As the parent or grandparent of young children, you might be thinking about the best way to save for college. 529 plans, introduced in the 1990s, are a great way to shelter investment for college from taxes. BUT, as with all things there are drawbacks. One worry clients routinely express is, what if they overfund…
Sometimes it’s easier to learn things when it’s fun. So, test your smarts or gain some new knowledge by spotting the lie about 529 College Savings Accounts from the four statements: 529 College Investment Accounts can only be used in the state where the account is located. 529 College Investment Accounts can be transferred…
There are a lot of ways to look at funding college for your kids. There is the I-Paid-My-Way-and-Junior-Can-Too. There is the parental guilt trip of putting away any extra money and forgoing retirement savings so young Betty Sue can go to Harvard without lifting a financial finger. Most of us will fall somewhere in the…
This week I am thrilled to interview real estate attorney and fellow volunteer Jill Klancke of Klancke and Cook Attorneys at Law. Jill’s bio and contact information follows the interview, but for the sake of newsletter formatting I want to get straight to the Q&A. Turns out, real estate attorneys have a front row…
It’s August, and thoughts often turn to back-to-school. Whatever that looks like. For those of us with students at home (and at home, and at home, and at home) or in college (also, possibly at home, darn it), paying tuition bills may also be top of mind. In the last year, there have been…
We are getting back to into the swing of the school year and for many, school means college. College soon, or college now, and the angst of paying for it. I went to a seminar last year by Joe Messinger, CFP ® of Capstone Wealth Partners. He gave us amazing perspective on the student…
This week I am happy to offer an article by guest blogger Sara Zessar, an expert in the field of finding the college fit for students and money to help pay the tuition. Read more about Sara at the end of this piece. What is a merit scholarship? In essence, it’s a scholarship…
It’s July already???? Yikes, 2017 has gone by quickly! Time to do a financial check-up on those New Year’s Resolutions to see how you are doing. I don’t know what your resolutions were, so here are a few common ones that there is still time to tackle. BEFORE you are making your resolutions for…
Are you game? I admit it. Often when we go to my kids’ sports games I bring along a guy who yells at my kids from the sidelines. He is their father, so I don’t have much choice. Occasionally, I’ve been known to say a few loud-ish words myself. Why do we put…
This one came out around Christmas from Fox Business, but it’s a concept worth thinking about whenever gift-giving opportunities arise. While it’s long been possible to hand out cash, buy stock or contribute to college savings plans, financial institutions and retailers are making it easier to bestow a gift with lasting value. Among them…
