The Colorado Sun recently published an article on a lawsuit filed by several school districts as well as private contractors against Colorado PERA. While the article does a decent job of laying out the concerns from the school districts, it does not lay out PERA's reasoning. This is often the case in these situations because … Continue reading Colorado PERA, Substitute Teachers, and Independent Contractors
TL;DR: Financial Literacy for Employees of Utah Public Schools: Optimizing Financial Decisions Based on Your URS Benefits
I just wanted to share my latest book (written along with Trevor Deighton), this one for employees of Utah Public Schools, focusing on financial literacy and making the most of their URS pension benefits. Please consider sharing with any educators you know in Utah. This is the latest in the TL;DR Financial Literacy series. If … Continue reading TL;DR: Financial Literacy for Employees of Utah Public Schools: Optimizing Financial Decisions Based on Your URS Benefits
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
Coloradans Can Buy a Used Tesla Model 3 for as low as $13,000
Yeah, I know, I write about EVs a lot for a blog focused on financial literacy for educators. Part of that reason is because of the climate emergency we are presently in that I think we should all be urgently addressing. But, even ignoring the climate emergency, EVs are just way more efficient, less hassle … Continue reading Coloradans Can Buy a Used Tesla Model 3 for as low as $13,000
Rebooking Southwest When the Fare Decreases
We don't fly all that often but, when we do, it's usually on Southwest. Like any airline, there are good and not-so-good things about Southwest. One of the good things is how easy they make it to change your flight if you need to without charging you anything (other than perhaps the difference in the … Continue reading Rebooking Southwest When the Fare Decreases
Fisch Financial 