Health Insurance: PERACare vs. the ACA Marketplace

First, a caveat. Health care - and health insurance - are complicated and nuanced topics that are heavily influenced by individual circumstances and options. The following post should be generally applicable for folks who are in a similar situation as we are, but you should always investigate the particulars for your situation carefully. This post … Continue reading Health Insurance: PERACare vs. the ACA Marketplace →

Are the WEP and GPO “Fair”?

Update 12-20-24: The WEP and the GPO have been repealed. Like many teachers, the first time I heard about the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), my first response was, “That’s not fair!” Why should my Social Security benefit (by WEP) or Social Security Survivor’s Benefit (by GPO) be reduced simply because … Continue reading Are the WEP and GPO “Fair”? →

Health Insurance and Using Your HSA as a Stealth Retirement Account

I’ve written a bit about health insurance before, going through the options for Littleton Public Schools (LPS) and Douglas County School District (DCSD). I was recently helping someone and thought I would update the numbers given LPS’s current insurance offerings, and also spend a bit more time talking about possibly using your HSA as an … Continue reading Health Insurance and Using Your HSA as a Stealth Retirement Account →

Salary Schedule Lanes: How Much Difference Do They Really Make?

Update 6-16-24: I've revised and added to this post. So please read the updated post instead of this one. 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"). … Continue reading Salary Schedule Lanes: How Much Difference Do They Really Make? →

Fees Matter: Vanguard, PERA, TIAA and MetLife Comparison

Inspired by some of the work Ben Johnson has been doing, I decided to revisit two posts I've previously done on the retirement plans (401k/403b/457) available through Littleton Public Schools and Douglas County Public Schools. (Note that the expense ratios are slightly lower now than when I wrote those posts.) It's probably worth reading at … Continue reading Fees Matter: Vanguard, PERA, TIAA and MetLife Comparison →