007, interest rates were still reliably above 4%. The 2008 Financial Crisis changed…
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Economically, 2021 has been surprising and mostly in good ways. For many of our portfolios, in general, we experienced a sharp performance increase up through March. This was largely because of our emphasis on small cap stocks along with some apt individual stock choices. The following months we experienced a bit of a plateau as…
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As a teenager, I remember reading this quote and rolling my eyes at yet another person lamenting sad state of the youth: “The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their…
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While, you might not expect to discuss the topic of medical expenses with your retirement planning advisor you should. While you are working, healthcare falls under employer-sponsored plans. Also, with your paycheck arriving every month, medical expenses just join a long list of other bills to pay. But in retirement, there is no monthly paycheck.…
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Ponder how a professional investment service in Denver can make a difference to your finances. As you do, you’ll eventually wonder about the difference between wealth managers and investment managers. Considering trusts, diversification, and risk management, wealth and investment services in Denver are complex, and these two services often overlap. How Wealth Managers and Investment…
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It’s getting close to retirement. The day is marked on the calendar. You have an appointment with your retirement planning advisor. The stock market has created some bumps in the road in the past few years. And if you recently took a hit, you’re probably trying to set yourself up to eliminate going through that…
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With investing, people speak of different types of investors. Warren Buffett is the most famous “Value Investor.” What this means is that he believes that all companies have a value that they should have, and he looks to buy stocks that are valued less than that. When he was younger, he approached this very objectively with things…
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The closer you get to retirement, the more critical it becomes to have comprehensive, objective financial advice. You may have purchased investments in the past and never paid the sales rep, except through (almost invisible) fees and commissions. For completely impartial advice, it is essential to consult with a fee-only fiduciary financial advisor. So, you…
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Fee-only financial planners have a fiduciary responsibility to act in your best interest. We do not accept fees or commissions based on the product sales. With fewer potential conflicts of interest, we can provide more comprehensive financial advice. Commission-based brokers and agents prefer we didn’t make this distinction. In hopes of blurring some of the…
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The $2 trillion infrastructure plan comes on the heels of the trillions in spending from COVID relief. There are two concerns that naturally come to mind: taxes and inflation. Taxes Yes, taxes will be going back up to help fund this, but not all of it. More to the point, will your taxes go up to fund…
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While you may have seen the official definition of fiduciary as “a person or entity holding a legal or ethical relationship of trust, solely acting in the interests of a client.” The practical meaning may be less obvious. Working with a fiduciary financial advisor avoids conflicts of interest because they work on your behalf. All…
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You may be one of the millions of American women who are the primary breadwinner in their household. If so, you are likely to feel less than entirely confident in your ability to retire comfortably. Although you may provide for your family, preparing for retirement may be left more to chance. One of the reasons…
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If you are like most people, when your investments are doing well, you probably want to stick with them as is. But is that best for the balance of your portfolio? Your portfolio’s balance is subject to shifts based on your risk profile because of how your investments perform. You consulted a retirement planning advisor…
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How the Tax Code Works for You By April 15th this year, millions of US taxpayers will dutifully file their income tax returns. And each one has to make decisions about credits and deductions, with or without advice from a retirement tax planning advisor. Here in Denver, taxpayers need to take time to discover how our…
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In the context of horrific loss and suffering, we are getting a steady stream of wonderful news. By the end of May, there should be enough vaccine for all Americans. The benefits of herd immunity should start coming into effect in April and we are on a robust path to normalcy and economic recovery. This…
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You’ve worked for the same company for a while now, so you finally vested in a defined pension plan. Your pension payout forms the foundation of your retirement income plan. And whatever you choose, you can’t go back on your decision. The choice is seldom completely clear-cut, and the consequences impact you and your family…
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You may wonder just how to quantify the value of a Fiduciary Financial Advisor’s advice in DTC (Denver Tech Center). Can the value of financial advice be measured? Indeed, there can be a measurable difference in the value of Fiduciary Advice to your bottom line. In the investment industry, there is even a term this…
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A few times a year, something from the stock market hits the front page news. We may hear terms that we haven’t heard before or perhaps never fully understood. These are great educational opportunities; even if the events are unrelated to your GreenStar portfolios. We are always hesitant to say something new has happened, but…
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Are you struggling to finance the retirement you want? Are you afraid you haven’t saved enough and wonder what you can do to catch up? Here is some solid advice from a retirement planning advisor to help you get started. Make a Realistic Assessment of How Much You Need for Your Retirement with a Retirement…
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Since the dawn of financial times, people have invested their money. Getting your money to make money for you remains a key part of how the financial world turns. But there is incredible complexity in the Stock Exchanges. And there are thousands of choices for investments. Also, each one impacts your taxes. So, getting started…
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Every day you face thousands and thousands of choices about everything! The average American makes more than 35,000 choices a day! So, how do you know if you are making good financial choices? Do you have to question every cup of coffee you buy in the morning at Starbucks? Or wonder if a new, reliable…
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As a business owner, you support your family through the profits from your business. If something happened to you, it would affect your business and the people who rely on you. Advice from fee only financial advisors can help you position your business for success as you plan for your business and your family. Update…
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A Common Tribulation When we are isolated, it’s only natural to become myopic. We suspect that history will very much speak of the pandemic in terms of a global crisis, and how it was something that all the people of the earth dealt with and ultimately overcame. However, going through it somehow feels like tunnel vision. It…
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