Economic Tug of War
Economic Tug of War On Wednesday August 10th, the stock market rallied on news that inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), may be starting to cool down. The YoY increase in CPI for July of 8.5% was down from the 9.1% print for June, a welcome change in direction and a lower…
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Document Retention: The Do’s and Don’ts
Document Retention: The Do’s and Don’ts We receive a lot of questions from our clients here at Peak about what documents need to be kept, for how long and in what format. While every person’s situation is unique, we hope this blog post provides some helpful guidelines for you. The task of reviewing your household…
Stock Review: Booking Holdings
Stock Review: Booking Holdings Broad stock market indices have been under pressure through the first half of 2022. As the indices slide (see the chart below), we often look to our individual stock holdings for clarity and confidence in our long-term allocations to risk assets. Directly owning businesses with strong balance sheets and healthy free…
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…
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…