Secure Path Advisory Group

Explore the ins-and-outs of 529 plans and how to maximize educational savings.

529 College Saving Plans Are More Powerful Estate, Tax Planning Tools Congress continues to increase the tax and estate planning benefits of 529 plans, making them a must-consider tool for parents and grandparents.

Solopreneurs: your retirement plan won't set itself up.

There's no HR enrollments. No employer match waiting to be claimed. Just you, and a decision that's easy to keep pushing to later.

The good news is there are several options designed specifically for self-employed individuals. Each has its own rules, tax implications, and tradeoffs worth understanding before choosing one.

Reach out if you'd like to talk through what might make sense for your situation.

Your 40s can be a decade where life feels full: career, family, home, future goals, and a lot of competing priorities. By this stage, it’s often less about starting from scratch and more about checking that the pieces you’ve built still work together.

A few areas to revisit:

• Develop specific retirement savings goals
• Review how your 401(k) plan or IRA assets are invested as your objectives may have changed
• Keep beneficiary information up to date
• Review life insurance policies to ensure adequate coverage

A lot can change in your 40s. A thoughtful review can help make sure your plan is keeping up.

Something to keep in mind.

Filing your taxes isn't the finish line. It's actually a good time to ask: did anything change this year?

Your W-4 determines how much tax is withheld from each paycheck, and it should reflect your life as it is today, not as it was when you first filled it out. A new job, a marriage, a divorce, a new child, or even a spouse returning to work can all shift your tax situation in ways that matter.

If something changed this year, it's worth a second look. Reach out and we can help you figure out if an adjustment makes sense.

The 72-hour rule is one of the easiest money habits you can start today.

The idea is simple. Before buying something you really want but don't necessarily need, wait 72 hours. If you still want it AND have the cash, go for it guilt-free. If the urge has passed, you just saved yourself from an impulse buy. It sounds almost too simple, but it works because it creates a pause between the emotion and the action.

Most impulse purchases are driven by a feeling in the moment, and that feeling rarely lasts three days.

What's a budgeting tip or money habit that's made a real difference for you?

Both SIMPLE IRAs and SEP IRAs are retirement plans designed for small businesses and self employed individuals, but they work a bit differently.

A SIMPLE IRA allows both employee and employer contributions. Employees can defer part of their paycheck, and employers are required to contribute as well. This option is often used by businesses with employees looking for a straightforward retirement benefit.

A SEP IRA, on the other hand, is funded only by the employer. Contributions are optional each year and are typically used by self employed individuals or business owners who want flexibility in how much they contribute year to year.

Choosing the right plan depends on your business structure, cash flow, and long term goals. Understanding the differences is an important step in building a retirement plan that fits.

Your 30s can bring a lot of forward motion: career growth, job changes, homeownership, family planning, and bigger financial decisions. It’s an exciting decade, but it can also be a busy one financially.

Here are a few areas to keep in mind:

• Work with a lawyer to prepare a will and address other possible estate planning needs
• Consider buying additional life insurance if you’ve started a family
• Evaluate your investment portfolio to ensure it is properly diversified
• Create an education funding plan if you have children
• Increase contributions to your retirement account(s) following raises
• Purchase a disability income insurance policy if you haven’t done so already
• Aim for a 20% down payment when buying a home to help avoid the cost of private mortgage insurance

Your 30s are a good time to turn financial momentum into long-term progress.

June 6 is National Higher Education Day, and it's a great reminder to check in on your education savings strategy!

One of the more exciting updates from SECURE 2.0: 529 plan funds can now be rolled over into a Roth IRA under qualifying circumstances. For families who've been diligently saving for college, this adds a meaningful layer of flexibility.

A few things to keep in mind:
✅ The 529 must have been open for at least 15 years
✅ There are annual and lifetime limits on how much can be rolled over
✅ The rollover counts toward the Roth IRA contribution limit for that year

It's a great example of how financial planning rules are evolving to give families more flexibility. Have questions about how this applies to your situation? Let's chat!

Claiming Social Security as early as possible sounds like a no-brainer. But for many people, it's not the right move.

Factors like how long you expect to work, your overall health, and your spouse's plans can all play a role in figuring out what makes sense for your situation. There's no one-size-fits-all answer.

If you haven't thought through your Social Security strategy yet, it's worth a conversation.