Colorado Teachers Just Got a Big Raise: Now What?

First, I need to apologize, because not every Colorado teacher just got a big raise. But due to a confluence of circumstances, quite a few did. These circumstances include: The state legislature having surplus dollars and finally deciding to try to make up for the years of underfunding of K-12 education (known, I kid you … Continue reading Colorado Teachers Just Got a Big Raise: Now What?

Denver Public Schools Single-Vendor 403b Plan: Is It The Best Choice?

I've written before about 401k, 403b, and 457b retirement plans and the similarities and differences between them. Unfortunately, many school districts offer some truly horrible 403b plans (listen to Learned by Being Burned for more info). But there has been a positive development lately in that some school districts, typically large ones, have now started … Continue reading Denver Public Schools Single-Vendor 403b Plan: Is It The Best Choice?

Inherited IRAs and the Sidedoor 401k/403b/457b/IRA/HSA

Recently I’ve suggested to two different people something they might want to consider regarding an IRA they have inherited from a parent. While this strategy seems pretty straightforward to me, it was very much a surprise to them so I thought it might be worth a quick blog post (well, "quick" for me :-). This … Continue reading Inherited IRAs and the Sidedoor 401k/403b/457b/IRA/HSA

Some Notable Retirement Account Changes

Last week Congress passed - and the President signed - the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (pdf). This is the huge omnibus spending bill that funds the government, but also includes many changes to retirement accounts that were originally knows as the Secure Act 2.0. Jeffrey Levine does his usual wonderful, incredibly in-depth job of … Continue reading Some Notable Retirement Account Changes

401ks and 403bs and 457bs, Oh My!

The Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is well-named. (Technically, the 'A' actually stands for "arrangement", not account, but everyone just says account.) It describes really well what the account is for (although the details around it can still be confusing), and people quickly grasp the concept. The same can't be said, unfortunately, about employer-sponsored retirement plans. … Continue reading 401ks and 403bs and 457bs, Oh My!

Three Things Colorado School Districts Should Do ASAP

Here are three simple, easy, and no-cost (or at least very, very low cost) things I think every Colorado school district should do as soon as possible that will instantly improve the lives of their employees as well as make them even better teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, or whatever job function they perform. Go … Continue reading Three Things Colorado School Districts Should Do ASAP