What Golf Taught Me About Financial Planners
Having a “financial life caddie” whose passion and expertise is to help you carry the metaphorical bag, do all the heavy lifting, select the right “club” for every decision, and anticipate hidden dangers/costs along the way, is no longer a luxury but a necessity to effectively compete in life.
Source: Forbes
Reminder: 2016-2017 Federal FAFSA Deadline is Approaching
Have you filed your FAFSA yet? Here’s an important reminder!
The federal government’s deadline for the form has a deadline of the June 30 following the academic year you’re applying for.
This means that June 30, 2017 is the federal deadline for the 2016-17 school year – it’s important to note these dates because the majority of students have likely already submitted a form for this past year. That deadline simply applies to the date in which students are able to file a FAFSA for the 2016-2017 academic year.
Again, if you haven’t already submitted a FAFSA form this year, the federal deadline to submit your FAFSA for the 2016-2017 academic year is June 30, 2017.
It’s important to note, however, that the form needs to be submitted much earlier if you’re looking to meet financial aid deadlines for the state you live in, at least for the majority of states.
You can find your state’s financial aid deadlines here.
Remember, you want to apply as early as possible so you’re able to use your granted financial aid in time for the start of your next school year. Also, many state and institutional grants, scholarships and federal work-study funding are all awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. That means that, when it comes to the FAFSA, the early bird gets the worm.
But, if you’ve missed your state’s deadline, you can still qualify for federal funding if you submit your FAFSA sooner than later.
It’s worth it to double check your state’s deadlines because some states, like Arkansas and Alaska, have later deadlines than others and you still may have time to meet yours!
Already filed your 2016-2017 FAFSA and are looking for the 2017-2018 information? The next FAFSA will be available in October and we’ll always keep you in the know about upcoming releases.
If you’re still curious and want to plan ahead for next year, you can find a comprehensive list of all 2017-2018 federal and state deadlines here.
Source: Fastweb
How To Withdraw Income In Retirement
If you have pre-tax, Roth, and taxable accounts, how much should you withdraw from each one? Here are some things to consider:
Source: Forbes
The 5 Biggest Financial Mistakes People Make In Their 40's
Here are the five biggest mistakes I see people making in their 40’s that will limit their options in their 60’s and how to avoid them.
Source: Forbes
Why Millennials And Generation Xers Should Stop Focusing Just On Retirement
If we truly want to move the retirement preparedness needle, perhaps it’s time to re-frame the conversation. Unless you are leaving the workforce within the next 10 years, stop focusing on “retirement” and start concentrating on your overall financial wellness.
Source: Forbes
Save More Money By Meeting Your Older Retired Self
If only we had access to a time machine and could travel forward to snap a few selfies of our future older selves, perhaps we would feel more inclined to contribute more to our retirement plans at work…Fortunately, you don’t need a time machine to see exactly how your older self might look.
Source: Forbes
Crowdfunding for College
Crowdfunding, the latest trend in the startup craze, allows the public to view and donate to causes and projects via a public platform.
Students have jumped on the bandwagon, utilizing crowdfunding resources to fund the often astronomical student loans that have accumulated.
Here are some resources that students can utilize crowdfunding for debt payment, as well as manage a current financial situation, easily and efficiently.
CommonBond “connects student borrowers and alumni investors to save students money on their loans and allow alumni to earn a financial return.”
So far, through CommonBond, millions of dollars in student loans have been funded. Also, for every loan they fund, an education for a child in need is funded as well.
Through GoFundMe, students can utilize the crowdfunding platform to create a personal donation campaign (or a charity campaign), share it online and use the funds raised.
Individuals, groups and organizations can utilize this online fundraising resource free of charge.
Indiegogo allows you to raise money for, well, whatever you want. It’s a crowdfunding platform that doesn’t decide who does or does not get funded – it’s all in the hands of the public.
Create a campaign, promote it and watch the money rake in.
PigIt’s co-founder describes the site as “education’s entrepreneurial piggy bank.” On the site, students are able to offer their personal skills, abilities or products in exchange for financial contributions.
The contributions will go directly to their debtors – whichever financial institution holds the debt for the student.
It’s a great way for students to actively gain control of their current debt situation, without the temptation of spending the funding elsewhere.
StudentLoanHero helps students who sign up manage their student loans and debt, saves students money with student loan calculators, store any important loan information digitally and allows students to easily get a glimpse into the big picture with a personalized dashboard.
Tuition.io allows students to see an overview of all student loans and gives students the power to understand their financial situations more easily because all records are kept in one place.
It doesn’t matter if your loans are from the government or private; Tuition.io loads the up-to-date information on balances and payments so that students can always be aware of their current financial situation.
Source: Fastweb
