Mr. Cooper Group‘s profits strongly increased in the first quarter of 2023, as forecasted by its executives. The servicing portfolio again propelled the quarterly performance, but this time, the origination segment also contributed to the results by returning to profitability.
The company reported on Wednesday that it delivered $37 million in net income from January to March, compared to $1 million in the fourth quarter. The result included a mark-to-market of $63 million, a $1 million severance charge and $10 million losses with equity investments.
Mr. Cooper’s chairman and CEO Jay Bray said the operating results are due to a “balanced business model” between servicing and origination, according to a news release. He added executives are “positioning the company to navigate a volatile environment.”
The company’s servicing portfolio ended the quarter with a pretax operating income of $157 million, compared to $159 million in the previous quarter.
Mr. Cooper had 4.1 million customers and $853 billion in unpaid principal balance (UPB) at the end of March, compared to $870 billion at the end of December. The reduction resulted from a client that decided to take the portfolio in-house, executives said during a call with analysts.
But the servicing portfolio is expected to grow. Mr. Cooper announced it agreed to acquire Rushmore Loan Management Services‘s special servicing platform, which has $37 billion in sub-servicing contracts. The platform has 244,500 loans and will be combined with RightPath, bringing several hundred employees to Mr. Cooper.
Regarding its origination business, which focuses on acquiring loans through the correspondent channel and refinancing existing loans through the direct-to-consumer channel, Mr. Cooper had a $23 million pretax operating income, compared to a $2 million loss in the previous quarter.
Mr. Cooper’s funded volume declined to $2.7 billion in the first quarter of 2023 from $3.2 billion in the previous quarter. Direct-to-consumer comprised $1.4 billion and correspondent was responsible for $1.3 billion.
“Servicing continued to produce consistent stable predictable results, while originations outperformed on strong DTC execution,” Chris Marshall, vice chairman and president, said in a statement. “We continue to see exciting opportunities to grow our customer base, while our focus on positive operating leverage will help us generate higher returns.”
According to a team of equity analysts at Jefferies, the first quarter earnings “showed stability of servicing performance in a higher-rate environment.” Meanwhile, performance in the originations segment “was a welcome surprise to the upside after several quarters of tightening gain-on-sale margins and declining volumes.”
Acquisition mode for Mr. Cooper
Bray told analysts that Mr. Cooper expects to increase its servicing portfolio. Despite the reduction in the unpaid principal balance in the first quarter of 2023, Mr. Cooper won deals that will include $57 billion in MSRs in the next few months, the executive said.
“You’re familiar with our strategic target of growing the portfolio to $1 trillion, but I’d share with you that we think of that as an absolute minimum for where we can go,” Bray said.
The recent banking crisis adds some opportunities to acquire MSRs, but the market is still in a “state of transition as everybody digests what has happened in the last month or two,” according to Bray. “But we expect more to come from the banks. And we expect to be active there.”
Regarding the appetite of bidders in the MSR market, executives said it’s smaller for Ginnie Mae’s portfolio than for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Overall, “there’s not a significant number of bidders, but it’s competitive,” Bray said. Marshall added, “As the pools get larger, certainly as they get above $10 or $20 billion, there’s a handful of potential buyers.”
To support its acquisition mode, Mr. Cooper said it has strong liquidity. The company had $2.4 billion in liquidity at the end of April, including $534 million in unrestricted cash.
“Since the year-end, we’ve upsized several of our MSR line facilities, increasing aggregate capacity by $1.5 billion,” Kurt Johnson, the company’s CFO, told analysts. “Given the turmoil in the financial markets, we’re very pleased that our banking partners continue to see us as a sound counterparty with strong capital, risk management, and controls and were eager to support our growth throughout the quarter.”
Looking forward, Mr. Cooper continues to provide a forecast of $600 million EBIT for 2023.
Out of 72 million Millennials in America, roughly 600,000 are already millionaires according to Coldwell Banker.
Like the generation they represent, Gen Y’s own one-percenters come from diverse backgrounds and share a bootstrapping attitude to building wealth and success. Their paths to riches range from the tried-and-true to the clever and lucky; some of their methods are merely admirable, while others are easily repeatable.
So who are the Millennial millionaires? How did they build their fortunes, and what can we learn from them?
Let’s investigate six Millennial millionaires, their paths to wealth, and extract one takeaway from each journey.
What’s Ahead:
Jeremy Gardner: crypto
In 2013, at age 21, Jeremy Gardner bought some bitcoins from a friend purely out of curiosity.
At the time, all he really knew about “crypto” was that it was the preferred currency of Silk Road, a darknet eBay for drugs and illegal activity. Shady traders on Silk Road liked Bitcoin because it was unregulated and difficult for authorities to trace.
The FBI shut down Silk Road in 2013 but Bitcoin lived on – and soon, Gardner began to see its true merit.
“There was this realization that I could — with just an internet connection— exchange value with anyone in the world who also has an internet connection,” he told Business Insider. “No longer did I have to rely on a centralized intermediary, a troll under the bridge, such as a bank or a government.”
Gardner converted all of his cash and holdings into Bitcoin and dedicated his life to evangelizing cryptocurrency. He won’t share his net worth publicly, but considering Bitcoin traded for as low as $50 in 2013 and now hovers around $50,000, it’s safe to say he’s beyond mere “millionaire” status.
So what does a crypto millionaire do all day?
At the time of his Business Insider interview, Gardner lived in a three-story townhome in San Francisco dubbed “The Crypto Castle.” He claims that most of the other tenants who have rotated in and out of the Castle have become millionaires as a result of cryptocurrency investing.
Despite residing in one of the most expensive cities on earth, Gardner’s biggest living expense was apparently “alcohol.” That’s because he loves taking people out to party, wax poetic about crypto, and pick up the tab.
During the day, Gardner worked “fairly full-time” at venture capital firm Blockchain Capital, which focuses on seeding crypto-based startups, for a salary of $0. He’s since moved to Miami for the lower cost of living.
Even at the time of his interview in 2017, Gardner acknowledged the possibility of a bubble popping – it may be at $60,000, $100,000, or $500,000 – so to protect his wealth, he has plenty of cash on reserve. That cash will continue to pay for his living expenses and, of course, be used to scoop up more Bitcoin after the bubble bursts.
What we can learn from Jeremy Gardner’s millions
An investment in cryptocurrency can provide generous returns, but it’s not without risk or challenges. Cryptocurrency investments are not FDIC-insured, for example, and the regulatory landscape is still unfolding.
Still, crypto can lend some high-risk, high-reward diversity to your portfolio. I’ll be covering crypto in more detail in the coming months, so stay tuned.
Shan Shan Fu: pandemic-based startup
Chinese-American immigrant Shan Shan Fu, 33, was already working hard enough when the pandemic hit in Q1 2020. Her mother and father had been an engineer and a doctor back in China, respectively, but since their degrees weren’t recognized in America they had to work in grocery stores to make ends meet. Their salaries plummeted but their work ethic stayed the same.
Inspired by her folks, Fu took on a second role in addition to her hard-enough nine-five consulting job. As soon as the pandemic hit, she saw an immediate need for high-quality, breathable face masks. So from five to one each night for seven months, she built and launched Millennials In Motion, a boutique mask and fashion vendor.
Her income from Millennials In Motion soon surpassed her consulting salary, so she left her steady gig to focus on growing her startup.
Shan Shan Fu’s financial success is doubly impressive considering everything working against her during the pandemic. She already had a full-time job, the economy was tanking, and she was an Asian woman, suffering from increased judgment and discrimination due to increasing anti-AAPI bias.
“When you immigrate from China, it’s already so difficult because you’re judged based on how you look, your accent. Your education isn’t valued as much as if [it were from the U.S.],” she told CNBC. “It’s tough to go through so much adversity and be hated on for [a pandemic] that has nothing to do with you…”
Launching Millennials In Motion wasn’t Shan Shan Fu’s first financial success. Fu briefly lived in Vancouver, where she spotted a beautiful condo for an affordable price. She called it “the Millennial dream” and sensed it would be a good investment. It was – since she bought it for $500,000 in 2015, the condo has more than doubled in value.
Technically speaking, Ms. Fu is barely a millionaire – in fact, I’d estimate that after being hammered by self-employment taxes, her net worth might have lost a digit. But I have no doubt that she’ll rebound immediately; if she can launch a successful one-woman startup during a pandemic, the sky’s the limit.
What we can learn from Shan Shan Fu’s (eventual) millions
There are four traditional paths to becoming a millionaire in this country: earning, investing, launching a successful business, and inheritance. Most rich Americans got that way by picking one, maybe two lanes at max so they can work less and stay focused. Ms. Fu is unique in that she built wealth equally between lanes one, two, and three throughout 2020. But even someone with a work ethic as incredible as Ms. Fu realized that 17-hour days aren’t worth it for any amount of money, and focusing on two lanes is just fine.
Keith Gill: high-risk stock trading
Keith Gill is the only person on this list that I can provide an almost precise net worth for, down to the penny.
That’s because Gill is the de facto leader of the infamous amateur investing subreddit r/wallstreetbets where he posts his portfolio on a semi-regular basis. Gill’s “GME YOLO” updates show how he’s turned a $53,000 investment in GameStop stock into $25+ million, peaking at $50 million in February.
Granted, Gill’s “GME YOLO” updates only reflect his GameStop holdings, not his entire net worth. Still, it’s pretty safe to say they represent the majority of his net assets now, and that he’s definitely a Millennial millionaire several times over.
Gill, 34, got his Reddit username from the investing term “deep value.” Deep value investing involves building a diverse portfolio of cheap, undervalued stocks.
Calling upon his experience as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Gill noticed that GameStop stock (GME) had become severely undervalued in 2019, so he bought up 50,000 shares plus 500 call options. He didn’t just “YOLO” his cash into the wind, either, justifying his move with trends and data in a video he posted to his YouTube channel under the pseudonym Roaring Kitty. Critically, he never said he was sharing advice – just educational material.
Gill’s early investment in GameStop, and frequent posts justifying his positions, are credited with stimulating the now-famous GameStop short squeeze of Q1 2021. The movement got so serious that Gill was called in to testify to Congress on February 18th alongside Robinhood co-founder Vladimir Tenev. His two most famous quotes arising from his testimony are “I am not a cat” and “I like the stock.” To date, no legal action has been taken against Gill, and the day after his testimony he doubled his position in GameStop to 100,000 shares.
In many ways, Keith Gill was the hero Reddit needed in 2021. By all accounts, he’s just a normal guy who wants to promote financial literacy, notably the deep value investing strategy of seeking out undervalued stocks. He lives in a normal house in Brockton, Mass with a wife and young daughter, and despite their best efforts, the hedge funds have failed to charge, muzzle, or discredit him. He’s also made a lot of normal people a lot of money during a crippling pandemic.
What we can learn from Keith Gill’s millions
While Keith Gill’s gambit certainly paid off, it’s important to remember that r/wallstreetbets is full of terrible advice, too. Tons of people lose their livelihoods chasing meme stocks and trends, so it’s better to get your lols from WSB and investing guidance from a professional wealth advisor.
A better takeaway from Gill’s millions (that’s fun to say) is that financial literacy pays off. Even though he’s the figurehead of a subreddit that celebrates badly-researched trades, Gill did do his research on GameStop and it paid off. So if you’re looking to build wealth as an amateur investor, be like Gill – not like WSB.
Amandla Stenberg: entertainment
Remember Rue from The Hunger Games movies? Yeah, she’s crushing it now.
Born in 1998 to an African-American mother and Danish father, Amandla Stenberg got her name from the Zulu word for “strength.” Living up to her namesake, she followed her global debut in The Hunger Games by starring in Everything, Everything as Maddy, a young woman homebound by a debilitating medical condition.
Although her portrayal of Maddy won her universal acclaim and further propelled her to stardom (and millionaire status), Steinberg has garnered more well-deserved attention for her outspoken philosophies and political views.
Steinberg identifies as non-binary, preferring the pronouns “she/her” or “them/they,” and has used her newfound stardom to spread pro-acceptance and feminist messaging. In 2015 she published a five-minute YouTube video titled Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows, directly confronting the disconnect between cultural appropriation and cultural acceptance of black Americans.
On a smaller but similarly profound note, Steinberg announced in 2017 that she’d stopped using a smartphone in favor of a “dumb phone.”
“I’m legitimately concerned about my generation and how phones are going to affect us psychologically.” she told Bust in an interview. “I think [social media] is a very important tool. But at the same time, I think it can create some serious effects on our mental health.”
Amandla Steinberg, who straddles the line between Millennial and Gen Z, evokes the best possible definition of “woke.” She carries a torch of acceptance and critical thinking for both generations, using her wealth and stardom to propel society forward in the right direction.
What we can learn from Amandla Steinberg’s millions
As a “Millennial millionaire,” Steinberg exemplifies how wealth, power, and influence can absolutely be forces for good. She may not give us a clear path to riches, since acting isn’t exactly a reliable cash cow – but she sure as hell shows us how to use it.
Whitney Wolfe Herd: dating apps
Are billionaires still millionaires? Asking for a friend.
Whitney Wolfe Herd was a millionaire, at least, before the Bumble IPO in February 2021. Then, in the ring of a bell, 31-year-old Wolfe became a bonafide billionaire and the youngest woman to take a company public ever.
Unlike Kylie Jenner, nobody dispute’s Whitney Wolfe Herd’s wealth or authenticity. Wolfe launched her first business in college when she began selling bamboo tote bags to benefit victims of the BP oil spill. Two years later, she joined an incubator where she became the third employee of a new Millennial-focused dating app. The app was all about immediate sparks, so she came up with the name Tinder.
Despite Tinder’s explosive growth, Wolfe Herd resigned just two years later and sued her former partners for sexual harassment. The whole nasty episode inspired her to move to Austin and launch a female-friendly dating app called Moxie. The name was taken, unfortunately, so her second choice was Bumble.
Between 2015 and 2019, Wolfe Herd swept awards and collected accolades for her unstoppable momentum in the male-dominated tech industry. In September 2019, she even testified before the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee on the topic of explicit images sent within dating apps, further championing efforts to protect women from sexual harassment online: all before her 29th birthday.
When Bumble finally launched a successful IPO, Wolfe Herd’s hefty stake in the company reached an estimated value of $1.5 billion. But despite her 10-figure wealth and barrier-shattering success, Whitney Wolfe Herd’s path to riches is actually pretty old school.
What we can learn from Whitney Wolfe Herd’s (many) millions
If you work in a startup environment, ask for stock options. 10 years of startup salaries probably represent less than 0.05% of Herd’s net worth; the rest is entirely stock.
I myself have a few friends who were the 9th or 17th or 31st employees of no-name companies that have since become big-name companies. Even those that didn’t become Pinterest or Bumble were often bought out, resulting in massive capital gains for early employees and seed round investors. So just a few years of hard work in the right startup can make you a millionaire: as long as you get that stock!
Todd and Angela Baldwin: just save and invest
Todd Baldwin, 28, started out shoveling manure for $3 an hour. Today, his annual income exceeds $600,000. His wife Angela makes six figures also, which the couple can afford to put entirely into savings.
Todd and Angela began their relationship with a combined household income well under $100k. They couldn’t afford to live alone in Seattle, so they bought a $500k home with a small $19,000 down payment and rented out the other rooms to make their mortgage payments.
But by keeping their costs low and crushing it at work, the Baldwins were able to earn more, save more, and buy more. Within a year they invested in a second property. Now they have six.
Three factors enabled the Baldwins to keep purchasing property and build their real estate portfolio:
Their increased earnings at work.
Rent payments from tenants.
Their dedication to frugality and simple living.
Interestingly, Todd credits number three as their primary factor for success. For example, in college he couldn’t afford to take his soon-to-be-wife out for fancy meals, so he took a side gig as a mystery shopper. Now, instead of paying $60 for a nice meal, he’s paid $60 to take his wife out and report his experience. She doesn’t mind and enjoys their “free dates.”
Todd and Angela now live in a much nicer $900,000 duplex, but they still rent out their spare bedrooms, even their converted garage to cover 100% of their mortgage. The couple shares a 2009 Ford Focus, and Todd wears a $12 wedding band made of rubber.
Personally, I admire the Baldwins’ dedication to frugality – but if you find their lean lifestyle to be a bit… restricting, know this: as a result of cost-cutting, they’re able to save 80% of his income and 100% of hers. Even if they bought a pair of matching Mercedes and gave their roommates the boot, they’d likely still save more than half of both of their salaries.
The couple’s ultimate goal is to own 6,000 apartments by the time Todd turns 60, which would bring in $9 million a month in rent. If they pull it off, they’d be fast on their way to becoming a billionaire power couple: too recognizable to keep power shopping.
What we can learn from Todd and Angela Baldwin’s millions
The Baldwins aren’t startup heroes, lottery winners, or crypto zillionaires. Their path to riches didn’t even involve luck or months of 17-hour days. All they did was save and invest, save and invest.
The single most common path to becoming a millionaire in America is to invest 20% of your income for 30 years. The Baldwins were just a bit more aggressive (to say the least), investing 80% of their income for five years and counting. But the core principle still stands – you don’t need a six-figure salary, a massive inheritance, or an early stake in Bumble to get rich; just patience and the most fundamental investing knowledge.
Summary
The Millennial millionaires range from sage opportunists to Hollywood activists; glass ceiling-smashers to frugal investors. Their pathways to wealth are as diverse as the generation they represent, but each of the one-percenters on this list shares one thing in common: a plan.
When it comes to building wealth, luck plays a surprisingly tiny role, if it even factors in at all. Nobody on this list waited for luck; instead, they did their research, executed upon an opportunity, and worked hard for that second comma in their bank statement.
“Where are you from?” It’s a common question when you meet someone new while traveling. And it’s an easy question for most people. But for me, it’s complicated if I want to give more details than “the United States.”
After all, my husband and I gave up our Austin, Texas, apartment in June 2017, sold or donated most of our belongings and then set out as digital nomads on July 2, 2017. So, excluding some extended time living with family early in the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve traveled full time while working remotely for the last six years.
In 2020, I wrote about my first three years as a digital nomad. But in this story, I’ll look back at the past six years. In doing so, I’ll discuss how I became a digital nomad, some of my travel statistics and how travel has changed for me during the past six years.
How I became a digital nomad
Aboard the Six Senses Yao Noi boat in Thailand. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
On a bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu in Peru in 2013, I first heard of a gap year or sabbatical year. I hadn’t gotten into points and miles yet, but my husband and I loved the idea of taking a year off to travel after I finished graduate school. Well, fast forward four years to 2017, when it was time to leave on our “gap year.” By this time, we were already working as writers in the award travel space.
So, we hit the road as digital nomads instead of taking a gap year. And we quickly fell in love with the freedom and flexibility of the lifestyle. I appreciate experiencing different cultures, landscapes, experiences and cuisines daily. And I’ve found that frequently visiting new destinations inspires me.
I also enjoy using the topics I write about — points, miles, credit cards and elite status — on a daily basis. We make award redemptions most weeks (and often multiple times a week), and we’re constantly traveling. So, I know many of the airline, hotel and credit card programs I write about from personal experience. And I’m personally invested when these programs change or devalue their rewards.
Points and miles certainly fuel some of our travel. But we also book paid flights and nights when it makes sense. After all, we only have a finite amount of points and miles, and we’ve found that paid partner-operated premium-cabin flights are often the best way to earn airline elite status.
Related: 6 ways award travel and elite status pair well with my digital nomad life
1,121,959 miles on 575 flights
Over the last six years, I’ve taken 575 flights on 62 airlines to 180 airports in 58 countries. I’ve taken so many flights in the last six years that my flight map is difficult to read.
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I flew 1,121,959 direct flight miles in the last six years, with an average flight distance of 1,951 miles (about the distance from Atlanta to Los Angeles). My longest flight was 9,532 miles, from New York to Singapore. And my shortest flight was just 11 miles from Tahiti to Moorea in French Polynesia.
But my most memorable flight was on Sri Lanka’s Cinnamon Air from Polgolla Reservoir Aerodrome (KDZ) to Koggala Airport (KCT) on a Cessna 208 amphibious caravan.
A Cinnamon Air Cessna 208 amphibious caravan in Kandy, Sri Lanka. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
I frequently fly American Airlines and often use Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) when visiting family. So, it’s not surprising that my three most frequent routes by flight segments are between American Airlines’ hubs and Atlanta. Here’s a look at my top 10 most frequent flight segments over the last six years:
New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to/from ATL: 15 flights
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to/from ATL: 11 flights
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to/from ATL: 10 flights
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) to/from Kualanamu International Airport (KNO): 10 flights while I earned Malaysia Airlines Enrich Gold status in 2019
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to/from ATL: Nine flights
Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) to/from LAX: Eight flights
DFW to/from LGA: Six flights
London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) to/from LAX: Six flights
Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to/from Da Nang International Airport (DAD): Six flights booked during Cathay Pacific’s New Year’s deal in 2019
DFW to/from LAS: Five flights
And my loyalty to American Airlines AAdvantage and its Oneworld partners shows when you look at the airlines I flew most by flight segments:
American Airlines: 224 flights, including reviews of American’s A321T business class, 787-9 business class, 777-200 business class with B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seats, 787-8 Main Cabin Extra, 757-200 Main Cabin Extra and 757-200 business class
United Airlines: 31 flights, including reviews of United’s 787-8 economy class and 757-200 economy class
Southwest Airlines: 29 flights, including a review of Southwest’s 737-800 from Oakland, California, to Newark
Malaysia Airlines: 26 flights
Qatar Airways: 23 flights, including reviews of Qatar Qsuite on a 777-300ER and Qatar Qsuite on an A350-1000
Delta Air Lines: 22 flights, including when I was one of the first American tourists to fly to Italy on a COVID-19-tested flight
British Airways: 20 flights, including a review of British Airways’ A380 economy class
Cathay Pacific: 17 flights
Japan Airlines: 14 flights, including a review of Japan Airlines’ 777-300ER premium economy
Qantas: 12 flights
Economy seats on an American Airlines Boeing 787-8. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
However, if you look at the airlines on which I flew the most mileage, the ranking is a bit different due to some mileage runs:
American Airlines: 404,296 miles
Cathay Pacific: 104,481 miles
Qatar Airways: 89,630 miles
British Airways: 53,357 miles
Delta Air Lines: 49,603 miles
United Airlines: 42,237 miles
Singapore Airlines: 36,176 miles, including a review of Singapore Airlines’ A350-900ULR premium economy
Japan Airlines: 33,756 miles
Air Canada: 30,792 miles
All Nippon Airways: 28,938 miles
I track all my flights in OpenFlights. So, although it’s relatively easy for me to gather statistics on my flights, I don’t have a simple way to determine the amount I paid in points and cash for my 575 flights during the last six years.
Related: The best credit cards for booking flights
1,103 nights in hotels
A villa at Six Senses Yao Noi in Thailand. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
I’ve spent over half of the last six years living out of hotel rooms. In particular, I’ve spent 894 nights at 75 major hotel brands within the last six years. And I’ve spent 209 nights at other brands and independent hotels.
Here’s the breakdown of my stays by loyalty program and brand over the last six years, including notes about my favorite programs.
390 nights at 15 IHG brands
The Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives in the Maldives. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Holiday Inn Express: 120 nights
Holiday Inn: 66 nights
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts: 51 nights, including five nights at the InterContinental Hayman Island Resort in Australia, four nights at the InterContinental Phuket Resort in Thailand, four nights at the InterContinental Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort in Vietnam, three nights at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort in Vietnam, three nights at the InterContinental New York Times Square in New York and two nights at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa in Fiji
Candlewood Suites: 28 nights
Hotel Indigo: 26 nights, including five nights at the Hotel Indigo Austin Downtown-University in Texas and four nights at the Hotel Indigo Birmingham Five Points South – UAB in Alabama
Staybridge Suites: 22 nights
Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts: 19 nights, including three nights at the Crowne Plaza Beijing Wangfujing in China and three nights at the Crowne Plaza Times Square in New York
Holiday Inn Resort: 19 nights, including 10 nights at the Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives in the Maldives
Voco: 11 nights, including six nights at Voco Gold Coast in Australia
Regent: Nine nights
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants: Eight nights
Six Senses: Six nights, including four nights at Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and two nights at Six Senses Yao Noi in Thailand
Atwell Suites: Two nights at Atwell Suites Miami Brickell in Florida
Avid: Two nights at Avid hotel Oklahoma City — Quail Springs in Oklahoma
Even: One night
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed 161 paid nights at IHG properties for an average of $152 per night. The least I paid was $48 per night at the Holiday Inn Express Berlin — Alexanderplatz in Germany. And the most I paid was $1,564 per night during a review of the InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort in the Maldives.
Meanwhile, we redeemed IHG points for 209 nights over the last six years, including 36 fourth-night-free rewards. On average, we redeemed 15,591 IHG points per night. We also redeemed 20 anniversary nights over the last six years, including at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa in French Polynesia and the Kimpton De Witt Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
You might wonder how we earned so many IHG points and anniversary nights. We maximize IHG promotions to earn points on stays. And we often buy points during IHG points sales with a 100% bonus when we can do so for 0.5 cents per point. As for the anniversary night certificates, we both have multiple IHG credit cards, so we’ve each earned two anniversary nights for most of the last six years.
We frequently stay at IHG One Rewards hotels and resorts due to the high value we often get when redeeming IHG points. But, with the launch of the new IHG One Rewards program last year, we are also getting good value from the annual lounge membership you can select through IHG’s Milestone Rewards program after staying 40 nights in a year.
Related: 9 budget strategies for getting the most out of your points and miles
209 nights at other brands and independent hotels
The Rondavel at Addo Main Camp in South Africa. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
These days, we usually stay at major hotel brands to earn and use elite status perks and benefit from the consistency provided by these brands. But we often stayed at independent hotels when we first hit the road as digital nomads in 2017. And even now, we sometimes find ourselves in a destination without major hotel brands or where staying at a property outside our brand loyalties makes the most sense.
For example, we couldn’t pass up staying in a twin cell at YHA Fremantle Prison in Australia and a robot hotel in Japan. Likewise, staying within Addo Elephant and Kruger national parks in South Africa let us maximize our time seeing wildlife in these parks.
We often book these stays through online travel agencies since we don’t have to worry about missing out on elite status benefits and earnings while staying at properties outside our primary brands. For example, we’ll sometimes book through credit card portals to use credits, like the $50 hotel credit each account anniversary year on the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. And we’ll occasionally book through American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts to snag extra perks and use the prepaid hotel credit we get each calendar year as a perk of The Platinum Card® from American Express. We’ll also sometimes use Rocketmiles to earn American Airlines miles and Loyalty Points on our stays.
On average, I paid $83 per night on these stays. But, my least expensive night was $18 per night for a private room with a shared bathroom at Stella Di Notte in Belgrade, Serbia. And my most expensive night was $235 per night at the RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas in Liberia during PeaceJam.
203 nights at 21 Marriott brands
Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa in the Maldives. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed 140 paid nights at Marriott properties for an average of $121 per night. The least I paid was $44 per night at the Four Points by Sheraton Bogota in Colombia. And the most I paid was $350 per night during a review of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa in Hawaii.
Meanwhile, we redeemed Marriott points for 49 nights over the last six years, including six fifth-night-free benefits. On average, we redeemed 16,167 points per night on Marriott award stays. We also redeemed 14 free night awards we earned through Marriott credit cards and promotions over the last six years.
Related: Here’s why you need both a personal and business Marriott Bonvoy credit card
115 nights at 6 Choice brands
Emotions All Inclusive Puerto Plata, Ascend Hotel Collection in the Dominican Republic. JT GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Ascend Hotel Collection: 54 nights, including 28 nights at Emotions All Inclusive Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, nine nights at Gowanus Inn & Yard in New York (no longer bookable through Choice Hotels) and three nights at Bluegreen Vacations Fountains in Florida
Comfort: 37 nights, including 19 nights in Japan
Quality Inn: 13 nights
Cambria Hotels: Four nights
Rodeway Inn: Four nights
Clarion: Three nights
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed 34 paid nights at Choice Privileges properties for an average of $93 per night. The least I paid was $54 per night at the Comfort Hotel Airport CDG in France. And the most I paid was $239 per night at Cambria Hotel New York — Times Square in New York.
Meanwhile, we redeemed Choice points for 81 nights over the last six years. On average, we redeemed 9,531 Choice points per night. I’ve found I can get excellent value when redeeming Choice points for unique redemptions and for stays in Japan, Europe and destinations that typically feature high paid hotel rates. So, as with IHG, we often buy Choice points during sales or through Daily Getaways promotions.
87 nights at 11 Hyatt brands and partners
The Park Hyatt Chennai in India. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
I didn’t stay much with World of Hyatt until the program offered reduced qualification requirements and double elite night credits in early 2021. I earned Globalist status in 2021 for far fewer nights than is usually required, but I’ve prioritized maintaining it due to the on-site perks it provides.
I’ve stayed 53 paid nights at Hyatt properties for an average of $139 per night over the last six years. The least I paid was $24 per night at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. And the most I paid was $353 per night at Hyatt House New York/Chelsea in New York.
Meanwhile, I redeemed Hyatt points for 27 free nights over the last six years. I’ve found some excellent Category 1 Hyatt hotels that provide wonderful value on award stays. So, it isn’t surprising that I’ve redeemed 5,563 points per night on average and just 3,500 points per night for nine nights. Additionally, I redeemed seven free night certificates that I earned through Hyatt credit cards, Hyatt Milestone Rewards and the Hyatt Brand Explorer promotion over the last six years.
40 nights at 10 Wyndham brands
Viva Wyndham Azteca All Inclusive Resort in Mexico. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Days Inn: 10 nights
Ramada: Nine nights
Ramada Encore: Five nights
Microtel: Five nights
Club Wyndham: Three nights
Super 8: Three nights
Viva Wyndham: Two nights at Viva Wyndham Azteca — All-Inclusive Resort in Mexico
Baymont: One night
Howard Johnson: One night
Travelodge: One night
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed 29 paid nights at Wyndham properties for an average of $103 per night. The least I paid was $48 per night at the Days Inn Guam-Tamuning in Guam. And the most I paid was $200 per night during a review of the Viva Wyndham Azteca — All-Inclusive Resort in Mexico.
Meanwhile, we redeemed Wyndham points for 11 nights over the last six years. On average, we redeemed 9,068 points per night on Wyndham award stays. And we love getting a 10% redemption discount when we redeem Wyndham points as a benefit of our Wyndham Rewards credit card, as this brings an award night that would typically cost 7,500 points down to just 6,750 points.
32 nights at 6 Hilton brands
The DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel Fiji — Sonaisali Island in Fiji. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed 18 paid nights at Hilton properties for an average of $130 per night. The least I’ve paid was $58 per night at the Hilton Jaipur in India. And the most I paid was $168 per night at the Hilton Niseko Village in Japan.
Meanwhile, we redeemed Hilton points for eight nights over the last six years, including one fifth-night-free benefit. On average, we redeemed 46,250 points per night on Hilton award stays. We also redeemed six Hilton free night certificates that we earned through Hilton credit cards over the last six years for excellent value at the Conrad New York Midtown, the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island and the Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa.
The average amount we redeemed per night with Hilton Honors is significantly higher than with other hotel loyalty programs. This, combined with my struggle to get more than TPG’s valuation (0.6 cents per point) when redeeming Hilton points, is why I don’t frequently stay at Hilton brands despite having Hilton Diamond status through a Hilton credit card.
19 nights at 4 Accor brands
Ibis: 12 nights
Mercure: Four nights
Grand Mercure: Two nights
Ibis Budget: One night
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed 19 nights at Accor properties for an average of $56 per night. The least I paid was $36 per night at the Ibis Muenchen City Nord in Germany. And the most I paid was $84 per night at the Ibis Madrid Alcobendas in Spain.
8 nights at 2 Best Western brands
Best Western: Six nights
Best Western Plus: Two nights
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed eight nights at Best Western properties for an average of $78 per night. The least I paid was $57 per night at the Best Western Amsterdam Airport Hotel in the Netherlands. And the most I paid was $147 per night at the Best Western Plus Mountain View Auburn Inn in Washington.
452 nights camping
Sawnee Campground in Cumming, Georgia. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
When I became a digital nomad in 2017, I didn’t think there was any chance I’d camp 452 nights in the next six years. And even three years ago, I’d only spent three nights tent camping for a concert at The Gorge in Washington state and three nights in a rental RV doing a relocation from Las Vegas to Denver.
But, as it became apparent the coronavirus pandemic would affect international travel for more than just a few months, my husband and I tried out a six-night RV relocation rental in July 2020. Then in August 2020, we decided to buy the same RV model we’d relocated.
When we bought our Class C RV, we expected we’d sell it as soon as international travel to most destinations became relatively simple again. But, we discovered we enjoy working remotely from our RV while in the U.S. We’ve now spent 440 nights camping in our RV since buying it — 97 nights in 2020, 234 nights in 2021, 80 nights in 2022 and 29 nights so far in 2023.
Nineteen nights in our RV have been free at locations (like select Walmarts, select Cracker Barrels and businesses that participate in Harvest Hosts) that allow RVers to stay overnight upon asking permission. We’ve also spent 37 nights sleeping in the driveways of friends and family while visiting them.
Parking overnight at a Cracker Barrel. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
But we usually find paid RV campsites with power and water. We’ve paid for campsites on 393 nights as follows:
171 nights at city and county campgrounds ($32 per night on average)
133 nights at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds ($27 per night on average)
66 nights at state park campgrounds ($34 per night on average)
37 nights at private campgrounds ($52 per night on average)
Four nights at national park campgrounds ($48 per night on average)
On average, we’ve paid $33 per night for our RV campsites. The highest we paid was $104 per night at Orlando / Kissimmee KOA Holiday in Florida. And the least we paid was $17 per night at Shady Grove Campground in Cumming, Georgia, during a half-off promotion.
Related: The cheapest place to stay at Disney World is a tent — so I tried it
443 nights with family and friends
One aspect my husband and I appreciate about being digital nomads is seeing our family more than when we lived in one place. Here’s a breakdown of our nights with friends and family over the last six years:
July 2 to the end of 2017: 32 nights
2018: 90 nights
2019: 83 nights
2020: 167 nights
2021: 29 nights
2022: 27 nights
So far in 2023: 15 nights
We spent significant time with each of our parents in March through August of 2020 as much of the world locked down. However, the nights since August 2020 are lower than pre-pandemic since we now stay in our RV (either in the driveway or a nearby campground) while visiting most friends and family members.
Related: 43 real-world family travel tips that actually work
104 nights in transit
Qatar Qsuite is a comfortable way to sleep on a long flight. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Over the past six years, I’ve spent 101 nights in flight or sleeping in airports. I typically avoid overnight flights, but sometimes overnight flights are unavoidable (and they’re enjoyable if I book a lie-flat seat or luck into a row to myself in economy).
If I have an overnight layover at an airport, I’ll book a hotel if the layover is long enough and I can find a modestly priced hotel on-site or with a free shuttle. But sometimes the layover is too short, or it just doesn’t make sense to get a hotel. In these cases, I’ll usually sleep in a lounge — ideally one with a sleeping area or at least lounge chairs — or in a Minute Suites (or a similar type of space) that participates in Priority Pass.
I’ve also spent three nights on trains, including two on the Amtrak Empire Builder from Portland, Oregon, to Chicago and one on a Trans-Mongolian train from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to Hohhot, China. I thoroughly enjoyed both experiences, so it’s surprising that I haven’t taken any other overnight trains in the last six years. However, low-cost flights on many routes served by overnight trains often make flying a more convenient and less expensive alternative.
Related: 11 of the most scenic train rides on Earth
90 nights in vacation rentals
A vacation rental in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Vacation rentals are the accommodation of choice for many digital nomads, especially those who stay in each location for at least a month and appreciate having their own kitchen. And I spent 39 nights in vacation rentals in 2017 after becoming nomadic July 2.
However, one particularly bad Airbnb experience in 2018 and an increasing interest in hotel elite status caused me to switch most of my nights to hotels instead of vacation rentals. I stayed in vacation rentals for 17 nights in 2018 and 20 nights in 2019. I only stayed in one vacation rental each in 2020 (for three nights), 2021 (for two nights) and 2022 (for two nights). And so far, I’ve only stayed in one vacation rental (for seven nights) in 2023.
On average, I paid $53 per night for vacation rentals across my six years as a digital nomad. My least expensive vacation rental was $17 per night for a private studio apartment in Da Nang, Vietnam, that I booked through Airbnb. And my most expensive vacation rental was $129 per night for a waterfront apartment in Auckland, New Zealand, through Hotels.com.
I’ll still stay in vacation rentals when they’re my best option. But I generally prefer to stay at hotels for consistency and to earn and use my elite status perks.
Related: When a vacation rental makes more sense than a hotel
259 cities in 52 countries and territories
Sensoji temple in Tokyo. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Finally, let’s talk about destinations. Over the last six years, I’ve visited 259 cities in 52 countries and territories. Here’s a look at the number of nights I stayed in each:
1,253 nights: United States of America (including 318 nights in hotels or vacation rentals)
88 nights: Germany
69 nights: Japan
56 nights: Australia
54 nights: South Africa (including 32 nights in or near South African national parks)
36 nights: Dominican Republic
27 nights: Maldives, Thailand
24 nights: Spain
22 nights: Hong Kong, Malaysia
21 nights: New Zealand, Serbia, Vietnam
20 nights: Canada, Colombia, Italy
19 nights: India
18 nights: Netherlands, United Arab Emirates
16 nights: Singapore
14 nights: Bahamas, French Polynesia, Indonesia
13 nights: Fiji, South Korea
11 nights: Brazil, Mongolia
10 nights: China
Nine nights: Bulgaria, England, France, Pakistan
Eight nights: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Liberia, Mexico, Sri Lanka
Seven nights: Greece, Guam
Six nights: Turkey
Five nights: Belgium, Marshall Islands
Four nights: Sweden
Three nights: Argentina, Chile
Two nights: Panama
One night: Ethiopia, Finland, Ireland, Northern Mariana Islands, Taiwan
As you can see, I would have spent the most time in the U.S. even if the coronavirus pandemic hadn’t kept me in the country for much of 2020 and 2021. And interestingly, even my most visited country outside the U.S. (Germany) accounted for just 88 nights across the last six years.
I also visited 14 other countries and territories before becoming a digital nomad. So, although I’m not striving to visit every country in the world, I’ve visited 66 different countries and territories so far. My husband and I are trying to visit a few new-to-us countries each year while also returning to some of our favorite destinations like Germany, Japan, South Africa, Australia and Hong Kong.
Related: The 18 best places to travel in 2023
Bottom line
I feel incredibly thankful for the last six years I’ve spent as a digital nomad. I’ve grown significantly as a person and content creator while traveling full-time.
And I’ve had some amazing experiences, including swimming with manta rays in French Polynesia and the Maldives, watching a sea turtle dig a nest and lay her eggs on a Florida beach, staying at some awesome resorts (Six Senses Laamu, Six Senses Yao Noi and Alila Fort Bishangarh immediately come to mind), and overnighting in second-class hard bunks on a Trans-Mongolian train.
But it’s not these epic experiences that keep me on the road. After all, I could enjoy many of these experiences on vacation. Instead, the daily things like being surrounded by languages I don’t know, enjoying delicious local foods and exploring new cities and neighborhoods on foot keep me attached to the digital nomad lifestyle.
Starting a Roth IRA is one of the easiest — and best — steps you can take to save for retirement. But you should understand the Roth IRA rules before investing in them.
I know I’ve written a lot about the Roth IRA in the past, but I still get questions all the time. People find them intimidating. For example, Lynn wrote last week:
I’m a 36-year-old single mother of two. I want to start investing for my future, but I am so overwhelmed by all the information. I was wondering if you could give me some advice on my best options for a Roth IRA. I am a school teacher and earn $41,000 per year.
I am going to do more research, but I would appreciate some advice from someone who already has expertise in this area. I am not sure what I need to start a Roth IRA, or who I should go with. I don’t know much about mutual funds or anything of that sort, so any help and advice would be appreciated.
Let’s clear things up: A Roth IRA does not need to be confusing. In fact, a Roth IRA is actually fairly easy to understand.
Note: This post is going to keep things basic. For more detailed info, see the resources at the end of this article, or consult a financial planner.
Roth IRA Basics
The Roth IRA is an individual retirement arrangement: It lets you save and invest for your future. An IRA is simply a holding account. It’s a label. When you own a Roth IRA, it contains nothing. It’s like a bucket, a place for you to put things. (Most people think of an IRA as an individual retirement account, which is fine, but it’s actually an “arrangement.”)
The things you put in your bucket are investments. You might, for example, buy a stock to put in your retirement account. Or maybe government bonds. Or certificates of deposit. The important thing to understand is that a Roth IRA is not an investment — it’s a place to put investments.
Related >> Best CD Rates | Certificate of Deposit Rates
With many retirement accounts — such as 401(k)s and traditional IRAs — you contribute pre-tax money and are taxed when you take the money out during retirement. Because they work with after-tax money, earnings from a Roth IRA can be withdrawn tax-free at retirement.
Roth IRA Rules and Requirements
Because Roth IRAs are meant to encourage ordinary people to save for retirement, not everyone qualifies for them. If you do qualify, you can contribute up to $5,000 to your Roth IRA every year. If you’re 50 or over, you can contribute $6,000.
Who qualifies? Nearly everyone. However:
If your tax filing status is single and you earn more than $105,000 per year, your contributions are restricted.
If you’re married filing jointly, your contributions are limited if your household earns more than $160,000 per year.
You can use a Roth IRA even if you have a 401(k) or other retirement plan, but you must make your contributions by the tax deadline each year.
The rules are a little more complex than that, but those are the basics. If you need more info, take a look at the resources listed at the end of this article.
Where to Open a Roth IRA
Deciding where to start your Roth IRA is the most difficult part of the process. Many financial institutions offer IRAs. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Don’t fret about finding the perfect match — find a good match and then get started.
To make things simple, here are four big companies that provide Roth IRAs (though these are by no means your only options):
Fidelity Investments offers a no-fee IRA. There’s a $2,500 minimum initial investment, but this is waived if you commit to $200/month automatic contributions. They offer 4,600 mutual funds, about a quarter of which have no transaction fee. In short, you can open a no-cost IRA at Fidelity with a $200 starting investment if you invest in mutual funds and you agree to contribute $200/month. Apply for a Roth IRA with Fidelity.
It’s also possible to open a no-cost Roth IRA at The Vanguard Groupif you elect to receive electronic statements. Otherwise, a $20 annual fee is charged until your Roth IRA balance is over $10,000. Your minimum to get started is $3,000 — except that you can start with just $1,000 in the company’s STAR fund. (The STAR fund is an mutual fund of mutual funds, a safe choice for beginners.) Additional contributions require a minimum of $100 unless you use their Automatic Investment Plan, in which case the minimum is $50. There are no fees to purchase the STAR fund. Start a Roth IRA at Vanguard.
T. Rowe Price charges $10/year for Roth IRA accounts until you have a balance above $5,000, after which there is no fee. You need $1,000 to open your IRA, but this minimum goes away if you sign up to contribute at least $50/month with the Automatic Asset Builder. There are no sales fees or commissions to invest this money in T. Rowe Price mutual funds. Open an IRA at T. Rowe Price.
Scottrade resists charging its customers set-up, annual or maintenance fees for its online trading services and also offers them the opportunity to get a refund of up to $100 in transfer fees from other brokers for bringing their Roth IRA to Scottrade. Scottrade’s pricing on trades is fairly simple: $7 for stocks $1 and above for online market and limit equity orders. You might also consider a Scottrade checking, savings or money market account. These can be joined with a trading account to help easily fund transactions.
Opening a Roth IRA is easy. You’ll need some minimal bank account info and about 30-60 minutes of free time. If you’ve ever filled out a job application or applied for a credit card, you can certainly open a Roth IRA. Once you’ve completed your application, you can transfer money to the account. It might have to sit in a money market fund until you have enough saved to buy your first mutual fund, but that’s okay. You’re developing the saving habit!
Note: I’m a big fan of automatic investment plans. Most of these companies offer some sort of program that will pull money from your bank account every month to invest in stocks or mutual funds that you designate. By setting aside $50 or $100 or $500 in this way, saving becomes a habit.
Which Investments to Choose
Here’s where I cop out. I’m not a financial adviser. I don’t know your goals or risk tolerance. I can’t tell you were to invest.
Related >> What if the Stock Market Makes You Nervous?
And to be honest, where you invest doesn’t matter nearly as much as the fact that you do invest. To get some ideas, browse through the investing archives here at Get Rich Slowly. (Maybe start with these “lazy portfolios.”)
Related >> The Passive Way to Investment Success
If you’re really stressed, pick a target-date fund that most closely matches the year you’ll retire. This probably isn’t the best option, but it’s fine. Just use it while you get in the habit of making contributions. You can always switch the money to something more appropriate later.
Related >> Choosing a Target-Date Fund
Learning More About the Roth IRA
In 2007, I ran a four-part series exploring the benefits of a Roth IRA. If you need more info about these accounts — or if you have questions — you should start here first:
I’ve revised these articles and compiled them into a free e-book called The Get Rich Slowly Guide to Roth IRAs (518kb PDF). (Note that this e-book was produced in April 2008, so some of the info is a little out of date, especially about Zecco.) And if you want the official word on the subject, check out IRS publication 590, which is all about IRAs.
Now’s the part where you can tell Lynn how easy it is to set up a Roth IRA. (And share what sort of things you’ve invested in.) My own Roth IRA started with stupid stock picks (Countrywide, The Sharper Image) and has moved toward index funds. I’m all about making things easy right now!
With the S&P 500 still down more than a third from its 2007 high, we’re all a little unsure about our retirement plans these days. So it’s time for some good old-fashioned elbow grease. A little effort now should make for a lifetime of security and peace of mind. And the first step is to run your numbers through financial calculators to estimate whether you’ll have enough saved to kiss the boss goodbye. (Metaphorically, of course.)
The calculators’ answers are important information. But what’s even more useful is changing the variables to see what most improves your chances for success. A retirement plan has a lot of moving parts — how much you save, where you live, when you start taking Social Security benefits — and some decisions will have a bigger effect on your nest egg than others.
The factors that have the biggest impact on a retirement plan vary from person to person. But to demonstrate how you can fiddle with your factors to analyze your own plan, let’s examine the retirement prospects of a hypothetical worker — whom we’ll call Hilda, as I’m a sucker for good German names — and see how dialing her numbers one way or the other changes her projected retirement income. Here are Hilda’s particulars:
Age: 55
Marital status: Single
Current income: $60,000
Desired retirement age: 65
Desired retirement income: $45,000
Estimated age at death: 95
Current savings: $100,000
Annual contributions to retirement accounts: $6,000
Assumed annual return on investments: 8%
For our analysis, we’ll use the “Am I saving enough? What can I change?” calculator found among the retirement calculators at The Motley Fool. Once you’ve entered your numbers and hit the “results” button, the calculator provides the number of months that it estimates your savings will last given your desired retirement income. In Hilda’s case, here’s the calculator’s analysis: “Your living expenses after retirement will be fully funded for 127 months.” Divide by 12, and you see that her money is expected to last 10.6 years. Unfortunately, that’s not good enough. If she wants to retire at 65 and expects to live until 95, she needs her money to last 30 years, or 360 months.
So what should Hilda do? Here are her options and possible outcomes, adjusted a single factor at a time.
Save More Hilda’s current savings rate is 10% of her income. What if she ups that to 15%, or $9,000 this year? According to our calculators, that will make her income last 155 months — an additional 2.3 years. That’s a fine first step, but it still has her running out of money in less than 13 years.
Let’s say she, through a drastic lifestyle reduction, managed to contribute the maximum to her 401(k), which in 2009 is $22,000 for someone age 50 and older. That would supersize her portfolio enough to last an estimated 322 months, much closer to the 360-month mark. But she probably can’t save 36% of her income. She’ll have to look at other options.
Spend Less in Retirement What if Hilda decides she can live on a retirement income of $40,000 instead of $45,000? After all, she’ll no longer be stuffing her 401(k) or paying Social Security and Medicare taxes (7.65% of each and every paycheck), and her income-tax bill will drop, too. Maybe she’ll also have eliminated her mortgage by then.
Dropping her annual income requirements by $5,000 adds 51 months (4.3 years) to her portfolio’s estimated lifespan. Not huge, but not negligible, either. However, Hilda feels this would be cutting costs a little too close. She wants to look at other possibilities.
Retire Later What happens when Hilda continues to save just 10% of her income but retires at 68 rather than 65? In that case, she’d have three more years of saving, a higher Social Security benefit (because of her higher lifetime earnings and her beginning benefits later), and she’d need her money to last just 324 months.
In this case, her money would last 255 months, or 21.3 years. By retiring three years later, she’s doubled the longevity of her portfolio. But it still won’t last until age 95. However, if she retires just one more year later — at 69 — the calculator estimates her money will last longer than she will, which is the goal of any retirement plan.
Work in Retirement Unfortunately, Hilda can’t stand the thought of working full-time for more than another decade. However, she’s open to the idea of working part-time for the first five years of her “retirement.” If she earns $30,000 in each of those five years, her portfolio’s life expectancy improves from 127 months to 237 months, or almost 20 years. That doesn’t get her to age 95, but it’s a significant improvement. In fact, for every year she works part-time in retirement, she adds about two years to the estimated endurance of her portfolio.
Quick note: Because Hilda’s “full retirement age” for Social Security purposes is 66, she shouldn’t begin taking Social Security until then if she’s still working. When you begin benefits before your full retirement age but then earn work-related income, your benefit can be significantly reduced.
Tap Home Equity There are a few ways to use home equity to boost your retirement. Let’s see how Hilda could add these to her calculations.
First, let’s assume that she no longer needs her family-sized home. She actually has some equity in the home, so she sells it, buys a smaller home, and comes out with an extra $50,000. Realistically, given the state of real estate these days, it would take at least a year to sell her house and actually get that $50,000 into her hands to invest. If it earns 8% a year, it would add 58 months — almost five years — to the longevity of her savings. That’s a decent-sized boost, and that’s not counting the lower cost of heating, cooling, maintaining, and paying property taxes on a smaller home.
The other option is a reverse mortgage, which is when a bank pays you money based on the value of your home, and you don’t pay it back until you move. A reverse mortgage on a home currently worth $300,000 could provide a check of $1,200 every month that the borrower stays in the house, according to www.reversemortgage.org. Our retirement calculator doesn’t have an input field for reverse mortgage, but since it operates essentially like a pension, that’s where we’ll add the $1,200. Input “30” in the “Years you will receive payments” field, and check the “First payment adjusted for inflation” button (but not the others). Click on the results and — voila! — Hilda’s retirement is fully funded.
While that’s encouraging, we should mention that it assumes Hilda’s mortgage is paid off before she takes out the reverse mortgage. If she moves before she passes away, she’ll have to pay off the loan. Plus, reverse mortgages can be expensive. So our preference is to put off taking out a reverse mortgage for as long as possible, perhaps using it only in the case of an emergency, such as needing in-home long-term care.
Note: There’s a helpful infographic on reverse mortgage myths which can be useful on seeing if this might be the right choice for you.
Change Your Expiration Date Of course, Hilda’s original retirement plan is perfect as long as she dies within 127 months of retiring. All jokes aside, it’s worth remembering that we’re playing it very safe by assuming she’ll live to 95. According to the Social Security actuarial tables, only 10.3% of 55-year-old women make it to 95. If Hilda’s not in good health or longevity doesn’t run in her family, she might assume she’ll die at age 90. That doesn’t change how long her portfolio will last, but it does change how long she’ll need it to last.
A Mixture of the Factors We looked at many variables in isolation, but the best solution for Hilda is to tweak several categories to find a combination of changes that she finds palatable. For example, if Hilda downsizes to a smaller home (resulting in a $50,000 investment a year from now), saves $200 more a month, delays retirement to age 66, and works part-time for the first two years of her retirement, her money will last until she’s 95. Considering all her options, Hilda decides these are adjustments she can live with.
The Bottom Line Retirement calculators are very handy tools, but they’re not crystal balls. The results are based on many variables — such as inflation, investment returns, and Social Security benefits — that we can’t predict and could turn out worse than expected.
How should you handle this uncertainty? Run your numbers once a year, using updated account balances, savings or cd rates, and benefits projections (for example, put in the estimated Social Security benefit found in the statement you receive in the mail three months before your birthday each year).
Also, different calculators provide different results, so don’t rely on just one. For additional opinions, check out:
Despite their shortcomings, retirement calculators do a good job of estimating the value of one decision over another. For Hilda, the variable that had the biggest impact on her plan was retiring a few years later. But it will be different for other people. As one example, boosting a savings rate from 10% to 15% would have a much bigger payoff for younger investors than it did for Hilda, who was already within a decade of her target retirement date.
What will provide the most power to your plan? There’s only one way to find out. Visit a financial calculator and start plugging away.
Current mortgage rates are moving sideways today. We got a Consumer Price Index reading that was underwhelming, signaling to investors that the Fed might not be reading to hike rates at an aggressive pace just yet. Our recommendation remains, however, for borrowers to lock in a rate sooner rather than later. Read on for more details.
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Market Outlook 3.12.18 from Total Mortgage on Vimeo.
Where are mortgage rates going?
Mortgage rates hold steady after CPI
It’s another snowy morning here Connecticut. If there’s anything more fickle than mortgage rates, it’s the weather in New England. Anyway, the big economic event for the day was the Consumer Prices Index.
Financial market participants were let down by the average hourly earnings reading in the monthly jobs report for February last Friday, and therefore eagerly anticipating another inflation reading today.
In similar fashion, the CPI reading came in with a mere 0.2% rise from the previous month. Anyone looking for a breakout in inflation was sorely disappointed.
The resulting market reaction was what you would expect, stocks moving higher and Treasury yields moving lower. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note (which is the best market indicator of where mortgage rates are going), dropped down a few basis points right after the report was released.
However, we’ve seen the 10-year yield inch back up to where it started the day since then. Mortgage rates typically move in the same direction as the 10-year yield, so we’re seeing rates just about flat on the day.
Rate/Float Recommendation
Lock now before rates move any higher
Mortgage rates have increased dramatically so far in 2018. The end doesn’t seem to be anywhere in sight, either, as many analysts are calling for the 30-year fixed rate to climb all the way up past 5% at some point this year.
Learn what you can do to get the best interest rate possible.
Given this expectation, the smart decision for most borrowers is going to be to lock in a rate as soon as possible. The longer you wait on a purchase or refinance, the more likely it is you’ll be paying more with a higher rate.
Today’s economic data:
NFIB Small Business Optimism Index
The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index hit a 107.6. That’s slightly higher than the 107.0 that analysts had expected. This is the second highest level in the history of the reading.
Consumer Price Index
Consumer Prices ticked up 0.2% from the previous month in February. That puts it up 2.2%, year over year. CPI less food and energy also rose 0.2%, month over month, bringing it to 1.8%, year over year.
Notable events this week:
Monday:
10-Yr Note Auction
Tuesday:
NFIB Small Business Optimism Index
Consumer Price Index
Wednesday:
PPI-FD
Retail Sales
Business Inventories
EIA Petroleum Status Report
Thursday:
Jobless Claims
Philadelphia Fed
Empire State Mfg Survey
Import and Export Prices
Housing Market Index
Friday:
Housing Starts
Industrial Production
Consumer Sentiment
JOLTS
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Carter Wessman
Carter Wessman is originally from the charming town of Norfolk, Massachusetts. When he isn’t busy writing about mortgage related topics, you can find him playing table tennis, or jamming on his bass guitar.
Solar for LOs; New Correspondent, Non-QM, Renovation Products; Freddie and Fannie News; Job Numbers Move Mortgage Rates
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Solar for LOs; New Correspondent, Non-QM, Renovation Products; Freddie and Fannie News; Job Numbers Move Mortgage Rates
By: Rob Chrisman
44 Min, 5 Secs ago
What’s our Federal Reserve concerned about? I was in a restaurant last night in Truckee, California, and was shown the table and handed the menu. When the waiter came back five minutes later, he said, “While you were deciding, we raised our prices.” Okay, a little inflation exaggeration humor there, but things are certainly always changing. Remember when everyone thought Amazon or Zillow were going to take over lending? Zillow is shuttering its closing and title services division. Something else that always changes is the population: 10,000 people a day turn 62, and many are eligible for a reverse mortgage, and so many lenders and LOs see reverse being a growth field. (Carol Ann Dujanovich, VP/Director of Reverse Mortgage Operations with University Bank, is featured on today’s 30 minute Rundown at 12PM PT on what’s made its Reverse Platform successful over the years.) (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by Gallus, the premier business intelligence tool for the mortgage industry. With hassle-free insights and user-friendly functionality, Gallus empowers you to make faster, data-driven decisions for enhanced profitability. Hear an interview with Michele Kryczkowski on business development in the mortgage industry and the best way to support sales teams.)
Lender and Broker Software, Services, and Products
Check out Quorum Federal Credit Union’s Sizzling Summer Limited-Time Special Offers. With turn times as fast as 24-hours and expanded guidelines, including up to 90% on a Primary Residence and 80% CLTV on Second Homes and Investment Properties, we’ll help clear any financial hurdles. In addition, Quorum partners with an executed agreement have the opportunity to earn up to 2.00% borrower-paid broker compensation on the entire line amount. There are no minimum draws and no early termination fees. Terms and conditions apply. Contact your Quorum Account Executive, visit Quorum’s Partner Portal or email for more information.
“AFR Wholesale® (AFR) is excited to announce the next session of our Why Wait Live Webinar Series with Freddie Mac on Wednesday, July 12th, at 1PM EST. Please join AFR and Freddie Mac to discuss Renovation, where we will primarily be highlighting CHOICERenovation® and CHOICEReno eXPress®. Over this series, AFR is emphasizing affordable financing solutions that provide homeownership opportunities to more families. The goal is to take the prospects in your portfolio and turn them into borrowers. Register today! This will be a live webinar and a recording and will not be provided, so sign up today and don’t miss it! If you are currently a partner of AFR you can start utilizing these programs right away! Contact AFR by going to afrwholesale.com, email or call 1-800-375-6071.
Serving the underserved community, Non-QM is an essential part of the mortgage ecosystem. With the number of borrowers served continuing to rise and the market share of Non-QM growing, now is the time to learn more about these products. To help this, we are proud to announce the National Mortgage Professional Non-QM Townhall Monthly Series, brought to you by industry-leading ACC Mortgage, Deephaven and NewFi Wholesale. Moderated by Steven Winokur, this impactful series will be conducted with such Non-QM experts as Tom Davis, Robert Senko, and John Wise. Each month a set of topics will be discussed, giving you the info you need to successfully implement and grow your Non-QM origination business. The first in the series will be held on Thursday, July 27th at 2:00 EST/11:00 PST. If you want to learn more about the current state of Non-QM, this is a series you do not want to miss. Register today!
Newfi, an industry-leading lender specializing in non-agency mortgage solutions, is proud to announce the launch of its correspondent lending channel! As an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, Newfi Correspondent stands ready to help mortgage bankers with the benefit of Apollo’s expansive resources and mortgage expertise. They offer a variety of Non-QM offerings including loan amounts up to $5M, alternative income (bank statement, 1099, asset depletion & more) and DSCR loans. Are you a mortgage banker ready to learn more? To support this expansion into correspondent lending Newfi is actively seeking to hire experienced Non-QM Correspondent Account Executives. If you are interested in learning more or applying, please contact Dan Bayer or Dean Reynolds for more information.
Conventional Conforming Program News
The Federal Housing Finance Agency is the conservator of not only Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, but also oversees the Federal Home Loan Bank system. FHFA officials are considering imposing new limits on large banks’ use of the Federal Home Loan Bank system. The changes are reportedly being discussed as part of the agency’s review of the system, which is expected to conclude in September.
FHFA published its 2023 first quarter data for the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) Aggregate Statistics. For the first time, FHFA’s UAD Aggregate Statistics include data on residential property sales comparisons (“comparables”).
Freddie Mac AIM Check API, gives you a preliminary view (as early as point of sale) of a borrower’s qualifying income for a Freddie Mac-eligible loan before submitting a full application to Loan Product Advisor® (LPASM). This Origination API allows users to access Freddie Mac AIM capabilities independent of an LPA submission.
Freddie Mac is committed to working with housing finance agencies (HFAs) to advance affordable homeownership. Its HFA Resource Center is comprised of products and resources to reinforce your efforts in promoting and sustaining homeownership.
Freddie Mac updated Loan Product Advisor® (LPASM) and the new Area Median Income and Property Eligibility Tool with new AMI limits. If you participate in an HFA program, consult the HFA’s website for income eligibility and associated pricing of their Freddie Mac HFA Advantage® offerings. AMI limits are also used to determine whether a loan is eligible for the credit fee cap for first-time homebuyers.
Freddie Mac’s quarterly housing outlook pulse survey, Housing Sentiment in Q1 ’23. COVID-19 led to an increase in migration away from larger, more expensive areas toward more affordable ones. Read Freddie Mac’s research brief for a deeper dive. Low-Income Homebuyers are Less Likely to Migrate from Cities, More Likely to Miss Potential Cost Savings.
The Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) and Forms Redesign team has released additional documentation to support ongoing implementation efforts. These resources supplement the initial documentation that was released in March 2023 to kick off industry development and preparation for the new appraisal dataset and report. This update includes additional Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR) examples for various property types and more information on technical requirements. Read the joint GSE announcement and check out the resources to learn more.
Fannie Mae posted information on the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) and Forms Redesign team release of additional documentation to support ongoing implementation efforts. These resources supplement the initial documentation that was released in March 2023 to kick off industry development and preparation for the new appraisal dataset and report. This update includes additional Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR) examples for various property types and more information on technical requirements.
Fannie Mae issued a Fraud Alert involving income misrepresentation using fabricated/altered public records documenting alleged court-ordered child and spousal support payments. This alert addresses loans originated in Northern California.
Capital Markets
A third consecutive day of selling in the bond markets yesterday was the net balance between reaction to Wednesday’s release of the June Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes, strong job data, and anticipation of today’s June Nonfarm Payroll report. As was reported in this commentary yesterday, FOMC members at their meeting last month expressed a lot of concern toward “continued resilience in the economy” and “persistently elevated core inflation.” The Fed believes that to bring aggregate supply and aggregate demand into better balance and reduce inflationary pressures sufficiently to return inflation to 2 percent over time, a period of below-trend growth in real GDP and some softening in labor market conditions will be required.
Sure, inflation for most countries around the world doesn’t match Sudan at 340 percent, Lebanon at 201 percent, or Syria at 139 percent. Nor are people hauling around wheelbarrows full of cash to buy a loaf of bread. The global fight against pandemic-era inflation has prompted projections ranging from recessions to soft landings. The labor market here in the U.S. is certainly strong.
We are seeing resilience rather than softening in the U.S. labor market, which helps those hoping for a soft-landing, but makes the Fed’s job more difficult and all but ensures more rate hikes. That resilience was evidenced yesterday, as private hiring surged (ADP employment number came in at 497k, the most in over a year, versus the expected 225k), layoffs slowed to an eight-month low (companies had a difficult time finding workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and are probably reluctant to let them go), and filings for unemployment benefits stayed relatively low. This “hardly believable” strength of the U.S. labor market should further push out any concept of a possible recession but should also push out of the market any hopes of a Fed rate cut during 2023.
Accordingly, the fed funds futures market is now a coin-toss when it comes to a November rate hike after a near-certain increase in July. Volatility dropped in June, if ever so slightly, and has been moving sideways of late, but could begin to trend downward once the Fed ends its current rate hiking cycle and investors come to terms with the fact that rates will likely stay elevated for much longer than is expected. Fed fund futures markets no longer see a rate cut by year-end.
Beyond the next few months, the inflation outlook (which is driving rate hike/cut predictions) largely depends on how resilient the economy proves in the second half of the year. The drastic tightening of monetary policy over the past 16 months means that the economy’s most likely path is a modest contraction of real GDP as businesses run down excess inventories. As activity slows in the sectors that are most sensitive to interest rates, like construction and manufacturing, the unemployment rate will likely tick higher over the next 12 months. This will further soften businesses’ pricing power, and slow inflation further.
Today brings the June employment report which could add further volatility to this week’s bond rout. Recent improvements in home affordability have been driven by wage growth. Headline payrolls in June increased 209k versus 230k expectations and 339k in May (revised down to 306k). The unemployment rate came in as expected at 3.6 percent when it was seen ticking down 0.1 percent to 3.6 percent, and hourly earnings were +.4 percent, +4.4 percent for the year. We begin the day with Agency MBS prices a few 32nds better, the 10-year yielding 4.01 after closing yesterday at 4.04 percent, and the 2-year at 4.94 percent. The 2-year/10-year curve sits at more than -100 basis points, within spitting distance of the largest inversion since the early 1980s. The inversion is being driven by concern over the chance of a recession and the fact traders have largely unwound bets for Federal Reserve rate cuts by year end.
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Navigating income taxes during retirement can be complex and your golden years are a time to relax and enjoy your hard-earned cash. Your IRAs, pensions, taxable accounts and Social Security distributions create various tax implications. So, it’s vital to understand them and implement strategies to reduce your tax liability and maximize your retirement funds. You may want to speak with a financial advisor to get a more personal look at how your income will be taxed in retirement.
Federal Tax Rates for Different Types of Retirement Income
Federal tax rates vary by income type and level. It’s important to evaluate what each type of income you expect is going to look like so that you can plan for retirement. Here’s a breakdown of the most common taxes during retirement:
IRAs and 401(k)s
Traditional IRAs and 401(k)s offer tax-deferred growth, meaning you don’t pay taxes on the contributions or investment earnings until you withdraw the funds in retirement. Withdrawals from these accounts are generally taxable income. The tax rate depends on your total income, filing status and the federal income tax brackets in effect during the year of withdrawal.
On the other hand, you fund Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k)s with after-tax contributions, meaning you pay taxes on the money before it goes into the account. Qualified withdrawals from Roth accounts, including both contributions and earnings, are tax free.
Taxable Accounts
Taxable accounts, such as brokerage and savings accounts, use after-tax money. Therefore, you’ll pay taxes on any interest, dividends or capital gains earned from investments in these accounts. Specifically, interest income incurs regular income tax rates, while dividends and capital gains receive different rates depending on how long you hold the investments before selling (short-term vs. long-term).
Selling assets after holding them for less than a year creates short-term capital gains taxes, which the government treats as regular income. On the other hand, selling assets after holding them for a year or more creates long-term capital gains taxes, as seen below:
Pension Income
Monthly payments from your employer’s pension program or a private annuity will incur standard income taxes. In addition, if you opt for a one-time lump sum payment that empties your pension, you’ll owe income taxes for the entire amount.
Remember, employer pension payments come to you after having a specific amount of taxes subtracted. This feature means a large tax bill won’t wallop you when you file (provided you haven’t had an unexpected infusion of income from elsewhere that year).
Earned Income
Earned income receives standard tax rates, like many other types of income listed. However, wages from an employer or self-employment are subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes, also known as FICA. FICA taxes incur an additional 7.65% rate on income from a part-time job and 15.3% from self-employment income (you’ll receive half of that back when you file taxes).
Remember, earned income can run up against Social Security benefits if you make too much. Specifically, for 2023, earning more than $21,240 results in a $1 reduction for every $2 earned after the threshold if you’re under what the government considers full retirement age. Once you reach full retirement age, the limit changes to $56,520 and the penalty is a $1 reduction in benefits for every $3 earned.
Social Security
Social Security also receives taxation based on your income level and filing status. The Social Security Administration adds your adjusted gross income with nontaxable interest income and half of your Social Security benefits when calculating income thresholds for taxes. Then, the government charges federal income tax rates on 50% or 85% of your Social Security check.
The chart below outlines the different possible circumstances and tax rates:
Single Filers
Income
Percentage of Social Security Income Taxed
$0 – $24,999
0%
$25,000 – $34,000
50%
$34,001+
85%
Married Filing Jointly
Income
Percentage of Social Security Income Taxed
$0 – $31,999
0%
$32,000 – $44,000
50%
$44,001+
85%
Keep in mind, if you are married and choose to file a separate tax return, it is likely that you will be required to pay taxes on your benefits.
How to Minimize Your Tax Liability in Retirement
Most people have the very similar goal of trying to reduce the potential tax liability during retirement. While the income you bring in and where you live are going to play a huge role in the taxes you pay, there are some things you can do to improve your situation. In fact, the tips below can help reduce your tax burden during retirement.
1. Remember To Withdraw Your Money From Your Retirement Accounts
Once you reach the age of 73 (or 70½ if you were born before July 1, 1949), you must begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from most retirement accounts, such as traditional IRAs and 401(k)s. Failing to withdraw the RMD amount results in a 25% penalty on the neglected sum plus the income tax it would have incurred.
However, if you have multiple retirement accounts, you have some flexibility in choosing which account(s) to withdraw from. By strategically planning your withdrawals, you can control the timing and amount of taxable income and optimize your tax situation.
2. Understand Your Tax Bracket
Understanding your tax bracket is crucial for retirement planning. You can minimize your tax liability by managing your taxable income to stay within a lower tax bracket. So, it’s best to use the tables above and the federal income tax brackets for the year to calculate a comfortable amount of income without exposing your money to higher rates.
3. Make Withdrawals Before You Need To
You can plan your withdrawals strategically if you have a mix of taxable and tax-advantaged accounts, such as a 401(k) and a Roth IRA. Making withdrawals from taxable accounts or tax-free accounts like Roth IRAs before you need the funds can help reduce your future RMDs and potentially lower your overall tax burden in retirement.
4. Invest in Tax-Free Bonds
Tax-free bonds, such as municipal bonds, can be an attractive investment option for retirees seeking tax efficiency. Interest income from municipal bonds is usually exempt from federal income tax and sometimes from state and local taxes.
5. Invest for the Long-Term, Not the Short-Term
Holding investments for the long term, particularly in taxable accounts, can be advantageous from a tax perspective. Specifically, when you sell investments held for more than one year, you qualify for long-term capital gains tax rates, which are typically lower than ordinary income tax rates. By avoiding frequent buying and selling, you can minimize the realization of short-term capital gains, which receive the standard federal income tax rates.
For example, say you’re a single filer with a $44,000 income. Part of that income is from capital gains. However, if the capital gains are short-term, your marginal tax bracket is 12%, while your long-term capital gains bracket is 0%.
6. Move to a Tax-Friendly State
Some states have lower or no state income taxes, which can significantly impact your overall tax burden in retirement. If feasible, consider relocating to a tax-friendly state. However, before making such a decision, it’s essential to assess various factors like cost of living, healthcare and personal preferences. Remember, the states that don’t charge personal income taxes are Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
The Bottom Line
The type of income that you receive in retirement could change the way that it is taxed. Many can avoid some of this by moving to a tax-friendly state, but most people can’t avoid it entirely. It’s important to understand what your personal tax liability could potentially become and to plan accordingly so that you’re prepared for retirement when it comes.
Tips for Being More Tax-Efficient
The road to financial stability in retirement looks different for everyone. Your investment account types, medical conditions and desired lifestyle can present unique challenges but a financial advisor can help. Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Malik Lee, a Georgia-based certified financial planner and managing principal of Felton & Peel Wealth Management, thinks back to being accepted to Morehouse College in 1999 and facing around $20,000 per year in college costs.
While his friends’ parents took out loans to cover education costs, Lee’s grandmother — his legal guardian — declined.
Her response may seem harsh, but looking back with his perspective as a financial professional, Lee describes it as one of the best decisions she’s ever made.
Many of those parents who took out loans for their kid’s education struggled to repay them, Lee says. In some cases, the children are covering the loan payments because the parents can no longer afford them.
Lee imagines his grandmother, now 90 years old, still paying on a loan for his education when retirement should be her priority. Her saying “no” was an amazing decision, he says.
Parent PLUS loans can be harder to repay
Federal parent PLUS loans are available to parents of dependents attending college and are intended to fund education expenses not covered by other federal student aid.
But these loans differ from federal loans taken out by student borrowers in ways that make them harder to repay:
Higher interest rates. The interest rate on parent PLUS loans is 8.05%, compared with 5.5% for federal student loans.
No grace period. Federal student loan borrowers have a six-month grace period before they begin repayment. Repayment for parent PLUS loans begins after the loan is fully paid out.
Fewer repayment options. Parent PLUS loans don’t qualify for the government’s more generous income-driven repayment programs — like Revised Pay As You Earn, Pay As You Earn and Income-Based Repayment. Parents can apply for Income-Contingent Repayment after consolidating to a Direct Loan.
When you couple the tougher loan terms — compared with federal student loans — with the racial wage and wealth disparity that impacts Black families, you get a double-edged sword that limits the economic growth of some of the most vulnerable borrowers, according to a recent brief by the Education Trust, a higher education research and advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.
On average, Black workers earn 22% less than white workers, based on March 2023 weekly earnings data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And, regardless of income, Black households are less likely to own financial investments, according to a January 2023 report from the Treasury Department. Black families who do invest hold significantly less value in their assets, compared with white families, the same report concludes.
Black borrowers are dipping into their retirement plans to repay parent PLUS loans, says Brittani Williams, senior policy analyst in higher education for the Education Trust. And that’s undercutting their ability to save for their own futures.
If your child is heading off to college soon, there are ways to support them without falling into a debt trap.
Dive into the financial aid process
The more you can learn about financial aid and funding options, the less likely you’ll overextend yourself and be left with debt you can’t repay.
“Immerse yourself in the financial aid process as much as you’re immersing yourself in the college choice,” says Jackie Cummings Koski, an Ohio-based certified financial planner and financial educator. Koski says financial aid offices can often show you program-specific funding or other need-based dollars available to those who ask.
Making sure your child submits the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is a great starting point. But before you or your child accept any money, be sure to visit studentaid.gov to understand the type of federal aid awarded and the terms that come with it.
Set limits on how much you borrow
You can borrow up to the cost of attendance minus any federal aid your child receives. That could mean being asked to foot a pretty hefty bill, depending on what’s awarded to your child.
But you don’t have to borrow the full amount requested.
“Consider not paying for everything,” says Angela Ribuffo, an Alaska-based certified financial planner and president and financial advisor for Raion Financial Strategies. Parents can pay for one year — ideally year four, so they have at least three years to put away money, Ribuffo says. Giving yourself time to save can minimize how much you borrow, if you choose to borrow at all.
You can set limits on how much you borrow based on your income and other financial goals. Use a parent PLUS loan calculator to see how different loan amounts can impact your monthly payment given an 8.05% interest rate.
Always prioritize your retirement savings
As hard as it might be, try not to place funding your child’s education over saving for retirement.
“We’re not saying retirement is more important than your child’s future,” Lee says. “It’s that your retirement has no fail-safe.”
If you must choose between contributing to your child’s education or saving for retirement, Lee recommends being realistic about how the two scenarios can play out. There are more options for a child who cannot pay for college than there are for a retiree who is short on income, Lee says.
Committing to your retirement savings over paying for college could mean your child must find alternative ways to fund their education, and that is OK. Helping them research how to pay for college is still supporting your child on their journey and showing them that their future is important.
Open a BMO Harris Premier™ Account online and get a $500 cash bonus when you have a total of at least $7,500 in qualifying direct deposits within the first 90 days of account opening. Expires 9/15. Conditions Apply.
Some credit cards have complicated, multi-tier rewards programs and lists of perks and benefits longer than your arm. At times, it can feel like you need a special degree just to understand what they offer and how to maximize their value.
The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard is not that kind of credit card. It’s an extremely simple rewards credit card that earns 2% cash back on all eligible purchases and has some easy-to-understand non-rewards perks backed by Mastercard. What you see is what you get, no special degree required.
Of course, many savvy credit card users prefer complicated rewards programs and generous benefits lineups. If you’re among them, Synchrony Premier World Mastercard probably isn’t for you. But if not, take a few minutes to learn more about it.
What Is the Synchrony Premier World Mastercard?
The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard is a cash-back credit card. It earns unlimited 2% back on all eligible purchases and has no annual fee. It has a basic lineup of additional perks backed by Mastercard but no sign-up bonus or 0% introductory APR offer.
The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard is designed for people with good credit or better. It’s not for people in the process of rebuilding their credit and isn’t an appropriate first credit card.
What Sets the Synchrony Premier World Mastercard?
The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard has no really groundbreaking features. Its most notable points include:
Flat, unlimited cash back. This card earns unlimited 2% cash back on all eligible purchases, making it an ideal credit card for everyday purchases.
Potentially valuable Mastercard benefits. This card comes with some potentially valuable Mastercard-backed benefits, including a monthly $5 credit against eligible Lyft purchases and a complimentary three-month DoorDash DashPass subscription.
No sign-up bonus or 0% intro APR offer. The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard has no real incentives for new cardholders, which is a downside relative to some otherwise similar cash-back cards.
Key Features of the Synchrony Premier World Mastercard
Before you apply for the Synchrony Premier World Mastercard, make sure you understand its core features.
Earning Rewards
All eligible purchases on this card earn 2% cash back. There’s no limit to how much cash back you can earn, and your rewards don’t expire as long as your account stays open and in good standing.
Redeeming Rewards
Synchrony automatically redeems your rewards as statement credits to your account. Credits typically post within two billing cycles of the cycle they’re earned.
Mastercard-Backed Benefits
This card comes with some additional benefits backed by Mastercard:
$5 monthly credit against eligible Lyft purchases
Three-month complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership, with benefits like $0 delivery fee on eligible orders
Access to exclusive events and experiences through the Mastercard Priceless program (out-of-pocket costs may apply for tickets, food, and other aspects of participating opportunities)
Important Fees
This card has no annual fee. Other fees may apply, including for balance transfers and cash advances.
Credit Required
This card requires good or better credit. If your FICO score is significantly below 700, you’re unlikely to qualify.
Pros & Cons
These are the biggest upsides and downsides of the Synchrony Premier World Mastercard.
No annual fee
Unlimited 2% cash back on eligible purchases
Rewards automatically post to your account
No sign-up bonus
No way to earn more than 2% cash back
No 0% intro APR offer
Pros
The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard is a low-cost, easy-to-understand rewards credit card that’s straightforward to use.
No annual fee. With no annual fee, you pay nothing to keep this card around, no matter how much or how little you use it.
Flat, unlimited cash back. All eligible purchases on your Synchrony Premier World Mastercard earn 2% cash back. There’s no limit to how much you can earn.
Rewards automatically post to your account. Synchrony automatically redeems your rewards to your account each month. There’s no extra step involved and no chance of forgetting to redeem at all.
Potentially valuable Mastercard-backed benefits. While not outrageously generous, perks like a $5 monthly Lyft credit and three months’ complimentary DashPass add real value.
Cons
The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard has few benefits beyond its rewards program, which isn’t as generous as some competing cards’.
No sign-up bonus. This card has no spending-based sign-up bonus for new cardholders. Many competing no-annual-fee cash-back cards do.
No way to earn more than 2% cash back. Try as you might, your cash-back earnings top out at 2% with the Synchrony Premier World Mastercard. Some competing cards have 3% or 5% rewards tiers.
No 0% intro APR offer. This card has no 0% intro APR offer. That’s unwelcome news for anyone planning a big purchase soon after getting this card or looking to pay down an existing high-interest balance transferred from another piece of plastic.
Few perks beyond the cash-back program and Mastercard benefits. The Mastercard benefits are nice, but the Synchrony Premier World Mastercard has few other perks worth noting.
How the Synchrony Premier World Mastercard Stacks Up
Before you apply for the Synchrony Premier World Mastercard, see how it compares to another popular 2% cash-back credit card: the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card.
Synchrony Premier
Wells Fargo Active Cash
Sign-Up Bonus
No
Yes
2% Cash Back
All eligible purchases
All eligible purchases
Lyft Credits
Yes, $5 per month
No
Annual Fee
$0
$0
0% Intro APR
No
Yes, 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard matches the Wells Fargo Active Cash card’s unlimited 2% cash-back rate and adds some attractive benefits on top, notably the $5 monthly Lyft credit. But Wells Fargo Active Cash is the superior card overall thanks to its sign-up bonus and 0% intro APR offers for new cardholders.
Final Word
The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard leaves very little to the imagination. It earns unlimited 2% cash back on all eligible purchases and automatically redeems rewards on users’ behalf. It has no annual fee and some appealing but not life-changing additional benefits.
If that’s enough to convince you to apply, have at it. Just know that there are more generous rewards credit cards on the market if you’re willing to seek them out.
The Verdict
Our rating
Synchrony Premier World Mastercard
The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard has an above-average but not amazing rewards program, no annual fee, and some notable non-rewards perks. However, it falls short in some key areas, including its lack of any incentives for new cardholders.
Editorial Note:
The editorial content on this page is not provided by any bank, credit card issuer, airline, or hotel chain, and has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the bank, credit card issuer, airline, or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Brian Martucci writes about credit cards, banking, insurance, travel, and more. When he’s not investigating time- and money-saving strategies for Money Crashers readers, you can find him exploring his favorite trails or sampling a new cuisine. Reach him on Twitter @Brian_Martucci.