Blog
A few ideas to help plan for college savings & financial aid
If you have children that plan to attend college, you have opportunities to make it easier to pay for college. And, if you happen to be a small business owner, one of the most favorable treatments for business owners is your ability to increase the amount of financial aid for which your child may qualify by lowering your “expected family contribution” (EFC). The EFC is the baseline for calculating federal…
Make yourself and future generations of retirement savers into “super savers”
April was Financial Literacy Month, which led to a flurry of articles about the retirement crisis in the U.S. One piece noted that the “average” retirement savings amount, paltry though it is, is often an overstated figure because it is the average (i.e. mean) rather than the mid-point (i.e. median) and therefore overstates the “average” savings level. It indicated that although the “average American” has about $200,000 in retirement savings, the median…
Do you suffer from investment FOMO? The periodic table of investment returns can help.
Most people are not investment experts, and don’t have the time, inclination or energy to research and design the right mix of investments for their personal portfolio. Yet, with daily hype from the media or the unsolicited advice of friends who invested in a winning stock, you may still experience FOMO with your investing. This ‘fear of missing out’ on the most recent hot returns may cause you to make…
When boring is good
When the stock markets have long periods of positive returns, as they have had for most of the past decade, it can be easy to forget how a bear market feels to an investor. The last quarter of 2018 provided a vivid reminder. Large market swings and precipitous drops can unnerve even the most experienced investors, despite knowing that these swings are to be expected and are part of the…
Q4-2018 Market Review
Investors’ appetite for risk, while elevated for much of 2018, evaporated as the year drew to a close and wiped out positive returns for the year across broad asset classes (T-bills being a notable exception). Concerns over tighter monetary policy and the global withdrawal of stimulus measures, unresolved trade disputes, falling oil prices, slower global growth, and softer data in some U.S. indicators overshadowed other robust aspects of the domestic…
Lessons from a flat tire – how to handle stock market volatility
Is recent market volatility making you nervous? Perspective could help you stay calm and on track. Your financial journey is a lot like a car trip. On your route from point A to point B, while driving wisely, it is normal to experience stoplights, curvy roads, bad weather, or other elements that slow you down. A few times in your life, you might hit a pothole or nail that causes…
2019 IRS contribution limit updates means you can save more in your retirement plan
You can now save more in your retirement plan! See below for 2019 IRS contribution limit updates, and click the link for IRA account and other updates. 401(k), 403(b), 457 Plan deferral Limit: 2018: $18,500, 2019: $19,000 “Catch-up” Contribution >age 50: 2018: $6,000, 2019: $6,000 Defined Contribution Total Dollar Limit: 2018: $55,000, 2019: $56,000 Highly Compensated Employee definition: 2018: $120,000, 2019: $125,000 Click here for full IRS announcement of 2019…