Can You Contribute to Both a 403(b) and 457 Plan

Many universities and colleges offer access to both a 403(b) plan and a 457 plan. A question I get often is, “Can I contribute to both a 403(b) and 457 plan?” The answer is yes. If your employer offers both, you can contribute to (and max out) both. Let’s take a closer look at the retirement picture in … Read more

Difference Between 403(b), 401(a), and 457 Plans

Higher ed employees often have many different retirement plan types to choose from. Which should you be using? Should you use more than one? 403(b), 401(a), and 457 Plans: What’s the difference? Let’s look at the highlights of these plans and how you can optimize your use of them.  403(b) Plans: The Popular Kid in School 403(b) … Read more

403b Plan Complete Guide

For those that work in higher ed, their 403b plan is often the largest pool of retirement assets they own.  It’s no surprise, either.  A huge perk to working in higher education are generous retirement plan contributions from the institutions.   It’s not uncommon for a college or university to contribute 10% or more of an employee’s salary into his/her 403b … Read more

How To Invest in 403(b) For Professors

I am often asked by professors, “How should I invest my 403(b)?”  For the majority of the professors that I meet with, their 403(b) is the biggest component of their nest egg.  This makes it extremely important to invest it intelligently and efficiently.  First, I will lay out some things NOT to do and then … Read more

6 Things To Do With Your Tax Refund

Tax time is here, and many of you have already filed your taxes.  If you haven’t, you have until April 18th to do so.  Depending on your withholding, many of you will be getting a tax refund on the amount that you overpaid. This is an exciting time for many people as they look forward … Read more