Pension Maximization

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If you have worked for the government in Colorado, or worked anywhere in the United States for more than ten years, then congratulations, you have a pension! Pensions have been a staple of retirement planning and income for centuries, with the first corporate pension being established in 1875 by the company we now know as American Express. Even before American …

The Cost of Children

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As I’m sure you’re aware, the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade on Friday, overturning a 50-year precedent limiting the state’s ability to restrict access to abortion. Consequently, abortion has become outright illegal in 17 states, and is time-limited in 6 states, while a handful of others are undetermined. Regardless of the state you live in or your personal politics, …

The Environmental Disaster of Crypto

Daniel YergerFinancial Planning 3 Comments

Set up a camera in front of your home and start recording. Do this for two and a half months. When you’re done watch a sped-up time-lapse of the recording. Observe how often and for how long the lights are turned on at night. Watch the garage door roll up and down from time to time. See steam or smoke …

Paradoxical Financial Advice

Daniel YergerFinancial Planning 3 Comments

When I was in the Army, I attended a leadership course that included a land navigation assessment. Land navigation is the old-fashioned practice of using an accurate topographical map, plotting points on the map using coordinates, and physically traveling to those points. These courses would typically take 3-5 hours and be spread over a ten to twenty square-kilometer area, where …

ESG Products are Mostly Marketing

Daniel YergerFinancial Planning 3 Comments

In 2014 I was halfway through my graduate program in finance and I’d developed a habit that I think many of us can identify with: obsessively watching TED Talks. TED Talks started in the 80s but gained widespread attention as they started being shared online in 2006. Almost a decade later, I’d taken to the habit of getting a notification …

Man Versus Machine

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A recent study by Vanguard researchers, Dr. Paulo Costa, Ph.D., and Jane Henshaw, has been conducted on the differences in value between human financial planners and the digital advice offerings of “Robo-advisors,” such as Betterment and Wealthfront. The results of this study of man versus machine are stunning to say the least, not only because of its explicit findings in …

Allianz Scandal and Altruist Announcement

Daniel YergerAbout the Firm, Financial Planning 1 Comment

The Allianz Scandal Today the SEC announced that it had reached a settlement with Allianz to the tune of a billion-dollar fine and five billion dollars in restitution to victims of a fraudulent portfolio management scheme. In short, three of its senior portfolio managers had glossed over the potential risks of an options trading strategy that was sold to 114 …

Fee Debates Are Pointless

Daniel YergerFinancial Planning 1 Comment

When I started working on my Ph.D. back in 2020, the very first class was taught as a crash course in how to read research, understand the framework through which research was conducted, and to draft up a mock version of a study we’d like to perform. My excited first presentation during the culmination of the class was a study …

No One Is Happy With Taxes

Daniel YergerFinancial Planning 2 Comments

It has been a common remark over the past few years that taxes seem to have gotten tricky. Whether it be the complex kerfuffle of the child tax credits, the stimulus payments during the pandemic lockdowns, or simply never seeming to get your tax return check from the IRS, no one is happy with taxes as they stand today. However, …