Retirement Quick Tips with Ashley

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about how to pay for college before little junior ever sets foot on a college campus.

Yesterday, I talked about my favorite way to save up and invest for college or post high-school education of any kind - including trade schools, vocational schools, and the like - and that's the 529 college savings plan.

For 9 out of 10 people, the 529 plan makes the most sense.

But for those of you who aren't comfortable with the taxes and penalties if you DON'T use the money for education and you want more control and flexibility, then a regular brokerage account (or a trust account if you want even more control), is another good route.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about how to pay for college before little junior ever sets foot on a college campus.

Today, I'm sharing with you how I'm paying for most, hopefully all of my kids college or post high school education before their high school graduation - 529 plans.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about how to pay for college before little junior ever sets foot on a college campus.

Today, I'm talking about the steps I am taking and will take in the future to ensure that all 4 of my kids finish school with zero debt.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about how to pay for college before little junior ever sets foot on a college campus.

Today, I want to run the numbers with you on and why you should do this.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about how to pay for college before little junior ever sets foot on a college campus.

Today, I'm starting with what should be an obvious question, but one that hardly anyone asks - at least based on the conversations I have with parents of high schoolers and college age kids:

Should your child even be going to college? Is it a worthwhile investment?

Welcome to a new week here on the Retirement Quick Tips podcast! I'm your host, Ashley Micciche.

According to the latest figures from EducationData.org - The average cost of college* in the United States is $38,270 per student per year, including books, supplies, and daily living expenses. Multiply that by 4 years and junior's college will cost $153,080.

My nephew is going to be a senior in high school this year, and will start applying to colleges in the fall. His top 3 choices are all expensive, and all but 2 are out of state.

It's that time of year again - back to school, and for many of you planning for both your retirement and trying to get junior through college without mountains of debt or delaying your own retirement with that $153,000 price tag, I have some helpful suggestions this week on the best ways to save, invest, and prioritize college savings along with all of your other financial goals.

Welcome to a new week here on the Retirement Quick Tips podcast! I'm your host, Ashley Micciche.

This week on the podcast, I'm on vacation, so instead of daily episodes, I'm just doing one longer episode for this week, but don't worry! I'll be back with daily episodes like you're used to next week.

I'm on vacation this week with my husband and kids, my sister and her husband, their 2 kids, and my parents. It will be 12 of us in 1 house together for an entire week. I'm excited, but also deathly afraid at the same time!

Vacationing with family is a lot different than vacationing with friends, and as I talk to clients who are in the early retirement years that are often filled with travel, these topics of travel and money come up.

But since this a podcast about finances, I want to talk in depth about a few tips I have for traveling with friends and not letting money specifically ruin your trip, or worse, your friendship!

It's Sunday and I'm wrapping up the week by summarizing this week's theme: Marriage & Money: The One Big Beautiful Bill: What It Means for Your Money

In case you missed any episodes this week, here's the recap…

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about the key provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill that was recently signed into law and how that might impact you.

Today, I'm talking about how the OBBB really hits home the importance of planning ahead and making sure you're taking full advantage of the provisions while avoiding some of the big mistakes…

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about the key provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill that was recently signed into law and how that might impact you.

Today, I'm walking about the new tax deduction for seniors 65+