Mountain Money Blog - Page 2 of 9 - Rightpath Investments & Financial Planning, Inc.

Oct 29

Where are you on the Spectrum of Financial Dependence and Independence?

By Steven Smith | Financial Lifestyle , Meanderings , Uncategorized

Where are you on the Spectrum of Financial Dependence and Independence? (H/T to financial planning guru Michael Kitces for including this article by Morgan Housel in his October 19, Weekly Reading for Financial Planners.) Continuums I love continuums. Or is it contiua? You’ve seen a million of them. They are generally represented graphically, in an […]

Oct 11

3rd Quarter Client Note – Yield Curve Ball

By Steven Smith | Investment Management , Waypoints

The S & P 500 (total return) Index experienced its best quarter in five years, rising 7.2%. (Of course, things happen so fast, that as of this writing the S&P 500 has fallen almost 4.5% in the first nine days of the third quarter; led largely by falling technology stocks and possibly attributed to the […]

Sep 20

Is Cryptocurrency the Future of Real Estate?

By Steven Smith | Financial News , Meanderings , Money

A couple of forward-thinking real estate professionals in Boulder are prognosticating that the blockchain technology and Bitcoin – the most popular form of digital currency – will revolutionize real estate transactions, the Boulder Daily Camera reports. And they may be right. At least in part. Jim Merrion, a Boulder realtor, claims to have promoted Colorado’s […]

Sep 07

Fidelity’s Zero Cost Index Funds – Much Ado About Nothing?

By Steven Smith | Investment Management , Meanderings , Wealth Management

On August 1, 2018, Fidelity Investments, by introducing two zero-management fee index funds, seemingly fired a shot across the bow of the 18th century vessel that is Vanguard’s vaunted logo. For over forty years, Vanguard, the shareholder-owned behemoth has led the way in reducing the cost of investing to a level approaching zero. The Admiral […]

Aug 10

Do We Face a Retirement Crisis?

By Steven Smith | Financial Lifestyle , Meanderings , Retirement

In an article in Advisor Perspectives, actuary, financial planner and retirement researcher Joe Tomlinson delves into the question: Do We Face a Retirement Crisis? The “we” Tomlinson refers to is American society as a whole. His conclusion is that the “crisis” for the current generation of retirees is a bit overblown, but the future looks […]

Jul 11

2nd Quarter Client Note – Fed Up With Rising Rates

By Steven Smith | Investment Management , Money , News , Newsletters

The S & P 500 (total return) Index bounced back from its first quarter (.75%) loss, rising 3.43% in the second quarter. But US stocks were the lone wolf; with virtually all other major asset classes falling. The MSCI World (ex USA) Index fell 2.61%, while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index dropped 7.96%. After being […]

Apr 10

1st Quarter Client Note – Volatility Emerges

By Steven Smith | Financial News , Investment Management , Money , Newsletters

It was nice while it lasted. The S & P 500 (total return) Index fell .75%, its first quarterly loss since the third quarter of 2015. Some asset classes, of course, fared a bit better, with the small-cap Russell 2000 Index down .08%. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index gained 1.42%. Others performed worse. The MSCI […]

Jan 14

4th Quarter Client Note – Preparing for an Inevitable Bear Market

By Steven Smith | Financial Lifestyle , Financial News , Investment Management , Newsletters

Global equity markets defied predictions – and perhaps even gravity – in 2017. The S & P 500 (total return) index increased 21.83%, landing in the top third best performances in its history. Foreign markets, buoyed by a falling dollar, performed even better. The MSCI World ex USA (net dividends) Index gained 24.21%. The MSCI […]

Dec 21

The Incomparable Virtues of Goals Based Planning

By Steven Smith | Financial Lifestyle , Meanderings , Wealth Management

One of my standard cocktail party questions when conversing with investors is: How much are you trying to earn with your investments? A typical response is: As much as I can. Then I follow up with: Well, how will you know when you’ve done that? – I often get a blank stare. These are of […]

Dec 20

Tax Cut and Jobs Act, HR 1 – What it Means

By Steven Smith | Financial Planning , Peak Thoughts , Tax Planning , Waypoints , Wealth Management

As of this writing the new tax bill hasn’t yet been signed by the President. But it already seems to have been sealed and delivered. So at the slight risk of being too fast out the gate, here is a summary of the vast new law which goes into effect on January 1, 2018 – […]

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