Today’s Marvelous Money topic is narrow in scope, but potentially huge in impact! It’s not something that was on my radar until John introduced the idea, and so I figured it might be the same for some of you. Basically, a Health Savings Account is the most “tax-preferenced” savings vehicle in the U.S. right now, and it’s something you should definitely consider taking advantage of! Let’s chat about why. Of course, before you can take advantage of an HSA as a savings vehicle, you have to make sure it’s the right fit for you for its primary purpose: as a form of health insurance! That’s something only you can determine, but if you’re of average health, it’s worth considering. An HSA is used in tandem with a high-deductible health insurance plan. A high-deductible plan means you pay a lower premium — the monthly cost of your insurance — but you are responsible for paying for expenses up to your deductible (currently defined as at least $2,700 for a family) and potentially up to your out-of-pocket maximum (at most, currently, $13,300 for a family). An HSA comes alongside your insurance plan to help you save for these expenses. There are four main financial benefits of a Health Savings Account: 1. Your contributions are tax-free. Contributions to your HSA are 100% deductible (up to a max of $6,900 for a family in 2018). Because income is taxed after you make HSA contributions, you will be taxed as though you make less money — for example, if you make $50,000 per year and put $5,000 into your HSA, you will be taxed as though you make $45,000, lowering your tax burden. HSA contributions are actually considered SUPER tax-free, because they are both income tax-free AND payroll tax-free! This all helps to reduce the