A Couple of Quick Tips, And Stuff I've Been Enjoying Lately

Welcome to Saving Money with Andrew!

As we near the end of 2025, it’s useful to check in on any end of year money saving opportunities. Among them:

• If you have kids and haven’t opened a 529 college savings account yet, it’s a great time to get started! The majority of states offer state tax benefits, and earnings are generally federal and state tax exempt as long as used for qualified educational expenses. Unlike the deadlines for IRA contributions (April 15 of the following year), most states have a December 31 deadline for 529 plan contributions.

• Many of the individual tax changes in this year’s tax bill come into effect in 2026. Among them include significant limitations on charitable deductions, so if you itemize your deductions and are thinking of making any significant donations or, better yet, opening up and funding a donor-advised fund, now is a great time to do it.

As always, this post is not tax or investment advice!

And now, Andrew’s pick(s) of the week:

I’ve really enjoyed Manor House (think Downton Abbey meets Below Deck) and Frontier House lately, both fantastic PBS docuseries from the early 2000’s.

Lily Allen’s new album, West End Girl, is an extraordinary concept album chronicling the end of her marriage to Stranger Things actor David Harbour. I wasn’t expecting to like this album as much as I did, but it is incredible.

Also:

• AI is becoming more and more a part of our lives, but few are thinking of the ability of AI to interact in the physical world. I enjoyed this NYT Hard Fork podcast episode about the potential of hybrid AI/human-piloted robot butlers.

• On the more worrisome side, there are very serious concerns about AI, ranging from job losses and increasing inequity to much more imaginative worries about existential risk. I thought Eliezer Yudkowsky’s If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies was a thought-provoking of some of the existential risks posed by superintelligent AI. If you’re hesitant to read the book, start at 22:42 of this podcast for a great interview with the author. If you enjoy it, you’ll almost certainly like the book.

I hope this has been helpful. If you liked it, please share it on social media! Also, please send me your feedback, requests, and success stories.