Navigating isolation, workload and self-care during the holidays Many think Stephen King’s “The Shining” is about a possessed hotel with sinister intentions. But for me, the story serves as a metaphor for the perils of isolation and Jack Torrance’s descent into madness. The challenges faced by the characters in the Overlook Hotel eerily parallel the
You may spend decades contributing to various retirement accounts. But for some accounts, such as a traditional IRA and 401(k), you must start withdrawing funds at a certain point. What should you know about this requirement? To begin with, the rules governing these withdrawals — technically called required minimum distributions, or RMDs — have changed
Digital Leadership Could Abraham Lincoln unite our divided country, much as he did the North and South all those years ago? I can imagine The Great Emancipator heralding “four score and seven years ago,” only to be interrupted… “Sorry Mr. President, you’re still on mute.” I like to think that people who are good leaders
In the not-so-distant past, working-from-home was a dream that meant independence from our office jobs. The pandemic brought reprieve from our 9-to-5 grind, and it was fashionable to exchange rush-hour commutes and bad Styrofoam coffee for Zoomullets (business-casual on top and rocking pajamas below). As months turned into years, the novelty wore off. The new
If you’ve invested in an IRA for many decades, it may well turn into a key source of income for your retirement. Still, you might not deplete your IRA in your lifetime, especially if you also have a pension or a 401(k) and other investment income. So, if your IRA still has sizable assets after
Altitunes, a Wheat Ridge-based music school, is revolutionizing the landscape of local music education with its comprehensive, science-based approach. Susie Frey and Amy Erhard, co-owners of the school, seek to combine musical education with holistic personal development. This multi-dimensional approach goes beyond the traditional scope of scales and musical notes to foster important life skills.
Dee Hiatt, the Colorado state director for Dungarvin, knows that everyone’s rights, dreams and aspirations are equal and worth protecting – even if everyone doesn’t have an equal playing field. Dungarvin is a national company that provides individualistic support services to individuals that need it, including residential services, day services, supported employment, supported foster care,
September is here! Which means college kids will not be returning to campus. Rather, they’ll be entering the business world for the first time. For some, they’ll be working remote, or some version of it. For others, their talents will be utilized in-person. If this is you, you’re not alone. Many companies are trying to
When you retire, you’ll experience many changes – should one of them involve your living arrangements? The issue of downsizing is one that many retirees will consider. If you have children, and they’ve grown and left the home, you might find yourself with more space than you really need. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean
My job requires me to attend countless meetings with various stakeholders. In the morning I’ll be chatting technical details with technologists. Next, I might be presenting to executive staff about vision/mission statements. Later that afternoon, I am scheduled with a cross functional team about facilities maintenance. So I can attest, different teams adopt different attitudes.
If you save and invest for decades, you’d like to know you can retire without financial worries. Nonetheless, you still have to be aware of some threats to a comfortable retirement — and how to respond to them. These threats include: • Inflation – Inflation has been high recently, but even a mild inflation rate
At the beginning of the pandemic, I believed that chaos was good. Since it didn’t matter when I started work (as long as I clocked eight hours), I could start whenever the mood suited me! When I couldn’t sleep, I’d start working at 3 a.m. Other times, when the coffee didn’t start flowing until late
I recently traveled to speak at a conference. It was the first business-travel I’ve done since the pandemic, and I was excited to connect with three-dimensional people. I joined a keynote and listened as two titans of industry discussed the merits and defects of remote work. One stated that with the pandemic all but over,
To help achieve your financial goals, you may need to invest in the financial markets throughout your life. However, at times your investment expectations may differ from actual returns, triggering a variety of emotions. So, what are reasonable expectations to have about your investments? Ideally, you hope that your investment portfolio will eventually help you
Hello Jeffco. The Neighborhood Gazette has requested an update on the business climate in Jefferson County (Jeffco). While the Jeffco business climate is a long and continuing discussion, I can update Jeffco on some key points about Jeffco businesses. Property taxes can help make, or break, a small business that owns or rents a building. One indicator
In March, with interest rates bouncing around in the mid-6 percents and an active listing count 105 percent higher than last year, Edgewater, Lakewood and Wheat Ridge experienced an average sales price loss of 11 percent year-over-year. Surprisingly, even with months of inventory skyrocketing by 125 percent over last year, the options are still very
Like everyone, you may have a lot of financial goals. But are they all of equal importance? Probably not. And do they share a similar timeline? Again, it’s unlikely. So, your first step may be to prioritize your goals – and then follow a process that can help you achieve them. This process should include
Every tax year I receive a few calls from taxpayers asking the County Treasurer to lower or waive their property taxes for various reasons. County treasurers does not have the legal authority to lower property taxes or waive property taxes per state law. The Treasurer’s Office and the state of Colorado do have programs available
In March 2020, the Federal Reserve Bank eliminated the requirement for banks to keep reserves. This was one of many economic stimulus measures, most of them temporary. Yet, last year the Fed clarified this was a permanent change. When talking about bank reserves, it’s important to ask why they’re required. Banks having no money on
I am a coffee snob. It started a few years ago at Starbucks. I watched as the barista pressed a few buttons on a machine, and the machine poured my caffeine juice into a white paper cup. But at a local artisanal coffee house down the road, masters of their craft had a different approach
Now that we’ve put winter behind us – at least on the calendar – it’s time for us to think about sprucing up our homes, inside and out. But it also may be time to do some financial spring cleaning. Some of the same ideas involved in tidying up your home can also be used
Hello JeffCo, happy New Year! The Neighborhood Gazette has requested an update on the finances of Jefferson County Government (JeffCo). While JeffCo finance is a long and continuing discussion, I can update JeffCo taxpayers and residents on some key points about JeffCo. The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, is an amendment to the Colorado
If you’re going to enjoy a comfortable retirement, you should know, among other things, how much money you’ll need. And you may have a much better chance of knowing this if you get some professional help. Consider these findings from a 2021 study by Dalbar, a financial services market research firm: • Investors who worked
If you’re getting closer to retirement, you might be thinking more about Social Security. Specifically, can you count on it to contribute part of the income you’ll need as a retiree? There’s been an increase in alarming language surrounding the solvency of Social Security, but in reality, its prospects are not nearly as gloomy as
