3 Funny Memes About the Stock Market
Do we have to be serious all the time about investments? Here’s hoping that even when stocks and bonds go down, a sense of humor can keep us from making emotional trading mistakes.
Roth Conversions: Critically Important or Financial Noise?
I’ll make this quick: Roth Conversions for people entering retirement are often not the best idea, despite what you read in (numerous, unending, relentless) articles in financial media. Yes, some of you may have outsized buckets of tax-deferred money, which means you did a great job saving in tax-deferred retirement accounts when that was the…
Part 2 – Explaining the Difficulty of Using Probability of Success to Apply to Your Spending
Waaayyyy back in the day, when I worked for a large discount brokerage that shall remain unnamed, but was headquartered in Boston, and still shall remain unnamed, management introduced a groundbreaking new software called the Retirement Income Planner. The irony that our new offering for those transitioning to retirement was called R.I.P. was not lost…
Monte Carlo Simulations Explained – and Debunked (?)
Have you ever wondered why your financial advisor describes your retirement readiness in terms of a known gambling mecca? Is he or she so uncertain of their advice, that they are actually saying it’s all just a crap shoot? It might help to explain the progression of retirement projection techniques by giving a little history.…
Why is Finding a Job so Hard?
It feels like a tale of two economies out there. On the one hand, headlines talk of lower unemployment claims and plenty of job openings. On the other hand, clients from experienced professionals to my teenaged kids are sending out 100 resumes and barely getting a look. What is up? Here are some insights: Economic…
Wise Words from the Oracle
The Oracle is not me. It’s always good to hear wise words from someone who has been there and done that. When world news seems ever more dire, you may be wondering how to handle your investments in the face of uncertainty. Who better than Warren Buffett to soothe our collective worried brow? Here are…
What is Long Term Investing, anyway?
A huge red flag when I’m talking to potential new clients is when they are upset at their current advisor about their returns. Especially when I hear things like, “I’ve been with this guy 2 whole years and haven’t made any money.” Two years? That’s a blip in time in an investor’s return history. As…
Anchors Aweigh
This month, I am going to rudely interrupt your sunny summer activities with a reminder that financial storms can always happen. However, to build emotional resilience against investment losses, it’s good to exercise your “I can ignore it and not make bad investment decision” muscle before you need to use it. When calculating financial projections…
Summer Plans Around Colorado
It’s the time of year where summer plans are top of mind. Here are three reasonably affordable Colorado hot weather activities – whether you live here (as many of my readers do), or are drawn to the state for the beauty and climate. Visit Ouray, CO! Men’s Journal recently named the Southern Colorado town of…
How Hard is it to Go Back to Work?
A client math problem that I often work on goes something like this: Jeff and Mandy have a baby. Mandy just got a much deserved promotion with a fat raise and is eager to continue building on her career success. Jeff would be happy to stay home and take care of sweet baby Slayer (Jeff…
