Should I Invest in My Traditional, Roth, or Taxable Account?

IT DEPENDS! Okay, I really wanted to just leave this as a two-word blog post, but I decided that probably wasn't all that helpful. The genesis of this post was a discussion on Facebook where people were giving advice about what account someone should invest money in. Often these folks are really big fans of … Continue reading Should I Invest in My Traditional, Roth, or Taxable Account? →

Asset Allocation and Rebalancing Spreadsheet

One of the most important aspects of investing is setting your asset allocation. There are a variety of factors that go into your asset allocation including your goals, your investing time horizon, your risk tolerance, and the rest of your financial situation. Once you've set an asset allocation you need to pay attention to it … Continue reading Asset Allocation and Rebalancing Spreadsheet →

Salary Schedule Lanes: Your Million Dollar (or two or three) Decision

Many school districts have a salary schedule for teachers where your pay increases based on a combination of the number of years you have taught in the district ("steps") and the educational level you attain ("lanes"). While steps are automatic (well, except for the occasional bad budget year where steps are frozen), lanes are dependent … Continue reading Salary Schedule Lanes: Your Million Dollar (or two or three) Decision →

Invest Half Your Raises

In the financial literacy class I teach for educators we frequently talk about the concept of "paying yourself first." Think of "yourself" (or your future self, if you prefer) as an expense that you have to budget for and, just like you set aside money for the mortgage and the electric bill, set aside money … Continue reading Invest Half Your Raises →

The (Financial) Advantages of Living at Home

You have probably noticed a plethora of stories lately about how young people today are not moving out of the house very quickly after high school/college. There are many, many reasons for this (financial, emotional, and other). The stories you read typically take one of two approaches, depending on the focus of the author. The … Continue reading The (Financial) Advantages of Living at Home →

New Teacher (Financial) Orientation

I've been doing some financial presentations for educators in various Colorado school districts. As part of the intro to my presentation I reference the fairly typical "90-minute New Employee Orientation" that school districts often provide for new teachers and that, while these are well-intentioned, they usually fall woefully short of what they could (and should) … Continue reading New Teacher (Financial) Orientation →