Many grandparents want to support their grandchildren’s education, and a 529 plan remains one of the most effective ways to do that. Recent changes to rules and regulations have given 529s more flexibility, improved tax treatment, and fewer unintended consequences when it comes to financial aid. 

Like many of us, you may remember starting a new job and being handed a stack of onboarding paperwork that consisted of tax forms, health insurance elections, direct deposit info, and somewhere in the mix, your 401(k) enrollment. At this time, you likely picked a contribution percentage and selected a few investment options, sometimes with little context or guidance. For you and many others, that might be the last time that those choices were reviewed or scrutinized.

Retirement is about more than just building up savings—it’s also about figuring out how to spend those savings in a way that lasts. One common approach is to use a fixed or “safe” withdrawal strategy, like the “4% rule,” where you spend a set percentage of your portfolio each year. But life doesn’t move in a straight line, and neither does the market. That’s why it’s important to regularly revisit your financial plan to determine whether adjustments to your spending might be needed.