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
investing
The SECURE Act and the defects of the centrist mind
Become a Patron! I've written previously about the SECURE Act, the House version of a measure designed to encourage employers to allow employees to gamble their retirement savings on the long-term financial stability of private insurance companies. The measure has since cleared the House but is currently being held up in the Senate for now by Ted Cruz who is trying to turn … [Read more...] about The SECURE Act and the defects of the centrist mind
Roth 401(k)’s are different, but they’re not special
Become a Patron! The other day I got into a very frustrating argument with a popular anonymous Finance Twitter account about the epistemology of 401(k) savings vehicles. The frustration arose from a very specific phrase he used to describe one of the benefits of a Roth 401(k) over a traditional 401(k): "you’re able to contribute more with a Roth 401k." This is such a strange … [Read more...] about Roth 401(k)’s are different, but they’re not special
Taking the inverted yield curve literally, not seriously
Become a Patron! Last month, a funny thing happened: the yield on a 10-year US Treasury obligation dropped below the yield on a 3-month Treasury obligation. This bizarre financial market event attracted a lot of attention, even in the mainstream press, because such "yield curve inversions" have historically been correlated with economic recessions. Given the length of the … [Read more...] about Taking the inverted yield curve literally, not seriously
So you’ve decided to invest in real estate!
Become a Patron! Last week over at Travel is Free Drew wrote a very thoughtful post about his experience taking out long-term residential leases and then subletting them for short-term stays through a variety of platforms. The post has a lot of details on the various expenses and complications he encountered and is worth a close read if you're considering doing the … [Read more...] about So you’ve decided to invest in real estate!