Budget Spending Finance

What’s Your Retirement Dream Elevator Pitch?

Imagine stepping into an elevator and realizing that you're about to spend the 30-second ride with someone who could make your retirement dreams come true — if only you could explain them before the doors open again. How would you summarize your financial situation, outlook, aspirations, and plans if you had 30 seconds to make an "elevator pitch" about achieving one of your most important goals? Answering that question — and formulating your own unique retirement dream elevator pitch — could … [Read more...]

Inflation Cuts into Wage Gains

Driven by labor shortages, median hourly wages increased at an annual rate of 5.2% in December 2021, the highest level since June 2001. However, inflation cuts into buying power, and real wages — adjusted for inflation — actually dropped as inflation spiked in 2021. By contrast, negative inflation (deflation) during the Great Recession sent real wages skyrocketing temporarily even as non-adjusted wage growth declined. Sources: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, 2022, and U.S. Bureau of … [Read more...]

When Two Goals Collide: Balancing College and Retirement Preparations

You've been doing the right thing financially for many years, saving for your child's education and your own retirement. Yet now, as both goals loom in the years ahead, you may wonder what else you can do to help your child (or children) receive a quality education without compromising your own retirement goals. Knowledge Is Power Start by reviewing the financial aid process and understanding how financial need is calculated. Colleges and the federal government use different formulas to … [Read more...]

How to Correct an Error on Your Credit Report

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), credit report errors more than doubled during the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the CFPB found that many pandemic protections which were designed to help consumers, such as loan forbearance periods on federal student loans and federally backed mortgages, ended up negatively impacting their credit reports as a result of complications such as processing delays and suspended payments being marked incorrectly. 1 This is a significant … [Read more...]

Building Blocks for Financing College with Less Debt

Financing a college education with the least amount of debt involves putting together a variety of resources in the most favorable way for your family. It requires planning, savings discipline, an understanding of financial aid, smart college research, and good decision making at college time. Your College Fund Your savings are the cornerstone of any successful college financing plan. It's helpful to think of your college savings as a down payment on the full cost, similar to a down payment … [Read more...]

Are You a HENRY? Consider These Wealth-Building Strategies

HENRY is a catchy acronym for "high earner, not rich yet." It describes a demographic made up of young and often highly educated professionals with substantial incomes but little or no savings. HENRYs generally have enviable career prospects, but many of them feel financially stretched or may even live paycheck to paycheck for years, especially if they are working in cities with high living costs and/or facing large student loan payments. If this sounds like you, it may be time to shed your … [Read more...]

Planning to Quit Your Job? What to Know Before You Go

About 4.3 million U.S. workers quit their jobs voluntarily in December 2021, after a record 4.5 million quit in November — the largest number since the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) began recording voluntary job separations in December 2020.1 There are plenty of theories about why people are quitting in droves, including a strong job market and pandemic-induced worker burnout. Regardless of your reasons, here are a few important considerations to keep in mind before you join the employment … [Read more...]

Baseball Lessons That Might Help Change Up Your Finances

Baseball stadiums are filled with optimists. Fans start each new season with the hope that even if last year ended badly, this year could finally be the year. After all, teams rally mid-season, curses are broken, and even underdogs sometimes make it to the World Series. As Yogi Berra famously put it, "It ain't over till it's over."1 Here are a few lessons from America's pastime that might inspire you to take a fresh look at your finances. Proceed One Base at a Time There's nothing like … [Read more...]

Paying for Graduate School

Maybe you've decided that graduate school is the path to advancement in your current job or your ticket to a better career. Or maybe you just want to take a few classes to upgrade your skills. Either way, returning to school as an adult often involves financial sacrifices. How will you pay for it? Personal savings, financial aid, employer-funded tuition, and private loans may be available to you, and education tax credits might help out at tax time. Calculate the costs Before you jump into … [Read more...]

Tax Benefits of Home Ownership

In tax lingo, your principal residence is the place where you legally reside. It's typically the place where you spend most of your time, but several other factors are also relevant in determining your principal residence. Many of the tax benefits associated with home ownership apply mainly to your principal residence — different rules apply to second homes and investment properties. Here's what you need to know to make owning a home really pay off at tax time. Deducting mortgage interest One … [Read more...]