The Triple Tax-Advantaged HSA
The Triple Tax-Advantaged Medical Savings Plan – Too Good to Be True? A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a tax-advantaged account that must be paired with a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). To maximize tax benefits HSA funds are used to pay for qualified medical expenses, including things like prescription drugs, eyeglasses, deductibles, and co-payments. HSA…
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The Macro Mood
The Macro Mood Even before Russia invaded Ukraine, inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) was touching levels not seen in the U.S. since the early 1980s. While most people have and will continue to be hit by rising prices, at the start of the year I was anticipating that decelerating economic growth, easing…
Homeowners Insurance Update
Homeowners Insurance In seeing firsthand the recent Marshall fire that completely destroyed over 1000 homes in Boulder County and left smoke and wind damage for thousands more, many homeowners in this county and in many other disaster areas are finding that that the potential for catastrophic loss (especially from climate/weather related events) is much higher…
Stocks Don’t Always Go Up
On December 27, 1999, Microsoft closed the day at $59.56 per share (split-adjusted). When the dot-com bubble burst in the ensuing months, it ultimately took 17 years (until October of 2016) for Microsoft’s stock price to regain the high from 1999. At that fateful peak in 1999, shares in the enterprise software behemoth traded hands…
Key Updates About RMDs
Key Updates About Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) What are RMDs? Once you reach age 72 (formerly age 70 ½ before the SECURE Act was passed in 2019), you are required to take minimum distributions from your traditional IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, SEP IRAs, Solo 401(k)s and most other employer-sponsored retirement plans. (RMDs are not required from…
Where Does the Market Go From Here?
Where Does the Market Go From Here? Wall Street strategists, economists, and market gurus are in the process of sharpening their pencils and publishing market forecasts for 2022. These forecasts often include year-ahead price targets on major indices like the S&P 500. Forecasting short-term market returns is a futile exercise and we would recommend that…
The Price Is Never Right
“We must look at the price system as such a mechanism for communicating information if we want to understand its real function…” F.A. Hayek, The Use of Knowledge in Society The word “inflation” is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Aggressive monetary and fiscal policy interventions in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and an unprecedented…
Money, Credit & Crypto
Money, Credit & Crypto Money has taken on innumerable forms throughout history. Whether it’s been salt, tea, spices, rice, potatoes, bullion, bank notes, or even cigarettes, humans have used an impressive array of commodities and conventions to engage in trade and track the exchange of value across time and space. As standard economic history would…
A Window into the Economic Recovery
A Window into the Economic Recovery It can be instructive to zoom in on a business and use “micro” economic data to take a pulse on broader “macro” economic trends. We own one business in our model portfolio* – Visa – that provides a particularly interesting view into global economic activity by using this framework.…
8 Ways to Protect Your Information Online
In this day and age, it is crucial to ensure you are doing your part to protect your information online. Criminals are constantly trying to uncover ways to obtain private and sensitive account information. While most companies, including Peak, have their own due diligence to protect your information, online security is a two-way street that…
Stock Review: VMware
“There is no doubt that the cloud is one of the most significant platform shifts in the history of computing… However, as industry experience with the cloud matures — and we see a more complete picture of cloud lifecycle on a company’s economics — it’s becoming evident that while cloud clearly delivers on its promise early on…
ESG Investing: The Peak Perspective
ESG Investing: The Peak Perspective We believe the rising popularity of ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) investing strategies creates additional opportunities to have honest conversations with our clients about their financial goals and the strategies that are available to achieve those goals. While it is indeed a worthy endeavor to align an investment strategy with one’s…
Looking to the Past and Investing in the Future
27 years have passed since Peak opened for business in 1994. Over that time, we have worked diligently to earn our clients’ trust and make a positive impact on their lives. Yet despite that deep history and the client relationships that have now turned into lifelong partnerships and friendships, at times we feel like we…