Book Recommendation: The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy

I just finished reading The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy by Ray Madoff, a legal scholar and professor at Boston College Law School (no relation to that other guy). I highly recommend it (and it's a fairly short and easy read). (This podcast episode will give you the highlights.) The … Continue reading Book Recommendation: The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy →

Asset Allocation for Tax Optimization

I wrote a post a while back titled Financial Literacy in One Sentence. This was that sentence: Financial Literacy is spending less than you make, on the things that you value, and saving and investing the rest in low-cost, diversified index funds selected based on your investment time horizon. I still think it holds up. … Continue reading Asset Allocation for Tax Optimization →

HSA Conversions for Very Early Retirees

I've written previously about the incredible opportunity of using your HSA as a stealh retirement account (for those who can afford to do so). More recently, I wrote about a variation on that strategy for folks who were not maxing out their Roth contributions. Today's post is about a strategy that some very early retirees … Continue reading HSA Conversions for Very Early Retirees →

The State Tax Deduction Many People Miss

This post comes with the usual caveat: I am not a tax expert and this is for informational purposes. One of the great things about the tremendous decrease in the cost and difficulty of investing (thank you Jack Bogle) has been that many more people are investing in stocks and bonds through brokerages like Vanguard … Continue reading The State Tax Deduction Many People Miss →

Tax Breaks for Paying for Continuing Education

While many professions require continuing professional education, this blog mainly focuses on K-12 educators. I've written previously about the importance of advancing horizontally on the salary schedule as quickly as possible. Sometimes when we discuss this in my financial literacy class for Colorado educators participants will acknowledge this, but also bemoan the cost of taking … Continue reading Tax Breaks for Paying for Continuing Education →

Educational Session: Tax Planning, Safe Withdrawal Rates, and Withdrawal Strategies in Retirement

I'm going to be offering an educational session on tax planning, safe withdrawal rates, and withdrawal strategies in retirement on Saturday, May 2nd, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm at Koelbel Library in Centennial (Colorado). To be perfectly clear, I am not an expert on these topics. Instead, I will be facilitating the session, sharing … Continue reading Educational Session: Tax Planning, Safe Withdrawal Rates, and Withdrawal Strategies in Retirement →