Mountain Money Blog

Regaling the Donor Advised Fund – The Swiss Army Knife of Charitable Giving

By Steven Smith | November 6, 2018

Nothing sharpens the mind like a deadline. Sometime around Halloween, when we have a couple of months left in the year, we begin to think in earnest about our charitable giving. On account of the charitable contribution deduction on Schedule A of the 1040 individual income tax return, many taxpayers scramble to complete their charitable […]

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

By Steven Smith | October 29, 2018

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 […]

3rd Quarter Client Note – Yield Curve Ball

By Steven Smith | October 11, 2018

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 […]

Is Cryptocurrency the Future of Real Estate?

By Steven Smith | September 20, 2018

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 […]

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

By Steven Smith | September 7, 2018

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 […]

Do We Face a Retirement Crisis?

By Steven Smith | August 10, 2018

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 […]

2nd Quarter Client Note – Fed Up With Rising Rates

By Steven Smith | July 11, 2018

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 […]

1st Quarter Client Note – Volatility Emerges

By Steven Smith | April 10, 2018

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 […]

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

By Steven Smith | January 14, 2018

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 […]

The Incomparable Virtues of Goals Based Planning

By Steven Smith | December 21, 2017

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 […]

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