Good Financial Reads: Where to Invest, Rethinking College, and More

Following along with the blogs of financial advisors is a great way to access valuable, educational information about finance — and it doesn’t cost you a thing! Our financial planners love to share their knowledge and help everyone regardless of age or assets.

Catch up on some of the latest posts with this week's roundup:

Is "Breaking News" Killing Your Financial Plan?

by Michael Rivas, Bienvenue Wealth

The financial journalists have been in their glory these last few weeks. Greece was a great headline grabber, as was the exciting reaction to the craziness by the US and global markets. It was better than football, basketball, and baseball seasons all wrapped into one. Why? Because it got people tuned in and waiting for the next “breaking news” story. It spurred lots of web clicks. It got the news sites buzzing and, ultimately, I’m sure it sold a lot of whatever was being advertised at the moment.

The fact is, all that financial “news” means absolutely nothing to the normal investor. Sure, the play-by-play changes in the stock market may make a difference to the day traders—at least for the day. And yes, the clicks on CNN’s website will make a difference to some marketing genius’s commission check. But for anyone investing for the long term, none of it matters. It’s just noise.

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How to Invest Your Retirement Savings

by Tyler Gray, Sage Oak Financial

As a financial advisor, one of the most common questions I hear is, “How should I invest for retirement?” In fact, it’s probably a question you’ve asked yourself.

With all of the investments available today, it’s easy for the average investor to feel lost in the woods. Fortunately though, there are really only three options when considering how to invest your retirement savings.

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Do You Have an IRS Savings Account?

by Nannette Kamien, Inspiration Financial Planning

75% of tax filers cash in their “IRS savings account” every year and thank Uncle Sam for letting him borrow their money interest free, all year. What?!? Yep, that’s right. A tax refund is an interest free loan to the government.

It’s your money. Only you can’t take it out until next year. So it’s worse than a savings account, it’s more like a CD that pays you nothing. As you can tell, this really bothers me. However, I’m writing this to let you know what you can do now to avoid getting a big refund, and why even if you don’t do anything, it might not be all that bad.

Why Millennial Parents Are Right To Be Re-Thinking College

by Brandon Marcott, Edify Financial Planning

I’ve written previously how I grossly underestimated (as did my parents) the costs of college. I graduated in 2007 from a private school with $80,000 in debt. I’ve had lots of help from family after graduation…but I'm still not done paying these loans off. While I’d love for my son, Walter, to be able to go to Bethel as both Erika and I did, I don’t think I’ll be able to justify what that cost will be (not even factoring whether or not we could afford it!).

If Walter goes to college at age 18 (he’s 3 now) for 4 years, $80,000 will seem like nothing. We’d be lucky if that covered two years at an in-state public school.

The college degree was a much sought after commodity at the end of the 20th century. It has since lost some influence and has jaded the minds of millennial parents who may still be paying off their loans years from now.

It is wise to be re-thinking college, and here are 5 reasons why.