Northwest living offers green landscapes, mountains, beaches, and plenty of outdoor fun. Living in Oregon or Washington, two of these beautiful northwest states, bring very different financial planning considerations. This financial guide to the northwest outlines some of the key factors that impact optimizing after tax investment returns, life transitions, and saving for college.
The Pink Tax: The Hidden Costs of Being a Woman
In a world that champions equality and justice, it may come as a surprise that there still exists a subtle form of discrimination known as the “Pink Tax”. This is not an actual government tax but rather a term coined to encapsulate the idea that being a woman costs more than being a man due to gender-based pricing of everyday necessities, services, and goods.
Workplace 401(k) Plan Withdrawals: What You Need to Know
In times of financial hardship and limited options, it can be challenging to turn a blind eye to a supply of money reserved for something as abstract as the future. A withdrawal from a workplace 401(k) plan, whether it be a permanent distribution or temporary loan, is allowable in certain circumstances and recent data from Bank of America shows that more participants are taking advantage: hardship withdrawals are up 36% from the second quarter of 2022, and plan loans have increased as well.
10 Common Cognitive Biases That Can Affect Your Money
Cognitive biases and behaviors surrounding money and investing can significantly affect individual’s financial decisions and overall wealth accumulation. While money and investing are often seen as rational and objective matters, human psychology can introduce biases, fears, and irrational behaviors that can hinder one’s long-term financial success. In this month’s blog, we will explore ten common cognitive biases so you can better understand how they may be impacting your decisions when it comes to your money and investments.
Student Loan Repayment Restart
Beginning June 30, 2023, the 60-day countdown to the end of the federal student loan freeze began. While the Supreme Court has yet to rule on the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness proposal as of this writing, the three-year pause on payments that went into effect due to the Covid -19 pandemic is set to resume in September regardless. There can be no more extensions of the freeze of student loan payments. According to research by VantageScore, a credit data analytics company, up to 76% of federal student loan borrowers may miss the first required payment and that single missed payment can ding a borrower’s credit score by as much as 82 points, on average. This month we will look at how to prepare for making payments again (or for the first time if a borrower graduated during the forbearance period).
