The income tax benefits offered by 529 plans make these plans attractive to parents (and others) who are saving for college or K-12 tuition. Qualified withdrawals from a 529 plan are tax free at the federal level, and some states also offer tax breaks to their residents. It’s important to evaluate the federal and state tax consequences of plan withdrawals and contributions before you invest in a 529 plan.
Diversification — not putting all your eggs in one basket — is one of the most cherished principles of investing. That’s one reason why mutual funds have become a popular choice for many investors’ workplace retirement accounts. They’re an easy way to invest in many different securities at once, and to do so at a lower cost than you might be able to achieve on your own.
When you’re choosing among mutual funds, you should take into account what the fund will cost you in fees and expenses. The higher those costs, the better the fund’s performance needs to be to compensate for them.
When you determine how much income you’ll need in retirement, you may base your projection on the type of lifestyle you plan to have and when you want to retire. However, as you grow closer to retirement, you may discover that your income won’t be enough to meet your needs. If you find yourself in this situation, you’ll need to adopt a plan to bridge this projected income gap.
The first step in investing is defining your dreams for the future. If you are married or in a long-term relationship, spend some time together discussing your joint and individual goals.
You’ll end up with a list of goals. Some of these goals will be long term (you have more than 15 years to plan), some will be short term (5 years or less to plan), and some will be intermediate (between 5 and 15 years to plan). You can then decide how much money you’ll need to accumulate and which investments can best help you meet your goals.
Armstrong Dixon
1500 Sulgrave Ave.,
Baltimore, MD 21209
443-563-1111
Armstrong Dixon is a private wealth management firm, founded in 2013 and headquartered in the Mt. Washington Village of Baltimore City, MD.
Stay up to date with our monthly newsletter.
The LPL Financial Registered Representatives associated with this site may only discuss and/or transact securities business with residents of the following states: DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, MD, MO, NC, NY, OR, PA, VA and WV
Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advice offered through ADE, LLC, a registered investment advisor. ADE, LLC and Armstrong Dixon are separate entities from LPL Financial.
