Past Issues

Most financial advice treats the 401(k) as the default retirement savings vehicle. For California public servants, the 457(b) and CalPERS pension change the math entirely.

Before you count down the days to retirement, make sure you have a plan. The decisions you make in your final 12 months of state service can mean tens of thousands of dollars saved or…

CalPERS retirees who return to public service face a set of rules that are strictly enforced and carry serious financial consequences for violations.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness has been substantially reformed over the past three years. The IDR Account Adjustment retroactively credited millions of borrowers with qualifying…

Base salary is one line in a compensation package. For nurses choosing between public-sector and private-sector employment, the more consequential question is what the total package is…

I failed algebra three times. Not once. Three times. I dropped out after 9th grade. I spoke broken English and barely passed English in high school.

Language is not a wall. It is a door — and it opens from the inside. I spoke broken English when I arrived in this country. I barely passed my high school writing class…

This is not a story about overcoming adversity. Adversity never fully goes away. This is a story about what you do when it doesn't.

Somewhere right now, a teenager is being told that if they didn't get into the right school, their future is already diminished. I want to speak directly to that teenager…

After 23 years as a registered nurse inside California's corrections system — from staff RN to senior clinical leadership — I have a simple answer to the question everyone eventually…

I did not build my retirement income by picking stocks or timing the market. I built it by staying inside institutions that reward time and service…

PSLF has forgiven billions of dollars in federal student loan debt. It has also denied tens of thousands of applications. The difference between approval and denial almost always comes…

I enlisted in the Army at 18 with a GED and no financial plan. What I did not expect was that the Army would give me the most important financial education of my life…

The financial media almost always frames the CalPERS vs. 401(k) comparison in ways that favor the 401(k). Here is a different view…

Public Service Loan Forgiveness has undergone significant changes over the past three years. For California nurses, the combination of PSLF and state public sector employment creates…

The base salary comparison between CDCR nursing and county hospital nursing is close. The total compensation comparison is not. Base Pay Comparison CDCR Registered Nurse CF (entry…

The CalPERS pension formula is straightforward once you understand its three components: service credit, age factor, and final compensation.

I enlisted in the Army as a private. I retired from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel. The path between those two points was not straight, and it was not easy, but it was possible…

Water districts are among the most overlooked employers in California public service. They offer CalPERS pensions, competitive salaries, excellent job security…

California has some of the most affordable LVN-to-RN bridge programs in the country. If you are a licensed vocational nurse looking to advance to registered nurse…

Planning your CalPERS retirement requires careful preparation. The decisions you make in the 12 months before your retirement date can have lasting financial consequences.

School nursing is one of the most overlooked career paths in California public sector healthcare. School nurses work a 10-month schedule, earn competitive salaries…