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 […]

Families & Individuals

COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES Families & Individuals “…As a long-term client, we would enthusiastically recommend Ballast to any family looking to have a tailored long-term partnership…” This testimonial is from a client of Ballast, Inc. Clients are not compensated for sharing their opinions and experiences with our firm.  Any compensation creates a conflict of interest and any […]

Why Are Kids So Expensive These Days?

We’re often invited to speak to student groups about financial planning and I like to end with a few pieces of advice that apply to almost everyone, including a list of the biggest financial mistakes someone can make. Number one on that list is having children, which always solicits a few chuckles when we speak […]

Educating Heirs on Student Debt

One of my favorite television shows is Shark Tank, which shows aspiring entrepreneurs pitching their business plans to seasoned investors, the “sharks,” in hopes of an investment.  The sharks use their own money to invest, so they ask tough questions to help evaluate the business’s potential.  Have they demonstrated sales?  How much does it cost […]

Determining a Retirement Savings Rate

As we meet with new families, we continually hear the same two questions: 1) are we making good decisions with the money we earn, and 2) are we saving enough for retirement?  These questions are typical whether a person is 35 years old or 55 years old.  According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. […]