Category Archives for "Peak Thoughts"

Nov 15

Book Review: The One Page Financial Plan: A Simple Way to be Smart About Your Money, Carl Richards (Penguin 2015)

By Steven Smith | Financial Lifestyle , Peak Thoughts , Retirement , Wealth Management

Running joke: If it’s a one-page financial plan, then why isn’t the book only one page? I first read Carl Richards’ novelty of a book, The One-Page Financial Plan,  when it was published in 2015. But I only recently grabbed it off the shelf to re-read and figure out ways to apply it in our […]

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Oct 27

Choosing a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) – Advantages and Pitfalls

By Steven Smith | Peak Thoughts

Managing life-stage transitions is an essential component of good financial planning. Late life planning – for a time when you need help with everyday tasks on account of either physical or cognitive decline – can be a special challenge. One increasingly popular choice is the Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), which provides both housing and […]

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Oct 16

DOL Proposed Rule Change Brings Awareness to Sustainable Investing

By Steven Smith | ESG Investing , Financial Lifestyle , Investment Management , Mountain Lifestyle , Peak Thoughts , Wealth Management

The current US Department of Labor (DOL) has a bone to pick with sustainable investing; what is now colloquially called Environmental, Social & Governance or ESG investing. On June 23, 2020 the DOL issued a proposed rule that would limit the use of investments that consider ESG factors in retirement plans subject to ERISA, such […]

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Oct 02

Preparing for Short-Term Election Volatility

By Steven Smith | Financial News , Investment Management , Peak Thoughts , Political News , Uncategorized , Wealth Management

What’s better for investors, Republican Presidents or Democrat Presidents? It’s a trick question. First, because in general, over the long run, it doesn’t matter. While some data correlates Democratic administrations with stronger markets since the end of World War II, there is no evidence of a cause and effect relationship. And this nifty interactive exhibit […]

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Sep 26

Book Review: The Deficit Myth, Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy, Stephanie Kelton (Public Affairs, 2020)

By Steven Smith | Money , Peak Thoughts

“Trillions of dollars of debt! This is what Republicans stand for?” Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, reacting to his own party’s proposed stimulus legislation in July. “Now is not the time to worry about shrinking the deficit.” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, on September 15 2020. “If you elect me, your taxes are going to be raised.” […]

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Sep 10

Retire Early? Retire Late? Or Retire Right on Time? – Lessons from the Early Retirement Movement

By Steven Smith | Financial Lifestyle , Peak Thoughts , Retirement , Uncategorized

The FIRE movement captured my interest only recently. Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is an aspiration of motivated young people today to stop working and retire in their 30’s and 40’s. As a retirement advisor, seeing the obvious challenges of saving enough money and otherwise getting one’s act together at such an age, I rather […]

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Oct 10

Dreaming of a Mountain Retirement

By Steven Smith | Financial Lifestyle , Life Transitions , Mountain Lifestyle , Peak Thoughts , Retirement , Wealth Management

Do the mountains call you for your dream retirement? Many people, including most of my clients, aspire to retire to the active lifestyle, fresh air and natural beauty of the Colorado mountains. What will it take to achieve that dream?  Here are some considerations for planning your mountain retirement: Follow Your Dream        […]

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Sep 20

Value Investing and Skiing May be The Key to Living Longer

By Steven Smith | Peak Thoughts , Uncategorized

A recent column entitled, Survivor Bias: Why Successful Value Investors Live Longer, mused on the apparent longevity of legendary value investors Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett. Today’s long suffering value investors, looking for a silver lining in the decade plus underperformance of value stocks, may find one in Munger’s quip that “professors, judges and value […]

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