Our team of eight CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professionals author many articles and volunteer their expertise to educational and non-profit organizations.
- February, 2013
Global Growth - Myth or Reality, Eileen Sharkey
- September, 2012
Economic Outlook, Dr. Richard Wobbekind, Economist
- July, 2012
Fire/Emergency Evacuation Plan
- June, 2012
Fiduciary Difference Video: Compares Butchers and Dieticians
- October, 2011
How Long Will These Rough Waters Last? Richard Wobbekind, Economist
- September, 2011
Eileen Sharkey teaching Fall Course at Academy of Lifelong Learning
- August, 2011
Market Updates
- July, 2011
Debt Ceiling Jitters
- March, 2011
The Japanese Tsunami
- February, 2011
Now Hiring: Client Service Rep
- December, 2010
The Fiduciary Difference By Mimi N. Hackley, MPH, CFP®
- November, 2010
Actions to Take to Minimize Your Taxes, By Mimi N. Hackley, MPH, CFP®
- September, 2010
2011 Economic Outlook, Dr. Richard Wobbekind
- August, 2010
Save More with Year-Round Tax Tips, By Mimi N. Hackley, MPH, CFP®
- July, 2010
The Fears are Overblown, By Lawrence E. Howes, MBA, CFP®
- June, 2010
4-Step Recovery From the Economic Storm, Mimi N. Hackley, MPH, CFP®
- April, 2010
HEALTH CARE REFORM TAX PROVISIONS, Robert Keebler, CPA
- March 2010
Increase Retirement Savings with a Roth IRA, Scott Brookes, AIF®
Crystal Ball Cloudy on Estate Taxes
- February 2010
Combat Higher Taxes with Employer Retirement Plans
- January 2010
New Rules for Roth IRAs Is a Roth Conversion Right For You?
- November 2009
2009 Tax Incentives
- October 2009
Is Now The Time To Get Back Into The Stock Market?
- September 2009
Sandbags and other distractions
- July 2009
Fear and Inflation
- May 2009
Be Careful When Rebalancing Your Portfolio
- June 2009
This is Market Abuse
Are your employees worried about your 401K? Should you be?
- April 2009
It's all up to somebody
- March 2009
Spoil the Child
Getting a Loan in 2009 - More Difficult, but not Impossible
A new leaf
Are your employees worried about your 401K? Should you be?
- June 2008
The Rest of 2008
Following the Decline of the Dollar
- May 2008
A May December Retirement Plan
- March 2008
Why Keep All Those Papers?
Tax Smart Saving: A New Alternative
Market Confidence in 2008
Articles
How Long Will These Rough Waters Last? Richard Wobbekind, Economist
October, 2011
Presentation by Dr. Richard Wobbekind, Executive Director, Business Research Division, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Leeds School of Business.
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Eileen Sharkey teaching Fall Course at Academy of
Lifelong Learning
September, 2011
Interested in brushing up your money management skills or learning how to survive and thrive in this new economy? Consider enrolling in Eileen Sharkey’s 6-week course at the Academy of Lifelong Learning.
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Market Updates
August, 2011
In our recent (Debt Ceiling Jitters) letter, we were confident that the debt ceiling would be raised thereby reducing some of the economic uncertainty in the markets, yet uncertainty has flourished instead. There still exists a temporary loss of faith in the ability of the world’s policy makers to revive the global economy and stave off a rolling debt crisis in Europe (as well as the U.S.) which is being reflected by the markets.
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Debt Ceiling Jitters
July, 2011
We have received questions from clients and friends in the past few days about the debt ceiling, and the serious possible effects a default could have on the US and world markets, and on individual investment portfolios.
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The Japanese Tsunami
March, 2011
The disaster in Japan is tragic and its impact will be far reaching. We are monitoring its potential effects
on our client’s portfolios. Prior to the earthquake the stock markets had started to decline and we
believe we are seeing an acceleration of a correction that was already in progress.
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Now Hiring: Client Service Rep
February, 2011
Sharkey Howes & Javer, Denver, CO
Now Hiring: Client Service Representative
Full Time - Experienced
Seeking detail oriented professional dedicated to stellar client service. Client Service position handling all aspect of new clients including input of client data into CRM, preparing & processing applications, transfers and all other related paperwork. Assist in answering phone and communications with clients.
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Financial Resolutions You Can Keep
January, 2011
By Scott Brookes, AIF®, and By Mimi N. Hackley, MPH, CFP®,
We know that the best New Year’s resolutions are the ones that are easiest to keep. Instead of worrying about what to “give upâ€Â, how about resolving to “change your habits†regarding money. This resolution can be liberating by positioning you for better growth opportunities and helping you free up money that you can proudly save.
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The Fiduciary Difference
December, 2010
By Mimi N. Hackley, MPH, CFP®,
The Fiduciary Difference
In the wake of the recent market correction a move is being pushed to require all financial advisors to act as a fiduciary (this is currently being hotly debated by the financial regulatory agencies). A fiduciary always acts in good faith and in the best interest of the client and discloses any conflicts of interest.
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Actions to Take to Minimize Your Taxes
November, 2010
By Mimi N. Hackley, MPH, CFP®,
Take advantage of the following opportunities now to help minimize your taxes.
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2011 Economic Outlook
September, 2010
By Dr. Richard Wobbekind
Is the storm moving out? A presentation by Dr. Richard Wobbekind.
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Save More with Year-Round Tax Tips
August, 2010
By Mimi N. Hackley, MPH, CFP®
Be Proactive! It’s easy to become paralyzed when the markets and economy are roiling, then look back later and say “I should haveâ€Â. Yet, one of the best things you can do in difficult markets is take advantage of any and all opportunities that present themselves. The following are steps you can take in 2010 to keep more of your money.
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The Fears are Overblown
July, 2010
By Lawrence E. Howes, MBA, CFP®
Fear has once again given the stock market a real thrashing. The US economy went through a rough patch in May and it shook some investors right down to their skivvies. That old specter of a double-dip recession surfaced its ugly head again and many fled the markets to protect home and hearth. A post-mortem of the situation tells me that some investors fear the government has not put enough stimulus into the system to effectively grease the wheels of capitalism. After all, in times of economic turmoil, it is the Government that is suppose to support the economy until the rest of us feel like spending again. So what is the Government doing?
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4-Step Recovery From the Economic Storm
June, 2010
By Mimi N. Hackley, MPH, CFP®
The economy hurt your business. The market hurt your portfolio. You didn’t do
anything wrong. Now, what should you do right to move your financial future forward?
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April, 2010
By Robert Keebler, CPA
2010 Healthcare Reconciliation Bill Tax Provisions
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Increase Retirement Savings with a Roth IRA
March, 2010
By Scott Brookes, AIF®
The Roth IRA conversion rules changed in 2010. Before this year, taxpayers with adjusted gross income greater than $100,000 were not eligible to make a Roth IRA
conversion. The new rules eliminate that income limit, now allowing anyone to convert.
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Crystal Ball Cloudy on Estate Taxes
March, 2010
By Eileen Sharkey, principal Sharkey, Howes & Javer,
Denver-based financial planning firm
Q: Will Congress resolve the limbo over the estate tax, which went away this year but is scheduled to come back next year on estates worth $1 million and up?
A: Everybody was convinced last year that congress would act and wouldn’t let the estate tax expire and give everybody who died in 2010 a free ride. There is a fair amount of uncertainty. Once school of thought says they will reintroduce it with the $3.5 million exemption that was there last year. There are those who say they will let quietly die and we will have the $1 million exemption.
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Combat Higher Taxes with Employer Retirement Plans
February, 2010
By Mimi N. Hackley, MPH, CFP®, Sharkey, Howes & Javer
Worried about higher taxes? You’re not alone. Many high-earning business owners expect the next decade or so to be a high tax environment. So much so, that they are looking for ways to shield more current income from Federal and State taxation. Establishing one or more Employer Retirement Plans may be a cost-effective solution. Is such a plan the best move for you?
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New Rules for Roth IRAs Is a Roth Conversion Right For You?
January, 2010
By Mimi N. Hackley, MPH, CFP®
A little background: Money that you have in a traditional IRA can be converted to a Roth IRA. This is accomplished by paying the income taxes on the converted amount now. Paying the taxes now might seem contrary to conventional wisdom, however, there are many advantages to a Roth IRA. For example, the money grows tax-free, meaning you won’t be taxed on any future qualified distributions from the account regardless of how much it has grown. Also, since you’ve already paid taxes on the amount you contributed or converted, the government won’t benefit when you take distributions, therefore it doesn’t require you to take distributions at age 70 ½ or thereafter.
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2009 Tax Incentives
November, 2009
2009 Tax Incentives for Individuals – Check with your tax advisor about the following 5 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009 tax incentives:
- First-time homebuyer $8,000 tax credit extended to April 30, 2010 and expanded to include a maximum $6,500 tax credit for existing homeowners who want to purchase a new home, however, they need to have lived in their current home for five consecutive years within the past eight years. The level of qualifying income has also been expanded, allowing individual taxpayers who make up to $125,000 and joint filers earning up to $225,000 to qualify.
- New vehicle purchase incentive
– Qualifying taxpayers can deduct the state and
local sales and excise taxes paid on the
purchase of new cars, light trucks, motor homes
and motorcycles. The deduction per vehicle is
limited to the tax on up to $49,500 of the
purchase price of each qualifying vehicle and
phases out for tax payers at higher income
levels.
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Is Now The Time To Get Back Into The Stock Market?
October, 2009
By Scott Brookes, AIF®
Many individuals bailed out of stocks and mutual funds late last year in a panic and now are having a bit of seller’s remorse. The real questions are: How much exposure should you have to the stock market in the first place? How can you choose the right course of action with a market you just don’t trust? Here is our advice:
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Sandbags and other distractions
September, 2009
By Lawrence E. Howes, MBA, CFP®
The past several months in the stock market has rewarded investors with some good numbers. From March 9th to the end of August, the S&P 500 was up 52.3%. Not bad market performance for an economy that was predicted by some to revert to bartering for soap and toilet paper. Alas, returning to the dark ages was not to be and those filling sandbags and preparing for riots in the streets are still waiting.
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Fear and Inflation
July, 2009
By: Lawrence E. Howes, MBA, CFP®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
This recovery, as it continues to take shape, is showing some similarities to many other market recoveries that we have seen. Granted, market recoveries are unique to be sure, nevertheless all recoveries tend to wander down some of the same roads. We have been buying in this curious market since December 2008, and it is clear to us that prices have been really cheap for companies worldwide and there are still bargains out there if you are willing to look. However today, the markets seem to be focused more on investor fear than what opportunities are most prevalent going forward. Opportunities are where new wealth is created and where we will recoup our portfolio loses, but basic investor fear is still a commanding force.
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Be Careful When Rebalancing Your Portfolio
July, 2009
By Mimi N. Hackley, MBA, CFP®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
Severe market volatility may cause even the most experienced investors to make extreme investment decisions. As the market spiraled downward in late 2008 and 2009, many investors watched their stock and bond positions shrink with the market until they could no longer stand the shrinkage, at which point they ran for safety at exactly the wrong time.
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This is Market Abuse
July, 2009
By: Lawrence E. Howes, MBA, CFP®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
Everyone has been burned, disappointed, appalled, and generally tested to their limits during this gruesome market correction. I have seen more pain on peoples’ faces than from any of the corrections I have experienced in 29 years of managing money. However, the markets are showing signs of recovery and although we are not out of the woods yet, we are moving closer to better times.
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Are your employees worried about your 401K? Should you be?
July, 2009
By: Scott Brookes
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
As many plan participants are growing increasingly despondent about their retirement plan’s investment returns, many practices are re-assessing the investment options available to their employees. As year-end statements land in many mailboxes this month, far more individuals have decided to become more conservative during these turbulent days in the stock market.
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It’s all up to somebody
July, 2009
By: Lawrence E. Howes, MBA, CFP®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
So far the second quarter has offered weary portfolios some long overdue sunshine and warmth. The market was up 20% or so in April, and there should be some clear direction here shortly, with perhaps just a hint of how and where we can start to recoup a bunch of lost money. This anticipated growth in the markets suggests that a budding market recovery of some kind is in the works. On a note of caution, there is nothing predictable about the returns from recoveries or even the length of them, however corrections are replaced by recoveries and this recovery is starting to take shape
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Spoil the child
March, 2009
By: Lawrence E. Howes, MBA, CFP®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
We have all seen those snot-nosed kids who do a great job embarrassing
their wretched parents or more prophetically, grandparents, by shrieking
and kicking at said guardian over the denial of some toy or treat. The
noise is extreme and the pain, for all of the adults involved, is
immense. Many of us who have been around awhile usually conclude that
the child needs to learn how to behave and naturally blame the poor
victim, of the abuse, for the problem in the first place. The parallels
of the spoiled child and the current investment environment are
profound.
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Getting a Loan in 2009 - More Difficult, but not Impossible
March, 2009
By Mimi N. Hackley, MBA, CFP®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
Due to the credit crunch, lenders are much slower and cautious about making loans for homes, cars, appliances, equipment and businesses. Without a substantial down payment and excellent credit you may have to wait longer to make those purchases you’ve been eyeing.
In late 2008, Fair Isaac Corp’s best FICO score range was 760-850; a fairly achievable range up until now. However, the way Fair Isaac Corp. computes its credit scores is slated to change. One of the significant changes will be a heavier negative weight on credit utilization – the ratio of your outstanding balance to the borrowing limit of each of your accounts. It is recommended that you keep your outstanding balance in each account to 50% or less of the available credit line.
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A New Leaf
March, 2009
By Lawrence E. Howes, MBA, CFP®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
Looking back on 2008, from a strictly investment perspective, it is reasonable to conclude that it was not a very good year. On top of some pretty dismal returns in the stock market, it brought to many people what is tantamount to a swift whack in the back of the head with a shovel. In fact to some the use of a shovel would have been the kinder alternative.
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Are your employees worried about your 401K? Should you be?
March, 2009
By Scott Brookes
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
As many plan participants are growing increasingly despondent about their retirement plan’s investment returns, many practices are re-assessing the investment options available to their employees. As year-end statements land in many mailboxes this month, far more individuals have decided to become more conservative during these turbulent days in the stock market.
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Calling the Bottom
July, 2008
By Lawrence E. Howes, MBA, CFP®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
I am going on record this time by espousing that the middle of July could have been
a bottoming or the actual bottom of the S&P 500, for this market cycle. Maybe. The
generally ignored event I refer to was the "$SPX" (the large-cap index) hit 1200.04
or so and then promptly bounced back propelling a pretty good rally. The bounce
was attributed to the price of oil dropping below $130 for the "first time in months"
by the reporting media. They don’t really know of course, but it sounded good and
for whatever reason the market did recover and it recovered with some resolve.
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The Rest of 2008
June, 2008
By Lawrence E. Howes, MBA, CFP®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
If you are an investor who really follows the markets I don't have to remind you
that so far 2008 has not been boring. Since October 2007, the S&P 500 was down
about 18% and then made a nifty "recovery" in March. However this "recovery"
just didn't last very long. More recently, due to some investor fears, the S&P 500
went down again in May and now a bit more in June and as of this writing it might
be a reasonable buy.
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Following the Decline of the Dollar
June, 2008
By Scott Brookes, AIF®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
Recent headlines focus on the decline of the US dollar and its effect on the
nation's trade and budget deficits, inflation and the price of oil. Some economists
argue a weak dollar is bad; others argue it's good for the US economy.
Regardless of what side of the debate you are on, it's important to understand
who benefits from a weak dollar and the potential long-term implications.
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A May December Retirement Plan
May, 2008
By Joe Light, Staff Reporter
Money Magazine
(Money Magazine) -- Jana Purdy, 61, jokes that she robbed the cradle when she nabbed
her husband Tim Kramer, 48. The pair met in a volleyball league, and they got married
just before a tournament in 1988.
For the past 20 years, their age difference was
more of an amusement than a challenge. But with Jana hoping to retire soon - in
less than five years - the couple are starting to worry if it might complicate their
plans. After all, when she turns 66, Tim will be only 53.
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Why Keep All Those Papers?
March, 2008
By Eileen M. Sharkey, CFP®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
If your file cabinets are overflowing, it might be time to shred some paper. Which files
do you need to keep, for how long and why?
- TAXES: Keep tax returns and supporting documentation for seven years.
- INVESTMENTS: Keep trade confirmations of all assets in taxable accounts until they are sold, including details of interest, dividends and reinvested capital gains. For real estate investments keep all documentation on transactions, including receipts for permanent improvements until the property is sold and gains accounted.
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Tax Smart Savings: A New Alternative
March, 2008
By Scott Brookes, AIF®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
There are plenty of ways to save money for personal and family goals, but one ofthe
newest options to consider is the Roth 401(k). 401(k) programs and Individual
Retirement Accounts (IRA) provide a vehicle to save taxes on your current income and to
defer taxes on growth until you retire. Due to IRS income limits, not everyone qualifies
for a Roth IRA contribution; yet surprisingly, there are no income limits for Roth 401(k)
contributions.
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Market Confidence in 2008
March, 2008
By Lawrence E. Howes, MBA, CFP®
Sharkey, Howes & Javer
"Now that Congress has passed the President's financial stimulus package, all is fine and
the stock market will recover."
One of these days I am going to say something really cuddly and simplistic like this - just
to paint a complex subject with a very simple brush. The truth is, the enactment of
spending programs (read financial stimulus package here) just signed by the President, is
testimony that the government believes helping the consumer spend as much money as
possible, whenever possible, is a sure way to get the rest of the vast and mysterious
financial marketplace to feel better and more secure. Sort of a legislative Band-Aid, if
you will, and in many respects this legislation has the right idea. The spending habits of
the US consumer really are the deciding factor in the health of the US economy.
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Archive:
March 2009 - Simplify Simplify Simplify - Send To Friend
October 2008 - Tucker Hart Adams' 10 Rules of Economics - Send To Friend
January 2008 - The Would Be Recession of 2008 - Send To Friend
November 2007 - Secure Your Credit - Send To Friend
July 2008 - Calling the Bottom - Send To Friend
September 2007 - Smart Tax Moves For Fall - Send To Friend
March 2007 - Housing Recession - Send To Friend
August 2006 - Housing Dragging Its Feet - Send To Friend
June 2006 - Summer Sunny Weather - Send To Friend