Many pension plans allow members to purchase service credit. This may be counterintuitive for some folks, but many plans allow you to "buy" years where you didn't work under the pension system and then treat those years as if you had. This typically both increases your ultimate pension benefit and often can allow you to … Continue reading Time to Buy! Buy! Buy! (Service Credit)
Colorado’s First Step Program for College Savings
Read this for updated Info as of 10/6/23 I've written about 529 plans before and how I believe, for most folks, they are the best way to save for a child's possible future college education. This is especially true if your state plan offers some kinds of tax incentives. For example, in Colorado your contributions … Continue reading Colorado’s First Step Program for College Savings
Illinois TRS SSP: A Good (but not great) 457 Plan
The Teachers' Retirement System of Illinois (TRS) is rolling out a new 457b plan in January of 2022 called the Supplemental Savings Plan (SSP). This does not change anything with the TRS pension, but is simply an optional additional tax-advantaged savings vehicle. This post will look at the pros - and cons - of this … Continue reading Illinois TRS SSP: A Good (but not great) 457 Plan
Medicare and PERACare Premium Changes for 2022
One of the most important spending factors to take into account when planning for retirement is the cost of healthcare, including the cost of health insurance. Most people are generally aware that their employer picks up a large portion of their health insurance premium costs, but it's not until you stop working and that goes … Continue reading Medicare and PERACare Premium Changes for 2022
I Bonds: A Safe Short-Term Investment with Some Yield
There's been increased interest in I Bonds lately, due to a combination of low interest rates on savings and CDs and a recent increase in inflation. Physician on Fire has an excellent article on the ins-and-outs of I Bonds, including great step-by-step instructions on how to purchase them. Since he's done such a nice job, … Continue reading I Bonds: A Safe Short-Term Investment with Some Yield
Some 2022 Tax Changes
Each year at about this time the IRS announces various changes to the upcoming tax year, which are based on formulas that typically revolve around inflation. To be clear, these are not changes to tax policy, Congress passes those, and there are certainly many of them in the Build Back Better Act that may end … Continue reading Some 2022 Tax Changes
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