Pyle: Avoid knee-jerk reaction during health, financial crisis
T he COVID-19 pandemic has left people throughout the country feeling stressed and uncertain about their health and financial well-being. Worrisome headlines, escalating infection rates, confusing recommendations, and the increasing death toll underscore the volatility and complexity of the issue. Then, of course, there are the personal circumstances that each person must contend with — … Continued
Pyle: Avoid knee-jerk reactions to markets
The COVID-19 pandemic has left people throughout the country feeling stressed and uncertain about their health and financial well-being. Worrisome headlines, escalating infection rates, confusing recommendations, and the increasing death toll underscore the volatility and complexity of the issue. Then, of course, there are the personal circumstances that each person must contend with — health … Continued
Are private offerings really a good deal?
Since the financial crisis of 2007-2008, the U.S. stock market has been booming. The S&P 500 more than tripled from 2009 to 2017, and was hitting all-time highs as recently as January. During bull markets like this, investors may be tempted to pile into risky investments in search of even more gains. One area performance-hungry … Continued
Is real estate investing right for your temperament?
The hot real estate market in Boulder and Denver has generated a lot of interest from investors who wonder whether they should get in on the real estate action instead of investing in the stock market. I don’t blame people for wondering. Through both the popular press and word of mouth, success stories abound, suggesting … Continued
Investors shouldn’t take path of least resistance
Sometimes the path of least resistance is a good choice. For example, say you’re dining out with friends and you’ve agreed to split the check. Life’s too short, and hopefully the conversation has been too engaging to start fussing over a few dollars. Go 50/50, and be done with it. But what if the financial … Continued
Cash-balance plans offer break to small-business owners
Are you a small, highly profitable business owner looking for ways to reduce your current taxes and/or dramatically step up your tax-sheltered retirement savings? If so, a cash-balance plan may be worth looking into for your company. A cash-balance plan is a retirement savings vehicle, crafted with the small-business owner in mind. When combined with … Continued
Funds’ survivorship bias worse than you think
Survivorship bias is a problem with the way mutual-fund returns are reported. Funds that are liquidated or merged into other funds are eliminated from the averages. Only the surviving funds are included when the aggregate returns are reported by the mutual-fund reporting services or the newspapers. Understanding survivorship bias is important because it overstates the … Continued
How much does that “free” financial advice really cost?
Today’s investor is faced with so much fear caused by political uncertainty, media hype and the quagmire of the financial world. This tends to lead many potential investors to inaction and/or attempting to manage their finances themselves with the intent of saving money and protecting their assets from the Bernie Madoff’s of the world. If … Continued
Take time for estate planning, protecting earning power
Too often, life gets in the way of our best intentions — especially for busy corporate executives or small-business owners. Time constraints of work and family and the distractions of the great outdoors of Colorado can let some important tasks fall through the cracks. Small-business owners often find themselves overwhelmed with day-to-day operations of their … Continued
New year’s resolutions for your financial health
With all the holiday preparations, you might not have had time to think about your end-of-the year finances. That’s OK, because financial folks have come up with some tips that aim to make you more healthy, wealthy and wise in the new year. With stock market gains in the 25 percent to 30 percent range … Continued
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