A topic that comes up fairly frequently in discussions (both in person and in my financial literacy class for educators) is when does it no longer makes sense to spend money to repair your existing car and instead purchase a new (or new-to-you) car. In the vast majority of these conversions a phrase similar to … Continue reading Should You Repair Your Car Or Get A New One?
New Proposal for Colorado Legislation: PERA 457b Auto-Enroll and Auto-Escalate
Last year I suggested PERA-related legislation that eventually turned into HB26-1026 and became law. I am now reaching out to my Colorado representative and the other two co-sponsors of that bill with a new PERA-related proposal. Here is the email I sent to those legislators. If you think this is a good idea, please consider … Continue reading New Proposal for Colorado Legislation: PERA 457b Auto-Enroll and Auto-Escalate
Great News! Colorado HB26-1026: Expanding Plan Options for PERA is Signed Into Law
I've written previously about Colorado HB26-1026 and am happy to share that the legislature passed it and the Governor has now signed it. This bill has three provisions. New Option for Purchasing PERA Service Credit: PERA members have previously been able purchase up to 5 years of nonqualified service credit, but they had to have … Continue reading Great News! Colorado HB26-1026: Expanding Plan Options for PERA is Signed Into Law
Front-Loading a 529 Plan: Two Examples
I've written multiple times about the advantages of using 529 plans to save for post-secondary education. In this post I want to look at a front-loading strategy for 529 plans, both in terms of a practical way to approach this and as a somewhat philosophical way to frame the results. For this example I'll use … Continue reading Front-Loading a 529 Plan: Two Examples
Two Strategies to Help You Be More Intentional with Your Spending
We spend a lot of time in my financial literacy class for educators talking about being intentional with your spending. We discuss that spending isn't bad, it's a necessary and essential part of living your "good life". What can be bad is if you are spending on things that you don't value in ways that … Continue reading Two Strategies to Help You Be More Intentional with Your Spending
Tax Aware Strategies for Gifting and Giving
This is another optimization post, which means it's not essential for the core part of your financial success, but can be incrementally helpful on the margins. Like many posts on this blog, it also assumes a fair amount of privilege. For many folks who have figured out financial literacy (in one sentence; in many sentences), … Continue reading Tax Aware Strategies for Gifting and Giving