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Talk’s not cheap when it comes to family money
Money used to be a taboo topic—one that past generations would never dream of discussing with their children, let alone their grandchildren or other potential heirs. Today, the mindset is […]
Did Ben just kill the bull market?
The massive bond-buying program was implemented to stimulate the weak economy. The Fed wouldn’t entertain the idea of taking its foot off the gas pedal if the economy was still weak. This year, many economic signals have shown that the economy is recovering.
Executive edge: John Ikard
Thirty-two years ago – fresh out of Colorado State University with a degree in psychology – John Ikard answered a newspaper ad for a job in banking. “I thought I’d do it for a year or so,” said Ikard, who would never leave his first employer and in 1999 would be named president and CEO of Lakewood...
Have more, pay more
The business of investment advice is a strange one. The leading model of advisor fees results in high net worth investors paying high fees simply based on their ability to pay and not related to the services they receive. An investor with $5 million who meets with his advisor once a year will pay...
Create a portfolio with airbags
I recently invited foreign policy expert, Peter Brookes, to Denver to speak about flashpoints, hot spots and other challenges to international stability and security. Brookes, a Senior Fellow for National […]
Creative compensation
Startups with limited cash resources must come up with alternative but meaningful forms of compensation, such as more time off, unusual perks and progressive work environments.There's another popular form of deferred compensation: stock options.
Do-it-yourself investing
DIY investors often do not have a written, well-defined investment plan. A good investment plan includes strategies for both bull and bear markets. The plan should include strategies for obtaining risk-adjusted returns that meet or exceed the investor’s expectations over a complete market cycle...
Paying for health care
Recent media stories illuminating the wide variation in hospital rates for the same service points to a well-known problem in the health care industry. Hospitals almost always charge employers much more than they get from Medicare. The result is that costs get shifted to employers through health...
Is the market over-valued?
There are thousands of opinions on this. Most fall under two camps: bullish or bearish. Some of the more famous bears, like Robert Schiller, with his Schiller PE Ratio, would say that this market is over-valued. The optimists would say we are beneath historic valuations, and the market is fairly v...
More on trusted advisors versus rubber stamps
(Editor’s note: This is the second of two parts. Read Part 1.) As a young lawyer, I often heard the phrase, “That is a business issue.” That meant it wasn’t […]
Six attributes of the best HSAs
Consumer-directed health care plans partnered with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) continue to gain popularity as a cost-effective option for both employers and individuals. However, picking the right HSA provider is […]
Alphabet soup investing
There are thousands and thousands of acronyms floating around. New ones are cooked up on a daily basis. Here are a few of my favorite recipes from the investment community. […]
