College Savings Might Come in Handy for Retirement

Also: Why a Dozen Eggs Now Costs You More Than a Gallon of Gas

͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌  January 17, 2023 I know it’s obvious, but when you spend money on one thing, you can’t spend it on another — and the same goes for saving money. Whatever you save for education is cash you can’t save toward retirement. But the SECURE 2.0 Act, passed in December, is changing that. One part of the new rule directly affects a family’s financial planning because it opens an avenue to transfer money in a 529 account to a Roth IRA. There are a few restrictions: the account must have been open for 15 years. You can transfer only $35,000 to the Roth IRA. And the two accounts must have the same beneficiary. “The main thing people need to know about this new rule is that it takes the worry, ‘What if my child/children don’t end up going to college?’ out of the equation,” says Marshall Nelson, an advisor at Crewe Advisors in Salt Lake City. “Now, you’re able to have it go towards a retirement account that grows tax-free. It’s a phenomenal solution.” It’s a significant motivator for families to start saving early for their kids’ college education, says Tom Henske, a  certified financial planner and the author of It Makes Total Cents: 12 Conversations to Change Your Child's Financial Future.  But the length of time required for the account to be open in order to qualify means “parents will want to get an early jump if they want to make themselves eligible for the potential rollover to a Roth with excess funds,” Henske says. For more, read our reporter Pete Grieve’s story on the new 529 rule. — Jill Cornfield, deputy editor P.S. If you got this newsletter from a friend, sign up here for email delivery to make sure you don't miss the next issue.   More Insights and Advice from Money

Why a Dozen Eggs Now Costs You More Than a Gallon of Gas Like most grocery items, egg prices skyrocketed in 2022, according to Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. The wholesale cost of a dozen eggs is about $3.30 now in the U.S. and more than $7 in some states. READ MORE

Energy Stocks Soared Last Year. What Can We Expect in 2023? The stock market didn’t experience many gains in 2022 — with one big exception. The energy sector of the S&P 500 ended the year a whopping 59% higher than it started. Energy stocks make up a very small portion of the index (just 5%), but they were the only sector to end the year in the black (er, green). READ MORE

Best Reverse Mortgage Companies of 2023 A reverse mortgage is a type of loan for seniors with the opposite function of a traditional mortgage.  Rather than making payments to your lender, you receive payments — sort of like an advance on your eventual home sale. Here are our picks for the best reverse mortgage companies. READ MORE

Here's When the Tax Filing Season Starts in 2023 (and How to Get Your Refund ASAP) Get ready. Tax season is about to start. The IRS predicts over 168 million individual income tax returns will be filed. It also promises better customer service — namely, thousands of more phone reps and in-person staffers who can help taxpayers with their questions. READ MORE

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Retirement 1, 2, 3   A record number of savers in 2022 used their 401(k)s as an emergency fund for medical bills or prolonged unemployment. If you didn’t max out the $6,000 on your IRA last year, you’ve still got time to put some money in. Some parts of France’s retirement system date back to Louis XIV, like allowing some actors in the Comedie Francais a full pension after 10 years on the stage. President Emmanuel Macron is trying to change that.

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