Become a Patron! Last week, the nonprofit journalism enterprise ProPublica wrote a breathless expose about a number of wealthy Illinois families, and their law firm collaborator, who were able to secure generous financial aid awards for their children to attend certain Illinois public universities. The article served as a brilliant kind of Rorschach test for how readers … [Read more...] about The wealthy Illinois degenerates were good and right for getting their kids a free education
higher education
Why I just changed my 529 asset allocation
Become a Patron! I've written before about what I consider the two best 529 college savings plans: the Nevada-sponsored Vanguard 529 plan and the Utah-sponsored my529 (formerly UESP). In general, most people making contributions in excess of their in-state tax deduction for 529 plan contributions (if any) should consider using one of those two plans, thanks to their broad … [Read more...] about Why I just changed my 529 asset allocation
The SECURE backdoor into 529 assets
Become a Patron! I've written extensively in the past about 529 College Savings Plans, an extremely tax-advantaged method of saving for higher education expenses. Contributions are made after federal and state taxes (although many states offer in-state tax deductions for contributions), compound internally tax-free, and are withdrawn tax-free for "qualified higher education … [Read more...] about The SECURE backdoor into 529 assets
Three bad and one good way to think about public higher education and tuition
Become a Patron! Elizabeth Warren made a splash this week with her plan to both ensure public higher education is tuition-free and forgive up to $50,000 per student of the existing stock of federal student debt. I already offered my hottest takes on Twitter, but I think a lot of the disagreements surrounding public tuition and student debt revolve around fundamentally … [Read more...] about Three bad and one good way to think about public higher education and tuition
The Indy Finance guide to why, where, and how to seek higher education
Become a Patron! I've written many times before about higher education, mainly from the perspective of financing it. Thanks to Aunt Becky, for the last few weeks the national spotlight has focused on much more fundamental questions: what is post-secondary education for? Who should pursue it, and why? What should they study, and where? Fortunately, the definitive answers … [Read more...] about The Indy Finance guide to why, where, and how to seek higher education