Quarterly Client Letter: Q1 2024
Therefore, we are prepared for a very broad range of interest rates, from 2% to 8% or even more, with equally wide-ranging economic outcomes — from strong economic growth with moderate inflation (in this case, higher interest rates would result from higher demand for capital) to a recession with inflation; i.e., stagflation. Jamie Dimon, Chairman…
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Medicare & Social Security: Changes for 2023
The new Medicare premiums and Social Security cost of living adjustments (COLAs) have been announced. To learn about the updates, please continue reading below: Medicare Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period — which runs from October 15 through December 7 — is your annual opportunity to switch your current Medicare health and prescription drug plans to ones…
Quarterly Client Letter: Q3 2022
We have to get supply and demand back into alignment and the way we do that is by slowing the economy. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell 09/21/22 Press Conference The Stock Market and Speculation Deflation The stock market closed the 3rd quarter at the low for the year. As measured by the S&P 500 (with…
CHIPS+ in Semiconductor Supply Chains
In light of the passage of the CHIPS+ act and recent news about tensions between China and Taiwan, I’d like to shed some light on microchip manufacturing trends in the US and around the world. The strength of the semiconductor supply chain is a national security issue akin to ensuring a strong US energy supply.…
Inflation Reduction Act: What You Should Know
The Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law on August 16, 2022, includes many initiatives such as healthcare and energy-related provisions. Below are some of the key points that you should be aware of: Medicare The legislation authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate Medicare prices for certain high-priced, single-source drugs.…
529 Plans in a Covid World
Its widely understood that 529 plans are tax-advantaged education savings vehicles and that there are two types of 529 plans — savings plans and prepaid tuition plans. The tax advantages of each are the same, but the account features are very different. While much of this seems to be known about 529 plans, the pandemic…
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…
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…