Category: planning

Social Security Considerations for Members of Colorado PERA (and other non-covered pension systems)

Ever since the passage of the so-called Social Security Fairness Act I've been receiving a lot of questions from Colorado PERA members (and occasionally from educators in other states who have non-covered pensions) about decisions they should make around Social Security benefits. To be perfectly clear, I'm not an expert on Social Security. I highly … Continue reading Social Security Considerations for Members of Colorado PERA (and other non-covered pension systems) →

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 →

“The Future is Never Guaranteed!” Yes. And?

There's a response (or variation thereof) that comes up in almost every section of my financial literacy class for educators. At some point (and often several points) in class discussions, participants will respond with some form of, "The Future is Never Guaranteed!" (And, yes, the exclamation point is generally included.) It always comes up in … Continue reading “The Future is Never Guaranteed!” Yes. And? →

Book Recommendation: Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk

I just finished reading Cameron Huddleston's book, Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations with Your Parents About Their Finances. I think this is an excellent book if you know you need to talk with your parents about their finances, but haven't figured out how to do it. The author … Continue reading Book Recommendation: Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk →