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7 Financial Accounts to Be Thankful For

Before the holiday hustle and bustle goes into high gear, families across the country will sit down together for a Thanksgiving meal and reflect on what makes them grateful. Family, friends and good health may be the first things that come to mind when counting your blessings, but there are other things to be thankful for as well.

For instance, the following financial accounts offer the chance to minimize taxes, build wealth or otherwise be rewarded for making smart use of your money.

401(k) accounts. “When you think about a 401(k), there is a lot to be thankful for,” says Neil Smith, vice president for Ascensus, a retirement and college savings services provider. Offered by employers, 401(k) plans are among the simplest ways to save for retirement. Money can be automatically deducted from your paychecks, and many companies provide target-date funds that make it easy to invest based on your expected retirement year. Plus, employers may match contributions to the account. “We jokingly call it ‘free money,'” Smith says, adding that the matching amount should be considered part of a person’s total compensation.

Roth 401(k)s are funded with after-tax dollars, but gains and withdrawals in retirement are tax-free. Contributions to traditional 401(k)s are tax deductible, but money taken from the account in retirement will be taxed. For many retirees, Roth 401(k)s may offer the most tax savings. However, “if they are moving to a state like Florida or Texas where there is no state income tax, they may want to contribute to a traditional [account],” says Leif Novie, principal in the tax and accounting department at Morrison, Brown, Argiz and Farra.

[See: How to Save for Retirement on Less Than $40,000 Per Year.]

Health savings accounts. “Health savings accounts are where it’s at,” says Brandon Wood, president for benefit account solutions at Maestro Health. “There’s no other vehicle like it.” That’s because up to $3,350 for individuals and $6,750 for families can be deposited into the account and deducted from federal income taxes. Then, that money can roll over year to year and grow tax-free. Some HSA providers even offer the option to invest the balance in the market to maximize gains. As a final perk, money used to pay qualified health expenses can be withdrawn tax-free. However, you need to have a qualified high-deductible health insurance plan to be eligible to open the account. For 2016, a qualified family plan is one that has at least a $2,600 deductible and a cap of $13,100 in out-of-pocket costs.

Flexible spending accounts. Those who aren’t eligible for a health savings account may find they can thank their employer for allowing them to open a similar flexible spending account. These accounts allow people to use tax-free money to pay for health care or dependent care, including certain costs associated with elder care. While money doesn’t roll over year after year as with an HSA, some employers allow up to $500 to carry over to the next year or provide a 90 day grace period for workers to use up their balance. As a bonus, employees can use the full balance of their annual FSA election on the first day of the year if needed and then repay that amount over the next 12 months.

Despite their benefits, Wood says FSAs are often underutilized, something he attributes to their placement at the end of open enrollment forms. “We haven’t seen an uptick in adoption because these are the end of the food chain in the enrollment experience,” he says. By the time workers reach them, they often have so many deductions being made that they are reluctant to add any more.

Cash back credit cards. Although not for everyone, cash back credit cards allow consumers to earn money in exchange for making everyday purchases. “Some of these are more lucrative than what you could earn in a savings account,” says Leslie Roberts, an investment advisor at Stillwater Financial Group with offices in Boca Raton, Florida, and Plymouth, Pennsylvania. The catch is these cards may have annual fees or charge a higher interest rate than those without rewards. Make sure the rewards will outweigh the fee and never carry a balance. Paying interest will quickly negate any cash back received.

[See: 12 Financial Terms Every Retirement Saver Should Know.]

529 plans. For those with college costs in their future, a 529 plan is something to be thankful for. Withdrawals from these accounts are tax-free if used for qualified higher education expenses. While there is no federal tax deduction for contributions, some states will allow taxpayers to write off deposits on their state tax form.

Providers are also working to make it easy for parents to encourage others, such as grandparents, to contribute to a child’s 529 plan. For instance, Ascensus has set up UGift529.com as a way for others to contribute to an account, and Smith says it may be only a matter of time before 529 plan contributions replace savings bonds as the default gift for college funds.

Life insurance. “Ten out of 10 people die,” Roberts says, and life insurance leaves a tax-free death benefit to heirs that can be used to pay off family debts, cover final expenses or for any other purpose beneficiaries want. Those with significant savings may find it makes sense to buy life insurance as an inexpensive way to leave a large legacy for their family. “I’ve done a lot of work lately in leveraging [clients’] accounts to buy life insurance,” Roberts says.

Permanent life insurance products also have a cash value that can be borrowed against for any reason. What’s more, some policies provide other perks such as living benefits or the opportunity to use a portion of the death benefit for long-term care costs. While death likely doesn’t top most people’s Thanksgiving gratitude lists, folks can at least be thankful their loved ones don’t have to be financially stressed after their passing.

[See: How to Reduce Your Tax Bill by Saving for Retirement.]

Tax-managed funds. Tax-managed funds are a final, often overlooked product worthy of thanks. These funds are focused on minimizing investors’ taxes until they sell their shares. They may employ strategies such as selling off declining securities to realize a loss or avoiding dividend-producing stocks that could result in annual tax payments.

Novie says the tax-managed funds offer smaller investors an opportunity to use strategies that are otherwise reserved for those with accounts worth six or seven digits. “To have a tax-managed account, people need to be high-worth individuals,” Novie says. “But people can probably enter [a tax-managed fund] with as little as a few thousand dollars.”

On Thanksgiving, people most often express gratitude for things such as family, jobs and general good living. However, there is nothing wrong with also taking a moment to pause and consider how lucky we are to have these financial accounts available as well.

More from U.S. News

10 Ways to Get Ready for Retirement After Age 50

10 Painless Ways to Save More for Retirement

10 Places to Retire on a Social Security Budget

7 Financial Accounts to Be Thankful For originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. 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If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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