529 College Savings Plans and the New FAFSA
If you are planning to save for college expenses for your child or grandchild, a 529 college savings plan can be one of the best ways to do it. You put the money into the plan, it grows tax-free, and then if you use the funds for qualified education expenses, it comes out tax-free as […]
College Savings
With America’s student loan debt growing larger every year, saving for college is on the minds of many of our clients. Whether you want to help pay for some of all of college, you likely want to do it as efficiently as possible. Which savings vehicle is best for me? How much do I need […]
How Much to Save for College
Will your child wow you with a 4.0 GPA in high school or do they believe C’s get degrees? Are their sights set on private colleges in expensive cities or the public university up the road? Do they know their path, or will they meander through three majors over six years? If you know the […]
College Savings Vehicles
So often in life and in financial planning, perfect can be the enemy of good. This is certainly the case when it comes to saving for college. There are many ways to go about it, but the most important choice is the choice to begin saving. Nonetheless, we often meet parents of five- and ten-year-old […]
The Complicated Calculations of College Costs
Parents of college-bound students are dealing with a chicken-or-egg dilemma. When it comes to student aid calculations, it just about requires a Ph.D. to understand how to fund a Ph.D. Different schools use different methods to evaluate different families, and when they get the results, they interpret them differently! Let’s wade into the wishy-washy world […]
Getting Creative with College Funding
In our previous discussions about college planning, we’ve discussed where and how much to save while acknowledging that these questions require several assumptions. Is it sensible to make saving for college a major financial goal when there’s no guarantee the child will attend? That’s a tough question for families and for this reason, we favor educating […]
Getting Creative with College Funding
In our previous discussions about college planning, we’ve discussed where and how much to save while acknowledging that these questions require several assumptions. Is it sensible to make saving for college a major financial goal when there’s no guarantee the child will attend? That’s a tough question for families and for this reason, we favor educating […]
The Complicated Calculations of College Costs
Parents of college-bound students are dealing with a chicken-or-egg dilemma. When it comes to student aid calculations, it just about requires a Ph.D. to understand how to fund a Ph.D. Different schools use different methods to evaluate different families, and when they get the results, they interpret them differently! Let’s wade into the wishy-washy world […]
College Savings Vehicles
So often in life and in financial planning, perfect can be the enemy of good. This is certainly the case when it comes to saving for college. There are many ways to go about it, but the most important choice is the choice to begin saving. Nonetheless, we often meet parents of five- and ten-year-old […]
Connections: Tara N. Halbert on Estate Planning
Tell us a little about your background and what inspired you to pursue a career in estate and trust law. I was a math major in college and gravitated toward tax classes in law school. I received a LL.M in tax law from the University of Florida after law school and took several trust and […]
A Financial Windfall Becomes a Planning Opportunity
More Than an Investment Decision At age 55, Mark and Jennifer received a $4 million inheritance following the passing of Jennifer’s father. While the additional assets strengthened their financial position, they also introduced a series of decisions that reached far beyond investment management. The inheritance included an inherited IRA, a taxable investment account, and cash. […]
What Are Trump Accounts? Understanding the Proposed 530A Investment Account for Children
With the recent attention surrounding Trump Accounts, we wanted to provide some clarity on how these accounts are structured and where they may or may not fit within a broader financial plan. For those considering ways to start saving and investing for a child early, a Trump Account, formally referred to as a 530A account, […]