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?
Category: pension
Who Has the Best Pension?
Now that we're up to 37 books about various teacher pension plans (plus one standalone book for young adults), I sometimes get asked, "So, who has the best pension?" My answer is, probably unsurprisingly and definitely disappointingly, "It depends." While most teacher pension plans have many things in common, the details really matter. And those … Continue reading Who Has the Best Pension?
Knock-On Effects of the WEP and the GPO Repeal
Last night the Senate passed HR 82, which repeals the WEP and the GPO. As I posted last night, this is a bit more complicated than some people think and some folks may be surprised by some of the ultimate outcomes. While those "complications" were very much discussed by opponents of the bill, today I … Continue reading Knock-On Effects of the WEP and the GPO Repeal
WEP and GPO Repealed
Edit: It's helpful if you are interested in this topic to read these two previous posts: Are the WEP and GPO Fair? and Some Nuances of the WEP and GPO. The U.S. Senate today passed, and President Biden is expected to sign, HR 82, the "Social Security Fairness Act." (The bill was signed into law … Continue reading WEP and GPO Repealed
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
Reading, Interpreting, and Understanding PERA’s Highest Average Salary (HAS) Tables
Colorado PERA is the pension system for public employees in Colorado. Like most public pension systems, the benefits members receive have changed over time, with newer members receiving less generous pension benefits when compared to more veteran members who have an earlier membership date. Many pensions refer to these different levels of benefits as tiers, … Continue reading Reading, Interpreting, and Understanding PERA’s Highest Average Salary (HAS) Tables
Fisch Financial 