7. Retirement and College Planning – Insights

Please note: These insights are intended for people going through Financial Peace University and are not a substitution or a recap of the coursework or presentation.

During a period of much reflecting, I decided to go back to school and finish my associates degree this year. I also looked at my retirement plan from TIAA-CREF. Here are my insights:

• Debt Free College is definitely the way to go. I am going back to my community college via ‘distance learning’ and that is an amazing option now available at many schools especially for returning adult students who want to attend their original school and maintain transfer agreements they have with local universities who may also have distance learning. Fill out the FAFSA to figure out if you qualify for a Pell Grant, check out scholarships, and raise some extra money. That’s what I’m planning on doing. Self employed people, look at your Adjusted Gross Income to see what you qualify for.
• I started a retirement fund at 26 and it’s grown from a few thousand to about $50,000 but it had ups and downs during the recession. It’s not much but a big chunk of it was high-risk and it’s paid off over time. Back during the recession I watched it dip but over the last few years it’s rebounded. It’s truly a marathon with these things. Self Employed people can open a different type of IRA, and that’s in my plans as well.

Next Up: Real Estate and Mortgages