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With back-to-school in full swing, parents are researching how to give their children a head start in paying for college. Many look to 529 plans.
With education costs increasing, and more students using loans to cover their university needs, it makes sense to consider a 529 plan.
And, as we approach the end of the third quarter of the year, it’s also a good time to do a little tax planning. Not only could your contributions to a child’s 529 college savings plan help him or her save for the future — but it could also mean a tax deduction for you right now. [ continue reading… ]
A recent Gallup poll found that only 30% of working Americans are actively engaged in their jobs. Not only is it troubling that this many people hate their jobs, but this disengagement costs the US economy billions of dollars.
If you’re disengaged at work, you’re probably one of those people that goes in, has their morning coffee, chats up the cubicle worker next door, then sits and runs his cubicle on autopilot. You stand for lunch and bathroom breaks only, while not accomplishing all that much in between.
It’s not your fault. You have no reason to be motivated toward more, no reason to put in extra effort. You don’t get raises or bonuses. What’s the point in working hard, right? [ continue reading… ]
Auto sales statistics in the last several years have revealed an alarming trend: millenials, the youngest adult generation, aren’t buying. Only 12% of the auto sales in 2012 were attributed to them.
Since automotive companies’ strategies have always been to appeal to young drivers, securing their loyalty to a particular brand at a young age, this creates a challenge. Some vehicles introduced in recent years, such as Honda’s Element, were designed to appeal specifically to young drivers. To Honda’s surprise, it wasn’t millennials lining up to sign on the dotted line — but, rather, baby boomers.
Instead of continuing to waste money on marketing assumptions, the auto industry would do well to determine the root cause of the decline in millennial vehicle purchases.
1. Buy school supply basics like paper, pencils, book covers, erasers, and folders in September, when stores put leftover items on clearance. You can also shop throughout the year for good deals, stocking up to avoid paying more during peak school supply season.
2. Take advantage of yard sales to get like-new school clothes at deeply-discounted prices.
3. Take stock of what you already have at home before going school shopping. Make a list of what’s needed, and stick to your list once you get to the store. [ continue reading… ]
It’s a fairly common practice amongst personal finance bloggers to offer all the details of their financial life online. From sharing net worth, to counting down the days until debt freedom is reached, there’s a lot of sharing going on.
And that’s ok, if you’re into that sort of thing.
I’ve been asked why I don’t share this information. Anyone who knows me is aware that I graduated from college with credit card debt — but they don’t know how much. And I’m fine keeping it that way. I also don’t share how much I’m paying in student loans, or what I still owe on my car loan.
And, on the flip side, I don’t share information about earnings. It’s enough, I think, that people know I can make a living doing what I do, and that about 85% of it comes from being a professional blogger.
But I don’t share specific numbers, and for two (what I consider) good reasons: [ continue reading… ]
We all know what retirement is supposed to look like: after a long career, you get a hearty thank you and a genuine gold-plated watch. Then you retire to a warmer climate where you spend your time golfing, traveling to see grandkids, and growling at teenagers to get off your lawn.
Unfortunately, this idyllic vision isn’t exactly the retirement that the majority of Baby Boomers will get to experience. Instead, they’ll have to reinvent the idea of retirement.
Here are some of the ways that retirement will be different for Boomers than it was for their parents: [ continue reading… ]
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