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
Divorce changes many things at once, but for newly divorced moms, one of the biggest shifts is financial. Almost overnight, you are asked to step into a new role: CFO of your household . That title doesn’t come with a manual. Instead, it comes with decisions. Most women leave a divorce with a combination of assets and obligations such as investments, debt, maintenance, and child support. What often feels overwhelming isn’t any one item, but how everything fits together. The r
