By Steven Smith | Waypoints
There are decades when nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time I have quoted Vladimir Lenin in a client note. And probably the last. A great deal has indeed happened since my first post on the coronavirus pandemic, when the implications were just beginning to emerge. The public health implications […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Waypoints
While it may seem morbid, now, during the Covid-19 outbreak, is the time to make sure the estate and disability plans for you and other members of your family are in order. Especially if you or your parents are over 60. These documents typically include: Wills, Living Trusts, Financial and Medical Powers of Attorney and […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Waypoints
The S&P 500 (Total Return) Index gained 9.07% in 2019’s final quarter. Bringing the advance for the year to 31.49% — and for the decade, to an average annual 13.56%. (And yet, all anybody wants to talk about is how poorly their bonds are performing. The Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index eked out a […]
Continue readingBy 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 […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Peak Thoughts , Uncategorized
One of the great influences in my practice has been Larry Swedroe. (Another, of course, was the late John Bogle). Fifteen years ago, I started this practice by giving away copies of one of Larry’s first books, The Successful Investor Today, 14 Simple Truths You Must Know When You Invest (St. Martin’s Press 2003). (I […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Peak Thoughts , Uncategorized
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs… Rudyard Kipling, from the poem If, circa 1895 We will forever be debating the causes of the 2008 financial crisis and the government’s attempts to minimize its effects. But the worst modern bear market other than the one caused by the Great […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Investment Management , Meanderings , Uncategorized
Has it really been ten years? One of the low lights indelibly associated with the Great Recession of 2008 was the discovery and unraveling of Bernie Madoff’s massive Ponzi scheme. It feels like only yesterday that I wrote about that almost incomprehensible fiasco in real time. But the journalist Erin Arvedlund wrote the book on […]
Continue readingBy 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 […]
Continue readingBy 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 […]
Continue readingBy 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 […]
Continue reading