Saver’s Credit: An Overlooked Tax Credit for Many Beginning Teachers

Correction 1-21-23: The original version of this post contained a mistake. The credit rate (50%, 20%, 10%) only applies to the first $2,000 you contribute to a qualified plan. Amounts above $2,000 don't get the credit. In the original post, I assumed that as long as the credit rate times the amount contributed didn't exceed … Continue reading Saver’s Credit: An Overlooked Tax Credit for Many Beginning Teachers

Investing, Volatility and Asset Allocation

I've written a bit before about investing, volatility and asset allocation (here, here, and here, as well as in my books). Individual circumstances matter a lot, including - but not limited to - your goals, your risk tolerance and your investment horizon. But, in general, I think that many people are not invested enough in … Continue reading Investing, Volatility and Asset Allocation

How Much Will You Spend on Health Care in Retirement?

One of the major concerns of retirees - and of folks who are pondering their eventual retirement - is the cost of health care. It's a major concern for at least two reasons. First, of course, people realize that there can be significant health care costs as we age. But perhaps just as important is … Continue reading How Much Will You Spend on Health Care in Retirement?

Taking Another Look at T-Bills

I've written before about some ways we have tried to have our savings keep up with (or at least close to) inflation. One thing I didn't list was bond mutual funds, which often are considered a fairly safe place to put money that will typically earn better-than-a-savings-account yields. That's because at the time of that … Continue reading Taking Another Look at T-Bills

Do You Feel Lucky?

Whenever the topic of investing comes up with teachers (and other folks, but most of my experience is with teachers), two common obstacles often appear: fear and overconfidence. While these obstacles are on opposite ends of a spectrum they both can be very damaging. Let's take a brief look. Fear Probably the more common of … Continue reading Do You Feel Lucky?

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!