College Savings Makeovers

The Social Security Administration’s 2018 Trustee report contains the same dire news as last year – the benefit program will run out of money in 2034. Some look at this distant date as a reason to remain calm, confident a solution will be found. “Despite the projections on the insolvency of Social Security, I do not hold the belief that Social Security will dry up entirely,” says Ryan Repko, a financial adviser for Ruedi Wealth Management, Inc. in Champaign, Illinois. “For better or worse, social security has become hardcoded in the American DNA, after all, it is not called the ‘3^rd rail of politics’ for nothing. No politician wants to be in office and have social security dry up, so something will have to change that will reform social security, to keep it intact for generations to come. That’s my humble optimistic view.”

Others deny the way the math is interpreted. “Social Security is definitively not on the cusp of insolvency,” says Glenn Sulzer, Senior Analyst in the Corporate Compliance division of Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. “The media hysteria that typically accompanies the SS Trustees’ Report ignores the fact that under current tax collections, the trust fund will be sufficient to pay 3/4 benefits for 75 years. The choreographed emergency is especially misplaced with those currently 50 and older, and even with respect to employees under the age of 50.

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You’re in a pinch and in desperate need of money. You’ve already asked family members for help, but nobody can assist you. You’ve heard of a personal loan before, but is taking one out a good idea?

In short, it depends on your particular financial situation. If you’ve racked up high-interest credit card debt, for example, and you can take out a personal loan with a lower interest rate to consolidate and pay off that debt, a personal loan might be right for you. But if you have other assets you can borrow against that will have lower interest rates — such as a 401(k) loan or a home equity line of credit (HELOC) — you might want to consider pursuing those lines of credit instead of a personal loan.

Here’s everything you need to know about when a personal loan might be worthwhile, and when you might want to look elsewhere.

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