How Much Should I Have Saved in My 30s?
When it comes to saving for retirement, people often ask their financial advisor, “How much should I have saved in my 30s?” Let’s take a look at where you should try to be with retirement planning during your 30s.
529s, Roth IRAs and Other Strategies for Your College Savings Plan
By Craig Lemoine, Director of Consumer Investment Research I often find college savings at the top of my pile of financial stressors. Unless I find a money tree in my backyard, my oldest child is going to turn 18 well before I retire. We all have different values surrounding the educ …
You’ve Got the Mini-Fridge for Your College-Bound Kid – Now Don’t Forget the Documents!
My niece’s hard work in high school paid off, and she had many fantastic options for higher education. Despite being from New Jersey, she chose a liberal arts college halfway across the country in Texas and is about to begin her junior year there.
How to Fit the Kids’ College into Your Financial Plan
There is a strong premium on earning a college degree, perhaps driven by previous generations who witnessed the power of education. But you may find yourself receiving a student loan bill every month, even now as you contemplate sending your kids to college. Though an education continues to …
Teaching Kids about Money from Childhood Through Adulthood
Teaching kids about money is especially complex – you aren’t just passing on a few bucks to go to the movies, but an array of attitudes, values and assumptions regardless of whether you mean to. Your kids watch, in a way not even they are aware of, how you interact with finance and how you …
How to Plan For College and Keep Expenses Down in the Age of the Student Debt Crisis
For most students, experts say it remains financially worth it to go to college, despite rising tuition and opportunity costs in relation to increasing wages for workers holding only a high school diploma. The average rate of return (net gain or loss on college investment across a career) is 14%.
How a 529 College Savings Plan Can Help Make College Dreams a Reality
I have always loved the feeling of summer. Once Memorial Day celebrations kick off, the atmosphere seems to relax. Sunshine, water and sunscreen seem to be everyone’s focus. Long, warm nights are filled with the sounds of lawn mowers and children laughing.