March 2022
By Mark FisselPosted on March 10th, 2022
from Clint Edgington, CFA
February saw markets uniformly down. Initially investors fretted over global Central banks tightening monetary policy, with the highest headline CPI of 7.5% annual inflation in the U.S. since 1982. Fears of Russia-Ukraine conflict overshadowed this, however, and culminated on February 24th with the invasion of Ukraine, bringing the S&P 500 briefly into correction territory.The only industry sector showing strong positive performance was the Energy sector, as energy prices have risen in anticipation of supply constraints due to Russia’s contribution to that sector. |
Ohio’s 529 Plan Moving To Target Date Funds
The Ohio College Advantage 529 Direct Plan is adding Vanguard Target Enrollment Portfolios (TEPs) this month. Similar to target date funds (TDFs) found in 401k plans, which are based on date of birth, the TEPs will be based on the year beneficiaries will enroll in college.
Current holdings in Vanguard’s Ready-Made Age-Based portfolios will be converted automatically to the Target Enrollment funds on March 17. Those with holdings in the Ready-Made portfolios that don’t want their holdings in TEPs should use one of the two annual exchanges to make new investment selections.
The IRS has announced Cost-of-Living adjustments for contribution limits to 401(k)s and other qualified plans for 2022. Contributions to IRAs will remain the same. See the chart below to see how the changes will affect you.
Smoothing Markets Ups and Downs
After the wild ride of 2020, the U.S. stock market was relatively calm in 2021, but there was still plenty of volatility. There were 55 days when an S&P 500 index, generally considered representative of U.S. stocks — closed with a rise or fall of 1% or more from the previous day’s closing price. There were seven days with a change of more than 2%.1
Balancing College and Retirement Preparations
Financing a college education with the least amount of debt involves putting together a variety of resources in the most favorable way for your family. It requires planning, savings discipline, an understanding of financial aid, smart college research, and good decision making at college time.