Retirement planning and college planning are more connected than most families realize. Retirement accounts are not counted as assets when calculating the Student Aid Index, while savings and investment accounts are. Increasing retirement contributions can lower taxable income, protect assets from the financial aid formula, and potentially improve aid eligibility. In many cases, saving for retirement is not competing with college planning. It is part of a smarter overall stra

When most people think about estate planning, the focus is usually on who gets what . Names are listed, percentages assigned, and the assumption is that the work is done. But when it comes to retirement accounts, how  beneficiaries inherit can be just as important — and far more expensive — than who  inherits. As a CPA, I see this mistake more often than you’d expect. It’s quiet, technical, and rarely explained clearly — until the tax consequences show up. Separate Inherited