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Should You Worry About Overfunding Your 529 Plan?

529 college savings plans are powerful tools to help pay for the mounting costs of an education. Why are some people hesitant to use them? One common concern is oversaving. You can use 529 funds to cover only qualified education expenses without incurring a tax penalty, but it can be hard to pinpoint how much money you actually need. Many parents open 529s for their children when they are born; they have no way of knowing whether their kids will earn a scholarship or even go to college at all. Fortunately, parents of multiple children can change the beneficiary of a 529 plan. But ...

Tesla Sales Dropped 1.1% In 2024, Its First Annual Decline In A Dozen Years

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla posted its first annual sales drop in more than a dozen years Thursday, undercutting a stock that has soared since Donald Trump’s victory on optimism Elon Musk’s close relationship to the president-elect will help the company. Tesla’s global vehicle sales rose 2.3% in the final quarter of 2024 thanks to 0% financing, free charging and low-priced leases. But that was not enough for billionaire Musk’s most valuable holding to overcome last year’s sluggish start. The Austin, Texas, company sold 495,570 vehicles from October through December, boosting ...

Value was in vogue in 2024. Shoppers and restaurant patrons in the U.S. were choosy about where and how to spend their money as they wrestled with high housing and food prices. Well-heeled customers traded down to Walmart and Aldi. Diners opted for fast food or home cooking instead of sit-down restaurants. Department stores struggled as buyers shopped online or at cheaper chains like H&M. Residents also moved away from buying furniture or investing in expensive renovations, opting to refresh their homes with inexpensive items like frames and candles. Those shifts changed the ...

Showcasing The County

The Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth and County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency are announcing a new program as part of the Live CHQ initiative to help introduce new and prospective residents to all that the county has to offer. The Live CHQ Workforce ...

ERA Team VP Exceeds Toys For Tots Goal

ERA Team VP Real Estate & Vacation Rentals recently wrapped up its efforts as a donation site for the 2024 Toys for Tots Campaign. In conjunction with #GivingTuesday on Dec. 3, ERA Team VP teamed up with Toys for Tots, a national non-profit organization, as part of a nationwide effort by the ...

American Consumers Feeling Less Confident In December

American consumers are feeling less confident in December, a business research group says. The Conference Board said Monday that its consumer confidence index fell back in December to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Analysts forecast a rise to a reading of 113.8. Consumers had been feeling increasingly confident in recent months, spending more in the run-up to the all-important holiday shopping season. The consumer confidence index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. The measure of Americans’ short-term ...