How Colorado PERA “Front-Loads” Service Credit in the School and DPS Divisions

I learned something new this week about how PERA calculates service credit in the School and DPS Divisions. I knew the basics (and the basics are what applies to most people). I knew: To earn a month of service credit, the member must earn at least 80 times the current federal minimum wage in the … Continue reading How Colorado PERA “Front-Loads” Service Credit in the School and DPS Divisions →

Colorado House Prices and Rent (Don’t) Always Go Up

I live in Colorado. A frequent financial topic that comes up in discussions with other folks and in my class is the cost of housing. It is certainly true that housing in Colorado is above the median for the U.S., but as I mentioned in that post I think many Coloradan's have a skewed view … Continue reading Colorado House Prices and Rent (Don’t) Always Go Up →

Our Current Portfolio and Recent Returns as of January 2026

Each year I'm sharing what our current portfolio looks like. This is what it looks like as of January 1, 2026. (Here is April 2022, January 2024, January 2025). Asset Location Like many people, by necessity we have our investments in multiple places due to past employers, HSAs, and different types of taxable accounts. Taxable … Continue reading Our Current Portfolio and Recent Returns as of January 2026 →

Please Consider Supporting Colorado HB26-1026

Back in 2023 I wrote a post about some suggested legislation I would like to see regarding Colorado PERA. I'm excited to share that this legislation has now been proposed as part of the 2026 Colorado General Assembly. It is House Bill 26-1026 sponsored by Representative Bob Marshall, Representative Eliza Hamrick, and Senator Chris Kolker. … Continue reading Please Consider Supporting Colorado HB26-1026 →

Our BETR Roth Conversion Decision Spreadsheet

Roth Conversions are a topic that comes up occasionally so I thought I'd talk a bit about how we currently think about this. For those who aren't familiar, a Roth Conversion is when you take some of (or all) the money that is currently sitting in a pre-tax IRA/401k/403b/457b and move it to a Roth … Continue reading Our BETR Roth Conversion Decision Spreadsheet →