This week we’re doing a technical breakdown of how the financial plan we reviewed on “The Science of Wealth” got to be so bad, and how much harm it actually causes for someone to be given a plan that is not adequately designed to their individual needs rather than being a sales pitch masquerading as a financial plan. If you …
A Risk Premium Approach to Retirement
It’s conventional wisdom in finance that, for those approaching or entering into retirement, a conservative portfolio is best. By “de-risking” the portfolio through a reduction in equity holdings and an increase in fixed income and cash equivalents, the portfolio’s general level of volatility (as measured by standard deviation) is expected to decline, and by mixing up the asset allocation to …
Service Model Updates
While we normally aim to provide largely educational content, sometimes the occasion arises that we need to do some direct “promotional educational content,” as is the case today. Specifically, we’ll be sharing some background on our services as they exist today, drivers for upcoming changes, and what you can expect to see in 2026. We’ll be back to our regular …
Book Review: The Wealth Ladder
Bottom line up front: I really want to like this book, but I can’t recommend it. 2 out of 5. So why? For some context, the author of “The Wealth Ladder: Proven Strategies for Every Step of Your Financial Life” Nick Maggiulli, wrote one of my favorite books on investing, “Just Keep Buying,” back in 2022. That book did a …
Preparing for the Warranty Expiration
When I was in my initial training, licensing, and education as a financial advisor, there was a requirement in the state of Colorado that you complete a specific licensing course for the sale of long term care insurance. The instructor, an insurance brokerage executive who had been in the long term care insurance game so long that he’d literally driven …
How to Recognize Products Are the Plan
It’s not uncommon that we find ourselves in the awkward profession of critiquing someone else’s work in the world of financial planning. Mind you, we’re seldom put in a position to review a comprehensive financial plan crafted by a fiduciary CFP® Professional using advanced planning software, and that was clearly crafted for this particular client with love and care. Rather, …
Commonplace Mistakes Made with Confidence
In a recent conversation between two major figures in the financial planning world (Carl Richards & Michael Kitces), a poignant analogy was made: “Are we not simply guides through an ever-changing landscape?” The context made herein was that of someone who had just returned from skiing in avalanche country, and the overconfidence they might display in the face of being …
Politely, Please Don’t Compare
It’s not an infrequent question: “Why should we work with you instead of ______________?” Everything in that question is a good question other than the ______________ part. It’s the ______________ part that actually bothers me the most. You see, it makes sense to ask the question of how your financial planner is different, or why when you engage in what …
The Tax Impacts of a Singularly Yuge Statute
Pardon the parody, but I’ve read a thousand “what’s in the big beautiful bill” headlines in the last few days, and I had to give myself some mental respite. But, as the header implies, this week we’re reviewing the tax ramifications of the “one big beautiful bill” passed by Congress last week, as well as a few “trivia items” buried …
Good “Corporate” Citizenship
Last year, we were pleased to announce that we’d become Longmont’s first Certified B Corp, and today, the only local B Corp located in Longmont (we do have a neighboring B Corp headquartered out of state). Now, we’re not the only one in Boulder County nor the entire state of Colorado, but the announcement last year was certification as proof …