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Smart Financial Planning Tips For People With Disabilities
Guest Post! We're excited to share a guest post with Words on Wealth readers today from Mr. Ed Carter of ABLEfutures.org. Leave your thoughts and questions in the comments below! -Lauren People with disabilities have different needs when it comes to finances. From physical therapy and specialized equipment to frequent doctor’s visits and medications, you may have all kinds of unique expenses to save and budget for. Financial planning will ensure that you can afford the level of care you require and maintain your quality of life no matter what unexpected events come your way. Here are some tips for developing a solid financial plan for your future. Start…
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Using Your VA529 Plan to Pay for Private K-12 Education
Are you paying for private school for a kid in grades K-12? It's a little painful, isn't it? Well, now there's a way to reduce the sting (a little bit). With the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 parents can use their VA 529 plan to pay for K-12 private school tuition. Each state is different but the Virginia 529 College Savings Plan has adopted their policies to allow Virginia residents to take advantage of this new strategy. Virginia residents can use the VA 529 plan to get a little extra tax deduction on your VA state income taxes (plus some tax-free growth for the super…
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Should You Save For Retirement Or College?
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Building Long-Term Financial Freedom for Solopreneurs
As a solopreneur you want to build long-term financial freedom, but there are so many options it's hard to know where to start. Solopreneurs have a lot of choices when it comes to their long-term financial freedom savings (formerly known as "retirement"). Small business owners can use IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, SEP IRAs, and Solo-401(k)s (among other options) for their own savings.In this post I wrote for AthleteBiz I go over three of the most common account types and when you should consider choosing them. I also share some critical questions to ask before you set up a 401(k) plan with a custodian. The cheapest 401(k) plan provider is not always…
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6 Things To Do With Extra Cash
Whether it's a stimulus check or a tax refund many people will soon have some extra cash on hand. I don’t know about you, but when I find myself in the fortunate position of receiving some extra money from a bonus or tax refund, my first instinct is to get Chinese take-out. Probably not the greatest financial move. While I’m probably not alone there, our instincts aren’t always our best guide. It helps to pause and be more intentional with unexpected cash. Sometimes our instincts are good, but not always. Unfortunately, when it comes to financial decisions, our instincts don’t always lead us in the right direction. How can you…
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Is an HSA Right for Me?
Should you take advantage of an HSA? Many people sign up for a high deductible healthcare plan (HDHP) either at work on the exchange but don’t realize that these healthcare plans work best when paired with a healthcare savings account (HSA). An HSA is triple tax-preferred. What the heck does that mean? It means you can save on taxes three ways: You can take a deduction against your income on your taxes or make pre-tax contributions through your payroll provider. Money contributed to an HSA grows tax-free while inside the HSA. Money withdrawn for qualified medical expenses (as defined by the IRS) is tax-free. Want to know more about the…
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Maximize Your Virginia 529 Plan
How can I maximize my tax-savings using a Virginia 529 account? What happens if my kid gets a scholarship? These are the kinds of questions I frequently hear from parents as they start saving for college. The Virginia 529 College Savings plan is pretty straightforward (especially after you read my post about the VA 529 plan that breaks it all down for you here!). However, there are a couple nuances that parents and other family members should be aware of to maximize their 529 account. Let's review four things about the Virginia 529 Plan that you will definitely want to know! VA 529: What Changed Under The 2017 Tax Law?…
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Which Virginia 529 Plan Is Best?
You’re ready to start saving for college. You go to sign up for a Virginia 529 College Savings Plan, but are immediately faced with a decision about which plan is the right one for you. Or maybe you have been pitched some expensive-looking mutual funds or a life insurance policy from a broker but you just aren’t sure that’s the right path for you. No worries. Today we’re going to dive into the three Virginia 529 College Savings Plans so you can make an informed decision about what’s best for you and your family. In no particular order, let’s get started. Virginia 529 Option #1: Invest529 The Invest529 is the…
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Is there a college savings rule of thumb?
Let’s talk college savings. Just when you thought you were starting to get a handle on saving for retirement/your post-career phase now, we have to add college savings into the mix. As if you needed another thing to worry about! Let’s go ahead and ask the hard question. Are you on track with your college savings? No clue? You’re not alone. Most people have no idea. With crazy high inflation and large cost differentials between schools, it can be hard to know if you are in a good place when it comes to your college savings, or if you need to “kick it up a notch.” With that in mind,…
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Can An Allowance Teach My Kid To Save?
When parents start giving allowance we all dream of that moment when our kid says “Mom, will you put this in my college savings account? I want to prepare for the future” …no, just me? OK, well financial planners aside, I think it’s safe to say that we at least want our kids to not spend all of their money at one time on beef jerky. How can parents teach their kids to save? As you know from my previous post, I’m a big fan of giving an allowance. Allowance can be a powerful, hands-on tool for kids to practice making saving and spending decisions without making expensive credit mistakes.…
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How to Talk About Money with your Kids
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How Much Do I Need To Save For Retirement?
One of the biggest questions I get, from virtually every client and most of my survey respondents, is: How much money do I need to retire? There are so many things to think about and so many potential options it can be overwhelming to even know where to start. (Trust me, it’s complicated, and I’m a Certified Financial Planner!) This is part of why so many people don’t even start saving for retirement. Let’s spend some time de-mystifying how much to save for retirement. Today we’ll go over some of the most common stumbling blocks to figuring out your target savings rate. We will also discuss how to evaluate online…
