Monday is the best day of the week to answer mail, and MAN do we have some great ones today. Bill asks us about the correlation between expenses and wealth, Brian wonders whether maxing out his HSA or 401k makes more sense, and Kevin hits us up for an answer about the Vanguard college savings plan. With a little luck, we even might have answered one or two correctly! Plus, on the Haven Life line, we answer a question from Ray about 529 plans. He asks about penalties inside these plans.
But that’s not all….in our headline segment we’re joined by Greg Johnson from Club Thrifty. Are funeral directors ripping families off? He’ll answer a question we found in a recent New York Times article. Of course, we’ll talk about being financially faithful, about OG’s five iron, Doug’s air bath, and more.
Special thanks to SoFi and Magnify Money for sponsoring our show!
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Show Notes:
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<4:23> Headline
- Is Your Partner Financial Faithful? Why Cheating Isn’t Only Sexual (Fox News Health)
- Funeral Home Fees Vary Widely, and It’s Hard to Shop Around (New York Times)
- Thanks to Greg Johnson from Club Thrifty for the help on this piece!
- Visit Club Thrifty
- Say hello to Greg & Holly on Twitter: @ClubThrifty
- Thanks to Greg Johnson from Club Thrifty for the help on this piece!
<18:21> Doug’s Trivia
- What kind of bath did Ben Franklin take daily?
Need help with your financial plan? Use this link to schedule a meeting with OG: StackingBenjamins.com/OG
<22:25> Haven Life Line
Need life insurance? You could be insured in 20 minutes or less and build your family’s safety net for the future. Use StackingBenjamins.com/HavenLife to calculate how much you need and apply.
- We field a question from Ray about 529 plans.
<28:28> Your Letters
Bill – Comments about being cheap and the correlation with becoming wealthy.
Brian – Should he max out his HSA or 401k first?
Kevin – Wonders if Vanguard recent 529 changes are because of our podcast.
John – How does he use options to make money on his company stock?
<> Join us Wednesday
It’s always difficult to talk to family about money, so we went to the expert for help. Marcy Keckler from Ameriprise comes down to the basement to talk strategies when discussing money with your spouse, parents, children, and others.
One extra comment about the 529 plan if your child doesn’t use it all. For every dollar of scholarships, you’re child receives, you can withdraw that much from the 529 without the additional 10% penalty. You have to pay the taxes on the earnings, but not the additional 10% penalty.
I would definitely max out my Roth 401(k) up to the match first and then the HSA. I would say also that my HSA is distributed throughout the year in equal payments. They will not allow me for example to max out the HSA in January. I think this has something to do with the third party managing the HSA for my employer. Still, I’m fortunate enough to be able to max out both of them annually.