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Correction 1-21-23: The original version of this post contained a mistake. The credit rate (50%, 20%, 10%) only applies to the first $2,000 you contribute to a qualified plan. Amounts above $2,000 don't get the credit. In the original post, I assumed that as long as the credit rate times the amount contributed didn't exceed … Continue reading Saver’s Credit: An Overlooked Tax Credit for Many Beginning Teachers
I've written a bit before about investing, volatility and asset allocation (here, here, and here, as well as in my books). Individual circumstances matter a lot, including - but not limited to - your goals, your risk tolerance and your investment horizon. But, in general, I think that many people are not invested enough in … Continue reading Investing, Volatility and Asset Allocation
One of the major concerns of retirees - and of folks who are pondering their eventual retirement - is the cost of health care. It's a major concern for at least two reasons. First, of course, people realize that there can be significant health care costs as we age. But perhaps just as important is … Continue reading How Much Will You Spend on Health Care in Retirement?
I've written before about some ways we have tried to have our savings keep up with (or at least close to) inflation. One thing I didn't list was bond mutual funds, which often are considered a fairly safe place to put money that will typically earn better-than-a-savings-account yields. That's because at the time of that … Continue reading Taking Another Look at T-Bills
I’ve written before about purchasing service credit, but I wanted to dive in a bit more here. Note that the following is specific to Colorado PERA and uses Littleton Public Schools’ 2021-22 salary schedule for reference. Having said that, the same logic will generally apply to almost all pension systems, although the details will be … Continue reading More on Purchasing Service Credit
Whenever the topic of investing comes up with teachers (and other folks, but most of my experience is with teachers), two common obstacles often appear: fear and overconfidence. While these obstacles are on opposite ends of a spectrum they both can be very damaging. Let's take a brief look. Fear Probably the more common of … Continue reading Do You Feel Lucky?
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