February is the month of love and we bring to you what we love about saving and investing.

 

We Love An Increase In Retirement Savings

 

We love saving and the good news is that in November 2018 the Internal Revenue Service announced cost of living adjustments increasing dollar limitation for retirement accounts. Below are some of the highlights. For more detailed information use this LINK to the IRS and schedule a meeting to talk about how these changes impact you..

 

• The contribution limit for employees who participate in a 401(K), 403(b), most 457 plans, and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan increased from $18,500 to $19,000.
• The limit on annual contributions to an IRA (including the Roth) increased from $5,500 to $6,000. The additional catch-up contribution limit for individuals aged 50 and over remains at $1,000.
• Income ranges to determine eligibility to make deductible contributions to IRAs and contributions to Roth IRAs increased.

This is a great time to review contributions to your retirement accounts and think about an increase.

 

We Love a Healthy Savings Account Interest Rate

Have you looked at the interest rate that your savings account earns? Chances are it is pretty low. Over the past couple of years, we have looked at various options to earn more in our savings accounts. While there are many options, we like Ally.com. Whether you park your emergency fund, a business account, your vacation or gift savings, Ally.com is easy to set up and has a competitive rate. Why not earn more when you can?

 

For the Love Of Listening

I’m sure you’ve heard of podcasts before and you might still be unclear as to what they are. Essentially a podcast is a talk program that you can listen to when and where you feel the need. Check out this LINK for a resource on how to podcast.

I’m a podcast junky and listen to podcasts while engaged in any activities that take physical coordination and not a lot of brain power. I am curious and love learning, so I can pair my chores with listening and learning with the simple act of opening an application on my phone and pressing play. There are endless topics available through podcasts from true crime to sports. In fact, there are many finance podcasts of which I share a few favorites below.

Freakonomics Radio, hosted by Stephen J. Dubner the coauthor of the Freakonomics books, explores the hidden side of everything. The show challenges what you think you know about everything from the World Bank to How to Be Happy. This show takes care of that curious itch and provides a way to look at the world differently.

The Indicator is a current favorite from the creators of Planet Money. It is a daily show and the episodes are short. It provides one of the most concise explanations of what is happening in business and the economy in an understandable way.

Life Kit includes four topics with each being boiled down into a concise set of truths. It includes Eating Your Way To A Healthier Life, Learn To Love (Or At Least Like) Exercise, Find Money You Didn’t Know You Had, and Secrets Of Saving And Investing. I’ve been recommending this show to so many people. The episodes are short and provide reasonably actionable items.

If you have any podcasts that you subscribe to or love please share, I always love to freshen up my rotation.

Social Media – blogs (Interesting and Digestible)

 

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We strive to create and share content that is relevant and digestible along with some community events. If there is something, in particular, you would like to see, please let us know. We hope our efforts are interesting and engaging.

 

We look forwarding to seeing you and serving you. If there is anything we can be of assistance for, please reach out. It is our pleasure to help in any way we can.

 

 

Hillary Hienton

Your Capstone Investment Financial Group
T: 719.477.9883
info@capstoneinvest.com