Apart from student loans, there are loans for parents who want to help their children get through college. Known as the Parent PLUS loan, parents of dependent undergraduate students can avail of this. There is a fixed interest rate on the same and it has flexible repayment terms. It is important that parents have a good credit history in order to be eligible for such a loan.

Before taking a Parent PLUS loan, it is important to understand if the child has exhausted the eligibility for his/her loan. This is because all student loans have a low interest rate which means that it is ideal to opt for a student loan first. Many parents borrow to ensure that their children do not have too much debt on themselves. However, as parents, you can help your children repay the student loan as well. It is not necessary to apply for college loans for parents.

How to apply for a college loan for parents
In order to apply for the loan, you will be required to make an application at the office of the college or university the child is enrolled in. You will have to request for the loan yourself. Additionally, the student must be enrolled in the school and the funds must be used for his or her educational purpose only. There are two repayment periods you can choose from. Consider the requirement of funds for the payment of tuition fees and then weigh your options. As mentioned above, the first alternative is to apply for a student loan and if the limits on the same are exhausted, you may choose to apply for college loans for parents.

Important features of college loans for parents
The purpose of the loan is to make it easier for students to have access to high-quality education. Parents need to apply for the Parent PLUS loan and it will be disbursed when all the required documents and the filled-up application form are submitted. The maximum amount that the parents may borrow on the loan is the cost of tuition fees, books, and housing. At the same time, it is important to note that there is no annual limit on the amount that may be borrowed. However, you should try to avoid debt by borrowing only the amount which is necessary for the payment of education costs so as to keep your debts in check.

Whatever your gender or age maybe, planning for retirement is an important step you need to take at the right time. You spend an entire lifetime working to earn money. Therefore, it is important to ensure that this money provides enough finances for you when you retire. Every individual wishes to enjoy retirement in a stress-free manner and if it is planned for, it will be possible to achieve the same. Using the best retirement planning tools will help you ensure that you have enough funds to last you as long as you live.

There are two popular types of tools you can use for planning your retirement efficiently.

Questionnaire
One of the easiest tools you can use is a Questionnaire that may help you fix your investment mix. When you invest your savings for the purpose of retirement, you need to be realistic about it. You need to consider your risk appetite and the volatility in the market before you make a decision to invest in a particular asset class. Your investment strategy should help you generate maximum returns at a low risk. Keeping in mind long-term investment, answer the questionnaire available online and re-assess the allocation of assets on your portfolio. It is advisable to build a diversified portfolio so as to reduce the risks and maximize returns. Do factor in the market volatility before you make a decision. When you arrive at the perfect mix of debt and equity-based assets, you will be able to determine the amount you need to invest for the purpose of retirement.

There are different types of questionnaires available. You can choose one that fits your needs best.

Calculators
There is no denying the fact that a retirement calculator may help you with any sort of planning related to planning for your golden years. It is one of the best types of retirement planning tools and will help you make the most of your investment and tax-saving plans. You can use the calculator to determine the amount of investment you need to make to build up a retirement fund. It will also help you determine the amount of money you will receive once you retire. Just factor in the accurate details regarding your income, the amount you have already saved, the amount you plan to save each year, the tenure, age, and your gender so as to get an estimate of the amount you will retire with. You can choose from a plethora of options available for retirement calculators.

These retirement planning tools will help you make a well-informed investment decision for a relaxed retired life.

An individual retirement account (IRA) is similar to a savings account that helps you save for retirement and make the most of tax savings. IRA accounts have two types—one is a traditional account and the other one is a Roth account. It is a retirement plan provided to individuals by various financial institutions in the country.

There are several plans you may choose from. It is important to consider your requirements and go for a plan that fits your needs. Some of the best companies offering IRA plans have listed below.

Ally Invest
Ally Invest provides one of the best structures for an IRA. It offers unlimited options for investment and has the lowest fee structure in the market. It offers managed portfolios that require a minimal investment of around $2500 and has an annual fee as low as 0.30%. It gives you an option to have your entire portfolio managed by professionals. However, you must remember to maintain the minimum balance, else you may have to pay a penalty of around $50 per annum.

Betterment
Betterment is a huge investment advisor. It offers a managed portfolio, and you are only required to fund your account. The professional managers will allocate the portfolio between debt and equity instruments. It does not require any initial deposit.

Wealthfront
Wealthfront offers one of the best IRA retirement plans in the market. It offers low-cost professional services for your IRA and is an ideal platform to grow your investment. They offer a diversified portfolio of debt and equity and also has a range of alternative investment options. An IRA account may be opened with an amount as low as $500 and the advisory fee for the account is around 0.25%.

E*TRADE
E*TRADE offers an ideal mix of investment options with a low pricing. The stocks and mutual funds may be traded at a low cost, and there are more than 1000 mutual funds to choose from. With more than 30 physical locations across the country, it is an ideal option. It neither has any annual fees nor does it require any minimum account balance.

Choose the best IRA retirement plan based on your investment criteria and long-term financial goals. Professional management of your portfolio will allow you to maximize your wealth and generate higher returns on the same. At the same time, with a diversified portfolio, you will be able to reduce the associated risks.

Retirement calculators are financial planning tools that may help you make the right investment decisions. With a retirement calculator, you will be able to determine the amount you need for the period of your retirement. It is important to get this calculation done right as it will give you a basic idea of how much money you will require to get by in your retirement years.

Today, most retirement planning calculators are available as apps on your smart devices. However, to avoid keeping your data on random devices, people often prefer to use the programs that run on your personal laptop or desktop. The first step to estimating the retirement amount is using the right retirement calculator. Following are the top five calculators you can choose from:

Retirement Planner by Personal Capital
This calculator is free to use and runs a number of investment scenarios automatically. You do not need to put in any data. It runs on a number of assumptions which may be changed if you wish to. The results will be displayed in the form of a graph and table.

Fidelity myPlan Snapshot
This is one of the best retirement calculators that will give you a complete snapshot in just a few seconds. You will just have to enter some basic information like your annual savings, age, and income. The tool will generate a graph based on your assets and will allow you to create a detailed plan.

The Flexible Retirement Planner
This calculator will ask you to provide detailed inputs based on which the graph of your future retirement funds will be developed. You may provide inputs like setting up your taxable portfolio or tax-free portfolio and may also use sensitivity analysis for the effective allocation of assets.

Ultimate Retirement Calculator
This calculator allows you to enter basic data like your contribution and retirement savings. It allows you to leave a certain amount in your estate and also lets you put the one-time benefits you wish to receive like inheritance. You need to provide details of your income and cost of living to arrive at accurate results in a tabular format.

Vanguard Retirement Nest Egg Calculator
This is also one of the best retirement calculators and is easy to use. You only need to provide the years of your portfolio, annual spending, the current balance of the portfolio, and asset allocation.

These are some of the most trusted calculators in the market that are used by many for calculating their retirement fund.

The 401k is an employer-sponsored savings plan for eligible employees to save for their retirement through deferred salary contributions, which go towards an employee’s 401k account. These are all pre-tax contributions. However, there are certain 401k contribution limits to keep in mind. These have been mentioned below:

Basic contribution cap for the year 2017–2018
The limit for basic employee contribution for the year 2017 was around $18,000 per year. It has, however, been increased to around $18,500 for the year 2018. This includes all the contributions made after tax and salary deferrals to a 401k account. In case you have more than one 401k accounts, your contribution limits cannot exceed the limits mentioned above. However, any contributions made to other types of retirement accounts would not come under this limitation.

Contribution cap for people aged above 50
The primary purpose of a 401k account is to encourage savings towards a financially-stable future for participants. While young employees need to stay under the limits set by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), employees aged above 50 years have different 401k contribution limits so that they can save more as they are nearing their retirement age. Apart from adhering to the limit of $18,500 in 2018, they may also contribute a catch-up amount of around $6,000 towards their 401k account to take more benefit of it when they retire.

Contributions by employers
Since it is referred to as an employer-sponsored program, there is a cap on the contributions made by employers as well; however, it is higher than the 401k contribution limits set for employees.

The employer contributions constitute of contributions made by the employees along with the employer and the additional elective employer contributions made to the 401k account. This is, however, irrespective of whether the employee meets the same standard of contribution or not. The limit for the year 2018 for the same is around $36,500, which has been increased from the threshold of around $36,000 in 2017.

Total contribution limits for 2017–18
There is a limit set by the IRS for total contributions made to the 401k account. The maximum contribution allowed to the 401k account for the year 2018 is around $55,000; moreover, around $61,000 is allowed for catch-up contributions. These include contributions of employees, employers, (both matching and elective), and a count of all the 401k accounts that you have under your name.

Additionally, highly compensated employees have more stringent limits so that they do not take undue advantage of a 401k account. Such employees can calculate the contribution they want to put in additionally towards securing their retirement years with a 401k account.

Having a pet is one of the most beautiful experiences in life. Most people in the world want their pet to be a permanent member of their family. Even though pet insurance is not a very common investment for many pet owners, it does have various benefits and may save you as well as your pet from suffering during any emergencies. Here are the top four benefits of opting for pet insurance:

You need not go see a specific vet within any network
Insurance policies for people come with network hospitals and eligible doctors for you to consult if you want to make a claim. However, with a pet insurance policy, you can consult any vet that your pet is comfortable with and still make a claim. The only requirement is that the vet has to be a licensed one. It is of advantage for people who may face an emergency when in a different place than their hometown. Getting a pet insurance may help you deal with such emergencies.

There are no restrictions on the breed or age of the pet
Unlike the various age restrictions that human insurance policies come with, your pet has an advantage of being insured irrespective of his or her age and breed. The only prerequisite is that there should be no preexisting health conditions which might raise some complications to get an insurance for your pet.

Pet care costs do not have to be a sudden expense
These plans come with monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or yearly payment options. So, you may efficiently budget out how much to contribute and when to contribute towards pet care. Some companies even offer you the opportunity of insuring more than one pet with them and give you great discounts for the same.

Your pet does not have to suffer because of any financial shortcomings
It is extremely disheartening to see your pet suffer, especially when you are not in a position to do anything about it. Emergencies get challenging to navigate, and there is some or the other priority expenditure that takes over pet care for many pet owners. Having an insurance is an excellent option to get out of such situations.

There are various providers for pet insurance who offer great deals and would surely give you the much-needed peace of mind, knowing that your pet is always insured.

Based in California, LendingClub is one of the biggest peer-to-peer lending platforms for loans. Getting a personal loan from LendingClub has many advantages, some of which have been discussed below:

Borrow high amounts with great annual percentage rates (APR)
LendingClub personal loans provide a funding of up to $40,000. You may borrow up to this amount for any purpose that you want. Depending upon your eligibility such as credit score, debts, salary, age, etc., your APR will be decided. The rates vary between 6.16% and 35.89%. You may check the best rates for yourself on their online portal, without letting it affect your credit score.

Make monthly payments
Just like an equated monthly installment (EMI), you may pay off your loan in the form of fixed monthly payments. By knowing a fixed duration of paying off your loan and the fixed amount going out from your account every month, repaying a personal loan from LendingClub becomes simple. It also helps you plan ahead and be financially disciplined.

Get your money sooner than most loan providers through an easy process
The process of getting a LendingClub person loan is incredibly simple and quick. You can apply online within a matter of minutes, see the available APR options, and select an offer that suits you the best. The approval process will be quite fast and you will get your funding within days. The money is directly credited to your bank account. Since it is a peer-to-peer lending platform, it is not as time-consuming as other major lenders.

Get loans for various purposes
There are various purposes for which you can avail a personal loan from LendingClub. You can get a loan for refinancing your credit card debt, debt consolidation, any major purchase, home improvement, relocation, moving, green loan, or any other personal financing purpose. You can even borrow a loan for a vacation, a business, or for financing your car. Just choose the requirement and get a loan from LendingClub.

If all your documents are in place and you have been able to maintain a decent credit score, then you are sure to get a great deal for procuring a LendingClub personal loan. Their interest rates are quite competitive, their turnaround time is par excellence, and their loans will help you deal with your immediate financial needs.