If you are 50 or older, or you will reach age 50 by the end of the year, you may be able to make contributions to your IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plan above the normal contribution limit. Catch-up contributions are designed to help you make up any retirement savings shortfall by bumping up the amount you can save in the years leading up to retirement.

Catch-up contributions can be made to traditional and Roth IRAs, as well as to 401(k) plans and certain other employer-sponsored retirement plans. But if you participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, check plan rules – not all plans allow catch-up contributions.

Yes, they can be an excellent way to save for college. College savings plans are established by states and typically managed by an experienced financial institution designated by the state. Each plan has slightly different features.

A 529 college savings plan lets you save money for college in an individual investment account that offers federal tax advantages. You (or anyone else) can open an account in your child’s name and thereafter contribute as much money as you wish, subject to the plan’s limit.

The state’s selected money manager takes your contribution and invests it in one or more of the plan’s pre-established investment portfolios, which typically consist of mutual funds. Some plans automatically place your contribution in a portfolio that’s tailored to the age of your child. (The younger your child, the more aggressive the percentage of stocks. As your child grows older, the portfolio gradually shifts to more conservative investments.) Other plans let you choose the portfolio you want at the time you join the plan, without regard to your child’s age. This lets you take into account your risk tolerance and other factors that may be important to you.

Caring for your aging parents is something you hope you can handle when the time comes, but something you probably hope you never have to do. Caring for your aging parents means helping them plan for the future, and this can be overwhelming, both physically and emotionally. When the time comes for you to take care of your parents, you may be certain of only two things: Your parents need you, and you need help.

Start planning

Talk to your parents about the future. Start caring for your aging parents by talking with them about their needs and wishes if they are able. In some cases, however, they may not be willing to talk to you about their future, either because they are afraid to face it or because they resent your interference. If this is the case, you may need to do as much planning as you can without them, or, if their safety or health is in danger, step in as caregiver anyway.

“I am not going to give to charity in 2018 because I can no longer receive a tax deduction for my gift.” This was the comment shared while I discussed the new 2018 tax laws with a development officer colleague who works at one of our great local nonprofit organizations.

Wanting clarification, I asked more questions to determine the context of the statement. It was made by an unnamed donor who felt he and his wife were not going to be able to give in 2018 to the organization that they had supported regularly for a number of years. He was basing his opinion on reports they had seen on TV and read in the newspaper.

In my mind there is a greater story to be told. Politics aside, for an overwhelming majority of people, the new tax law will increase their overall tax deductions and should put more money into their pockets. That money can be used, in whole or in part, to support their charities of choice.