Riding the Rockies Marketing – April 2022

Our long term clients (some, for more than 25 years) know that I am an “optimistic realist.” I suspect that over the years, I’ve evolved a bit less along the “optimistic” side to be a bit more “realistic” but that is, I suspect, the long term developmental process for most optimists. ...

Read More

Buying Into An Invasion

We awaken this morning to a new level of global aggression from at least one nation that has been an enemy of this country since the end of World War II. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is serious in its own right because it is attempting to overpower the will of the Ukrainian people who, by democ ...

Read More

Cryptocurrency Advice

Have you ever heard the term, “jump the shark”? It refers to an infamous episode of Happy Days where The Fonz has to jump a shark while water skiing...all while still wearing his trademark leather jacket. ...

Read More

10 Reasons You Need a Financial Plan

October is Financial Planning Month which serves as a useful, annual checkpoint to make sure you are on track to meet your financial goals. A written, up-to-date financial plan encompasses not only investments, but risk management solutions, tax reduction strategies and estate planning. To have one ...

Read More

7 Money Moves to Consider This July

The coronavirus has given us all a lot of stress, as well as a lot of free time to think. If you’re postponing your summer vacation plans, now may be the perfect time to implement some financial planning “to-do’s” that could enhance your personal wealth and financial well-being. Here are seven thing ...

Read More

How COVID-19 Has Impacted Retirement Confidence

The Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies recently conducted an online survey of more than 6,000 people in the U.S. and found that many are feeling financially vulnerable. Americans are feeling a distinct lack of confidence, particularly when it comes to retirement. Whether employed or unemploy ...

Read More

How Simple Face Coverings Protect from COVID-19

In the wake of COVID-19, wearing masks or some type of facial covering is mandated in most public locations in an effort to reduce the spread of the disease. Medical-grade masks, such as the N95 respirator mask, are known to provide the best protection against breath-borne pathogens. But since those ...

Read More

The CARES Act: 10 Things You Should Know

The $2 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus bill is the single largest relief legislation in U.S. history, aimed at providing help for individuals and businesses affected by the outbreak. It was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act is also known as “Phase III,” because it follows a $10 ...

Read More

Riding the Rockies Marketing Update April 6, 2020

Our long term clients (some, for more than 25 years) know that I am an “optimistic realist.” I suspect that over the years, I’ve evolved a bit less along the “optimistic” side to be a bit more “realistic” but that is, I suspect, the long term developmental process for most optimists. ...

Read More

First Quarter, 2020 Commentary

The first quarter of 2020 was one of the most volatile in the history of the capital markets.  No asset class was spared as a result of the Corona Virus which swept across the global population and its economies with “Blitzkrieg” speed, toppling people, businesses, the capital markets, and economies ...

Read More

The Rules Are Changing For 401(k)s In 2020

The Rules Are Changing For Your 401(k) In 2020 If you’re still working and contributing to a 401(k) or similar workplace retirement plan, there is some good news for the upcoming year. If you’re under age 50, the amount you can contribute to your 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans and the federal govern ...

Read More

On Being Thankful All Year Long

Thanksgiving is one of America’s beloved holidays, and it’s a time when we gather together with family and friends to enjoy a communal feast. And at Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management, we like to expand even more than our waistlines when it comes to thankfulness! Many traditions encourage us to be t ...

Read More

Top Fears of Retirees

It’s October, the month that we typically celebrate “scary stuff” right up until the last day, when Halloween arrives on the 31st. Pretending to be afraid is one thing. But being fearful and anxious in real life, especially as you get older, is not fun at all. The fears that go along with retirement ...

Read More

What You Should Know About Life Insurance

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month, and thus the focus of this month’s blog post. Here are some of the things you should know about life insurance:   Life insurance is a contract. A life insurance policy is basically a contract between you and an insurance company. As with any contract ...

Read More

5 Retirement Pitfalls to Plan Ahead For

We talk a lot about “risk” in retirement, because there are a lot of issues to consider. That’s why retirement planning is so important—it includes contingency plans to cover potential adverse events. Here are five examples: Incapacity Even young people face the possibility that they will become dis ...

Read More

“Longevity Risk” in Retirement

Longevity means “long life” or “length of life.” Longevity risk is the risk that someone will outlive their money or available income—something we are very concerned about at Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management. It’s a fact that people are living longer. A woman who has reached age 65 can expect to l ...

Read More

New Paradigms for Retirement

The old notion that you should withdraw from life and sit in a rocking chair during retirement has been completely overturned as today’s older population demonstrates on a daily basis. Here are some recent facts and new ideas about retirement that you should consider before you take that last payche ...

Read More

What To Do During Times of Market Uncertainty

By Curt Lyman At Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management, we have been helping clients for decades, and we’ve worked through Black Monday, the dot com bubble, the housing market crash of 2008, as well as many other times in recent history when markets went sideways. That’s why our approach is always to h ...

Read More

Happy New Year!

All of us at Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management look forward to serving you and your family in the upcoming year, and we are committed to finding the best strategies for every economic condition. Let’s schedule your annual review! If you are not a client yet, but are looking for new or alternative i ...

Read More

Introducing Our Newest Team Members

Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management is expanding to better serve our clients. Meet our two newest team members!   Raquel Bencosme has joined Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management with a focus on providing first-class service to our clients. She handles account openings and account maintenance, manages s ...

Read More

Family Life Events: When to Call Alpha Beta Gamma

Here are some life milestones and events that mark when you should call us to get financial advice and help. A marriage. Whether it’s you, or your children or grandchildren getting married, when two people join together in holy matrimony they’re also going to need to bring their finances together, f ...

Read More

7/31/2018 Riding the Rockies Trading Update

Clients who have been with us for many years know that this blog ‘Riding the Rockies’ began back in 2010 when I began spending some time in the Colorado Rocky Mountains cycling.  That time spent in the saddle of a skinny Italian bicycle has historically provided me with the solitude that’s sometime ...

Read More

How to Reduce Your Cooling Costs This Summer

90 degree weather with 90% humidity can have you racing for the thermostat just to get some relief. In Florida, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) can account for more than 40% of your utility bill, and at an average electricity cost of 12.09 cents per kilowatt hour, that can add up to ...

Read More

Annuities: 5 Things You Should Know

June is “Annuity Awareness Month,” so we thought we would share a little bit of information about them. Here are 5 things you should know.   Annuities are similar to a pension. An annuity is kind of like a pension you can buy for yourself from an insurance company. You basically exchange a sum of mo ...

Read More

How to Have a Happy Retirement

The most important thing you can do when you retire is have a clear plan for how you want to spend your days. Scheduling is essential so that you don’t begin spending too much time in front of the television instead of living your best life. Here are some ideas for you to consider. You may want to s ...

Read More

Riding the Rockies, Trading Update, April 25, 2018

I’ve been spending a significant amount of time over the past several weeks pondering the following: Which of the two interest rate scenarios do I think are most likely to play out over the coming months: A ‘benign’ Federal Reserve with gradually rising interest rates along the curve over an extende ...

Read More

5 Ways to Give Your Finances a $pring Cleaning

Spring is coming! Time to get your finances in shipshape condition. Here are five ideas to get you started.   Check your credit reports. While you’re reviewing your expenses and debts in order to see how you fared last year in terms of staying within your personal budget, make sure that there a ...

Read More

Long-term care—what are your options?

  No one wants to think about the fact that they may become unable to care for themselves someday, but the truth is that more than 50%1 of people 65 or older are estimated to need long-term or nursing care at some point. Costs for long-term care vary by state. The average cost2 of a semi-privat ...

Read More

2/5/2018 Riding The Rockies Trading Update

No doubt, the “talking heads” on the financial news channels are scaring the hell out of most individual investors by today’s very volatile market action. Let’s talk about what happened today and what we see looking ahead. Most of today’s market action this afternoon was caused by ETF trading. Typic ...

Read More

2/2/2018 Riding The Rockies Trading Update

As those of you who are “long-time” friends and clients know, I began writing “Riding the Rockies” in 2009, at the height of the Great Recession. The title comes from my love of road cycling above 10,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains and the analogy to the ups and downs of the stock and bond markets. ...

Read More

Q4 2017 Commentary

2017 was a strong year for stocks with the S&P 500 up almost 19%, as stock valuations broadened out.  We had been overweight stocks going into 2017 and remained overweight through the year.  Bonds, however, returned only nominal returns, based predominantly on yield, as the Fed increased the Fed ...

Read More